FSC239Y5 Lecture Notes - Forensic Pathology, Clinical Death, Trace Evidence
Document Summary
The forensic autopsy versus an external examination. Cessation of vital functions that sustain a living organism: cvs (syncope circulatory failure), rs (asphyxia respiratory failure), cns (coma cns failure brain death) Molecular life (time between somatic and molecular death) Cause of death: any injury or disease that produces a physiological derangement in the body that results in the individual death. Mechanism of death: the physiological derangement produced by the cause of death that results in death. Violent deaths are retained even if there is a long delay between cause and death. Intact causal chain (strong connection between original injury and final incident) Autopsy required to: determine the cause of death, document injuries, exclude other causes of death, determine or exclude contributor factors. Extent of autopsy: complete autopsy, sometimes even more extensive. They are considered and assessed as pattern injury. Age: prenatal to 12 years, 12-18, adults (pulp calcification, wear facets )
