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Forensic Medicine

Postmortem Examination

Not yet clinically reviewed

This protocol was migrated from the earlier Pharmapedia and Ward Guide apps for educational use. Follow your hospital's own policies and consult seniors when in doubt.

Objectives

  1. To find out the cause of death—whether the death was due to violence, poisoning or natural disease
  2. To estimate the approximate time of death.
  3. To establish identify if it is not known.
  4. To collect relevant information to assist the investigation officer to arrive at a conclusion as to whether death was accidental, suicidal or homicidal.
  5. In the case of infants to ascertain the period of its gestation, whether it was live born, still born or dead born; and if live born, to estimate the period of survival and to find out the cause of death.

General Guidelines

  1. Postmortem examination is to be done only after receipt of written requisition in the prescribed form.
  2. A medical officer cannot refuse to do a postmortem examination.
  3. The police constable in charge of dead body must be made to identify the corpse as that of the one involved in crime by the No. noted in the requisition.
  4. Examination should be undertaken as early as possible.
  5. No unauthorized person should be allowed to enter the postmortem room. The postmortem findings are to be kept confidential.
  6. Examination of the body must be thorough and complete and should include a meticulous external examination and detailed internal examination.
  7. In the cases where the identity is unknown, features like age, sex, height, weight, complexion, hair, scars, deformities, tattoo marks, dental details, etc. are to be described.
  8. Distribution of rigor mortis, position, extent and fixation of postmortem staining and degree of decomposition are noted to estimate the approximate time of death.
  9. When injuries are present, their nature, size, situation, directions, edges and ends are to be described in detail.
  10. Viscera and body fluids have to preserved for chemical analysis in suspected cases of poisoning and when the cause of death is uncertain.

Chemical Analysis

The following viscera are collected for the purpose of chemical analysis:

  1. Stomach and 30 cm of upper part of small intestine with contents.
  2. 500 gm of liver and half of each kidney.
  3. Blood: 10 ml.
  4. Urine: 30 ml. Saturated sodium chloride is the preservative for item No.1 and 2 and sodium fluoride for item No.3 and 4. The bottles containing the viscera and body fluids are labelled, sealed and forwarded to the Chemical examiner to the Government.