all about forensic pathology!

forensics is something i've been interested for a long time so i thought i'd use this to write a bit about it!! i'm mainly interested in forensic pathology but i will touch briefly on other types :3

what is forensic pathology?

first, lets break it down! forensics is scientific tests and/or techniques used in connection with the detection of crime. pathology is a type of medical science that focuses on the study and diagnosis of disease. so, forensic pathology is a type of pathology that is mainly focused on figuring out the cause of death by examining the deceased. this can be used during the investigation of criminal law cases and sometimes civil law cases. while sometimes different types forensics can be lumped together, each one actually has a significant purpose. some other types of forensics include forensic science, forensic chemistry/biology, forensic anthropology and forensic toxicology. i've had forensic pathology be confused with forensic science and while they may sound the same they're actually very different. this leads me onto my next topic!

what does a forensic pathologist do?

a forensic pathologist will perform a series of tests on a corpse to determine the cause of death. these are known as autopsies or post-mortems. however, a forensic scientist analyses physical evidence to gather clues from/about a crime scene. forensic toxicologists also play a big part in helping with the autopsies performed by forensic pathologists! a forensic pathologist will determine the presence or absence of disease, injury or poisoning and evaluate historical and law-enforcement investigative information relating to the manner of death. if the presence of disease or poisoning has been confirmed then a forensic toxicologist will perform tests on bodily fluids such as blood and tissue samples to identify any drugs or chemicals present in the body. forensic anthropologists actually also have a role with these two as it is a special sub-field of physical anthropology which is the study of human remains. forensic anthropologists are called upon when human remains have been found to determine who died, how they died and when they died. the main differences between the three is: forensic pathologists specialise in analysing the physical body, forensic toxicologists specialise in analysing bodily fluids and forensic anthropologists specialise in analysing hard tissue like bones.

the history of forensic pathology

forensic pathology was founded by rudolf virchow who developed the virchow method, which is still one of the main and most popular methods used by forensic pathologists today. the virchow method is performing autopsies as well as also instituting cell theory which would bring attention to the damage of disease on the human body. ambroise paré is also considered one of the founders of modern forensic pathology and surgery as in the 16th century he invented instruments for head surgery and trepanning, which is a surgical invention where a hole is drilled or scraped into the skull. the history of forensic pathology itself can be traced all the way back to the fourth century BC where it was practised strictly on deceased animals as at the time humans were considered sacred. later on however, forensic pathology would be practised among asia as muslim doctors had discovered infectious diseases and would therefore operate on the corpses. forensic pathology was first recognised in the us by the american board of pathology in 1959 after it and forensic toxicology had been used to solve thousands of criminal cases all around the globe for years!

thats all 4 now!!! ^_^