Medical Examiners and Autopsy: the irretrievable action

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, by Rembrandt, depicts an autopsy.
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, by Rembrandt, depicts an autopsy.

An autopsy is a scary thing for the citizen accused of a homicide.  This is due to the fact that performing an autopsy is a horribly destructive act.  Once you make an incision, it is there.  There is no healing.  Once you reflect back the scalp, then it cannot be put back together.  Once the brain is severed and removed, it cannot be returned.  All of the kings horses and all of the kings men cannot put the decedent back together again.

a large and deep Y-shaped incision can be made starting at the top of each shoulder and running down the front of the chest, meeting at the lower point of the sternum. This is the approach most often used in forensic autopsies so as to allow maximum exposure of the neck structures for later detailed examination.
A large and deep Y-shaped incision can be made starting at the top of each shoulder and running down the front of the chest, meeting at the lower point of the sternum. This is the approach most often used in forensic autopsies so as to allow maximum exposure of the neck structures for later detailed examination.

The difficulty in the modern way that we perform autopsies is that a poorly documented and/or poorly performed autopsy will lead to the irrevocable and irreparable destruction of evidence.  It cannot be meaningfully examined again as the body cannot be returned to its pre-autopsy state.  You only get one chance to do it right.

Forensic Autopsies are destructive acts
Forensic Autopsies are destructive acts

This has been a long time criticism of autopsies.  The scientific community is starting to acknowledge that there is a greater need to try to find non-evasive or less evasive alternatives to get meaningful and useful data.  This largely surrounds medical imaging techniques.

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