Forensic Pathology

Name: Date: What is a forensic pathologist? 1. What does a forensic pathologist do? What would s/he attempt to find out? 2. Approximately what percentage of deaths investigated by forensic pathologists are of natural causes? Why does the forensic pathologist have to investigate these deaths? Autopsy 3. When an autopsy is conducted, what details about the death would the pathologist hope to establish? 4. Where does the term autopsy come from? What does it mean? What about post mortem? 5. In what situations would an autopsy be performed? 6. Why are autopsy assistants called dieners? Cause of death 7. Why is examination of internal organs not attempted if a body has to be exhumed? 8. Explain why examination of the stomach contents is standard procedure for post mortems? 9. What two things are the most commonly listed causes of death?

Time of death 10. List the three stages that a body goes through after death and explain what happens at each stage.

11. Under what circumstances could a bodys temperature increase after death? 12. What is lividity? What causes it?