Autopsy The word autopsy originates in the Greek term 'autopsia', which means "to observe from a first person perspective." An autopsy is a post-mortem examination process involving a surgeon investigating a corpse with the purpose of determining the cause of death. Surgeons in charge of autopsies are typically specialized doctors that are experienced in pathology. An autopsy typically entails a complete physical examination of the deceased person and can extend to examining internal organs. In situations when people die in hospitals physicians ask for the family's permission to perform an autopsy. Such a procedure can also be performed as a result of the family's request for the physician to do so.

Although it has been customary for some cultures to perform the removal and observation of organs consequent to a person's death, it has not been until recent centuries that physicians actually realized the importance of analyzing a deceased person's organs with the purpose of understanding the cause of death to a greater degree. Autopsies were performed on humans for thousands of years, with the Ancient Egyptians having discovered methods they could use with the purpose of determining the reason behind someone's death. "Furthermore, in old Egypt in the 17th century B.C., knife wounds were distinguished and broken skull was described in another person who had no trauma symptoms." (Erer & Duzbakar, 2006, p. 40) The Egyptians were thus unhesitant about adopting controversial strategies as long as they believed that their actions would reflect positively on their ability to understand the human body as a whole.

Christianity was especially...

Even with this, a series of breakthroughs took place throughout the first half of the second millennia in the field of medicine and autopsies became more common. "Bodies of executed people were used as anatomy materials used in medical education in Europe." (Erer & Duzbakar, 2006, p. 40)
The majority of states require accurate documentation accompanying a death and the autopsy is in many cases the most effective solution of obtaining this information. Physicians need to obtain written consent from the deceased person's family or from established authorities in order to be able to go through with the autopsy.

Most autopsies occur because the authorities want to determine the cause of death, as such information can assist families, physicians, and law enforcement officers as they attempt to discover what the exact cause for the patient's death was. In some situations the patient's death is known but there are other reasons why physicians would want to perform an autopsy. An autopsy can assist doctors in gaining a more complex understanding of how effective particular substances were in fighting a disease. Also, the process can assist physicians and the deceased person's relatives in finding whether or not the reason for his or her death has hereditary implications. This can be essential in some situations. For example, a child's autopsy can assist physicians in determining if it would be safe for the family to continue to make children.

When considering…