Back طب شرعي Arabic Ədli tibb Azerbaijani Судовая медыцына Byelorussian Съдебна медицина Bulgarian Medicina legal i forense Catalan Retsmedicin Danish Rechtsmedizin German Ιατροδικαστική Greek Jurmedicino Esperanto Medicina forense Spanish
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2013) |
| Part of a series on |
| Forensic science |
|---|
.png) |
Medical jurisprudence or legal medicine is the branch of science and medicine involving the study and application of scientific and medical knowledge to legal problems, such as inquests, and in the field of law.[1] As modern medicine is a legal creation, regulated by the state, and medicolegal cases involving death, rape, paternity, etc. require a medical practitioner to produce evidence and appear as an expert witness, these two fields have traditionally been interdependent.[2]
Forensic medicine, which includes forensic pathology, is a narrower frontline field which involves the collection, documentation, analysis and presentation of objective information (medical evidence) for use in the legal system.[3]
When investigating a death, forensic pathologists:
- perform autopsies when required
- may be appointed as coroners to investigate cases of suspicious death
- determine the cause of death and all other factors that relate to the body directly
- may attend crime scenes
- frequently testify in court.[4]
The Australian Museum shows in a step by step virtual demonstration what happens during an autopsy procedure.[5]
- ^ Theodric Romeyn Beck and William Dunloop. (1825.) Elements of Medical Jurisprudence, 2 ed., Oxford University Press.
- ^ James C. Mohr. (1993.) Doctors and the Law: Medical Jurisprudence in Nineteenth-Century America, Oxford University Press, New York City.
- ^ Alfred Swaine Taylor and Frederick John Smith (ed.). (1920.) Taylor's Principles and Practice of Medical Jurisprudence, 7 ed., Taylor & Francis. (1873 edition)
- ^ "Medical".
- ^ "Virtual autopsy".