Avineni 1

Shri Nishika Chowdary Avineni

Coach Chacchia

3rd Period PCIS

November 05, 2023

How are autopsies performed?

A forensic autopsy is a postmortem inquiry for medicolegal purposes (Menezes). An

autopsy is performed when a person has died in a sudden, suspicious, obscure, or litigious death.

Its objective is to determine the cause of death and whether foul play was involved. After the

manner of death is figured out, it is written on the victim’s death certificate with the

classifications of either natural, accident, suicide, homicide, undetermined, or pending

(Snohomish County). A county coroner, who is not a medical professional, may do autopsies on

state-mandated cases. The medical personnel in charge of conducting a forensic autopsy are

typically a forensic pathologist or a medical examiner. However, pathologists always undertake

clinical autopsies (Johns Hopkins Medicine). As made clear, this essay will explore how an

autopsy is performed and how it helps in finding one’s cause of death.

Since my profession of interest is forensic pathology, I will be focusing on a forensic

autopsy, although every autopsy is done similarly. The first step to a complete autopsy is the

gross examination of the body, which consists of observing the clothes, accessories, and any

visible signs of trauma. The technique of examining pathology specimens with the naked eye to

get information is known as gross examination. An I-shaped or Y-shaped incision is made

anteriorly on the body to open the thoracic and abdominal cavities (Menezes). This allows for a

gross examination of organs and internal structures, which is usually the number one technique

that aids in figuring out the cause of death. It aids in identifying the organ that appears to be
 Avineni 2

traumatized or to have a problem. To open up the cranial cavity to inspect the brain, the coronal

incision is commonly used. Starting at the mastoid process, behind the ear, and continuing across

the vertex to reach the opposing mastoid, the scalp is incised in the coronal plane (Menezes). As

a result, the scalp is incised bi-mastoid along the coronal plane. After examining the brain, all of

the organs are taken out to be weighed. Several techniques are utilized, such as the Technique of

Virchow, Technique of Ghon, etc. The Technique of Virchow refers to taking out the organs one

by one, while the Technique of Ghon refers to taking out the organs in the cervix and thoracic

cavity in one separate block (Menezes). During this step, sections of tissue, organs, and fluid can

be taken to “microscopic, chemical, and microbiological exams” (John Hopkins Medicine).

Microscopic examination can determine any defects in the blood, urine, and tissue and detect

foreign pathogens. Other ancillary investigations include sending DNA, pieces of clothing, anal

swabs, and blood specimens to a laboratory to be tested for any evidence. Following an autopsy,

the body is ideally cosmetically repaired and then turned over to the relevant legal authority

(Menezes). Lastly, the death certificate is signed, and a final report is made after all of the lab

tests come in (John Hopkins Medicine).

While going through these articles, I learned about how fascinating an autopsy is and

how many steps are involved in it. Autopsies are mentioned so casually in the media, but who

knew that there was so much involved in one? Although overall, every autopsy is done in a

similar fashion, some steps can be done with various techniques. So, there is no one way to do an

autopsy, but rather, there is always some form of conclusion that is reached from it. It also taught

me some ways that the manner of death can be found and how important it is to forensic cases. It

gave me an insight into what a forensic pathologist and Medical Examiner do for their work and

prepared me for my future as an aspiring forensic pathologist.

 Avineni 3

Works Cited

“Autopsy.” Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2019,

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/autopsy.

“Cause & Manner of Death | Snohomish County, WA - Official Website.”

Snohomishcountywa.gov,

snohomishcountywa.gov/806/Cause-Manner-of-Death#:~:text=The%20classifications%2

0are%20natural%2C%20accident.

Menezes, Ritesh G, and Francis N Monteiro. “Forensic Autopsy.” Nih.gov, StatPearls Publishing,

11 Sept. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539901/.