Autopsy
An autopsy is a medical investigation to determine cause of death or extent of disease after death. It usually involves some dissection.
The word comes from the Greek meaning "of seeing with one's own eyes"[1]
For an autopsy to be legal there must either be consent of someone on behalf of the deceased such as a spouse or parents (common examples are an autopsy on a former football player to determine if he had CTE, which cannot be diagnosed until after death, or to determine if a medical malpractice suit can be brought), or there must be a reasonable belief that a death was not due to natural causes (e.g., a person who dies from a gunshot wound, would likely be subject to autopsy to determine if the wound was accidental or on purpose, and/or if the wound was self-inflicted or done by another) to determine if criminal charges are warranted.
An unauthorized autopsy is a tort creating a cause of action by a family member entitled to the body.[2]
The term has entered the English language to mean any detailed review of an event (such as a poor performance by a political candidate, an example being the showing by President Biden in the 2024 debate with former President Trump).
See also
References
- ↑ The Merriam-Webster Concise School and Office Dictionary, 1991
- ↑ Alderman v. Ford, 146 Kan. 698, 72 P.2d 981 (1937); French v. Ochsner Clinic, 200 So.2d 371 (La.1967); Burney v. Children's Hospital, 169 Mass. 57, 47 N.E. 401 (1897); Larson v. Chase, 47 Minn. 307, 50 N.W. 238 (1891); Crenshaw v. O'Connell, 235 Mo. App. 1085, 150 S.W.2d 489 (1941); Hendriksen v. Roosevelt Hosp., 297 F.Supp. 1142 (S.D.N.Y.1969); Hill v. Travelers' Ins. Co., 154 Tenn. 295, 294 S.W. 1097 (1927); Koerber v. Patek, 123 Wis. 453, 102 N.W. 40 (1905). Cf. Dean v. Chapman, 556 P.2d 257 (Okla.1976).
