Autopsy
...rst hand experience while serving as a surgeon to the Gladiators, treating their wounds. Procedure of an autopsy: Preliminary – firstly the body is weighed and measured. Any debris are removed and bagged (i.e. hairs, fibres, particles etc.) The plastic bags that were covering the head and hands, to prevent loss of contact traces, are removed and examined. Examination of the clothed body – all stains are recorded, collected and stored in separate containers. Dried blood can be scraped into a jar, or lifted with a moist swab. Any damage to the clothing associated with injury is to be recorded. Photographs are taken throughout the procedure. Removal of clothing – each article of clothing is carefully removed and put into separate bags. External examination – physical signs of interference, injury, sexual, is looked for, examined and recorded. Dissection of the body – before the internal examination is done, the body is washed clean of any blood and dirt and sample of the scalp, eyebrow, facial and pubic hairs are taken. Collecting body fluids – samples of fluids are taken from the body. Care is taken not to contaminate the samples with each other or other particles and fluids. Blood: at least 20mls is needed of blood, the most frequently required fluid, and may be useful for more than one test including – · Detection of poisons · Detection of glucose · Detection of carbon dioxide · Detection of carbon monoxide · Detection of alcohol content · Blood grouping Urine: the most frequent tests of urine are: · Detection of alcohol and metallic poisons, barbiturates, opiates, amphetamines. Cerebro-spinal fluid: this can be taken straight from the brain with a syringe and long needle or with the needle of a syringe between two spines of the vertebral column. Stomach contents: the exposed stomach is to be moved away from other abdominal organs and put into place over a large container. The stomach is opened with scissors and the contents are removed. Intestinal contents: usually the small intestines are preserved for lab analysis, but in some cases of suspected metallic poisoning, the large intestine is also required. Liver: because it naturally stores and concentrates the toxin, the liver is the vital organ in determining poisoning. Vitreous humor: the jelly-like fluid behind the lens of the eye, which recently has become an accurate indication of the time of death, is partially resistant to post mortem change. After post mortem procedure – when the autopsy has been completed, the pathologist should finalise the report as soon as possible. In the case of homicide, where it may take a year between examination and trial, the body will have to be preserved for some time intact and as fresh as possible under refrigeration. All samples taken at the autopsy will be passed to an experienced scenes-of crime investigator who labels all material and transports them safely to the lab. Instruments used: · Dissecting knife: in constant use throughout the procedure for both incision and removal of organs. · Brain knife: this twelve inch bladed knife is used to make long clean cuts through the brain. · Scissors: eight inches long. · Saws: for cutting through bone. · Skull key: chisel like tool, shaped like a ‘T’. · Scalpels: used for examination...