Post mortem examination of a dead body is carried out to gain insight into the disease process as well as for forensic application of medical knowledge. Although different specialists viz; pathologists and forensic medicine experts, carry out autopsy for these two purposes, on many occasions there may be overlap of these two fields of medicine. A comparative analysis of both these categories of autopsies, namely clinical autopsy and medico legal autopsy, is done in this article with the intention of equipping the specialists in these two fields of medicine with knowledge about the other.
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, commonly called Death Certificate, is the most frequently issued certificate, at least by a government employed medical officer, if not by a private practitioner. It is common knowledge that many medical officers, even some of those with incomparable medical knowledge and expertise, do not fill up this document of immense medical and legal importance correctly. The reasons may be many, ranging from ignorance to indifference. Medical officers of Armed Forces Medical Services attending refresher courses (MOJC) have always requested the authors for a class on this topic. Considering these aspects, the authors have tried to clarify different issues concerning the question.
Many a Urnes medical omeen of Armed Forces Medical Services face problems coocernlDg poKey as well as policy matters ID connectioo with their medico-legal duties aod responsibUities. This Is particularly 50 with hospital admIoIstrators, pathologists aDd surgeons. Over and above. the lack of Anay Orders aod DC Memonmda on tbls topic makes one feel at a loss. The COD&eqIIeDC'tS of mistakes committed "bUe performing medicolegal duties may include stricbares from the courts. ThIs article tries to list the common medicolegal problems encountered by medical ofIkers or Armed Forca Medical Services working at different levels and iD dUrerenl capadties, and provides solutions for the same. MJAFI 2002; 58 : 134-240
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