Necropsy or Autopsy? It’s All About Communication!

Abstract

Several of us have decided that communication is more important than tradition. Yes, Virginia, we were all drilled in the discipline of veterinary pathology by traditionalists. We're stubborn individualists, aren't we? Greats like John King have necropsied thousands of animals, and we want our procedure to be distinguished from the ''other'' side-the RDs (well okay, the MDs). The short answer is that ''necropsy'' literally means ''death examination'' or examination of death and finds its application in the study of bodies following death. The term is general without reference to species. ''Autopsy'' literally means ''self-examination,'' and some of us were taught that the frame of reference for ''self'' referred to the postmortem examination of ''ourselves'' or our own species, humans. As such, postmortem examination of nonhumans was proscribed from using the term and was designated ''necropsy.'' But hold on there a minute, let's see what Webster has to say. Or as Don Meuten likes to say, ''Show me the reference!''

Poisoning of cats and dogs by the carbamate pesticides aldicarb and carbofuran

“…This situation reinforces the importance of the research and the use of a forensic approach to analyse crimes against animals, as shown in recent studies (Byard and Boardman, 2011;Cooper and Cooper, 2008;Gerdin and McDonough, 2013;Munro, 1998;Munro and Munro, 2013;Newbery and Munro, 2011). In humans, the autopsies of cases where the death has occurred under suspicions, violent or unknown circumstances are performed by forensic pathologists in medicolegal laboratories (Fierro, 2005;Law et al, 2012;Molina et al, 2007;Randall et al, 1998). In animals, necropsies are performed by veterinary pathologists or veterinarians, which should be made aware of the possible circumstances that lead to the death of the animals, and follow established protocols, both for the necropsy and samples collection for toxicology and histopathology.…”

Pediatric death audit with special emphasis on autopsy at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria: a 6-year review

“…Autopsy is a post mortem examination, carried out on a dead body, not only to find out the cause of death, but to discover the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of events that lead to death [1,2].…”

A jakobsian analysis of communication in veterinary anatomic pathology

“…Since I figured out that anatomic pathology is communication (5), I got interested in this subject and If I'm assuming myself as a communicator, then, I logically need to study and understand it. When I looked for this, Jakobson's explanation (4) was the most elegant, eloquent and simplest explanation I've found.…”