An autopsy, also called a post-mortem examination or necropsy, is a detailed medical examination of a deceased body carried out to determine the cause and manner of death and to document disease processes and injuries. Autopsies typically involve external inspection followed by internal examination of organs and tis…
An autopsy, also called a post-mortem examination or necropsy, is a detailed medical examination of a deceased body carried out to determine the cause and manner of death and to document disease processes and injuries. Autopsies typically involve external inspection followed by internal examination of organs and tissues, often supported by microscopic, toxicological, and laboratory analyses. They are central to forensic science, where they help establish whether a death was natural, accidental, suicidal, or homicidal and provide evidence for legal investigations, and they also serve clinical and research purposes by clarifying the effects of disease and the accuracy of prior diagnoses. Research within forensic science illustrates this role, including retrospective studies of autopsy cases linking thymic hypertrophy to sudden unexpected death in adults and case reports examining sudden death from causes such as spontaneous rupture of the urinary bladder following acute alcohol intoxication. The field also draws on the historical development of related practices, such as embalming, that shaped the study of human anatomy. By systematically examining the body after death, autopsies contribute to medicine, law, and public health. This page gathers peer-reviewed, open-access research relevant to autopsy and post-mortem investigation within the forensic sciences.
4 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 4 articles above have been cited 4 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Autopsy, linking to each citing work.