It is delightful to come on board as a columnist for Marketing Africa magazine , and to set us off on this debut write up , I wish to invite your valued indulgence as I dissect the dicey theme of Forensic Pathology . Journey with me as we explore the need , process , controversies , myths , fallacies , and business opportunities for those with the mojo to venture in this line .

Forensic Pathology simply put , is the determination of cause of death by examining a corpse . It involves investigation of deaths . It is a process with a rich history with the first recorded anatomic dissection of human body taking place in China in 16 AD and in Japan in 456 AD ( on the body of Princess Takukete ) to the times of Leonardo da Vinci ( 1452-1519 ) who made drawings from some 30 human dissections .

Death can take place in many different situations and many of us have encountered it . Be it a relative , a friend , a leader or a total stranger . We have read numerous stories on the same . One question that then keeps popping up on our minds is , if this person has died , why disturb the death by having it go through myriads of investigations , including cutting up of the body ?

Death , even of a total stranger is something we mostly don ’ t want

On some occasions , due to heavy cultural beliefs , rooting , and influence which pre-exist in our setup , some deaths have been attributed to witchcraft , with relatives blatantly refusing to agree with the findings of the autopsy team . to think about as it is considered a bad omen by many . We would like to wish it away as quickly as possible . At times we imagine that it only happens to others . But it is there with us , it will always be there , and it has been there since time immemorial . It also comes in many forms . At times gradually in persons who are unwell for a long time , and at times it ’ s too sudden and tragic .

There are two main forms of death . It can either be natural or unnatural . In most occasions , death investigations , through post mortem examinations ( a word used interchangeably with autopsy ) are instituted in unnatural deaths . This means that not all deaths are investigated .

Unnatural deaths include homicide ( murder ), suicide ( example a person hanging himself ), accident ( including road traffic accident ) and sudden unexplained deaths ( like someone who was giving a speech suddenly collapsing at the podium and dying , despite being visibly well ).

One can however request for a post-mortem examination on a relative who died naturally for the purpose of closure , or if they have reasons to believe that the deceased died as a result of receiving suboptimal care at the hospital or at times for the purpose of insurance , among other things .

Post mortem examination for unnatural deaths are carried by a team which is composed of investigating officers ( from the police department ), a medical practitioner ( a pathologist or medical officer ), a crime scene officer ( to take photographs of the process ), a government chemist ( for laboratory analysis ) and many others , depending on the case in question .

Post mortem examinations involves first establishing the identity of the deceased . This can be done visually by persons who knew him or her such as close relatives or friends . In some occasions , the body can be badly disfigured due to decomposition , fire or severe injuries so that identity is difficulty . There are some

78 MAL42 / 21 ISSUE

MAL42:21 | Page 80

Demystifying Forensic Pathology