instances in which persons are involved in a mass fatality disaster thus posing a challenge in identification , in such occasions , personal possessions , clothes among other things , can aid . Furthermore , finger printing and DNA can also be used .
We have government institutions where the process of death investigation is performed . These include government hospitals , and stand along mortuaries . There are also private hospitals and private funeral homes in which the same is performed too .
Death , even of a total stranger is something we don ’ t want to think about as it ’ s considered a bad omen . 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 .
The aforementioned investigations usually begin at the scene and this is done on case-to-case basis . Then it is followed by a post mortem process at the mortuary where the deceased undergoes external and internal examinations , all of which are recorded .
In some cases , there may be need to collect samples for further analysis . These include cases of suspected poisoning , alcohol related deaths etc . In some jurisdictions , any driver or pedestrian involved in fatal road traffic accident has to undergo alcohol testing for it has been observed that alcohol intake is one of the leading causes of road traffic accidents . DNA can also be collected for the purpose of paternity testing ( remember some men might be having children out there who might land with a thunder to claim for wealth once their dad dies ).
So , as you have read above , post-mortem examinations are very important as the reports can be used in the legal process
One can request for a post-mortem examination on a relative who died naturally for the purpose of closure , or if they have reason to believe that the deceased died as a result of receiving suboptimal care at the hospital or at times for the purpose of insurance .
( Section 386 of the Criminal Procedure Code-CAP 75 laws of Kenya , lists the instances in which it is mandatory for a post morten examination to be performed ), insurance claims , identification , and paternity ( due to succession issues ).
The reports are equally useful in generating accurate data on leading causes of death for the evidence-based policy formulation with an intent of preventing deaths from the same causes , for closure when requested by the relatives and also for genetic counselling for persons who die due to diseases which are as a result of our genetic differences . They may also be important for public health purposes ( like environmental pollutions leading to mysterious deaths , increased incidences of cancers etc which may require investigative post-mortems ).
Even after performing a thorough post mortem process , occasionally we emerge from the post mortem room without any answers . This creates a lot of turmoil since the public expectation is that the medical practitioner is supposed to have all answers and there should never be any room for one to say that there is no answer , insinuating that everything looks normal .
To answer to this , it is worth noting that causes of death can broadly be classified into chemical , anatomical or physiological . Chemical cause of death can be due to the chemicals ( or toxins ) produced by the body and cannot be removed due to disfunction of body organs or chemicals introduced into the body like in cases of homicidal , suicidal or accidental poisoning .
Anatomical causes are abnormalities on the body organs , tissues or cells caused by diseases or by injuries which a doctor can visualize either by the naked eye or by the use of a microscope in the laboratory . Physiological causes on the other hand are those due to abnormal functioning of body organs , an example being abnormal heart beats .
Physiological causes of death thus pose the greatest challenge of all time . Once one is dead , it may be very difficult to know if the heart was beating irregularly . One can only postulate if there is any abnormality detected on the structure of the heart ( anatomical abnormality ).
As we know , the heart is made up of many structures including muscles , blood vessels , and nerves . There is also an electric conduction system which helps the heart beat regularly . Abnormalities in this system are only detected in life and once one is dead it is impossible to detect it and thus the reason for there being no answer in case death is caused by abnormalities of the same . This is one example of how physiological deaths can be difficult to conclude in post mortem , leading to negative autopsy outcomes inviting polluted public perspective .
Worldwide , it is known that despite doing a thorough post mortem examination , negative autopsy will be seen in 5 % of the cases due to the aforementioned reasons . Other reasons why an autopsy may not yield results include the level of training of medical practitioners , technical expertise and experience of the doctor , level of sophistication of the facility in which the process is being carried out , lack of facility for other tests including CT scan , MRI , and laboratory examination .
This has led to a higher percentage of negative autopsies especially in the third world countries , where the government investment priorities do not include improvement in the forensic pathology services .
Despite the elaborate intent , exciting
80 MAL42 / 21 ISSUE