Postmortem examination


An autopsy, or an examination of a human body after death. Also called a necropsy. An autopsy can include a physical examination, examination of internal organs, and specialized laboratory studies. Autopsies may be used to help determine the cause and manner of death.

Postmortem examinations have been done for more than 2,000 years but during most of this time they were rarely done, and then only for legal purposes. The Roman physician Antistius performed one of the earliest autopsies on record. In 44 B.C., he examined Julius Caesar and documented 23 wounds, including a final fatal stab to the chest. In 1410, the Catholic Church itself ordered an autopsy — on Pope Alexander V, to determine whether his successor had poisoned him. No evidence of this was found.

By the turn of the 20th century, prominent physicians such as Rudolf Virchow in Berlin, Karl Rokitansky in Vienna, and William Osler in Baltimore won popular support for the practice.

Read Also:

  • Postop

    Short for postoperative; after a surgical operation. The opposite of postop is preop.

  • Postoperative

    After surgery. As opposed to preoperative, before surgery.

  • Postoperative care

    Care given after surgery until the patient is discharged from the hospital or surgicenter and, in some cases, continuing on an ambulatory basis. Postoperative care is aimed at meeting the patient’s physical and psychological needs directly after surgery.

  • Postoperative hemorrhage

    Bleeding after a surgical procedure. The hemorrhage may occur immediately after the surgery or be delayed. It need not be restricted to the surgical wound. Common causes of postoperative hemorrhage are from tissues which cannot be entirely prevented from bleeding and depend on blood clotting to stop the hemorrhage, problems in the normal clotting mechanism […]

  • Postpartum

    The period just after delivery, as with postpartum depression. Postpartum refers to the mother, and postnatal to the baby.


Disclaimer: Postmortem examination definition / meaning should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. All content on this website is for informational purposes only.