THE POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION (AUTOPSY) EXTERNAL EXAMINATION The Visual Examination
The visual or external examination of a body starts with a careful description of the deceased’s clothing, photographs (including close-ups) of the body both clothed and unclothed, and a detailed examination of the entire body. The attention to detail during the external examination is one important way in which the forensic autopsy differs from a hospital autopsy. Any trauma is noted on a form where the pathologist can make notes, sketches, or record measurements (see Figure 1); damage to clothing should correlate to trauma in the same area on the body. GSWs are recorded, for example, to indicate entrance and exits wounds and the path of the bullet through the body, as shown in Figure 2. Also noted are defensive wounds, like those shown in Figure 3, that are traumas caused by victims trying to defend themselves against an attacker.
FIGURE 1 Diagrams like this are used to mark wounds, bruises, and other trauma; they also allow the examiner to take notes during the visual examination.
FIGURE 2 A gunshot wound to the head typically shows a small, clean entrance; note the stippling of gunpowder burns around the wound.
FIGURE 3 In protecting themselves from attack by a sharp object, victims often have wounds indicating their attempt to ward off their attacker.
