Principles of Forensic Pathology
From Investigation to Certification
- 1st Edition - October 30, 2022
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Authors: Susan F. Ely, James R. Gill
- Language: English
- Hardback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 1 7 9 6 - 4
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 8 6 3 9 - 7
Principles of Forensic Pathology: From Investigation to Certification offers a conceptual framework and foundational approach to a forensic practice grounded by evidence-… Read more
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Request a sales quotePrinciples of Forensic Pathology: From Investigation to Certification offers a conceptual framework and foundational approach to a forensic practice grounded by evidence-based and mechanistic thinking. This book uses a systematic approach to address, explain, and guide the reader through diverse topics relevant to forensic pathologists and medicolegal death investigators. Nineteen chapters provide a comprehensive overview of the field of forensic pathology and discusses central topics such as scene investigation, the pathophysiology of death, death certification, the forensic autopsy, forensic imaging, pediatric forensic pathology, the importance of context, and approaches to frequently encountered medicolegal death circumstances, with mental checklists and suggestions for a consistent and considered approach. Written by forensic professionals, this book is a practical, yet comprehensive compendium for practicing forensic pathologists, coroners, medicolegal death investigators, forensic pathology fellows, pathology residents, medical students interested in forensic pathology, lawyers, and law enforcement professionals.
- Presents a primary text that is ideal for daily forensic practice
- Discusses how to properly investigate and certify death in a consistent and defensible way
- Emphasizes best practices in the field, providing an approach that is in line with today's forensic pathologist
Practicing forensic pathologists, coroners, medicolegal death investigators, forensic pathology fellows, pathology residents, medical students interested in forensic pathology, lawyers, and law enforcement professionals
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Dedication
- List of contributors
- In memoriam
- Biography
- Biography
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1. Forensic pathology: overview
- Introduction: who we are and our unique role as physicians
- Historical perspective
- Coroner versus medical examiner systems in the United States and abroad
- What constitutes “medical examiner/coroner jurisdiction”?
- The forensic autopsy (see also Chapter 5)
- Death certification (see also Chapter 3)
- Planning for a career in forensic pathology: advice to future trainees
- Chapter 2. Thinking forensically: planning, anticipating, observing, documenting, inquiring, synthesizing, opining, and communicating, in that order
- The importance of context
- The role of inference: releasing the grip on exclusively anatomic findings
- Objectivity, neutrality, and observational acumen: being autoptic
- Anticipating, planning, observing, documenting, inquiring, synthesizing, opining, and communicating, in that order
- Preautopsy analysis and planning
- Anticipating questions and future issues
- Postautopsy analysis and planning
- Observing and documenting
- Inquiring
- Interpreting and synthesizing
- Opining
- Communicating
- Chapter 3. The pathophysiology of death and death certification
- The pathophysiology of death
- Death certification
- Other death certificate fields and miscellaneous issues
- Key death certification tips
- Chapter 4. The scene investigation, postmortem changes, and time of death
- The written narrative
- Postmortem changes and establishing the basis for postmortem interval estimates
- Time of death versus time of pronouncement: reports and testimony
- The trauma scene
- Crime scenes and deaths in public view
- Field challenges in the recognition and identification of human skeletal remains
- Attempts at postmortem concealment of bodies in homicides (dismemberment, incineration, and burial)
- Mass fatality incidents (MFI)
- Avoiding the top 10 investigative oversights
- Chapter 5. The forensic autopsy
- The big picture
- The forensic autopsy: general tips
- Photography
- Radiography
- Radiologic tasks and tips
- Evidence
- The standard external autopsy examination
- The standard internal autopsy examination
- Cardiovascular pathology
- Neuropathology
- Forensic anthropology
- Toxicological sampling
- Histology
- Microbiology
- Approach to the trauma autopsy
- Special techniques and examinations
- The negative autopsy: the importance of what we exclude
- Organ and tissue donation
- Dissections and the funeral home
- Religious objections to autopsy
- The forensic team: investigators, technicians, clerical staff
- Quality assurance
- Safety in the autopsy environment
- Chapter 6. Approach to forensic perinatal and pediatric pathology
- Initial investigation
- Primary scene
- Reenactment
- Medical history
- Radiology
- Photography
- The pediatric autopsy
- External examination
- Postmortem changes and artifacts
- Evidence of therapeutic intervention
- Clothing
- Injuries
- Internal examination
- Histology
- Neuropathology
- Toxicology
- Metabolic studies
- Microbiologic studies
- Molecular genetics
- Forensic odontology
- Forensic biology
- Forensic anthropology
- Pediatric trauma
- Fatal child abuse syndrome (aka, battered child syndrome) and abusive head trauma
- Patterns of inflicted injury: infants versus toddlers/preschoolers
- Asphyxia
- Bathtub drownings
- Thermal injuries
- Neglect
- Consultations
- Child fatality review boards
- Mandatory reporting
- Home births: stillbirth versus live birth
- Approach to the live born versus stillborn infant/fetus and possible neonaticide
- What is SUID, SIDS, SUDC, and SUDP?
- Conclusion
- Chapter 7. Approach to natural deaths (adult)
- The sudden and unexpected death
- Specific forensic issues in sudden cardiac death
- Pulmonary thromboembolism
- Seizure-related deaths and epilepsy
- Anaphylaxis
- Alcohol use disorder (formerly known as chronic alcoholism) and chronic substance use disorder
- Pancreatitis
- Gastrointestinal hemorrhage (GIH)
- Bronchial asthma
- Dementia and old age
- Diabetes mellitus
- Obesity as a cause of death
- Bronchopneumonia
- Sudden death and chronic renal disease
- Sudden death from endocrine disorders
- Sudden death and psychiatric disease
- Sickle cell disease and trait
- Human immunodeficiency virus
- Chapter 8. Approach to medical intervention-related deaths
- Therapeutic complications
- Deaths related to cosmetic, weight loss, and dental procedures
- Accidents and homicides in medical settings
- Chapter 9. Approach to firearms deaths
- Deaths due to trauma
- Firearm injury
- Conclusion
- Chapter 10. Approach to blunt, sharp, and transportation deaths
- Blunt injury
- Sharp injury
- Chop injury
- Transportation injury
- Chapter 11. Approach to asphyxial deaths
- Asphyxia
- Chapter 12. Approach to burns, blast, and radiation injury
- Thermal and inhalational injury
- Blast/radiation injury
- Animal attacks, domestic and in the wild
- Chapter 13. Approach to environmental deaths
- Drowning
- Electricity
- Environmental exposure: hyperthermia
- Environmental exposure: hypothermia
- Chapter 14. Approach to toxicological deaths
- History and scene investigation
- Autopsy examination
- Toxicology testing
- Death certification
- Examples of drug intoxications
- Natural disease in the presence of intoxicants
- Toxicology testing and trauma deaths
- Toxicology testing following hospitalization
- Interpreting toxicology test results in the decomposed body
- Drug packers (“Mules”)
- Suicide versus accident
- The apparent drug intoxication death with negative toxicology and no anatomic cause
- Legal implications of mixed drug intoxications and other special toxicologic considerations
- Miscellaneous toxicological issues
- Toxicological considerations in pediatric deaths
- Chapter 15. Special topics: in-custody deaths, physical altercations, neglect (adult), approach to unexpected hemorrhage, and delayed and concealed homicides
- Deaths in detention centers/correctional facilities/police custody
- Deaths in the setting of police restraint
- Hyperactive delirium (so-called “excited delirium”)
- Suicidal behavior in law enforcement encounters
- The investigation
- Police investigations and the medical examiner/coroner
- Physical struggles: contact, altercations, and the death certificate
- Abuse and/or neglect in the debilitated adult or teen
- Approach to hemorrhage of unclear origin (unexpected hemorrhage found at autopsy)
- Delayed deaths due to remote injury: issues and concepts
- Approach to dismembered remains and other forms of postmortem concealment
- Chapter 16. Communication
- Overview
- Verbal: one-on-one communication
- Testifying in legal forums
- High-profile deaths, media inquiries, and press offices
- Public speaking: case presentations, lectures, and teaching
- Written communication
- Chapter 17. The forensic pathologist's public health role
- Introduction
- Passive surveillance
- Active surveillance
- Death review teams
- Identification of missing and unidentified persons
- Detection and characterization of infectious disease
- Conclusion
- Chapter 18. Developments in postmortem imaging
- Introduction
- Approach to PMCT interpretation
- CT reporting
- Radiologic identification
- Postmortem CT angiography
- Image-guided procedures
- Postmortem and decomposition changes on imaging
- Mummification, skeletonization, predation, and charred remains
- Natural disease
- SARS-CoV-2 relating findings
- Blunt chest trauma
- Penetrating injury
- Drug intoxication
- Pediatric imaging
- Foreign bodies
- Pro tips/pearls
- Forensic pathology postmortem imaging training curriculum: the New Mexico experience
- Future directions
- Chapter 19. Recent and ongoing technological advancements in forensic pathology practice
- The role of molecular genetics in sudden and unexpected deaths
- Rapid DNA
- Digital fingerprinting
- 3D printing and anthropology
- Facial reconstruction and recognition
- Appendices
- Appendix A. Formats of autopsy report final diagnoses
- Appendix B. Format of the autopsy report
- Appendix C. Autopsy report templates
- Appendix D. Library for forensic pathology fellows
- Appendix E. Hirschisms and Adelsonisms
- Index
- Edition: 1
- Published: October 30, 2022
- No. of pages (Hardback): 614
- No. of pages (eBook): 614
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Language: English
- Hardback ISBN: 9780323917964
- eBook ISBN: 9780323986397
SE
Susan F. Ely
Dr. Ely is currently the Fellowship Training Program Director and a senior medical examiner for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Forensic Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine.
* The views expressed in the ‘Principles of Forensic Pathology: From Investigation to Certification’ do not necessarily represent the views of the City, OCME, or New York University.
Affiliations and expertise
Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York, Department of Forensic Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, NY, United States
* The views expressed in the ‘Principles of Forensic Pathology: From Investigation to Certification’ do not necessarily represent the views of the City of New York or of New York University.JG
James R. Gill
Dr. Gill is the current Chief Medical Examiner of Connecticut, current Chair of the Forensic Pathology Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), and a past President of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). He has faculty medical appointments at Yale University, University of Connecticut, and Quinnipiac University. He did his pathology training at Yale and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He did his forensic pathology fellowship at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (with Dr. Ely) under the direction of Dr. Charles. S. Hirsch. Prior to Connecticut, he was the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner for Bronx County in New York City. He has testified over 400 times in criminal and civil matters in State and Federal courts and has published over 100 scientific articles and book chapters on a variety of forensic pathology topics.
Affiliations and expertise
Chief Medical Examiner of Connecticut; Yale University, University of Connecticut, and Quinnipiac University faculty medical school appointmentsRead Principles of Forensic Pathology on ScienceDirect