Autopsy
Definition
Systematic external and internal examination of a dead body to find cause, manner and time of death. Ordered under BNSS 2023 Section 194.
- Scope
- External and internal examination
- Determines
- Cause, manner, and time of death
- India legal basis
- BNSS 2023, Section 194
Common questions
Is BNSS Section 194 the only legal basis anywhere for ordering an autopsy?+
It is the current statutory basis in India. Other jurisdictions authorize autopsies under their own coroner or medical examiner statutes, so the specific legal citation depends on where the death occurred.
Who typically orders an autopsy to be conducted?+
An investigating police officer or a magistrate orders it under the applicable procedural law, and the examination is then carried out by an appointed medical officer or forensic pathologist.
Related terms
- Adipocere
- A waxy, soap-like substance formed by saponification of body fat under anaerobic, wet, cool-to-moderate conditions. Replaces unsaturated fatty acids with saturated palmitic...
- Algor Mortis
- Postmortem cooling of the body toward ambient temperature, approximately 1-1.5 degrees Celsius per hour under average conditions. Used alongside other postmortem changes...
- Cadaveric Spasm
- Instantaneous rigor without a flaccid phase, locking the muscle group active at death (clutched weapon, grass).
- Decomposition
- Autolysis (intracellular enzymes) plus putrefaction (bacterial breakdown). Greenish discoloration starts over the right iliac fossa.
- Henssge Nomogram
- A graphical method using rectal temperature, ambient temperature and body weight to estimate PMI within a 95 percent confidence interval, with correction...
- Livor Mortis (Hypostasis)
- Bluish-purple settling of blood in dependent parts. Begins 30 minutes to 2 hours, fixed by 8 to 12 hours.
- Marbling
- Greenish-black branching pattern over superficial veins from haemoglobin plus H2S. 24 to 48 hour sign.
- Mummification
- Preservation of the body by desiccation rather than liquefaction, occurring when surface evaporation rate exceeds the rate of putrefaction gas production. Common...
- Post-Mortem Interval (PMI)
- The time elapsed between death and discovery or examination of remains. PMI estimation draws on multiple disciplines: soft tissue decomposition stage, insect...
- Putrefaction
- Decomposition of tissues by microorganisms, principally anaerobic bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract. Products include hydrogen sulphide, methane, ammonia, and putrescine, which cause...
- Rigor Mortis
- The post-mortem stiffening of muscle from ATP depletion and actin-myosin cross-linking. Develops over hours, peaks, and resolves with putrefaction.