External Examination
Definition
The stage of the autopsy in which the pathologist examines the body surface, documents injuries, and removes clothing before any incisions are made. Entomological collection must be completed before this stage proceeds past initial observation.
- Autopsy stage
- Before internal incisions are made
- Includes
- Body surface exam, injury documentation, clothing removal
- Entomology requirement
- Insect collection completed before this stage proceeds
- Field
- Forensic entomology / autopsy collection protocol
Common questions
Why must entomological evidence be collected before the external examination proceeds?+
Handling and cleaning the body during examination can dislodge, damage, or lose insect specimens and their exact body-region locations, both of which carry information about time and conditions of exposure, so collection happens while that placement is undisturbed.
What information is lost if insects are collected only after the body has been moved or cleaned?+
The precise anatomical location of colonisation, larval stage distribution, and microhabitat clues such as insects under clothing versus exposed skin can be disturbed, weakening the entomologist's ability to estimate the postmortem interval accurately.
Related terms
- Body Bag
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- Instar
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- Internal Cavity Insects
- Larvae or puparia found inside the skull, thorax, or abdomen during internal autopsy examination. They often represent colonisation through wounds or extended...
- Maggot Mass Documentation
- The photographic and physical record of each maggot mass location, volume, instar, and temperature taken at the start of autopsy before any...
- Puparium
- The hardened, barrel-shaped case formed from the last larval skin when a blow fly larva pupates. Puparia are dark brown and can...