The First Autopsy: A Case Study

An autopsy is done to gather evidence of a cadaver in an investigation to know the cause and time of death. The individual administering the autopsy is known as the pathologist who is a medical doctor that determines the time, cause, and means of a crime. The pathologist will determine if a weapon was used to kill the victim, whether the victim lived after the injury, evidence of a struggle self-defense or rape/sex related crimes. Algor mortis is one of the three mortises calculates the average tempura of a normal body from a cadaver; however, there are many variables that take effect with algor mortis because whether can change the bodies average temperature. Where the pathologist can determine the time of death is rigor mortis, the medical …show more content…
This method first began during the early settlements of North America, it was recorded in a scholarly journal called “the First Autopsy in The New World” written by Fidelio A. Jimenze who is medical doctor did research on the first autopsy in America. Jimenze states, “the first postmortem examination of the American Continent was performed in Hispaniola in 1533 and recorded by Fernandez de Oviedo (Jimenze, 1978).” To summarize, Oviedo was curious of a report from a bishop report that a two headed child, therefore, this is what started how an autopsy began in North America. Oviedo curiosity started the process of autopsy …show more content…
The type of mortis helps the pathologist and investigators known if the body had been moved which a book Criminal Investigation in text states, “[I]f an individual dies lying on his/her back, livor mortis develops posteriorly (that is, on the back). If one turns the body on its face, blood will drain to the anterior surface of the body (Swanson, C, Territo, & Taylor, 2012 p238).” So, the changing of livor mortis will greatly assist the investigator if any draining movement of the blood, this will mean that the body had been moved by the suspect from another