Thanatology and Fetopathology

The student must acquire knowledge of:
• Process of death and cadaveric phenomena.
• Relevance, indications, objectives and autopsy procedures in their anatomical – clinical and medico-legal aspects.
• Main situations of violent death and a natural death, as well as respective autopsic findings.
• Rules of hygiene and safety in the autopsy room.
The student must acquire skills of:
• Implementation of distinct autopsy techniques.
• Identification and description of anatomo-pathological findings evidenced by autopsy.
The student must acquire competences of:
• Planning and adapting the technique or other autopsic procedure in line with specific autopsy objectives.
• Ensure the basic requirements recommended for performing the autopsy, not only from a technical point of view,
but also from the point of view of hygiene and safety at work.

1 Pathophysiology of death and postmortem interval
2 Autopsy: medico-legal autopsy vs. clinical anatomical autopsy; autopsy techniques
3 Complementary examinations autopsic. Additional histopathology examination: selecting, harvesting and
packaging of samples
4 Natural death vs violent death
5 Pathology of traumatic injuries
6 Autopsy on deaths related to traffic accidents
7 Mechanical suffocation
8 Autopsy in case of death by firearms and cold weapons
9 Autopsy on deaths from suspected poisoning, by physical, chemical and biological agents
11 Adult sudden death, infant sudden death syndrome. Death from mistreatment and neglect. Infanticide
14 Autopsy on deaths related to pregnancy, childbirth and abortion. Foetal death in womb
15 Autopsy in situations of exhumation
16 Post-mortem Artefacts, iatrogenic factors and due to pathological processes
17 Conservative Processes (natural and artificial) of the body. Embalming techniques.
18 Autopsy in risky situations.

NAO

Knight, B.; Saukko, P. – Forensic Pathology (3ª ed.), Arnold, London, 2004.
DiMaio, V.; DiMaio, D. – Forensic Pathology (2ª ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton.
Gilbert Callabuig, J.A. – Medicina Legal Y Toxicologia (5ª ed.), Masson, Barcelona, 1998.
Shkrum, M.J.; Ramsay, D.A. – Forensic Pathology of Trauma – Common Problems for the Pathologist, Humana
Press, 2007.
Sheaff, M.T.; Hopster, D.J. – Post Mortem Technique Handbook (2ª ed.), Springer, 2005.
Gordon, I.; Shapiro, H.A. – Forensic Medicine: a guide to principles (3ª ed.), Churchill Livingstone, 1988.
Ludwig, J. – Handbook of Autopsy Practice (3ª ed.), Humana Press, 2002.
Kumar, V.; Abbas, A.K.; Fausto, N. – Pathologic Basis of Disease (7ª ed.), Elsevier Saunders, 2005.