It must be remembered that most of the lesions of disease which are found, indicate the disease rather than the cause of death; that often the lesion found will seem hardly extensive enough to cause death, and that from accidents and injuries apparently trivial, death may result. It must often be acknowledged that no sufficient cause of death can be found, but the more accurate and careful the examinations (especially when a microscopical examination of the organs is made) the fewer will be the number of such cases. If no apparent lesion is found, it must not be forgotten that many poisons destroy life and leave no trace that the pathologist can discover.
Care should always be exercised not to mistake the ordinary post-mortem appearance which we find at autopsies for the lesions of disease.
The examination of the human body, whether it be made from a medico-legal or pathological standpoint, is divided into two main divisions:
(1) The external examination, and
(2) The internal examination.
EXTERNAL EXAMINATION.
Its minuteness will depend on the character of the case, as when the person is unknown, or when suspected to have died from unnatural causes. In such cases the external examination is very important.
The following are the steps to be followed:
(1) Give a general description of the body; apparent age, height, and weight of the individual; color of the hair and eyes; condition of the teeth; and the evidence of any personal peculiarities or abnormalities.