A forensic pathologist is a trained medical professional who examines people who have died or who have been injured in a potentially criminal manner. When a forensic pathologist primarily examines the dead, he or she may be referred to as a medical examiner, though this term is not always used. Clinical forensic pathologists are pathologists who specialize in the examination of living people. Some of these professionals, on the other hand, conduct examinations on both the dead and the living.
Typically, a forensic pathologist who does not work in a clinical setting examines a body to determine cause of death, and they may also be asked to examine a body and do whatever is necessary to determine identity. It would be easy to assume that autopsies are the only thing these doctors do, but this is not the case. They may examine a body’s exterior for physical injury and document any evidence of it, as well as take blood and tissue samples to determine what substances (such as poisons or drugs) were present. They must also collect any physical evidence found on a body that could indicate a crime has been committed or lead to the identification of a perpetrator.
An autopsy will almost always be performed a forensic pathologist, but the extent to which it is required may be up to the doctor’s discretion. It may not always be necessary to conduct an examination if the cause of death is determined before a full autopsy. These doctors must be very good at documenting their findings, no matter what they are.
forensic pathologists may be called to testify in court about their findings after a crime has occurred. They may also be asked to testify specifically about how they believe death occurred in the event of a violent crime, taking into account their knowledge of the person’s injuries and how such injuries typically occur. Clinical pathologists may also be called upon to testify in court about their findings regarding the injuries of a living person in criminal or civil cases. To give accurate testimony, it is necessary to have reliable notes from autopsies or examinations.
A forensic pathologist may have studied some extra things that aren’t entirely related to medicine because the examination may occur in the context of a crime. They may have additional skills in areas such as toxicology (the study of poisons), finding and gathering trace evidence, DNA analysis, and other fields such as ballistics. Ballistics is concerned with the trajectories of moving objects and allows doctors to project the precise way in which injuries occurred when various weapons or objects were used to inflict them.