An autopsy is the postmortem examination of the body to determine the cause of death, and is performed by a pathologist (Smith). The autopsy is performed by a government coroner or medical examiner in a case where death is believed to be the result of foul play. Coroners and medical examiners are known as forensic pathologists, and the branch of medicine dealing with unnatural causes of death is known as forensic medicine. Autopsies are done to advance medical knowledge, and to provide evidence in legal matters regarding unnatural deaths. An autopsy can be used to determine the exact cause of death, the circumstances under which death occurred, the course of a disease process, and can provide knowledge, which can be used in the future to enhance the care of the living.
An autopsy involves examination of the external body, and then the opening up the body and removing the organs for individual examination (Smith). In the conventional autopsy, tissue specimens can be taken for further pathological analysis, e.g. microscopic or electron microscopic examination, drug toxicology, stomach content analysis, blood samples, etc. However, in some cases, there is a possibility of disease transmission from the corpse, e.g. AIDS, hepatitis, and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease.
Although autopsies are commonplace in Western society, this is not the case in Muslim nations. The Koran does not forbid autopsies, but it does demand the utmost respect for the human body, and mutilation of a dead body is considered as abhorrent as mutilation of a living person (Laroque, 1993). The debate over autopsies and organ donation in the context of the Islamic religion is still a relatively new one, and each country determines its own specific needs under laws known as fetwahs, which differ from religious fetwahs. An autopsy is allowed only if truly necessary to determine the cause of death, and the family must agree to the autopsy. The body must be t...