for you today. What happens when I die? And I dont mean like will I go to heaven?
Or who gets all my Groo comic books? No, I want to know what somebodys going
to do with my dead body when its on a slab of cold steel. How does an autopsy work? First of all, a word of warning for our viewers.
If you're squeamish, you might want to watch a less-gross episode of BrainStuff. Like "Why
is bird poop white? Or "How do bed bugs work?" Okay.
Ready? Lets clarify that an autopsy is a medical
examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death. Theres two types: forensic
and clinical. Clinical ones are performed for research,
medical training, or at the request of the deceaseds family. And forensic autopsies
are the ones youre used to seeing on TV, like when Agent Scully carves into a corpse
because the truth is in there.
This is often for legal reasons, potentially as evidence
in criminal or civil court cases. While the general procedure is similar, for
our purposes, lets stick to forensic autopsies. Why? 'Cause I aint going out like a punk! All legally investigated deaths fall into
5 categories: natural, accident, homicide, suicide and undetermined. Yeah, that last
one may seem a little wishy-washy, but sometimes the answers arent that clear for the attending
medical examiner or coroner.
And this is an important distinction. Forensic
pathologists are physicians, trained to perform autopsies. In some counties they use coroners instead.
And a coroner doesnt necessarily have medical training. Instead, theyre elected to their
position.
They can be anyone: farmers, snake handlers, even YouTube hosts But if a non-medical
coroner ever needs assistance, the state usually provides them with a medical examiner. When that examiner finally gets ahold of your
cold body, heres what theyll do to it. First they gather information on you, your
death and your medical records. Then they record an external exam of your appearance.
They start by photographing you inside a body
bag, noting your clothing and its position before stripping you naked. They try to establish
your identity, noting ethnicity, gender, age, and hair and eye color. Then they collect
samples of hair, fingernails and any foreign objects found on your surface. Once the external exam is done, they clean
your body, weigh it and measure it.
On the table they place a rubber body block under
your back to make your chest protrude forward so the arms and neck fall back. This makes
it easier... For the cutting! For a complete internal exam they start with
the chest, making a Y-shaped incision. Following this, they peel back your skin, muscle and
soft tissue with a scalpel, pull the chest flap over your face and expose your ribcage
and neck muscles.
Your ribcage is then removed, followed by
your larynx, esophagus, arteries and ligaments. By severing a few attachments to your spinal
cord, bladder, and rectum, the examiner can remove the rest of your organs as an entire
set. Your organs are each examined and weighed,
with sample slices taken of their tissue. If necessary, these organs are stored in formalin.
Depending on how you died, they probably wont
cut open your arms, hands, legs or face. But dont think your head is off the hook
just yet. If they need a peek inside your noggin, the examiner will move the rubber
block under your neck like a pillow. Then they make a cut from behind one ear, across
your forehead, over to the other ear and around the back.
Then out comes the electric saw to pop the
top of your skull off like a cap and expose your brain. This is severed from your spinal
cord and then lifted out, Frankenstein style. Just like your other organs, its weighed
and examined. What happens to all of those organs, sitting
outside of your body anyway? Well, depending on the style of funeral, theyre either
put back in or incinerated.
Either way, the butterflied chest flaps are closed, the skull
cap is placed back on your head and everything is sewn up nice and tidy with a baseball stitch. Though even after your body goes off to the
funeral home, a pathologists work is never done. It takes days to get tissue and blood
samples tested and at least two weeks for brain samples. Then it takes hours more to
write up a detailed report for the official record.
Keep in mind that this is a brief overview
of the autopsy process. We didnt even get into examining wounds, determining the time
of death, or what tools of the trade are used to crack you open. But after all that, Ive got to ask: What
do you want them to do with your body afterward? Bury it? Burn it? Dump it into the sea? Let
us know in the comments below. And for more on cutting flesh, sewing and forensic testing,
subscribe to our channel or visit our home at HowStuffWorks.Com.
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