What is Forensic Medicine and what is responsible?
Written by:Forensic Medicine, also known as forensic medicine, medical jurisprudence and judicial medicine is the branch of medicine that aims to help the patient in the field of justice; also it aims to help justice in his performance against the damages to human beings who need a delimitation in the legal framework. In the latter case, it acts to improve the understanding of what is happening or has happened to the individual, and if necessary to repair the damage.
In short, forensics, contributes to help the delimitation of the damage suffered in or by the Justice and assist to define the quantification of the damage to its proper repair subject.
Far from the popular belief that the coroner is dedicated to conducting autopsies, it can work in very different areas. Forensics specialists perform their daily work in delineating diverse pathologies and injuries among which are:• assessment of injuries resulting from accidents of all kinds: traffic, labor, non - labor, domestic violence, sexual violence, civil disabilities and testamentary• work disability• determination of working or not working contingency of a disease process• assessment of psychiatric hospitalizations
Areas of Forensic Medicine
Forensic Medicine is divided into three main areas:- Area of all processes that have been injured- Area closely linked with psychiatry- Specific area of autopsies
Recently, this medical specialty has begun to contribute in mediating between the different parts of a process with legal connotations.
What is a forensic examination?
The forensic examination varies according to each specific area.
In the area of injuries and accidents, forensic examination is limit the damage suffered by the person as well as the mechanism and origin of the. That is, the medical examiner helps determine how the occurrence of the damage or injury, the characteristics of the damage, the impact of this damage and the quantification of the damage to be repaired as far as possible. It also determines the assessment of possible disability and functional limitations of the person and their work, social and legal implications.
As for psychiatric area, the medical examiner helps justice to assess the processes that affect cognitive and volitional capacities of the person in a variety of processes such as: assessment of the ability to test, cancellation of testament, assessment of the legal context psychiatric hospitalizations, disability, assessment of disability, harassment or bullying, among others.
Finally, in the area of autopsies the task of the physician is, among others, verify the death of a person, and to analyze, study and determine the causes, natural or violent, and the mechanism of how that has occurred death. It is also responsible for identifying the victims, legalize the process of death (eg death certificates) of embalming and removal of pacemakers and prostheses.
Edited by Noelia García Pino
