I have recently attended a National Medical Student's Conference in UP Manila and among the top speaker is Dr. Raquel Fortun. She talked about Forensic Medicine and being only one of the two Forensic Pathologists in the country. The topic and the specialty is only emerging as the practice is not formally recognized and institutionalized in the Philippines. I have learned a lot from her and was inspired to share the tidbits and facts about this road less travelled.
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Forensic pathology is a sub-specialty of histopathology, and is concerned with the application of pathological principles to the investigation of the medico-legal aspects of death.
Forensic pathologists are medically trained, specialized, qualified doctors who perform autopsies (postmortem examinations) on those who have died suddenly, unexpectedly, or as a result of trauma or poisoning.
The forensic investigation of death is a multi-disciplinary activity, involving the collaboration between pathologists, crime scene investigators (CSIs), forensic scientists, and other specialists, such as anthropologists, entomologists, odontologists (dentists) and many other experts.
