[Autopsy before cremation--formality without efficacy?].
A multicentre study involving 36 out of 38 German medico-legal Institutes discovered 784 non-natural fatalities among 78,000 external examinations before cremation (1%) in 1995. These included 169 accidents, 16 suicides, 3 homicides and 589 deaths in connection with medical treatment. In the remaining 7 cases, a belated differentiation between homicide and accident was not successful. A linear projection results in 1980 non-natural fatalities among all 197,000 external examinations before cremation. This number includes 8 homicides but due to considerable inhomogeneities, a number of 40 homicides appears to be realistic. Consequently, abolishing the mandatory external examination before cremation would be equivalent to an official renouncement of solving relevant non-natural deaths. In case of a thorough external examination, a total of 18,000 non-natural fatalities including approximately 180 homicides could be detected per year during the first external examinations (n = 885,000).
Institut für Rechtsmedizin, Universität Münster.
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Brinkmann
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Karger
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Barz
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Kleiber
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Schröpfer
M
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Staak
D001344:Autopsy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D002423:Cause of Death; D005858:Germany; D006708:Homicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D009027:Mortuary Practice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013405:Suicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence