ABSTRACT
In many jurisdictions around the world, the practice of forensic pathology is in the process of change. For many years the autopsy rates in hospitals have been declining. In many major teaching hospitals a full conventional autopsy examination with dissection of each organ system and formal neuropathological examination of the brain is uncommon. The reasons for this change are diverse. In most hospital pathology departments the autopsy is seen as less important than providing the routine surgical pathology service. The deceased’s next of kin are given more information about the autopsy and are more active in the decisionmaking process. Some reasons for objection to autopsy are emotive, some due to religious concerns, whereas others are purely logistical (i.e., wanting timely organization of the funeral).
