ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the many and varied educational roles of the autopsy and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using autopsies to teach undergraduates and postgraduates from outside the pathology department. Many students and clinicians believe that the only purpose of autopsies is to determine the cause of death. The autopsy is widely accepted as a powerful teaching tool. Autopsy findings can be used as the basis for problem-based learning projects. Curriculum design is an exercise in pragmatism because all teaching modalities have advantages and disadvantages. Some students will find the experience of autopsy-based teaching so unpleasant that they are discouraged from requesting autopsies when they have their own clinical practice. The autopsy has a valuable role in the teaching of non-medical personnel, including nurses, police officers, ambulance technicians, paramedics and scene-of-crime officers. The autopsy can provide biological material vital for one’s own research provided that ethical and consent issues are addressed appropriately.
