Have you ever wondered how it would feel like performing an autopsy? Although certainly cool for some and scary for others, performing an autopsy on a dead body is undeniably hard work.
Some professionals have shared their experiences on Reddit, and their responses are undoubtedly interesting. One shared, "I worked at a coroner's office for a while, and once we had a guy who we thought had died from an OD on meth." After they started to cut the lungs out, blueberry muffin mix started oozing out. As it turns out, some of it was in the man's throat too. As a result of the autopsy, they concluded that the man got high enough to pass out while eating the muffin mix. In the end, he died due to choking.
Another Redditor by the name of quiet-sorrow says that he once did an autopsy of both a robber and his victim. During the incident, the robber reportedly shot the victim in the back when he tried to escape in a motorcycle. Incidentally, the robber was shot by the police in the exact same situation.
What's interesting about the case is that they both died by precisely the same lesion. As the autopsy revealed, both the robber and victim had their 4th lumbar vertebra shattered, and their aorta sectioned at the same level. The user said how it was the ultimate example of instant karma.
Moreover, another Redditor who was a forensic pathologist, shared how he had just moved back to his home state where his family lives. One day, he got a case with a man bearing a peculiar last name in the family tree. He texted the name out to his mother to see if they were somehow related. However, just as he pulled the sheet back, he already knew as the guy looked just like him. As it turns out, it was his great uncle.
How Is an Autopsy Done?
Autopsies determine the cause of death, but many aren't aware of how the process goes. According to John Hopkins Medicine, an autopsy operation starts with the general and ends with the specific.
Initially, the process starts with a visual exam of the entire body. The examination includes the organs and internal structures. Next, microscopic, microbiological, and chemical exams are made of the organs, tissues, and bodily fluids.
When removed from the body cavity, organs are weighed for examination. Furthermore, a section is set aside for preservation to be used when processing into microscopic slides. Finally, a closing report is done after all lab tests are completed.
Experts say autopsies could last anywhere from two to four hours, depending on how extensive the procedure is. Moreover, some laboratory results on samples of tissues and body fluids could take as much as a few weeks to be returned.
When Are Autopsies Necessary?
Not everyone who dies gets one. In fact, ProPublica says it has been a rarity. Washoe County, Nevada says in their website that according to the National Association of Medical Examiners' Forensic Autopsy Performance Standards, an autopsy is not commonly necessary when the death is known to be the result of natural causes.
Furthermore, an autopsy would not be necessary if there is an adequate medical history and signs of foul play are absent. According to the UK National Health Service, death will be referred to a coroner if the cause is unknown, unexpected, violent, the result of an accident or injury, or if occurred soon after a hospital procedure, like surgery.
Additionally, the main goal of a post-mortem requested by a coroner is to determine how someone died and decide whether an inquest is required.
