Professor(Dr.) Ashim Kumar Barua
MBBS, MCPS, DFM.
Professor and Head
Forensic Medicine
Chattagram Maa-O-Shisu Hospital Medical
College
baruaashim45@yahoo.com, 01819396757.

INTRODUCTION TO FM
WITH BRIEF HISTORY
 While introducing the subject of
FORENSIC MEDICINE, the natural
and obvious query which appears in
one’s mind is about the meaning and
scope of the words ‘Forensic
Medicine’.

 The word “forensic” has been derived from
the Latin word ‘forensis’, which implies
something pertaining to ‘forum’ .
 In Rome, ‘forum’ was the meeting place
where civil and legal matters used to be
discussed by those with public
responsibility.
 Thus, the word ‘forensic’ essentially
conveys any issue related to the debate in
the court of law.

 The word ‘Medicine’ carries wide import.
Broadly, it may be considered as a science
for preserving health and effecting cure.
 From the interaction of these two
professions of medicine and law, has
emerged the discipline/subject of Forensic
Medicine.

FORENSIC MEDICINE
GOAL
The goal of teaching Forensic Medicine in the
undergraduate medical course is to produce
a physician who is well informed and alert
about his/her medico legal responsibilities
and is capable of discharging medico legal duties
in medical practice .

FORENSIC MEDICINE
Departmental objectives:
At the end of course in the F.Medicine the
MBBS students will be
 Able to identify, examine & prepare report or
certificate in medico legal cases.
 Able to perform medico legal autopsy findings
and results of other relevant investigations to
logically conclude the cause, manner and time
since death.

Contd. departmental objectives
 Aware of medical ethics, etiquette, duties,
rights, medical negligence and legal
responsibilities of the physicians to-ward
patient, profession, society, state and
humanity at large.

Contd.Departmental objectives
 Able to preserve and dispatch
viscera’s/specimens in post-mortem cases
and other concerned materials to the
appropriate Government agencies for
necessary examination.
 Aware of relevant legal/court procedures
applicable to the medico legal practice.

Contd.Departmental objectives
 Manage medico-legal implications,
diagnosis and principles of therapy of
common poisons.
 Aware of general principles of analytical,
environmental, occupational and preventive
aspects of toxicology.

FORENSIC MEDICINE
 Definition of Forensic Medicine :
 Forensic Medicine may be defined as the
science which deals with the application of
medical and allied knowledge and expertise
towards the administration justice.
 (It deals with medical aspect of law).

 FM is defined as that branch of medicine,
which deals with the application of medical
and paramedical scientific knowledge of
both civil and criminal law in order to aid
administration of justice.

 Forensic medicine is mostly an
exercise of commonsense, combined
with the application of Knowledge and
experience, already acquired in the
study of other branches of medicine,
surgery, obstetrics, anatomy,
physiology etc.

 LEGAL MEDICINE
 Application of medical knowledge for
solution of legal problems.
 In Europe and United States, is often
preferred.

MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE
 (Juris=law, prudence=knowledge)
 May be defined as the science which deals
with the application of rules and regulations
for the guidance of the medical profession.
 (It deals with legal aspect of practice of
medicine).

Forensic Medicine & Medical
Jurisprudence are essentially
different subjects, but are closely
related.

Synonyms:
 Forensic Medicine (U.K.)
 Legal Medicine (U.S.A.)
 Medical Jurisprudence (India)
 Forensic medicine = the medicine of forum
or law courts (Forum = Roman law court)
 Legal medicine = the branch of medicine
that deals with the law
 Medical Jurisprudence (Jurisprudence =
laws)

BRANCHES OF FORENSIC MEDICINE
 Clinical Forensic Medicine
 Forensic Pathology
Others branches of Forensic Medicine
 F. Toxicology
 F. Radiology
 F. Psychiatry
 F. Ballistic

Contd.Other Branches of Forensic
Medicine
 F. Thanatology
 F. Serology
 F. Odontology
 F. Obstetrics
 F. Dactylography

CLINICAL FORENSIC
MEDICINE
 Which deals with the examination of
victims of sexual assault, estimation of age,
injury and mental status.
 (It deals with the living body only)

Clinical Forensic Medicine
 (a) Medicolegal examination of rape cases
 (b) Determination of age for medicolegal
purposes
 (c) Assessment of degree of permanent
disabilities, following a factory accident of
a workman for compensation

 (d) Psychiatric assessment of a person for: -
 - insanity in a case of murder
 - competency as a witness
 - testamentary capacity in executing a
will
 - validity of consent

FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
 Branch of FM which deals with the study
and application of medical and pathological
knowledge in determining the cause of
death and manner of death in case of
violence, suspicious, unexplained,
unexpected sudden and medically
unattended death.
 (It deals with the dead body only)

Forensic Pathology
 This knowledge is used in:
 (a) Finding the cause of death as a result of
trauma
 (b) Finding of the cause of death in sudden
unexpected death.
 (c) Interpreting the mechanism of injuries
and giving medico-legal opinions. e.g.,
amount of force; position of victim and
assailant


FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY
 Branch of F.M. which deals with the
comprehensive study of poisons, their
sources, properties, signs and symptoms
they produce, their fatal dose and fatal
period and the management to be
undertaken for combating the effects of
individual poison and post mortem
appearances in case of death.

FORENSIC RADIOLOGY
 Which deals with the x-ray examination for
determination, of age in various criminal
cases, detection of fetus, diagnosis of fetal
death, detection of missile, diagnosis of
head injuries etc.

FORENSIC BALLISTIC
 Which deals with the investigations of
firearms, ammunition and of the problems
arising from their use.

FORENSIC THANATOLOGY
 Branch of F.M. deals with the medical and
legal aspects of death.

FORENSIC SEROLOGY
 Branch of FM. which deals with the
examination of blood and seminal staining
and their specific test to detect the crime.

FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY
 Psychiatry deals with the study, diagnosis
and management of mental diseases.
 Forensic psychiatry deals with the
application of psychiatric knowledge in the
administration of justice.

FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY
 Is the science of dentistry and their role in
the administration of justice .

FORENSIC OBSTETRICS
 Branch of F.M. deals with the application of
obstetrical knowledge in the administration
of justice.

FORENSIC
DACTYLOGRAPHY
 Study of fingerprints as a method of
identification is known as Dactylography.

History of Forensic
Medicine
 The salient points in the history of F.M. extended
back to the 4000 to 3000 B.C. ------- in Egypt,
Babylon, India and china.,
• It Egypt ----- 3000 B.C., the chief physician used
to be chief justice too.
 It the 5th and 4th century B.C. Hippocrates; (460-
355BC) talked about medical ethics.

• In 3000 B.C. a Chinese; Materia Medica,
gives information of poisons.
 The code of “Hummurabi’ king of Babylon
(about 2200 B.C.) is the oldest known
medico-legal code.

Contd.History of F.M.
 The first medico-legal autopsy was done in
Bologna in Italy in 1302,by Bartolomeo De
varignana.
 The first medico-legal journal came out in German
in 1482.
 In 1602, an Italian physician published the first
book on F. Medicine, Fortuneto Fedel.

Contd.History of F.M.
 The first chair in F.M. was established in
Edinburgh in 1807.
 In the 18th century, Professorship in F.M. was
founded by the state in Germany.

 1801, the first chair of F.M. in Great Britain
was established in the University of
Edinburgh, the first incumbent was Dr.
Duncun.
 In 1843, the law regarding the criminal
responsibility of insane persons was
established in England in Mc-Naughten
case.

Thank you