Nadesan K
Department of Pathology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Malays J Pathol. 1997 Dec;19(2):105-9.
All deaths due to unnatural causes and deaths that are believed to be due to natural causes but where the medical cause of death is not certain or known are subjected to an inquest. The objective of an inquest is to ascertain facts pertaining to the death. This is achieved by inquiry and at the conclusion of the inquest a verdict is arrived as to whether the death was due to a natural, accidental, suicidal or a homicidal cause. An inquest is not a trial. There is no complainant or defendant and at the conclusion of the inquest no judgment is passed. The inquest system exists in all parts of the world. In the English legal system, the person who conducts an inquest is called a Coroner. In Scotland, he is called a Procurator Fiscal. The United States of America use the Medical Examiner system. Most continental European countries and their former colonies follow the Code Napoleon. A postmortem examination may become necessary in certain deaths that come up for inquests. In these situations the authority which conducts the inquest will order a doctor to perform a postmortem examination (medico-legal autopsy). To perform a medico-legal autopsy, consent from the relatives of the deceased is not required. In an unexpected sudden death, only a doctor after a postmortem examination may be able to determine the cause of death. However, it is often wrongly assumed that the objective of a postmortem examination is only to ascertain the cause of death. This article deals with the purpose of the inquest and roles of the medico-legal autopsy.
所有非自然原因导致的死亡以及那些被认为是自然原因导致但死亡的医学原因不确定或未知的死亡，都要进行死因调查。死因调查的目的是查明与死亡有关的事实。这是通过调查来实现的，在死因调查结束时，会就死亡是由于自然、意外、自杀还是他杀原因得出一个裁决。死因调查不是审判。没有原告或被告，在死因调查结束时也不会作出判决。死因调查制度存在于世界所有地区。在英国法律体系中，进行死因调查的人被称为验尸官。在苏格兰，他被称为地方检察官。美利坚合众国使用法医系统。大多数欧洲大陆国家及其前殖民地遵循《拿破仑法典》。在某些需要进行死因调查的死亡案件中，可能需要进行尸体解剖。在这些情况下，进行死因调查的当局将命令一名医生进行尸体解剖（法医学尸检）。进行法医学尸检不需要死者亲属的同意。在意外猝死的情况下，只有医生在进行尸体解剖后才可能确定死因。然而，人们常常错误地认为尸体解剖仅仅是查明死因而已。本文论述了死因调查的目的以及法医学尸检的作用。
