The autopsy. Past, present, and future.

The autopsy appears to be on the way to assuming an increasingly important role in patient care, continuing education, education of medical students and house staff, research in environmental pathology, and more fundamental aspects of disease. This trend needs to be nurtured. Not only pathologists but all physicians need to plan carefully to utilize autopsies to the fullest possible extent. Interest will continue to grow only if autopsies are performed or are closely supervised by highly motivated and experienced pathologists asking critical questions of current medical, scientific, and social concern. New, imaginative approaches are needed to develop the data necessary to address these questions.