[Forensic practice in Hamburg].

The author stayed at the institute of Legal Medicine, University of Hamburg for 10 months from March 1995. The forensic practice in Hamburg was reported in this paper. The annual number of cases treated in this institute are as follows: about 3,000 postmortem inspections, 1,000 autopsies, 170 paternity tests, 4,500 toxicological investigations, 9,000 alcohol determinations and 400 histological investigations. Postmortem inspections and some autopsies are performed in cooperation with "Gerichtsärztlicher Dienst".