Introduction
Forensic medicine
mainly deals with examination and assessment of individuals who have been—or are suspected to have been—injured or killed by external influence such as trauma or intoxication, but also of individuals who are suspected of having injured another person. This means that not only victims and suspects of crime, but also suicides and accidental fatalities are examined by a specialist in forensic medicine (or forensic pathology). Individuals with nonfatal injuries after intentionally self-inflicted or accidental injuries or intoxication are, on the other hand, usually handled exclusively within the health-care system. In many countries, forensic medicine represents a medical specialty within the legal
system, not within the health-care system.
Forensic pathology is the part of forensic medicine dealing with examination of deceased persons. In the following, some general principles of the work in forensic pathology are presented.. The task of the forensic pathologist is to assist in the investigation as a medical expert., The role of the forensic pathologist in the relation to the examined person is obviously completely different from the role of the clinical doctor in his/her relation to the patient, where the physician often becomes an advocate for the patient. The main role of the forensic pathologist is to practice and to mediate a scientific approach to the medical issues raised in a legal context involving death.
Forensic toxicology
is a discipline of forensic science concerned with the study of toxic substances or poisons, of which there are many thousands. Toxicology encompasses theoretical considerations, methods and procedures from many disciplines including analytical chemistry, biochemistry, epidemiology, pharmaco-dynamics, pathology, and physiology. It also involves the study of the toxic effects chemicals have on the body. The understanding of how the toxins in the substance act, when the harmfulness of the toxin may occur,
and the symptoms and treatments for poisoning are all part of the study of toxicology. Forensic toxicology is used to aid in medical and legal investigations of poisoning, death, and drug use.
Forensic toxicologists work in both the legal and medical industries providing invaluable information on poisons for court cases. Toxicologists also work with crime scene investigators providing information about substances that are involved. The knowledge provided by a forensic toxicologist can prove vital in determining the outcome of criminal cases.