what is post mortem

A post-mortem examination, also known as an autopsy, is the examination of a body after death to determine the cause of death. Pathologists, who specialize in understanding the nature and causes of disease, carry out post-mortems to standards set by the Royal College of Pathologists and the Human Tissue Authority. Most post-mortems are carried out in the hospital mortuary in a special post-mortem examination room, which is similar to an operating theatre. During the examination, the pathologist will examine the body externally and internally, looking for any signs of disease or injury that may have contributed to the persons death. Post-mortems provide useful information about how, when, and why someone died, and they enable pathologists to obtain a better understanding of how diseases spread. Hospital post-mortems can only be carried out with consent from the next of kin. Understanding post-mortem changes is imperative to estimate the time since death or the post-mortem interval.