Death

=== Autopsy ===
[[File:Rembrandt - The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp.jpg|thumb|alt=A painting of an autopsy, by Rembrandt, entitled "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp"|An autopsy is portrayed in ''[[The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp]]'', by [[Rembrandt]].]]

An [[autopsy]], also known as a ''postmortem examination'' or an ''obduction'', is a [[medical procedure]] that consists of a thorough [[Medical examination|examination]] of a human [[dead body|corpse]] to determine the cause and manner of a person's death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present. It is usually performed by a specialized [[physician|medical doctor]] called a [[pathologist]].<ref name="Johns Hopkins Medical-2019">{{Cite web |last=Johns Hopkins Medical |title=Autopsy |url=https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/autopsy |access-date=February 15, 2023 |website=Johns Hopkins Medical |date=19 November 2019 |archive-date=26 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626040047/https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/autopsy |url-status=live }}</ref>

Autopsies are either performed for legal or medical purposes.<ref name="Johns Hopkins Medical-2019" /> A forensic autopsy is carried out when the cause of death may be a criminal matter, while a clinical or academic autopsy is performed to find the medical cause of death and is used in cases of unknown or uncertain death, or for research purposes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maryland Department of Health |title=Forensic Autopsy |url=https://health.maryland.gov/ocme/Pages/Forensic-Autopsy.aspx#:~:text=A%20forensic%20autopsy%20is%20a,or%20contributed%20to%20the%20death. |access-date=February 15, 2023 |website=Maryland Department of Health |archive-date=4 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004011340/https://health.maryland.gov/ocme/Pages/Forensic-Autopsy.aspx#:~:text=A%20forensic%20autopsy%20is%20a,or%20contributed%20to%20the%20death. |url-status=live }}</ref> Autopsies can be further classified into cases where external examination suffices, and those where the body is dissected and an internal examination is conducted.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Madea |first1=Buckhard |last2=Rothschild |first2=Markus |date=June 1, 2010 |title=The Post Mortem External Examination |url=https://www.aerzteblatt.de/int/archive/article/77978 |journal=Deutsches Ärzteblatt International |language=de |volume=103 |issue=33 |pages=575–586; quiz 587–588 |doi=10.3238/arztebl.2010.0575 |pmid=20830284 |pmc=2936051 |access-date=16 February 2023 |archive-date=6 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306150726/https://www.aerzteblatt.de/int/archive/article/77978 |url-status=live }}</ref> Permission from [[next of kin]] may be required for internal autopsy in some cases.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duke University School of Medicine |title=Autopsy Pathology |url=https://pathology.duke.edu/divisions/anatomic-pathology/autopsy-pathology#:~:text=The%20immediate%20family%20should%20be,brother%20or%20sister%20or%20guardian. |access-date=February 15, 2023 |website=Duke Department of Pathology |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628224102/https://pathology.duke.edu/divisions/anatomic-pathology/autopsy-pathology#:~:text=The%20immediate%20family%20should%20be,brother%20or%20sister%20or%20guardian. |url-status=live }}</ref> Once an internal autopsy is complete the body is generally reconstituted by sewing it back together.<ref name="Dolinak-2005" />

A necropsy, which is not always a medical procedure, was a term previously used to describe an unregulated postmortem examination. In modern times, this term is more commonly associated with the corpses of animals.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Fadden |first1=Melissa |last2=Peaslee |first2=Jennifer |date=March 19, 2019 |title=What's a Necropsy? The Science Behind this Valuable Diagnostic Tool. |url=https://cwhl.vet.cornell.edu/article/whats-necropsy-science-behind-valuable-diagnostic-tool |access-date=February 15, 2023 |publisher=Cornell University |archive-date=4 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604070211/https://cwhl.vet.cornell.edu/article/whats-necropsy-science-behind-valuable-diagnostic-tool |url-status=live }}</ref>