Citation

Canas F, de la Grandmaison GL, Guillou PJ, Jeunehomme G, Durigon M, Bernard MH. Rev. Prat. 2005; 55(6): 587-594.

Vernacular Title

L'obstacle medico-legal dans le certificat deces.

Affiliation

CHU de Reims, Hopital Maison-Blanche, 51092 Reims Cedex, France. fcanas@chu-reims.fr

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, J B Bailliere et Fils)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

15913109

Abstract

The objectives of this article are to clarify the concepts of violent death, suspicious death and natural death, and to define the situations which need to be reported to the coroner's office, while referring to the recommendations of the National Order of the Doctors and to the European recommendation n degrees R (99) 3 about the harmonisation of the rules in the field of forensic autopsy. In practice, the indications for forensic autopsy are as follows: homicide or suspicion of homicide, suicide or suspicion of suicide, violation of human rights, death in custody or potentially associated actions of police or army, death engaging a possible responsibility, death bringing into play a particular legislation, collective catastrophe, unexpected sudden death, not identified bodies or skeletal remainders. A guiding principle is that an unexpected death remains non natural until forensic proof of the opposite!