Autopsy

An autopsy is an investigation of the cause or causes of death of a recently deceased individual by the examination of his or her cadaver. Its dissection is an essential part of a thoroughgoing autopsy. An autopsy can be performed to improve knowledge of the diagnosed cause of death. Equally, an autopsy can be performed to solve a medical mystery, when the cause of death defies diagnosis, or to solve a criminal mystery, when there is suspicion of foul play. In the last respect, an autopsy performed on Professor Daniel Fyrehaaven at the initiative of biology and medical departments implicated his wife [[Julia Fyrehaaven|Julia in his murder.

The purpose of an autopsies can be either medical or legal. The cause of medical knowledge can be advanced, especially if the

Medical researchers are always looking to improve their knowledge

for the sake of 

Autopsies are either performed for legal or medical purposes. For example, 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. Autopsies can be further classified into cases where external examination suffices, and those where the body is dissected and internal examination is conducted. Permission from next of kin may be required for internal autopsy in some cases. Once an internal autopsy is complete the body is reconstituted by sewing it back together.

Autopsy for the sake of

No law enforcement agency in the Land of the Mists is known to pursue murder investigations with the regular assistance of autopies.

Dissection consists of the careful cutting apart of flesh, whether from a fresh corpse or a fleshly picked plant, in the quest for knowledge of the material processes of life. Dissection is a fundamental procedure in biology and medicine and is taught universally to biology students and to all medical students in advanced lands. Exploration, experimentation, and research in the fields of biology and medicine depends upon, and makes copious use of, dissection. Dissection must not be confused with vivisection, wherein the flesh that is cut open is that of a still living thing. Dissection is sometimes equated with butchery and is sometimes accused of being the stuff of ghouls. It has an unsavoury reputation among the unwashed masses of modern lands where it is nonetheless legal and is loosely regulated at best. It may be greeted with abject horror in more primative lands as transgression and in such places it may not enjoy the protection of law. Religions tend to take a dim view of dissection, often accusing it of desecration.