David Adams
Red-Nosed
|
Feb-25-2009 01:35
As far as autopsies go, the Ancient Egyptians were among the first to remove body organs from a recently deceased, though they didn't exactly use them for examination or investigational purposes. The term itself comes from Greek for 'to see oneself'. The procedure is known by a number of different names today. They are (usually) performed by someone with at least some medical training and/or background. A Forensic Autopsy simply means the results are eligible to be used in a court.
The Ancient Greeks also knew of various medical conditions, both for alive and dead patients. The name rigor mortis comes from Latin. It is one of some six to seven different signs or stages of the death process, and deals with the body's muscualture and its stiffness or lack thereof. This process is caused by a rather complicated chemical process within the body's tissues and various systems.
If you're interested in related reading material, one source you might have a look at is a book called Gray's Anatomy (no, not the TV show, the other GrAAAAAy). It's been the definitive textbook on anatomy and physiology throughout much of the Western World since its first publishing in the mid-1850's.
Hope all that helps! Good luck.
|
