forensic medicine resources for medical students

Established in 1999, www.forensicmed.co.uk still remains the only website dedicated to providing comprehensive educational resources to medical students on forensic medicine and pathology, and has been archived by the UK Web Archiving Consortium (www.webarchive.org.uk), having been selected for preservation by the Wellcome Trust (www.wellcome.ac.uk). 

This subject is rarely taught at undergraduate level in the UK and so this website remains a unique resource for the application of forensic principles to clinical medicine.

You can read about the development of a unique, award winning course for undergraduate medical students that focuses on forensic medicine and pathology relevant to safeguarding the vulnerable patient here.

  Cardiff University Innovations in Teaching Award 2019

BMA Cymru Excellence in Teaching Award - Innovations in Teaching 2019

Some may find the subject matter distressing. It is not my intention to offend, but to provide educational materials for medical students (and others); if you are likely to be offended by the subject of violent injury/ death, and the aftermath of such violence, please do not proceed any further into this website, which is not suitable for viewing by minors.

what is forensic pathology?

Source: National Pathology Week

Forensic pathology is a sub-specialty of histopathology, and is concerned with the application of pathological principles to the investigation of the medico-legal aspects of death.

Forensic pathologists are medically qualified doctors who perform autopsies (postmortem examinations) on those who have died suddenly, unexpectedly, or as a result of trauma or poisoning.

Read more about forensic pathology here ...

Forensic or legal medicine has been described as a key to the past, the explanation of the present and to some extent a signpost to the future.

Goode AW and Cameron JM. Medicine, Science, and the Law 2000; 40:2-3

Read about the role of the forensic pathologist in a leaflet produced for the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (UK Royal College of Physicians).

Finalist nomination for an Excellence in Teaching Award (Cardiff University 2015)

forensicmed is now on pinterest - access the boards here ...

Curated educational resources for forensic medicine/ pathology

For those of you who use a tablet device, you might want to download the Flipboard app and take a look at a new set of curated resources for forensic medicine and pathology. These have been grouped together in the following magazines:

• Forensic pathology education  (https://flip.it/mHkME) 
• Careers in forensic medicine, pathology and science (https://flip.it/nVVXK)
• Forensic medicine & pathology of the vulnerable patient (https://flip.it/7UZrz)
• Postmortem changes (https://flip.it/y4TNW)
• Identification of the living & the dead (https://flip.it/R0gTI)
• The autopsy (https://flip.it/i.3zD)
• Wounds and injuries (https://flip.it/zRcIi)
• Blunt force trauma (https://flip.it/26UH5)
• Sharp force trauma (https://flip.it/NmdZN)
• Bitemarks & forensic odontology (https://flip.it/pwc_u)
• Forensic aspects of fire, burns & electricity (https://flip.it/oOym1)
• Transport-related trauma (https://flip.it/qMpor)
• Firearms, ballistics & gunshot wounds (https://flip.it/yrpvz)
• Forensic neuropathology (https://flip.it/Z.6lA)
• Concussion in sport (https://flip.it/zGCPo)
• Drowning (https://flip.it/w18kF)
• Pressure on the neck & asphyxia (https://flip.it/7iu8E)
• Paediatric forensic medicine & pathology (https://flip.it/dhr6O)
• Forensic pathology: quality and mistakes (https://flip.it/9WuUE)
• Deaths following police contact and in custody (https://flip.it/yTXFY)
• International aspects of forensic medicine (https://flip.it/rrGTM)
• Violence in society & forensic epidemiology (https://flip.it/ZZ0vP)
• Medical education and the forensic pathologist (https://flip.it/aihcb)
• Forensic toxicology (https://flip.it/s6VQF)
• Forensic pathophysiology (https://flip.it/h7eUt)
• Crime scene investigation & forensic science (https://flip.it/GkGp-)

In addition, I am curating forensic medicine resources at Scoop.it:

• Forensic medicine (https://www.scoop.it/t/forensic-medicine)
• Medicolegal death investigation (https://www.scoop.it/t/medicolegal-death-investigation-by-forensicmed)
• Quality issues in forensic pathology (https://www.scoop.it/t/quality-issues-in-forensic-pathology)
• The pathology of trauma (https://www.scoop.it/t/the-pathology-of-trauma)
• Pathology education (https://www.scoop.it/t/pathology-education)

Resources for general pathology and inflammationcan be found  here  and here (on Wakelet).

Simpson's Forensic Medicine 14th Edition - out now!

Buy it now at CRC Press or Amazon!

Anatomy revision resources can be found here ....

The anatomy of crime - The Wellcome Collection exhibition

The striking exhibition poster and leaflet image

This free exhibition examined forensic science and pathology utilising some fascinating artefacts from infamous crimes, video installations, and historical documents and books with wonderful illustrations.

(Forensics - the anatomy of crime exhibition video https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=3&v=6t2Yqdj7k4Q)

The Wellcome Collection exhibition at 183 Euston Road, London

Enticing posters outside the Euston Road exhibition space