Page 27 - Veritas - 02.03.22

4. Would you throw light on your experience with your first autop-

sy? How challenging was it mentally?

I believe, for everything, there is a first time, and irrespective of how

the experience is, it always stays etched in our hearts in indelible ink.

The very first case I was assigned was a brought dead case of a mid-

dle-aged man to the casualty. After all the paperwork was done, the

body was positioned on the post-mortem examination table. There

were mixed feelings within me. Some part of me was happy and ex-

cited to investigate the first-ever case assigned to me, while some part

of me was proud of myself for landing at that position where I could

contribute to serving justice to people and solving the unexplained.

Equally, there was apprehension popping up, as both the responsibil-

ity associated with conducting a post-mortem examination and the

heat of justice is heavy to handle. Let’s never forget the anxiety that

tags along with any of our first steps. As soon as I saw the deceased,

I had to exert that handle of control on all my thoughts and focused

on only doing my best in the best possible way. External examination

revealed nothing remarkable. In such cases, considering the age of

the deceased, the second-best shot was to examine the cardiovascu-

lar system. As I began exploring the thoracic cavity, I noticed the peri-

cardial sac enlarged and the sac congested. Further, it was evident

that the likely cause of death was cardiac tamponade. On dissection

of the heart, it became clear that there was ventricular rupture lead-

ing to cardiac tamponade. This one experience strengthened the idea

in me that a proper autopsy can solve unsolved mysteries. It was an

important component for serving justice to the deceased or his/her

family. It boosted my morale and added confidence in me. Handling

dead bodies of deceased individuals, the endless heinous crimes and

the humanity that is tossed in such situations was never mentally

taxing to me. Probably one possible reason to not be affected mental-

ly is that I came determined and was expecting these when I chose

Forensic medicine as my speciality.

5. How long did it take for you to get used to the process, and did

you take any measures to help you adapt it?