Citation

Malicier D. Rev. Prat. 2002; 52(7): 719-722.

Vernacular Title

Certificat de deces et diagnostic d'une mort violente.

Affiliation

Département de médecine légale Hôpital Edouard-Herriot, 69437 Lyon.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, J B Bailliere et Fils)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12032956

Abstract

Many crimes go by unpunished, be it due to the disappearance of the cadaver, or a skillful cover-up on the part of the perpetrator. Thus, the crime can be masked as an accident, a suicide, or even a natural death. In France, the writing of the death certificate confers to the doctor, an important role in their unravelling. This role rests solely on a systematic approach consisting of alerting all violent deaths, sudden deaths and suspicious deaths to the coroner's office. The coroner decides whether to hold a medico-legal autopsy according to the various facts carried to his attention.

Language: fr