External post-mortem examination. Investigation with limited indicative value

The post-mortem examination falls within the legislative power of the German states. Presently all general practitioners or employed physicians are obliged to perform external post-mortem examinations. On the initiative of the 78th Conference of the German Ministers of Justice a project group was formed in 2008 to study the options to improve the quality of the medical post-mortem examination. The members of this group suggested a separation of the determination of death from the post-mortem examination and to have the post-mortem examination performed by specially trained and officially authorized physicians. This proposal does not recognize that the diagnostic value of merely an external examination will also be limited even if it is performed by specialized and specifically qualified physicians. Even if death was caused by mechanical impact there are not always external signs. This is illustrated and discussed using an example from forensic autopsy material (multiple trauma after a fall from a height).