A Statistical Observation on Medico-Legal Autopsy and Inspection in Korea

The following is a summary of results in 36 cases of inspection and 2,195 cases of unnatural death accumulated through the medico-legal autopsy up to the year of 1968.

The deaths due to violence administered to the head was very common and for the natural sudden death due to diseases of the circulatory system shows the largest number.

1. The numbers of autopsies done for unantural death were 2,159 cases of which 1,377 cases were male and 782 cases female.

2. The numbers of inspection were 36 cases.

3. Injuries leading to the cause of the death were the largest number being 736 cases or 34.1 percents and death due to the starvation was the smallest number being 2 cases or 0.1 percent.

4. Asphyxial deaths were 209 cases or 9.7 percent of the total and drownings were 75 cases, being the largest number among the death.

5. For the deaths due to injury skull fractures and brain injuries were the leading causes.

6. Death from freezing and electrocution were the only examples of death due to cold, burning and electricity.

7. There were 2cases of starvation.

8. Infanticides were 30 cases or 1.4 percents of the total number.

9. Deaths due to the poison were 382 cases of which 11.7 per cents were from drug ingestion, barbiturate being most common.

10. For the sudden natural death 588 cases or 27.2 percents of the total recorded and the diseases of the circulatory system accounted for 145 of the cases.

11. Cause of death, unknown, due to the severe decomposition of the body were 203 cases or 9.4 percents of the total number.