Includes bibliographical references and index.

The forensic autopsy -- The pathophysiology of death -- The establishment of identity of human remains -- The pathology of wounds -- Head and spinal injuries -- Chest and abdominal injuries -- Self-inflicted injury -- Gunshot and explosion deaths -- Transportation injuries -- Abuse of human rights : deaths in custody -- Burns and scalds -- Electrical fatalities -- Complications of injury -- Suffocation and asphyxia -- Fatal pressure on the neck -- Immersion deaths -- Neglect, starvation and hypothermia -- Deaths associated with sexual offences -- Deaths associated with pregnancy -- Child homicide -- Sudden death in infancy -- Fatal child abuse -- Deaths associated with surgical procedures -- Dysbaric fatalities and barotrauma -- The pathology of sudden death -- Forensic dentistry for the pathologist -- Poisoning and the pathologist -- Forensic aspects of alcohol -- Carbon monoxide poisoning -- Organophosphorus poisoning -- Poisoning by medicines -- Death from narcotic and hallucinogenic drugs -- Corrosive and metallic poisoning -- Deaths from organic solvents.

"The fourth edition continues to be the definitive international resource for those in training and in practice, covering all aspects of the medico-legal autopsy, including the cause and time of death, interpretation of wounds and every other facet of the investigation of a fatality. The contents are intended to lead the pathologist - and in some countries, the non-pathologist - through the procedures needed in the examination of a body found under obscure, suspicious or even criminal circumstances." --Cover.