Medicolegal autopsy study of female deaths

Medicolegal autopsy of female death means to ascertain the cause of death of unnatural and suspicious female deaths in the interest of justice wherein other parameters and relevant information is also recorded directly and indirectly relating to further investigations and as a part of police inquest. This data recorded before, during and after post-mortem examination can be analysed by the autopsy surgeon for research and epidemiological purpose for long term planning and strategy to check such unnatural mishaps and crimes against women. The present study is a step towards this direction wherein 145 female deaths satisfying the inclusion criteria and subjected to post-mortem examination in the mortuary of Rajindra Hospital attached with Government Medical College Patiala in Punjab state of India were analysed, which constituted 7.8 percent of the total autopsies conducted in a span of two years of the study period i.e. from January 2019 to December 2020. The age group of 21 to 40 years constituted largest group of female deaths with majority of the victims as married females and belonging to Hindu religion in the study. Majority of the females were housewives and educated up to the senior secondary level. Rural females outnumbered the urban ones with majority of the deaths as suicides and poisoning, hanging and drowning as the leading causes in suicidal deaths. Sharp weapons and strangulation were the major means of homicidal deaths in the study.