Profile of medico-legal cases autopsied at S.S.I.M.S & R.C, Davangere: A retrospective study

Autopsy means post mortem examination of a dead body. In all unnatural and suspicious cases, the Medico-legal autopsy is mandatory. Conducting the Medico-legal autopsy is an integral part of the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology to aid in the administration of justice. Study of profile of Medico-legal autopsies may help us to understand the magnitude of the medico-legal deaths occurring at that particular region and also to know the prevalence of age, sex and the distribution of cases. This retrospective study has been conducted in the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, S.S.I.M.S & R.C, Davangere from January 2015 to December 2020 comprising of 1004 autopsied cases. Out of 1004 cases 71.5% were males. Road traffic accident with 528 cases being the most prevalent type of death followed by burns and poisoning. 21-30 years age group is the most affected population. Rural residents are more compared to urban.