It includes various examinations and analytic tests done on the viscera/internal organs of the body. This is generally useful to prove a number of cases like those of poisoning, to Chemical Analysis establish identities through examination like DNA printing etc. The following examinations are routinely carried out in internal examinations
For Chemical Analysis
Chemical Analysis- Viscera is to be preserved during postmortem examination in the following circumstances
- In case of suspected poisoning,
- To confirm specific poison
- To rule out poisoning,
- in case of decomposed bodies,
- In cases where you do not get any cause of death on autopsy or In case where the Investigating Officer requests to do so.
The following viscera is to be preserved at autopsy Bottle 1
- The whole of the stomach and its contents, about 300 ml or all if less.
- Small intestine - 1 meter in adults, 0.5 meters in children and the whole of it in infants
- Small intestinal contents - 100 ml. however if less, then the whole quantity.
Bottle 2
- Liver - 500 gms. - the whole in infants (with the gall bladder)
- Spleen - half in adults, whole in children and infants.
- Kidneys - half of each in adults, both in children and infants.
Bottle 3
- Blood - 10 ml. or more in special vials
- The bottles should be placed in the viscera boxes, specially provided for the purpose by the respective forensic science laboratories
- In case of infants one bottle is sufficient.
- The pieces of viscera should be slashed or cut into small pieces to ensure penetration of the preservative used.
- Collect the peripheral blood during external examination by a needle and syringe by puncturing the femoral vein or alternatively from the internal jugular vein when the skin is dissected off the neck.
- Never scoop up the blood from the general body cavity after evisceration
- The quantity of the preservative used should be equal to that of the viscera in bulk
- The viscera with the preservative should not fill the bottles but only reach 2/3rd of the height