Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses the medical practice known as autopsy. This paper looks at the conventional type of autopsy and compares it to the virtual autopsy (virtopsy), that is performed using CT scans and MRI. The writer discusses that while MRI is currently only in the investigative stages, it has the potential of replacing many autopsies in the next 10-15 years. The writer claims that this could be the case particularly in the field of forensics. The writer looks at the benefits of using MRI, offering the example that MRI could be especially useful in cultures and religions which forbid or do not readily accept conventional autopsies.

From the Paper
"An autopsy is the postmortem examination of the body to determine the cause of death and is performed by a pathologist. The autopsy is performed by a government coroner or medical examiner in a case where death is believed to be the result of foul play. Coroners and medical examiners are known as forensic pathologists and the branch of medicine dealing with unnatural causes of death is known as forensic medicine. Autopsies are done to advance medical knowledge and to provide evidence in legal matters regarding unnatural deaths."

Tags:autopsy, MRI, CT virtopsy

Abstract
The paper describes the symptoms that attendees at a convention suffered from and suggests that Bacillus anthracis was the particular biological agent of choice in this scenario. The paper outlines several ways to test that a biological attack had indeed occurred and asserts that the first response must be to quarantine the convention center and have a team comb through all possible areas and systems by which the agent could have been introduced. The paper then discusses the treatment of the victims and the need for autopsies. The paper contends that the combined efforts of prophylaxis, quarantine, and an immediate clinical response should minimize deaths and infections to a considerable degree.

From the Paper
"The first response must be to quarantine the convention center and have a team comb through all possible areas and systems by which the agent could have been introduced. Halting further spread of the infection and determining the precise agent is of paramount importance in forestalling a possible epidemic (Gerberding et al 2002). All patients already in area hospitals should be isolated as much as possible, and medical staff and other patients closely monitored for symptoms of the infection. This will prevent further spread of the disease while efforts are coordinated to determine the details of the attack and (hopefully) identify and apprehend the perpetrators."

Tags:prophylaxis, autopsies, quarantine, anthrax

Abstract
This paper explains that schizophrenia, a form of mental illness, was first identified about a century ago by Emil Krepelin, who called this condition "dementia praecox" because it occurred at a young age. The author points out that the Vulnerability Model suggests that schizophrenia is caused by a combination of interacting factors, including physical, psychological, and environmental events that work dysfunctionally to produce schizophrenia. The paper relates that research methods include autopsies of the brain, analysis of fetal development, studies of identical twins, and studies using brain imaging.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Causes
The Schizophrenic Brain
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Given the devastating nature of schizophrenia, researchers have put considerable effort into trying to determine the cause or causes of schizophrenia. Is it caused by nature (genetics, head injury, etc.) or nurture " how we are raised" This nature vs. nurture debate has gone on throughout part of the 19th century and virtually all of the 20th. Kraepelin, who first described the disorder, believed that it was organic in origin. However, with the advent of Freudian thought, belief swung to the idea that our childhoods determined whether we would have mental illnesses as an adult or not."

Tags:vulnerability, brain, imaging, morphometrics, praecox

Abstract
Civilizations throughout the years have dealt with disease and illness in numerous ways. This paper examines the ancient Egyptians and determines how they practiced medicine during their time and how it relates to modern medicine. The paper also examines the materials or tools involved in their medical practices, major medical discoveries and methods used by physicians to heal patients.

Introduction
Discoveries
Practices of Medicine
Physicians and Priests
Embalming and Autopsies
Rituals
Magicians
Keeping Records
Important Documents
Understanding the Body
Medication and Treatments
Diseases
Holistic Treatments
Tools
Herbal Medicines
Conclusion
References

From the Paper
"Ancient physicians prescribed many remedies that are still in use today. Then, as now, honey and milk were used for the irritation of the throat and respiratory infections. The physicians also knew how to "use suppositories, herbal dressings and enemas and widely used castor oil (crystalinks.com/egyptmedicine.html)." Medications were used to treat Egyptians suffering from a parasite which attacked the urinary tract, and this parasite still plagues the Egyptians of today."

Tags:surgery, religion, papyrus

Abstract
This paper reports that 30 percent of nursing home facilities are cited for instances of abuse, and the majority of all instances are never even reported. The author points out that, to prevent this abuse in nursing homes, communities must enhance facility security, improve background checks of staff, establish systems to monitor rates, places, and times of death, and expand death investigations and autopsies. The paper states that many states have long-term care ombudsmen, who have the primary responsibility of advocating for residents' rights and quality care, educating consumers and providers, resolving residents' complaints, and providing information to the public about abuse, but much more must be done.

From the Paper
"Laws are also changing to support the patients and their families. In Florida, for example, the Supreme Court drew a clear distinction between medical and nursing home care by ruling that plaintiffs in cases alleging nursing home abuse and neglect can sue for wrongful death and negligence without meeting the state's requirements for filing a medical malpractice claim. The court noted that nursing homes employ a variety of workers and that the failures the plaintiff alleged "may have been caused by the nursing staff, by the nursing home in not having adequate staff, by the negligence of aides or other workers, or by a combination of the above.""

Tags:investigation, family, ombudsmen, rights, quality

Abstract
This paper covers the history of the epidemic of the bacterium that came to be known as the bubonic plague. It begins in 540 A.D., with the first record of its occurrence, and continues to show its from the Mediterranean throughout Europe and Asia. The plague's spread to England in the 1600s led to the first autopsies being conducted and began the search for a cause and cure to this disease. It has virtually been eliminated in our lifetime with only isolated cases occurring, although, there are now fears that it can be isolated and used as a bio-weapon by terrorists in today's world.

From the Paper
"Despite of what is thought, the bubonic plague did not end in medieval times. It has kept killing people all the way until today. The next big outbreak after the one in 1665 was in China in 1894. It then spread west to Bombay, India, and in that the time it took to do that the disease killed millions of people. The next couple of decades after that outbreak, scientists were able to identify and classify the disease and its history. However it could at times be difficult for the scientists because symptoms of the bubonic plague often resembled those of other diseases common in the hot climate of the jungles in India."

Tags:black, bubonic, death, pestis, plague, yersinia, vaccination, cure, bacteria, microscopes, scientists, bio-terrorists, bacteria, europe, studies, bitten, flea, cell, immune, system, jungles, india, brazil, united, states, military, research

Abstract
A synthesis essay on the rise of toxic protists due to the increase in dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations from man-made pollution. Specific examples are used to illustrate this building environmental concern.

From the paper:

""In the Rivers and Coastal Waters of America an Ancient and Deadly Organism, Reawakened by Man-Made Pollution, May Become the Ultimate Biological Threat" (Barker, cover). In 1984, a small herd of cows in Montana collapsed and died in ten minutes after drinking from a pond coated with a pea green film. In 1987, three people died and more than 100 became ill after eating blue mussels from Prince Edward Island. In 1996, 149 manatees perished mysteriously off the coast of Florida. Autopsies of these endangered marine mammals revealed biological poisons in their brains and other tissues."

Tags:algae, aquatic, bloom, dinoflagellates, environmental, issues, marine, nitrogen, pfiesteria, phosphorus, plankton, pollution, protist, quality, toxic, water

Abstract
This paper explains that, in the political docudrama "JFK", Oliver Stone asserts that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone, that the F.B.I. had a vested interest in hiding important information from the public and that the C.I.A. had an active role in the assassination in hopes of fueling the military industrial complex of the United States. The paper further explains that, in the film, Stone attempts to make viewers conscience of the possible tampering of evidence and lack of investigation into the murder of the president. The author stresses that Oliver Stone does not want his viewers to accept all of the events portrayed in the film. Rather, Stone directed this film to act as a "counter-myth" in reaction to the "myth" he believes the Warren Commission Report fed the public. The paper stresses that Stone's accusation that the Archives somehow lost the brain, which it did not, affects the viewer's understanding of what actually happened.

From the Paper
"Perhaps the most shocking claim that Oliver Stone makes in his film in relation to the autopsy is that John F. Kennedy's brain has been lost by the National Archives. This particular claim arose in 1972 when pathologist Cyril Wecht was allowed to examine the Kennedy autopsy records at the National Archives. Wecht tried to open the footlocker where the stainless steel container and microscopic tissue slides were held, only to notice that they were gone. Wecht then blames the Archives for losing an important piece of physical evidence due to negligence and carelessness."

Tags:controversy, brain, counter-myth, warren, facts

From the Paper
The purpose of this research is to discuss and support the theory of conspiracy, which must have existed in order to success-fully assassinate President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
There are people in the United States who believe that there was not a conspiracy to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. Yet, those who do not believe in the conspiracy theory are clearly in a minority. As early as 1966, Gallup and Harris polls showed that 66 percent of the American people did not believe in the Warren Commission's conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone assassin. Another poll, taken in 1975, found that four out of five Americans did not accept the Warren Commission's version of the assassination (Blumenthal and Yazijian, 1976, p.ix).
Counter arguments for those who choose to disbelieve in the consp

Abstract
This paper discusses the use of radio-diagnostic imagery instead of the more standard form of autopsy in forensic medicine. The paper examines the pros and cons of using images provided by machinery such as MRIs instead of the information provided by the more invasive autopsy procedure. The paper discusses the accuracy of radio-diagnostic imagery compared with its less technologically advanced counterpart in determining causes of death. The author concludes that while radio-diagnostic imaging can be useful in forensic medicine, it can not yet replace traditional autopsy.

Table of Contents:
Objective
Introduction
Negative Findings in the use of Radio-diagnostic Imaging in Forensic Medicine
Positive Findings in the use of Radio-diagnostic Imaging in Forensic Medicine
Discussion
Conclusion

From the Paper
"There has been an increase in the use of MRI in forensics in making a diagnosis when death involved either injury or disease. Stated to be one of the: "main criticisms of the use of MRI as an alternative to conventional autopsy is the lack of validation of this imaging technique." This is due to the mixed results that have been reported related to MRI post mortem examinations in the fields of neuropathology and paediatrics."

Tags:MRI, forensic, medicine, Post, Mortem, Magnetic, Resonance, Imaging