Exhumation: A 10-year retrospective study.

ABSTRACT

Exhumation is done for number of reason and includes establishment of identity, to know cause and manner of death, belated suspicion of an unnatural death or for medical insurance problems. It is infrequently done in India and due to cultural practice of cremation by burning to ashes the data are lacking. Compared with conventional autopsy done immediately after death, exhumation poses many problems. The present study was aimed to collect data regarding exhumation, to collect morphological findings in comparison with maximum postmortem interval and to analyze them in an attempt to formulate “catalogue of expectation” to supplement the published literature. Total 24 forensic exhumations performed at three centers of this region from 1999 to 2008 were evaluated retrospectively. Total 24 cases were analyzed and amongst them 12 were men and 12 were women and their age ranged from 3 years to 75 years (mean age 26.95). In the present series, the cause of death at exhumation could be clearly determined in 16 cases (66.6%). Amongst others, the burial practice and postmortem interval are major determining factors for possible outcome at exhumation.