thumb|right|220px|The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, by Rembrandt, depicts an autopsy An autopsy, also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy (particularly as to animals), autopsia cadaverum, or obduction, is a medical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present. It is usually performed by a specialized medical doctor called a pathologist.

Autopsies are either performed for legal or medical purposes.for example A forensic autopsy is carried out when the cause of death may be a criminal matter, while a clinical or academic autopsy is performed to find the medical cause of death and is used in cases of unknown or uncertain death, or for research purposes. Autopsies can be further classified into cases where external examination suffices, and those where the body is dissected and internal examination is conducted. Permission from next of kin may be required for internal autopsy in some cases. Once an internal autopsy is complete the body is reconstituted by sewing it back together.

The prefix 'auto-' means 'self', and so autopsy means 'to see for oneself'; it is used more broadly of personal examination of an object, as well as its specific usage for the post-mortem examination of a human corpse.

History

The Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to practice the removal and examination of the internal organs of humans.

The autopsy's intellectual founder was Giovanni Morgagni (1682–1771), who is celebrated as the father of the modern anatomical pathology.

The history of the autopsy is perhaps too expansive for consideration in this article. The reader is referred to the first chapter of Sidney Farber's The Postmortem Examination, 1937, which provides a detailed yet concise history of the autopsy.

Value of autopsy in medicine

Autopsies are important in clinical medicine as they can identify medical error and assist continuous improvement.

A study that focused on myocardial infarction (heart attack) as a cause of death found significant errors of omission and commission, i.e. a sizable number cases ascribed to myocardial infarctions (MIs) were not MIs and a significant number of non-MIs were actually MIs.

A systematic review of studies of the autopsy calculated that in about 25% of autopsies a major diagnostic error will be revealed. However, this rate has decreased over time and the study projects that in a contemporary US institution, 8.4% to 24.4% of autopsies will detect major diagnostic errors.

A large meta-analysis suggested that approximately one third of death certificates are incorrect and that half of the autopsies performed produced findings that were not suspected before the person died. Also, it is thought that over one fifth of unexpected findings can only be diagnosed histologically, i.e. by biopsy or autopsy, and that approximately one quarter of unexpected findings, or 5% of all findings, are major and can similarly only be diagnosed from tissue.