The Autopsies and Beth

We have now completed day 2 of 3 at the Medical Examiner’s office. I had the “opportunity” to watch four autopsies from start to finish. If you ever get a chance to watch an autopsy, don’t. Unless of course you are in this business, then you might have to.

Autopsies are the most disturbing yet fascinating aspect of this business. As an investigator, I am not actually required to attend the autopsies on the cases we work, but there have been numerous special circumstances where I have attended autopsies either in whole or in part. Although, I can now watch an autopsy with a minimal amount of cringing, squeaking, or making comments such as, “Oh, that’s gotta hurt”, this is not a profession that I would choose to do. I am thankful that there are people who can do this job.

But I digress…

When we showed up to the Medical Examiner’s Office, the first thing that struck me was how nice the facility is. Luckily for us, you can go to the Forensic Medical website to see the facility for yourself. Be sure to click on the Virtual Tour button and check out the autopsy area. As far as Medical Examiner Offices go, this place is really nice.

Before going into the autopsy area, each of us was handed a complete head to toe biohazard protection kit. Since the entire kit was “one size fits well”, some of us wore protective aprons and some wore protective dresses. But regardless of fit, we were protected.

When we got inside, the technicians and doctors already had the bodies at their respective stations waiting to begin. The doctors directed us to move around to the different stations so that we could all see what was going on. I took a front seat position next to a gurney so that I could get the maximum benefit out of this experience. As I looked around, I could see that some of my classmates found that their maximum benefit could be found at ten feet away, and others up against the wall. We all have a comfort level for this kind of stuff and it doesn’t take long to find out what it is.

The subject that I stood next to was to be worked on by an autopsy technician, who I will call “Beth”. Beth is a young lady who is building on her experience as an autopsy technician in hopes of one day becoming a field investigator for the Medical Examiner’s office. The autopsy technician is generally in charge of the disassembly of the body, removing the necessary organs for examination by a doctor.

As Beth began her work, I could see that she knew exactly what she was doing and apparently had no problem making the necessary cuts. I stood quietly, not knowing if I could ask questions or not. As Beth began the precision process of removing all the various organs and placing them into a stainless steel pan, I finally broke my silence as she began wrestling with a huge, organ thing.

“I am sorry. Umm. What…what is that?” I asked.
“Oh, that’s the liver”, she replied.
“That thing is huge. Are they always that big?” I needed to know.
“Not always. But this one is a bit on the large size”, Beth replied.

My classmates at the ten-foot distance wondered what we were talking about.

At this point I felt that the lines of communication had been opened and that I could ask more questions as need. I made all kinds of inquires into what was happening before my eyes, and I learned a lot.

But the most important thing I learned came from Beth when she was struggling to cut away the fat from the organs. She would literally remove large clumps of yellow fat that had to be set to the side so she could see what she was doing. The subject she was working on was at least 50 pounds overweight. The stomach fat literally intertwines with the vital organs, particularly around the stomach area, putting pressure on the organs themselves. It is easy to see why a person who is heavy would have problems breathing, moving, or whatever other health problems created by having the organs placed under pressure. Plus, being fat makes Beth’s job harder and we don’t want that.

As I continued my conversation with Beth, I was amazed at how enthusiastic she was about doing a job that most of us would never want to watch let alone have as a profession. At this point, my professional demeanor stepped out of the room for just a moment, and I had to ask (forgive me).

Brian: “So, does being in this line of work put a crimp in your dating life?”
Beth: “Oh, no. I have a boyfriend.”
Brian: “Does he know what you do for a living?”
Beth: “Yes, but I keep him in line. Because he knows what I can do with this” (holding up scalpel)
Brian: “No more questions!”

At this point, I took the opportunity to walk around and view the other autopsies in progress. Surprisingly, all four autopsies were being finished at about the same time. Once the process is done, the autopsy technicians will clean all the workstations and prepare for the next day.

I can tell you that the folks at Forensic Medical were extremely professional, and efficient with their work. I was pleased to find that all of the staff was excited to have our National Forensic Academy class make the trip to Nashville to visit them. Because of their role in death investigations, I have always considered the Medical Examiner’s Office a critical part of the team that makes up CSI. Thank you to the staff at Forensic Medical and thanks to Beth.

I look forward to any comments or questions you may have.

Forensic Medical