Use of radiographs in the forensic autopsy

The X-ray examination of corpses is a most useful tool in the field of medicolegal diagnosis. Sometimes the cause of death can already be seen before autopsy. The following modes of application are reviewed: search for foreign bodies, identification of poison, air-embolism, pneumothorax, air-filled lungs and gastro-intestinal organs in newborns, diagnosis of tuberculosis in corpses, visibility of hidden fractures, structure of bones as a factor of biomechanical load capacity, identification and determination of age and experimental research with corpses.