Chapter: 1 Introduction - Forensic Medicineन्याय वैद्यक - विधीवैद्यक

The word “Forensic” means “of courts of law”.   

DEFINITION:

Application of medical knowledge to serve the justice is called Forensic Medicine.

Synonyms: Legal Medicine, Medical Jurisprudence and State Medicine, Forensic Pathology etc.

Although all the names carry different meanings they are related to each other:

Medical Jurisprudence is a subject concerned with knowledge of law in relation to the practice of medicine. In Short, it deals with legal aspects of medical practice.

State Medicine is application of medical knowledge in prevention of diseases. It defines the duty of a doctor in relation to notification of all births, deaths, noticeable diseases and food poisoning. It deals with the legal mandatory duties of medical practitioners and personnel.

Forensic Pathology is dealing with medico legal investigation of death.

HISTORY OF FORENSIC MEDICINE:

The history of Forensic Medicine is quite old. Documents related to medico-legal work have been found dating back to 4000–3999 B.C. in Egypt, Sumer, Babylon, India and China.

Some important landmarks in this matter are as follows:

1. Manusmriti (3102 B.C.) is the first article on various laws written by King Manu. It prescribed code of conduct for society and had many medico-legal laws about marriage, punishment for rape, adultery, etc.

2. 2700 B.C. - Chinese journals: plant and fish poisons

3. Vedas (2000–1000 B.C.), especially Atharvaveda, furnish details about how to cure wounds, poisoning and snake bites. Vedas mention punishment for murder and other offences, marriage between brother and sister was prohibited, marriage before puberty not allowed.

4. Code of Hummurabi of Babylon (2000–1000 B.C.) is the oldest medico-legal code given by King of Babylon in 2200 B.C. It describes punishment for medical practitioners in case of improper treatment.

5. 1900-1200 B.C. - Egyptian documents that had directions for collection,   preparation, and administration of   more than 800 medicinal and poisonous recipes.

6. Code of the Hittite (1400 B.C.) describes compensation for personal injuries sustained.

7. 800 B.C. - India - Hindu medicine includes notes on poisons and antidotes.

8. The first Indian book on medicine, Agnivesha Tantra - Charaka. It describes training, duties, privileges and social status of physicians. It is considered as Indian code of medical ethics. Sushruta Samhita - Sushruta in 200–300 A.D. refers to poisons, snake signs and treatment of poisoning.

9. Roman law (451 B.C.) contained a lot of provisions related to medico-legal matters.

10. Hippocrates (460–377 B.C.) described about wounds, medical ethics, sudden deaths etc.

11. 4th-3rd century BC - Arthashastra of kautilya- Regulated medical practice and prescribed punishment for medical negligence. Medical knowledge used for law. Murder, sexual offences and their punishment and poisoning described. Examination of dead in unnatural deaths mentioned.

12. 50-100 A.D. - Greek physicians classified over 600 plant, animal, and mineral poisons.

13. 50- 400 A.D. - Romans used poisons for executions and murders.

14. 1200 A.D. - Spanish rabbi Maimonides writes first-aid book for poisonings, Poisons and Their Antidotes

15. 1302 - First medicolegal autopsy done in Italy by Bartolomeo De Varignana.     

16. Swiss physician Paracelsus (1493-1541) credited with being

“the father of modern toxicology.”

17. 1860 - Indian Penal Code framed in India.

18. 1861 - Creminal procedure code framed in India.

19. 1933 - MCI established.

20. 1970 - CCIM established.

21. 1995 - Supreme Court upheld that Medical services are covered under consumer protection act.

22. The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) was established in 2021 (on June 11, 2021) under the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act, 2020. It replaced the older Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)

“All substances are poisons: there is none which is not a poison.  The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.”