Historical forensic pathology

Abstract

These brief reports clearly show that contemporary forensic examination and analyses of material and specimens currently residing in museums may clarify historical questions that have been unanswered for many decades. Review of data may also provide graphic illustration of significant conditions and illnesses that are sometimes overlooked in the face of the far more dramatic aspects of armed conflict. Although administrators often fail to see the relevance of pathology museums, being more interested in dealing with costs than contributing to knowledge, historical forensic pathology has a distinct and important role to play in the contemporary multidisciplinary analysis of past events.