Introduction to Legal Medicine

My third year of being a medical student is coming to an end, and a new chapter seems to unfold right before my eyes. But I know I must think of today before focusing on the promises of tomorrow.

I had been quite busy doing some finalizations on our research work which I would cover in few days from now. I hope you would continue on reading the topics that I will cover. I had also been keeping up by reading all the topics that would be covered for our finals. It started last Monday. I hope this weekday would end peaceful and with good news. I could not wait to rest a bit before doing endless rounds for our internship.

Setting aside my personal life, at this juncture I would like to introduce you all to Legal Medicine. This will be a series of lectures that would cover various topic under Legal Medicine.

To formally begin this serious of lecture, let me share to you first the Introduction of Legal Medicine.

Legal medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with the application of medical knowledge for the purpose of law and administration of justice. Specifically, it is the application of medical and paramedical sciences to clarify legal matters.




Meanwhile, medical jurisprudence refers to the knowledge of laws in consonance to the practice of medicine. It also includes the obligations, duties, and rights of a medical practitioner in reference to the matters between the patient and the doctor.

Scope of Legal Medicine and Nature of Study
The scope of legal medicine is broader than it seems. It is derived from its definition thus it includes the application of medical and paramedical sciences in relation to law and administration of justice.

Meanwhile the nature of the study involves: (1)acquisition of facts which are essential; (2)the power to arrange these facts in logical order; (3) and drawing of conclusion. The approach of nature of the study is derived from the scientific method. Aside from being observant, a medical jurist should be able to deliver his thoughts in writing or verbally to avoid unnecessary confusion during court proceedings.

People often times get confused whether or not a person is an ordinary physician or a medical jurist. Here are the simple indicators:

An ordinary physician regards an injury or disease to be treated. An examination is done by a physician to find a suitable treatment for the patient. Lastly, they disregard minor injuries.

Meanwhile a medical jurist is bound to identify the cause of the injury or disease. An examination is done by him or her for it to be reported and will serve as a testimony to the court. Lastly, unlike an ordinary physician, a medical jurist records everything even the small wound inflicted.

With law being one of the central theme of legal medicine, it is important to understand what it is using simple terms.

Law is a product of social contract that benefits the civic society while regulating their actions through a series of guidelines. Hence it is a rule of conduct. A law is absolute and thus it is compulsory and obligatory to all who are in the community.

Law has two forms. Statutory Law (Lex Scripta) for one is a law that has been written. It has undergone a series of public hearing, debate with the legislators, passed to the head of the state, before ratifying it. Meanwhile the Common Law (Lex Non Scripta) is the unwritten law.

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Other Terms
Aside from what were discussed, it is essential to be familiar with other terms and their definitions in the realm of legal medicine.

- Forensic pertains to the belongings of the court which are utilized for legal or public argumentations.
- Medicine pertains to the science and art of prevention, cure, and alleviation of disease.
- Legal refers to law arising out of, by virtue of, or included in law.
- Jurisprudence refers to the practical science that deals with the origin, nature, development, and functions of law. It also involves the interpretation of law and application of it towards arising issues or cases.

Now that we have known the basic terms, we will discuss on the following day about the Branches of Law where Legal Medicine may be applied, Basic Principles Governing the Application of Law and History of Legal Medicine.

I hope you had fun learning. Great day ahead friends!