"I still remember the first autopsy - it was a boy." What is myth and what is truth in the work of a forensic scientist?

The profession of a forensic medical examiner can both fascinate, attracting all the attention of facts unknown to you, and repel, debunking romantic images with rough reality. In general, as they say, an amateur. And who do we usually represent in this role? A hunched-over man who never parted with a cigarette and made rude jokes? Or a girl, sweet, but if necessary, strict and cold-blooded? Today we will introduce you to just such a person - Anna Sviridova, the state medical forensic expert of the GKSE department in MINSK.

- Why did you decide to become a forensic medical expert?

- I liked the profession even at the institute, but I spread myself and worked for seven years as a pediatrician. Then, nevertheless, I realized that I was more interested not in pediatrics, not in medicine in the generally accepted sense, but in forensic medicine. At a fairly conscious age, she chose this profession, underwent retraining and became an expert.

It's very interesting, you know?

- What attracted this work?

- It's very interesting, you know? You examine the body, you find some kind of damage, you need to find out how it was formed, how many blows were inflicted for this. Then the investigator provides some additional materials, investigative experiments, raises questions: could this have happened under such and such circumstances? It is necessary to assess not only the damage, but also the circumstances of their receipt. The process is actually very exciting. For me anyway.

What does a forensic medical examiner do?

- A forensic medical expert is engaged in several types of examinations. For example, the examination of corpses to determine the cause of death: the presence of some bodily injuries, the mechanism of their formation, localization, and so on, the connection with death. Another examination of individuals, popularly called an examination. We examine people and in the same way determine whether they have bodily injuries, their type, quantity, localization, and answer the questions of the decision. In some cases, we do not conduct an examination of a person, but we do an examination only on his medical documents, on requests for medical help.

We also take part in COURT hearings when a judge calls us to explain, for example, our findings at the preliminary investigation stage. We participate in the inspection of the scene: if the investigator deems it necessary, we leave to inspect the corpse.

What is the difference between the work of a forensic scientist and a pathologist?

- The pathologist is engaged in the autopsy of those who died in hospitals from diseases. And a forensic medical expert conducts an examination of corpses in case of suspicion of a criminal variant of the onset of death - murder, suicide, and so on.

16-year-old boy who was given a stamp with spice by his friends

- Do you remember your first autopsy?

- As an intern, it was my first autopsy. It was a 16-year-old boy who was given a stamp with spice by his friends. I remember blond hair - such a tall, handsome boy. And it was very scary. It is difficult to conduct a purely psycho-emotional examination of children.

My curator opened it. For me it was like a butt on the HEAD that this is happening at all. I was far from any criminal situations when I came to work as an intern. And this boy... I still remember him. This 16-year-old boy who got poisoned by spice. He had persistent foam near his lips. There has been instantaneous pulmonary edema from this drug. He died immediately, literally within minutes. Houses.

- What is the hardest part of the job?

- I find it difficult to answer. It's not hard for me to work, I work with pleasure. In addition to practicing, there are also interns, I teach at the institute. It is doubly interesting to attract young professionals so that they are also interested in doing this work, so that the work brings pleasure.

Tea spoons, buttons in the digestive tract

How is the cause of death determined?

- First, macroscopically. I look at what I see at the autopsy, and I suspect one reason or another. If in doubt, the preparations that are taken during any examination, I send for a histological examination to confirm the diagnosis. If I am sure of my diagnosis, I send these preparations to the archive.

Plus, we definitely take a chemical study for ethyl ALCOHOL, alcohol in all corpses. If poisoning with some chemical substance is suspected, a wider and more expensive study is made for the presence of narcotic, psychotropic substances. We determine their presence not only in the blood, but also in all vital organs.

- What unusual things were found at autopsy in the human body?

- Tea spoons, buttons in the digestive tract. The man was mentally unhealthy - he ate all these items directly, swallowed them. They were not even in the stomach, but in the intestines. From this he died - from the fact that these objects lay and perforated the wall of the intestine, broke through, and peritonitis developed.

- What smells at work?

- At work? Work. In the sectional hall, it does not always smell pleasant, but such a specificity. We do not work daily in the dissection room. We conduct an examination of one or several corpses in one day, and then we describe it all. The main work is in the description of what I saw, in the design, when thinking about the conclusions. In the conclusion of the expert at the computer desk.

- Does it happen that a corpse can move after death?

- No, the corpse cannot move. But there is such a thing as decay, when microorganisms form gas. It can exit through the mouth and nose. Then it may seem to someone that the corpse moved its lips, for example.

Often the opinion of an expert is one of the most important pieces of evidence.

- The medical examiner can solve the case?

We can help solve the case. And often the opinion of the expert is one of the most important evidence in the course of the investigation.

- Why does an expert need an x-ray?

- We use it when carrying out some complex examinations. When conducting examinations of corpses with gunshot injuries or multiple fractures, this is generally an invaluable thing. When there was no x-ray, the bullet was simply looked for during the autopsy with hands and eyes. In case of gunshot injuries, the bullet may be located in places that are difficult to access for sectional research. For example, it can get stuck in the spine, and then it is problematic to carefully remove it and not modify the wound channel. There are "blind" wounds - this is when the bullet remains in the body. In such cases, we take a survey radiograph, find the exact location, and the expert examines it in detail, which allows us to find the bullet, remove it and hand it over to the investigating authorities for examination.

- What tools do experts use?

- When carrying out the examination of corpses, special sectional sets are used. There are many tools in this set, they are for different cases. Most often, special scissors, a rib knife, tweezers, a small sectional knife are used. A saw is also needed when examining a corpse.

- With what thoughts do you open corpses?

- It is necessary to tune in to conducting research in order to do the work quickly, efficiently and not to linger in the morgue for too long. Still, it's a pretty big deal.

"What happened to the car?" - "Let's open it - we'll see"

- Over time, at such a job, probably, everyone becomes cynical. What are the medical examiners joking about?

- "We'll open it - we'll see" or "an autopsy will show", we usually say this with or without reason. "What happened to the car?" - "Let's open it - we'll see."

- Do you manage to clearly separate work and home?

- Absolutely. To burn out, you have to do it. Work should remain work, and at home you need to be distracted. It seems to me that it's much easier not to bring all the information home in your head.

My husband, by the way, also works as a state medical forensic expert. We even sit in the same office. Everyone has their own expertise, but we often consult. When some complex or interesting examinations, corpses, sometimes we discuss at home. But not often. We sit, eat borscht and discuss.

Coming home, I love to do art. I do a lot of different things, I use a lot of different techniques. But, probably, my favorite pastime is Christmas decorations. I love the New Year very much and I make Christmas decorations from everything that is possible. Somewhere I draw, somewhere I do decoupage, gilding, modeling - I use a lot of techniques. I film the whole process, I make master classes so that anyone can repeat and do something the same or similar.

- Are you afraid of death?

- No, I am not afraid.

| Mikhail Matievsky.

Friends! We love to tell you stories about amazing Belarusians who save lives, take care of animals, delight with talents and unusual hobbies. We want as many people as possible to know about them. If you have such acquaintances, write to m.matievskii@gmail.com, and they will become the heroes of our stories.

REPRINTING OF THIS MATERIAL (IN WHOLE OR IN PART) OR OTHER USE OF THIS MATERIAL IS PROHIBITED

Read also: