Autopsy: organ examination

[Dr. Fowler]: Our entire autopsy examination is focused on documenting both the very obvious and the very minute changes that are present in any organ that are not normal so there is a very careful dissection of, for instance the heart where the valves in the heart are examined, the muscle in the heart is examined, we're looking for abnormal blood clots, we're looking for abnormal shape and size. This is true of just about every single organ. We will weigh the organs and see whether or not the weights of the organs are within the normal limits for that age and size person. We will look at the shapes, we look at the configurations, we look at the colors, etc. and all of those will give you a significant ideas as to whether that organ is normal or abnormal.