forensic medicine

American  

noun

1. the application of medical knowledge to questions of civil and criminal law, especially in court proceedings.

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forensic medicine British  

noun

1. Also called: medical jurisprudence.   legal medicine.  the applied use of medical knowledge or practice, esp pathology, to the purposes of the law, as in determining the cause of death

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forensic medicine Scientific  

/ fə-rĕn′sĭk /

1. The branch of medicine that interprets or establishes the medical facts in civil or criminal law cases.

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Etymology

Origin of forensic medicine

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

In the year since the army recaptured Khartoum, authorities have exhumed and reburied "around 28,000 people", Hisham Zein al-Abdeen, head of forensic medicine at Sudan's health ministry, told AFP.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

Ahmet Hilal, a professor of forensic medicine at Cukurova University in Adana, said his research in the afflicted area found that there were currently about 1,470.

From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2023

"California has the most backward system in death investigation, is the most backward in forensic science and in forensic medicine," Omalu testified before the state Senate Governance and Finance Committee in 2018.

From Salon • Dec. 22, 2022

In Latin America, senior experts such as Dr. Fernando Octavio Flores Reyes, president of the forensic medicine association in Mexico, understand the pitfalls.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2022

I will telegraph to London—to Sir Howard Fellowes—also, I think to the State authorities on forensic medicine.

From The Grey Room by Phillpotts, Eden