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

In 2003, José Antonio Lorente, professor of forensic medicine at Granada University, and the historian Marcial Castro, exhumed what were believed to the remains of Columbus from Seville cathedral to take DNA samples.

From BBC • Oct. 11, 2024

The head of the forensic medicine department at Chulalongkorn University’s medical school said that there was cyanide in the blood of all six, according to the Associated Press.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2024

After last month’s quake, around 5,000 unidentified people were buried across the quake zone, said Mr. Hilal, the professor of forensic medicine.

From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2023

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