The Medicolegal Death Investigator (MDI) should have a strong knowledge of body planes and anatomical positions. These concepts help the MDI describe the position the body was in when found. In addition, having a basic knowledge of anatomy and physiology will help the death investigator determine how the injury or disease played into the cause of death.
Anatomical Position Defined
Anatomical position, is defined when the body is positioned upright (standing) and forward (facing) toward the observer. The arms are down by the sides and slightly outward from the body. The palms of the hands are visible with the pinky fingers closest the body. When documenting the position of the deceased the investigator should always reference direction based on the decedent’s left and right and not the investigators.
When describing the division of body planes medical personnel use the following definitions. Coronal, describes the plane that divides the anterior (front) or ventral halve, from the posterior (back) or dorsal halve. Mid-sagittal describes dividing the body into right and left portions. Transverse divides the body into top (superior) and bottom (inferior) halves.
Superior, Inferior, Anterior, Posterior, Supine, Prone and Various Body Positions
Basic body position refers to the following terminology. Superior, references the top of the head, often called cephalad. While, inferior relates to the surface of the feet, and is termed caudal. Anterior refers to the front surface of the body, or ventral. Posterior refers to the back surface of the body, or dorsal. Lateral refers to the surface of the body that faces away from the midline or middle of the body. Medial refers to the surface of the body that faces toward the midline or middle of the body.
Other body definitions include, supine, which describes the body lying on the back or posterior surface and facing skyward. Prone describes the body lying on the front or anterior surface, and downward. Proximal means occurring close to the center origin of the body, while distal refers to occurring farther away. Superficial means the area closer to the skins surface and deep means farther away from the skins surface. Refer to the included picture for a visual idea of these divisions.
Proper terminology is important in documenting how a body relates to its surrounding environment. The documentation provided by the death scene investigator can help tell the story of what happened prior to the event and help others understand how the deceased died.
Erika Lyn Smith - Erika Lyn Smith - is a Psych RN, who has completed the UMSL Medicolegal Death Investigator Training Course, and is finishing a BS in ...
