A Review of Postmortem Investigation of Joseon Dynasty in the Aspect of Recent Forensic Medicine

조선시대 검시의 과학성

In the era of Joseon Dynasty there was a national system of postmortem investigation with literatures of postmortem inspection. The author reviewed the postmortem findings in the literature(Shinjumoowonrok) to compare with recent knowledges of forensic medicine. Characteristics of old system of postmortem investigation was three instance investigation system and was carried out only with a postmortem inspection without autopsy. The postmortem findings described in the old literature were about various kinds of death, such as cases of suicide and homicide and natural and unnatural death. Most of postmortem findings in the Shinjumoowonrok were accurate and reasonable in the aspect of recent knowledges of forensic medicine.