Forensic medicine: A clinician’s view

Abstract

The terms forensic medicine and legal medicine have long been used interchangeably, yet each is a distinct though related discipline. This chapter examines how forensic medicine has evolved to predominantly serve the criminal and coronial jurisdictions, with legal medicine having its greatest impact in the civil jurisdiction. While inextricably involved in the legal process, the focus of each discipline remains firmly on the practice of medicine to the extent that each has progressed to deserving specialty recognition in its own right.