The Historical Evolution of the Legal Regulation of the Examination of a Corpse at the Scene

Introduction. The analysis of the historical development of legal regulation and the methodological approach to examining a corpse at the scene by a forensic medical expert in various historical periods of Russia is carried out. The first official documented examination by a doctor dates back to the second half of the 16^th century. Subsequently, both persons without special education and doctors were involved in examinations. In tsarist Russia, it was mandatory to examine the bodies of those who died from violent causes and infectious diseases in order to prevent their spread. Since the 18^th century, doctors have participated in corpse examinations at crime scenes. In the 19^th century, a scientific foundation for this work was established, as set forth by I.V. Buyalsky. After the 1917 Revolution, Russia established its forensic medical service, and early Soviet experts gained partial investigative authority. Based on the results of the historical analysis, measures have been proposed to improve the examination of the corpse by a forensic medical expert at the scene.

The purpose of the work is to analyze the historical development of the legal regulation of the examination of a corpse at the scene.

Materials and methods. Analysis of legislation, historical documents, comparative analysis of cadaver examination practices in Russia and systematization of scientific publications published in the databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science for 2015–2024 (there are less than 5 % of sources for 2008–2014).

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