In this episode, Dr. Wolfe provides a brief history of autopsy performance and tells the story of his own first autopsy as a pathology intern. The autopsy is considered a gold standard for understanding and describing new diseases and therapies. The curiosity demonstrated by the medical scientist is innate within us all, spurring us to search for truth in the form of objective fact within the body itself. 

In this episode, Dr. Wolfe describes the process of dissecting a human cadaver in Gross Anatomy class, touching on historical elements and personal experience. This the the first part of a 2 part discussion on The Substance of Death: the varied conditions and states of the dead body. The Gross Anatomy cadaver is considered the first patient a medical student has, and in some cases is the first experience a trainee has with death. The listener will have a baseline with which to compare eventual discussion of autopsied bodies. 

In this episode, Dr. Darin Wolfe MD (forensic pathologist/medical examiner) reviews the final autopsy report of the autopsy of Mr. George Floyd of Minneapolis. The purpose and structure of autopsy reports will be discussed as well as the most relevant findings contained in the report of this controversial case. If you wish to follow along, the report is easily obtainable online (Google).