Appendix I: Glossary
Accident:
The manner of death ascribed when the death is the direct result of injuries sustained as the result of any type of accident, vehicular or otherwise, and there are no signs that the accident itself was deliberately caused by another (homicide) or the result of self-inflicted injury (suicide).
Airborne:
A term used to identify matter, especially bacteria and viruses, that travel and typically, are transmitted through the air, or are released when solid substances, such as bone or tissue, are aerosolized.
Analgesics:
A classification of drugs used to relieve or allay pain
Antipyretics:
A classification of drugs used to control or prevent fever
Assay:
A test to determine characteristics, or an analysis to determine the presence of one or more substances.
Autopsy:
See Necropsy and Necropsy Report
Bloodborne:
A term used to identify matter, especially bacteria and viruses, carried via, and typically transmitted parenterally (through blood and other body fluids).
Board Certified:
A medical doctor, duly licensed and having passed a specialized battery of tests which certify that the doctor is proficient in that specialty. In the case of Forensic Pathology, the doctor must also become board certified in anatomic pathology prior to becoming eligible to sit for the certifying test for forensic pathology.
Board Eligible:
A medical doctor, duly licensed and having completed the appropriate training and fellowships to be qualified to sit for a specialized test in a specific discipline of medicine to prove proficiency.
Calibrator:
A constant comparison used to determine, correct or measure the results of an activity.
Cause of Death:
The determination of the specific conditions that brought about the death of an individual.
Chain of Custody:
A written record accounting for the disposition of evidence which shows (a) which individuals had possession of a particular piece of evidence at any given time; (b) how long such individuals had possession; and (c) at what point and to whom possession of the evidence was subsequently transferred.
Control:
A regulating mechanism used to gauge the degree to which the level, or concentration of substances detected in an organic solution, in this case toxic substance, vary from an expected or accepted level.
Coroner:
A public official whose chief duty is to investigate causes of death that are possibly not due to natural causes. In the State of California, a coroner is not required to hold any medical or scientific degrees or licenses.
Death Scene:
The physical area and location where a death has occurred or where a body is discovered.
Drugs of Abuse:
Chemical substances that are commonly misused and or illegally obtained and used for something other than their intended purpose. These substances can be illegal street drugs/narcotics such as cocaine, or prescription drugs/narcotics such as codeine.
DUI:
Driving Under the Influence of alcohol or other controlled substances.
Forensic:
Belonging to, used in or suitable for a court of law.
Forensic
Examination :
The analysis of the remains of the deceased to determine the cause of death and nature of death. This examination is generally conducted as an autopsy and/or an external examination.
Forensic
Pathologist:
A medical doctor specializing in the study of the essential nature, structure, function and characteristics of disease, and who operates in a medico-legal setting.
Gas
Chromatography:
The use of gas, as a carrier, to accomplish the separation of complex solutions into chemically distinct layers, for the purpose of identifying each substance found in the solution.
Histology:
The branch of biology dealing with the study of tissues; the structure, especially the microscopic structure of organic tissue.
Homicide:
The manner of death ascribed when the death is the result of an injury that was inflicted by another person (death at the hands of another).
Manner of Death:
The mode in which an individual met their death. The four modes are: natural causes; accident; suicide; and at the hands of another, or homicide.
Medical Examiner:
A public official who makes postmortem examinations of bodies to find the cause of death. In the State of California, a medical examiner must be a duly authorized and licensed physician and surgeon with a specialty in pathology.
Medical
Examiner"s
Inquest:
A formal proceeding, conducted as a result of a death, wherein the coroner, medical examiner, or another duly authorized person conducts an inquiry regarding the cause, manner and circumstances surrounding the death of an individual. Such proceedings are usually conducted when it is not clear how the death occurred, or if there is conflicting information regarding the circumstances or manner of death. Under California law, a coroner"s inquest is a court proceeding, but it is not a court of law.
Metabolism:
The sum of the process in the building up and breaking down of substances, or the processes by which a substance is handled in the body.
Metabolite:
A substance essential to the metabolism of a particular organism or a product of metabolism.
Microorganism:
A living being, such as a bacterium, too small to be seen by the unaided eye.
Natural:
The manner of death ascribed to a case when there are no signs or evidence of accident, suicide or homicide. This is the manner of death ascribed even if the death is caused by the complications of a disease such as pneumonia, or AIDS, or conditions such as stroke or heart attack, resulting from cardiovascular disease.
Necropsy:
A complete external and internal forensic examination of a body, that details the physical conditions found with regard to internal and external injuries, organ deterioration, disease, wounds, paths of injuries, etc.
Necropsy
Report:
Dictation prepared by the pathologist detailing the conditions encountered during the necropsy
Parenteral:
A substance, generally a bacterium or virus, that enters the body by means other than through the digestive canal, such as the result of a needle stick or through sexual transmission.
Pathogen:
A specific cause, such as a bacterium or virus, of disease.
Pathology:
The study of the essential nature of disease; the abnormality of structural and functional characteristics of a disease.
Penal Code 11550:
State statute which provides a protocol for the testing of an individual"s bodily fluids to determine the existence and level of controlled substances (other than alcohol) in the body.
Serology:
A science dealing with serums, such as blood and body fluids, and especially their reactions and properties.
Standard:
A criterion set up as the rule or benchmark for measuring results or the model to be followed in conducting an activity.
Suicide:
The manner of death ascribed when the death is the direct result of a self-inflicted injury.
Toxicology:
A science that deals with poisons, and especially with problems of their use and control.
Toxicology Screen:
A pre-determined set of tests, conducted as a group, on biological samples, to detect the presence of a specific chemical or drug and/or its metabolites, or to detect the presence of substances belonging to a specific family of drugs.
Universal
Precautions:
A set of behaviors and practices, originally adopted to protect surgical patients in hospitals, that are used to reduce, and often prevent the spread of disease. More recently, Universal Precautions have been developed as a set of behaviors and practices that are designed to reduce the risks, faced by medical and health workers, of spreading and contracting HIV.