Summit for Young Leaders in China 2016

Seminar Program:
Pre-conference Readings

Forensic Pathology: How to

solve real-life medical
mysteries

Akshay Swaminathan

BC
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 Forensic Pathology: How to solve real-life medical
mysteries
Introduction
Dear HSYLC Participant,

Welcome to Forensic Pathology! In this seminar you will learn to

use your knowledge of human anatomy, physiology, and
pathology to solve real-life medical mysteries. Forensic pathology
is a branch of medicine commonly practiced by medical
examiners, who use pathological evidence to answer questions
surrounding death. You may be familiar with TV shows like CSI,
NCIS, or Body of Proof that rely heavily on forensic
investigation. Last year, I did a year-long internship at the Bergen
County Medical Examiners Office, where I assisted in
performing over 40 autopsies and saw over 200 cases and case
reports. In this seminar, I will be showing you over 30 of the
most interesting cases that I saw through real photos of real
people with real stories. If you are interested in entering the medical field, there is no better way
to learn about anatomy, physiology, and disease than by studying the human body through real-
world examples.

A little bit about myself: I am a rising sophomore at Harvard College studying Biology and
Statistics. I am hoping to pursue a career in medicine where I can contribute to addressing global
healthcare inequalities. Aside from my academic and professional pursuits, I am very passionate
about learning foreign languages. If you want to speak with me in Chinese, English, or any other
language you are interested in, let me know! I also really enjoy playing sports. Although my main
sport is taekwondo, I love playing basketball, table tennis, tennis, Frisbee, and pretty much every
other sport there is.

My seminar will teach you about human biology, anatomy, and physiology in a way that you
would not normally experience in a traditional classroom setting. By incorporating over 30 real-
life cases that I studied during my internship, I will train you to apply your knowledge and critical
thinking skills to solve the same mysteries that forensic pathologists solve every day. For those of
you interested in medicine and biology, I hope to pique your interest in the human body. And
for those of you who just want to hear some mind-blowing stories, see some cool photos, and
solve some exciting mysteries, I assure you that you will leave this seminar satisfied .

I look forward to meeting all of you!

Sincerely,

Akshay Swaminathan ()
 Seminar Description
Seminar Leader: Akshay Swaminathan
Concentration/Class: Molecular Biology, Statistics Class of 2019
Title of Seminar: Forensic Pathology: How to solve real-life medical mysteries

Interested in medicine? Anatomy and physiology? Disease? Solving criminal cases? Forensic
pathology is a branch of medicine that uses pathological evidence to answer questions
surrounding death and disease. In this seminar, we will study real-life cases that I have personally
witnessed in order to learn about human anatomy and pathophysiology. We will study several
different types of cases: natural deaths, accidental deaths, drug overdoses, murders, and suicides.
This seminar will train you to use your knowledge of the human body to think critically about
medical mysteries. If you want to learn more about human biology and disease through real life
examples, take my seminar!!

NOTE: Please do not be intimidated by the technical vocabulary of forensic pathology. I will be
doing my best to make sure that you learn the medical terminology in a manageable way.
Remember, not even all native English-speakers are familiar with advanced medical terms!

PLEASE BE AWARE: We will be looking at graphic photos of human anatomy. We will also be
discussing sensitive topics such as death, homicide, and suicide. If you believe that the content of
this seminar will make you feel uncomfortable, please feel free to reach out to me at any time, or
make your seminar selection accordingly.

Syllabus
Day 1, Lesson 1 (1.5 hours)
[Introduction to Forensic Pathology & Natural Deaths]

I. Introduction to Forensic Pathology

a. Vocabulary review
b. What is forensic pathology?
c. Who is a medical examiner?
d. What happens during an autopsy?
e. What are the different types of death?
II. Natural Deaths
a. Overview of cardiovascular system
b. Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
c. Case 1: Quintuple bypass
d. Case 2: MI on the toilet
e. Case 3: Pontine hemorrhage
f. Case 4: Totally unexpected
g. Case 5: Be thorough
h. Case 6: Miscarriage
i. Case 7: Counting ribs
j. Case 8: Bleeding in the bathtub
 k. Case 9: Alcoholism
l. Case 10: Baby
m. Case 11: Cult sacrifice
III. Problem Solving
a. Case 12: Histology challenge
b. Case 13: What could it be?
c. Case 14: Come at me bro
d. Case 15: Clots

Day 2, Lesson 2 (1.5 hours)

[Homicide & Suicide]

I. Homicide
a. Introductory discussion
b. Case 16: Shots
c. Case 17: Atrophy
d. Case 18: Homicide-Suicide
e. Concluding discussion
II. Suicide
a. Introductory discussion
b. Case 19: Young boy
c. Case 20: Tenth times the charm?
d. Case 21: Spanish
e. Case 22: Train
f. Concluding discussion

Day 3, Lesson 3 (1.5 hours)

[Accidental Deaths]

I. Accidental Deaths
a. Introductory discussion
b. Case 23: Struck pedestrian
c. Case 24: Climb with a friend
d. Case 25: $10
e. Case 26: Crack pipes
f. Case 27: OD pregnant
g. Case 28: Decomposing
h. Case 29: Struck again
II. Problem Solving
a. Case 30: Aortic dissection
b. Case 31: Burned
 Readings
Reading 1: [Posts from my blog]
Please read the first few posts from the blog I wrote during my internship. It will help you get a
feel for the type of work that forensic pathologists do as well as the type of things we will be
discussing.

Reading 2: [Color Atlas of Human Anatomy]

Ive included several pictures from a human anatomy book. All the photos are real pictures of
human cadavers! You do not have to read/memorize everything, but take a look at how all the
main organs look in real life. Again, you dont have to memorize anything, but I just want you to
have a general idea of what the body systems look like in real life.

Reading 3: [The Handy Anatomy Answer Book]

I have included some pages from this book to ensure a basic foundation in the different body
systems. Focus on the body systems that you are least familiar with. You do not have to
read/memorize everything, but you should understand the general concepts behind the body
systems. Feel free to look up any concepts that are unfamiliar to you. Please look up any
terminology that may be unfamiliar to you. We will be having several vocabulary reviews during
the seminar as well do not worry!