Alphabetic diagram
Of the gross exam
Medical examiners are detectives, who forensically
sift through a body of evidence
It's rarely simple, as you can seethe organs are on
the inside
We open up the corpse to find the clues that point to
an explanation that might make sense
Let's crack the cadaver open for a little peek and
document what we find
With scalpel in hand
I hatch the plan
Whether man, woman, child-the procedure is always the
same
Beginning the medicolegal autopsy isn't very hard
The thoracoabdominal incision is the name of this
turgidly morbid game
And the letter "Y" is the shape that we must carve
All ME's worth their salt keep a blade of their own
And have their scalpel professionally sharpened,
polished, and honed
Because of its ability to cut through skin, meat,
gristle, and bone
We keep track of it from the opening of the corpse to
when it is sewn
I must confess
This will make a mess
The stiff is ripe and putrefied
I scalpel the mephitic skin
And trace the letter "Y"
So the autopsy begins
In order to field dress this cadaver we cut from the
bottom of the neck to above the crotch
Some pathologists prefer to first puncture the bloated
corpse to release built-up methane gas
Simply grasp the scalpel and apply downward pressure
at the jugular notch
You'll find the skin will slice like butter, revealing
subcutaneous tissue and ballooning yellow fat
No time to flinch
Only amateurs cringe
Draw the blade down over the body of the sternum and
breastplate
Past the manubrium and xiphoid process and
costoxiphoid ligament group
Split the rectus abdominal muscle without a measure of
haste
Then stop and wipe your brow and take a moment to
recoup
Peel back the flayed skin and shear it from the muscle
sides
Taking the retractors, spread the carcass wide
Costal cartilage snaps from each of the ribs so we may
look inside
The inner organs sit on display-glistening-with
nothing to hide
You've earned your degree
In the art of necropsy
The stiff is ripe and putrefied
I scalpel the mephitic skin
And trace the letter "Y"
So the autopsy begins