1.
forensic medicine; legal medicine
The branch of medicine that applies medical knowledge to legal questions, most commonly by examining deceased bodies to determine cause and time of death in criminal investigations. In Japan, 法医学 is taught in medical schools and practiced by specialists at universities and police-affiliated institutes.
法医学を学ぶ。
To study forensic medicine.
彼は大学で法医学の教授をしている。
He is a professor of forensic medicine at a university.
法医学の鑑定結果が事件の鍵を握っていた。
The results of the forensic examination held the key to the case.
日本の法医学者は慢性的な人手不足に悩まされている。
Forensic medical experts in Japan are plagued by a chronic shortage of personnel.
Formed from 法 (law) + 医学 (medicine). Refers specifically to the application of medical science to legal and criminal investigations.
USAGE:
- Mainly academic and professional — appears in university curricula, police/court documents, and news reports on criminal cases.
- Frequently features in Japanese mystery novels and crime dramas, where a 法医学者 or 法医 performs autopsies and helps solve cases.
- In Japan, criminal autopsies may be performed as 司法解剖 (judicial autopsy) or 行政解剖 (administrative autopsy), both within the scope of 法医学.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 法医学教室: forensic medicine department (at a university)
- 法医学者: forensic medical expert
- 法医学鑑定: forensic medical examination
- 法医学的証拠: forensic medical evidence
- 法医学の専門家: specialist in forensic medicine
RELATED TERMS:
- 解剖: autopsy, dissection — a common procedure within forensic medicine
- 司法解剖: judicial autopsy — court-ordered autopsy in a criminal investigation
- 監察医: medical examiner — physician who investigates suspicious deaths
- 鑑識: forensic investigation — police work including fingerprinting and evidence analysis
- 犯罪科学: forensic science / criminal science — broader scientific support for criminal investigations