Autopsy:
An autopsy, also known as a post-mortem examination, is a medical procedure performed after an individual has died to determine the cause of death and to gather additional information about the person's health and medical history.
There are two main types of autopsies:
1. Forensic Autopsy: This type of autopsy is typically conducted when the cause of death is uncertain, suspicious, or related to a criminal investigation. It aims to determine whether the death resulted from natural causes, accident, suicide, or homicide.
2. Clinical Autopsy: Also known as a medical autopsy, this is performed to gain insights into a person's medical condition and the effectiveness of medical treatments. It helps identify diseases, abnormalities, or conditions that may not have been apparent during the person's lifetime.
Key Points about Autopsy:
* Autopsies are performed by pathologists, who are medical doctors with specialized training in diagnosing diseases and conditions through the examination of tissues and organs.
* The entire body is examined during an autopsy, including the external and internal organs.
* Autopsies are typically conducted in a mortuary or hospital setting.
* They can be conducted with or without the consent of the deceased person's family, depending on local laws and regulations.
* Autopsies are invasive procedures, and they involve the removal and examination of various tissues and organs.
* The findings from an autopsy can provide crucial information for medical research, legal investigations, and family closure.

Biopsy:
A biopsy is a medical procedure performed on a living person to obtain a sample of tissue or cells from a specific area of the body for examination under a microscope. Biopsies are primarily used to diagnose diseases, identify the nature of tumors or lesions, and assess the progression of various medical conditions.
Key Points about Biopsy:
* Biopsies are typically performed by surgeons, radiologists, or other healthcare professionals.
* Biopsies are minimally invasive procedures that involve removing a small piece of tissue or a sample of cells, which can be done through various methods, including needle biopsy, endoscopy, and surgical biopsy.
* The collected tissue or cell sample is then examined by a pathologist to determine whether it is cancerous, infectious, or indicative of another medical condition.
* Biopsies are essential for diagnosing conditions like cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infections.
* They are usually conducted for diagnostic purposes, and the patient is alive during the procedure.

Postmortem Examination:
A postmortem examination is a broader term that encompasses autopsies but can also refer to any examination performed on a deceased body. In this context, the term "postmortem" is often used in a legal or general medical sense to describe the examination of a deceased person's body.
Key Points about Postmortem Examination:
* Postmortem examinations include autopsies, but they can also refer to non-invasive procedures such as visual inspection, X-rays, and other diagnostic tests performed on a deceased body.
* Postmortem examinations may be conducted to confirm the cause of death, gather evidence for legal purposes, or study the effects of diseases on deceased individuals.
* The term "postmortem" is often used interchangeably with "autopsy" in colloquial language.
* These examinations are typically performed by forensic pathologists or medical examiners, depending on the purpose of the examination.

In summary, autopsies are a specific type of postmortem examination, conducted to determine the cause of death or gather medical information about a deceased person. Biopsies, on the other hand, are procedures performed on living individuals to diagnose diseases and conditions by examining tissue samples. Postmortem examinations can refer to a broader range of procedures performed on deceased bodies, including autopsies and non-invasive examinations.