Medical and scientific autopsies are essential to progress in medicine

Medico-scientific autopsies, also called necropsies or post-mortem examinations, are disappearing in France (that goes for adults as well as children). Their regulation is different from those of medico-legal or forensic or coroner's autopsy, performed in sudden, suspicious or violent death, or of anatomical or academic - autopsies for teaching purpose. Medico-scientific autopsies are still, however a quite useful examination for public health and epidemiology (as is fcetopathology, a far more frequent procedure): they reveal a number of diagnostic errors, sometimes major ones, even after the most modern methods of investigations; they are mandatory for the diagnosis of some diseases and for research. Academie nationale de medecine recalls the regulations of medico-scientific autopsies which ensure ethical procedures. Reasons for the decrease of autopsy are analyzed: some obsolete regulations, social taboos, misinterpreted "religious reasons", belief of patient family and medical staff in the infallibility of modern diagnosis technics contrasting, in our multicultural society, with questioning of medical power. Costs of autopsy and modern technics which have to be associated with, and those needed to bring up to standard autopsy rooms are also important. Finally, a set of courses in autopsy is urgently needed during the medical studies. Six recommendations are made to improve the situation.