Aim and Content

Forensic medicine (medicina forensis or medicina legalis) is the subject on how medical and partly knowledge is used for forensic purposes.

Teaching in forensic psychiatry is given as part of the ordinary teaching in psychiatry and is not included in the teaching in forensic medicine. Lectures in blood type serology is given at the Bloodtype laboratory, Haukeland University Hospital. The part of forensic medicine which is taught as own subject is thus the national part plus forensic pathology and forensic toxicology.

In the national part problems and legislation which the medical doctor encounters when he comes into contact with the court comprise the national part. A series of laws and regulations which partly affects forensic medicine is mentioned in the teaching in hygiene and social medicine.

The examination is written and takes parts as soon as possible after the teaching period is ended.

Learning Outcomes

The purpose with the teaching in forensic medicine is that the student should know the rights and the duties a doctor has when he or she comes into contact with the court. In addition, the goal is to give the students an introduction into forensic pathology and forensic toxicology, enabling them to understand and solve practical forensic problems that any medical doctor can encounter during his or her work.

Course offered (semester)

Spring and Autumn

Teaching Methods

The teaching is given as lectures.

There are 17 hours for lectures, and our experience is that some hours of teaching are abolished because of cases at court etc. The teaching in forensic medicine for medical students is therefore quite intensive, and more hours for completing the teaching is considered as necessary. Originally it was 24 hours, but this has later been reduced.

Compulsory Requirements

No part of the teaching are defined as compulsory

Reading List

Textbooks:
Giertsen : Rettsmedisin
Rognum: Lærebok i rettsmedisin
Thomsen: Nordisk lærebog i retsmedicin
Stensilar utlevert på forelesningane