Postmortems Are for the Living, Not the Dead

by Paul Neuhardt

Medical examiners don't do autopsies for the benefit of the deceased. Those procedures are for the benefit of the living, either for piece of mind in knowing what killed a friend or relative or for public safety in being able to identify a communicable disease or bring a killer to justice. By focusing on the living rather than the dead, postmortem examinations attempt to advance the standard of living for those left behind. Project postmortems should be (but often are not) conducted with the same goal in mind: assist and improve the projects that come after.