MEDICO LEGAL CENTRE (CEMEL) OF THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE OF RIBEIRÃO PRETO-USP: REPORT OF SEVEN YEARS OF HUMANITARY PRACTICE WITH UNIDENTIFIED HUMAN CORPSES

Abstract

The authors present a report of the seven years experience of the Medico Legal Centre (CEMEL) of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto of the University of São Paulo (FMRPUSP) in receiving and keeping non-identified copses and in the attention to the families that search for missing relatives. In CEMEL, victims of natural, suspicious or violent deaths are examined, whose can be carbonized, putrefied or skeletonized, situations in which identification is difficult and require full attention of professionals involved. CEMEL has as priority the rescue of human dignity in dealing with corpses and their families, because of the repetitive denounces of disrespectful treatment in many mortuaries in Brazil. From December 1999 to December 2006, 166 non-identified bodies were examined, being 112 of recent deaths, 45 skeletonized, 7 in advanced putrefaction and 2 carbonized. The interviews with those allegedly relatives was done in all cases to obtain the life history of the deceased, which allowed the identification of 25 people. Obtaining valid information for identification was proportionally more efficient to the longer time spent with the relatives, the availability in help, the interest in listening to their complaints and the care in keeping the corpses.