Die Leichenschau Apr 2026

It contributes to the official mortality statistics used for healthcare planning. 2. Who Performs the Examination?

The responsibility falls strictly on physicians, though the specific type of doctor often depends on where the death occurred:

Next of kin are responsible for notifying a doctor immediately. Often, this is the deceased's general practitioner (GP) or an emergency physician.

Doctors must distinguish between natural death (from internal illness) and non-natural/unclear death (accident, suicide, or crime).

The examination serves several vital functions beyond simply confirming a person has passed:

It ensures death is certain by identifying "sure signs of death" (e.g., Totenflecke or Totenstarre ).

Resident hospital physicians typically handle the procedure.