Autopsy reports 1881-1977.

ArchivalResource

Boston State Hospital. Autopsy reports 1881-1977.

Autopsy reports 1881-1977.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/180704826

Boston State Hospital and its predecessors were responsible for providing residential care and treatment of mentally ill persons in the Boston metropolitan area from 1839 to 1981. Under the direction of a pathologist, the staff conducted autopsies of patients who died while at the hospital to determine cause of death and/or to research the causes of mental illness, creating these reports. Information in reports includes autopsy no.; inpatient registration no.; name; age; date and place of death; date of autopsy and by whom performed; cause of death; clinical diagnosis; and general description of body at time of death followed by detailed reports of the examination of body cavities and organs, including heart, lungs, and brain. Some reports contain sketches or photographs of organs examined or sections of organs removed. Autopsies conducted after 1940 appear to have more abbreviated information than earlier ones. Copies of autopsy reports may also be found in: Inpatient case files, 1856-1930 (M-Ar)256X)

17.5 cubic ft. (14 record center cartons)

Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Archives