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The Department of Forensic Medicine
By Artemis Gouros
The NSW Department of Forensic Medicine (DOFM) at Glebe, commonly referred
to as the ‘City Morgue’, is located at 42-50 Parramatta Rd.
The entrance to the Mortuary Office is situated on Arundel Street, where
there is a waiting area for relatives and friends of the deceased and
also an area for the NSW Police Service officers to process their paperwork
in relation to cases. Having no knowledge, personal or otherwise of
the DOFM, I entered with a little trepidation. In order to assist those
with as a little understanding as I possessed, I will endeavour to take
you on a step by step tour of the process.
First, the body is admitted to the facility. In attendance are the
Police and Mortuary Office staff. Funeral director employees that deliver
the deceased depart after the police have confirmed the identity of
the body. The body is then transferred to a uniquely identified metal
trolley upon which it remains during its time at the DOFM, ensuring
that no mix-ups occur. The body is then weighed and measured with the
trolley wheeled onto a large scale set into the ground. Each morning
a case assessment meeting is held where the Duty Pathologist, Mortuary
Manager and the Coroner review all new cases. If it is decided that
a post mortem examination is required the case is then allocated by
the Duty Pathologist to one of the Specialist Forensic Pathologists
employed at DOFM.
The DOFM has the institutional air of all government facilities with
the addition of doctors and mortuary staff clad in operating theatre
garb. This added a slight television flavour that was quickly dispelled
by the refrigeration room. I had been expecting the same thing we are
familiar with from American TV – metal drawers lining the walls
of a dim, stainless steel space. Instead, the cool room is full of the
aforementioned trolleys and not as cold as expected. It was explained
to me that the temperature is supposed to preserve the bodies, freezing
them is impractical as they need to be both autopsied and viewed by
relatives. Each body is stored in a sealed bag designed specifically
for that purpose. It was slightly disconcerting to be wandering around
the morgue but only in a general sense. It is not an alarming place
and the staff are all efficient and nice people. Their job may not be
pleasant but it has to be done.
Once the body has been admitted and gone through all the procedures
outlined above, small tissue samples retained for further detailed microscopic
examination after the post mortem examination, are transferred to the
histology laboratory which is located one floor above the mortuary.
The DOFM is dedicated to determining the correct cause, manner and circumstances
surrounding a person’s death. An aspect of the job that is undeniably
difficult is meeting with the relatives, friends and/or associates of
the deceased. This can be done at any time and generally leads to ongoing
interviews and assistance.
Involved in this can be the viewing of the body, telephone discussions
relating to the case and home visits for grief counselling sessions.
The DOFM retains three grief counsellors who work to assist the grieving
parties and help them to understand the necessity of post mortems in
cases of unnatural death. The staff understands that families and friends
are usually anxious to be allowed to bury their loved one, especially
where religious practices are concerned. The Department of Forensic
Medicine at Glebe is a highly efficient institution that affords a scientific
method of facilitating justice, and is staffed by people who treat the
deceased and their families with respect and dignity.
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