What does the term 'postmortem' refer to in a medical context?

The term 'postmortem' is used in a medical context to refer specifically to events, examinations, or analyses that occur after death. This includes procedures such as autopsies, which are conducted to determine the cause of death or to investigate any diseases or injuries the deceased may have had. The prefix "post-" means after, while "mortem" comes from Latin meaning death, thereby combining to focus on the period following the individual's death. This understanding is crucial in fields such as forensic medicine, pathology, and public health, where determining factors surrounding death can be essential for various purposes, including legal and medical insights.