Forces are at work which may be changing the way the general public thinks about the autopsy. The past few decades have seen a consistent, almost depressing drop in autopsy rates across the world. Once considered the foundation of medical science, the autopsy has fallen into relative disfavor. As the authors of this book discuss, the overall autopsy rate in England has dropped to approximately 25%, with 22% representing coroner mandated cases and only 3% attributable to hospital/academic cases. The situation in the United States is similar, with an estimated overall autopsy rate of just under 10%, half of those attributable to hospital/academic cases. But this may be changing
