Clinical Forensic Medicine

Abstract

To Editor. —We read with interest Dr Uva's 1 Resident Forum article concerning clinical forensic medicine. While reinforcing her comments concerning need for proper assessment of survivors of violence, we feel it is necessary to emphasize that clinical forensic medicine should not be solely defined, as in her article, as the application of forensic medical techniques to survivors of violence. Clinical forensic medicine may relate to any area in which medicine, law enforcement, and judiciary come into contact. The Association of Police Surgeons in United Kingdom, originally established in 1951, is largest body undertaking such work, representing approximately 1000 clinicians, and clinical forensic medicine has its own section within Royal Society of Medicine. Within United Kingdom there are an increasing number of specialist forensic physicians devoting all or a substantial part of their clinical workload to forensic medicine. They are self-employed, independent,