Kgothatso Legong, fourth year student at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, offers advice to fellow students following his first experiences of working in the mortuary. 

The trauma to the patient who was no longer consistent with life was too great not to extent its chilling effect on warm students. I was not ready to witness what I say when we went to Forensic Pathology Services Mortuary as part of our clinical component of Forensics.

Here are the four shocking things I witnessed:

1. The pungent smell

Salutations that we were about to enter the mortuary were in a form of a very unwelcoming smell. Even though we had worn our personal protective equipment (PPE), that PPE stood no chance against what was unwelcoming us. The smell is majestically thick that it demolishes even the strongest of colognes and stains the clothes you are wearing with itself. I would advice to have extra clothing to change into immediately after the ordeal. Also, carry with yourself chewing gum of mint flavour or something equivalent. Wearing a normal mask underneath N95 mask also has some effect on what you are breathing in.

2. The big, sharp knives

I was shocked at how the pathologist used very sharp instruments to dissect the fresh bodies. They made it seamless. It is understandable, they have been doing that for a very long time then. But it was a very unusual experience to some of us who were not comfortable with observing such procedures being done in our presence. The pathologists carried out their duties whiles teaching us about what they look for. Things like the type of weapon which could have caused the injury, types of scars, and how long could the person have died were calmly taught to us with passion.

3. The chilling effect

The fridges at the mortuary were super cold that their chilling effect can be felt from just standing 100 meters away from them. The whole building was in fact cold. If you are not used to cold temperatures, I would plead with you to layer as much as you can before going to observe an autopsy.

4. The actual autopsy

Now the actual autopsy was like something out of the horror movie – for lack of better terms. It was very upsetting to one of my classmates and it got to a point that some of them even ended up seeking psychological advice. It is not everyday that we get to observe an autopsy, and so if you find yourself in a very compromising position during the procedure, it is okay to excuse yourself to regain normal functioning. Autopsies can open old scars and remind people of traumas they never thought existed. In such instances, I would further advice to seek professional counselling. Please also let your lecturers if you happen to experiences difficulties along the way, either before, during, or after the procedure has been done.

Overall experience of forensic clinical component was interesting. I got to learn about different mechanisms of injury and mechanisms of death. Furthermore, legalities and laws surrounding deaths were discussed. Medicolegal teachings were emphasised, and we got to appreciate the gift of life for what it truly is.