The Covid-19 pandemic is also a considerable risk for forensic workers, among other healthcare providers. The risk of contamination is serious in post-mortem procedures. SARS-CoV2 is a microorganism classified as Hazard Group 3. However, the lack of adequate scientific work on Covid-19 should prompt us to be even more cautious when handling potentially infected persons or materials. Before starting the post-mortem investigation a risk assessment should be carried out and the suitability of facilities, personnel and equipment should be evaluated. An autopsy room conforming to BSL 3 standards would be ideal but is not mandatory. For suspicious or approved cases however a number of procedural changes must be made concerning the body's removal, storage and inspection procedures. Facilities, equipment and training issues need to be revised against existing and potential risks of infection. In addition to proper ventilation and insulation, personal protective equipment, aerosol reduction measures and disinfection applications are required. As of yet it is still unclear how long this public health issue, which has grown to become a pandemic, will last. This article highlights preventive measures to be taken into consideration in post-mortem processes when a Covid-19 infection is suspected or confirmed. It should be noted that there is no standard guide yet in this regard. A guide should be created according to international standards and revised according to changing conditions.

Objective: In this study, tree-falling death cases in the city of Kahramanmaraş are discussed with medicolegal aspects.Methods: 21 tree-falling death cases in the city of Kahramanmaraş were analyzed retrospectively in the study between January 1 2008-December 31 2014. Results:Of all the 21 cases were male and their average age was 59.5 years. All but one case occurred in rural areas. 20% of cases died during hospitalization. Cases of fall were most common from walnut tree (28.5%), followed by fig tree (23.8%) and grapevine (19%). Cases were observed most common in autumn and summer. Extremity injuries were presented 90.5% of cases. The distribution of bone fractures was found most commonly in skull, followed by vertebras, ribs. Cause of death was blunt force head trauma in 47.6% and thorax trauma in 23.8%. Conclusion:Even rare, free-falling case has high mortality and morbidity level. To prevent such injuries, there must be education and informing about public health especially for the rural population.Key words: Tree-falling, death, forensic medicine, autopsy ÖZET Amaç: Bu çalışmada Kahramanmaraş ilinde meydana gelen ağaçtan düşmeye bağlı ölüm olgularının özellikleri-nin ortaya konması ve medikolegal yönleri ile tartışılması amaçlanmıştır. Yöntemler:Kahramanmaraş ilinde 01.01.2008-31.12.2014 tarihleri arasında ağaçtan düşmeye bağlı ölen 21 olgu retrospektif olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular:Ağaçtan düşmeye bağlı ölüm meydana gelen 21 olgunun tamamı erkekti. Olguların yaş ortalaması 59,5 yıl olarak tespit edildi. Yaralanmaların biri hariç tamamı kırsal alanda meydana gelmişti. Olguların 20'sinde ölüm hastanede tedavi görürken gerçekleşmişti. Olguların en sık ceviz (%28,5) ağacından düşerek öldüğü, bunu incir (%23,8) ve üzüm asmasından (%19) düşmelerin izlediği görüldü. Ağaçtan düşmelerin en sık sonbahar ve yaz aylarında görüldüğü tespit edildi. Yaralanma bölgelerine bakıldığında olguların %90,5'inde ekstremite bölgelerinde yaralanmanın gerçekleştiği görüldü. Olgularda meydana gelen kemik kırıkları incelendiğinde, en sık kafatası kemiklerinde, sonra sırasıyla vertebra ve kaburga kemiklerinde kırıkların oluştuğu tespit edildi. Ölüm nedenleri incelendiğinde olguların %47,6'sında künt kafa travması sonucu beyin yaralanması, %23,8'inde künt göğüs travması sonucu iç organ yaralanması nedeniyle ölümün meydana geldiği tespit edildi.Sonuç: Ağaçtan düşmeye bağlı ölümler seyrek görülmek-le birlikte morbitide ve mortalitesi yüksek yaralanmalardır. Bu yaralanma türlerinde mortalite ve morbitideyi azaltmak amacıyla özellikle kırsal alanda yaşayanlara yönelik koruyucu halk sağlığı tedbirlerinin alınması, kaza önleme ça-lışmalarının ve eğitimlerinin yapılması önem taşımaktadır.Anahtar kelimeler: Ağaçtan düşme, ölüm, adli tıp, otopsi.

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The autopsy maintains its significance both forensically and medically despite enormous developments in antemortem and postmortem diagnostic methods. The present study probes the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of religious officials in our city toward autopsy and make an evaluation of how religion and culture affect those factors. The study consists of 219 Imams (male) and 69 Quran instructors (female) who serve in urban and rural regions of Kahramanmaras and approved informed consent forms. Two hundred thirty (79%) of the participants stated that the autopsy was an appropriate process according to Islam; 1 (0.3%) stated that it was inappropriate, whereas 57 (19.8%) were observed to have no idea regarding its appropriateness. The mean knowledge score that participants had about autopsy was determined to be 7.45 ± 1.73 (min = 1, max = 10). On the other hand, 240 participants (83.3%) stated that it was important for the religious officials to inform the society about the autopsy. The negative attitude toward autopsy stems from the lack of knowledge and traditions. The religious officials could help the doctors to change the negative attitude stemming from tradition toward the autopsy.

Most of the mortuaries did not meet most of the NAME criteria. The mortuaries, especially those in places other than big cities, had some deficiencies and mishandlings. Autopsy facilities and accessory laboratories should be enabled to meet NAME accreditation standards.