In Forensic medicine is a branch of medicine applied for the purposes of justice. To achieve these purposes in practice forensic medicine includes and systematises the knowledge comprised in various theoretical and clinical branches of medicine.

Therefore, forensic medicine is a very complex science, which has different branches, e.g. serology, toxicology, traumatology, genetics, etc.

The forensic expert is a natural scientist with legal, criminological and medical knowledge, analysing facts in dynamic relation. The aim of the lecture notes is to insert forensic medicine in the students’ medical studies. The medical practitioner should know the legal regulations of medical practice and the special forensic aspects of his/her practice. Forensic medicine educates for a synthesized way of thinking, as it trains for integrated medical thinking. The physician can prepare for his/her practice more consciously if he/she knows the ethical and legal regulations of the practice in addition to the medical rules. All this knowledge is required for full medical practice. In the past decades forensic medical knowledge has impressively extended, as a result of the rapid development in medicine and research.

The history of forensic medicine in Europe has deep roots throughout the past centuries, with an important and significant role played by the Central-European countries - including Hungary.

The Department of Forensic Medicine of the Semmelweis Medical University has a more than 200 year tradition in the practice and education of forensic medicine.

The historical traditions and new trends and progress are integrated in this forensic school.

The lecture notes are published to assist the students’ studies, and we hope that they will help to get to know the basis of forensic medicine as a supplement to lectures and practical courses.

The aim of the authors has been to prepare lecture notes which would be sufficiently complete to use as a satisfactory source of reference but brief enough to serve the student as an introduction to forensic medicine.

We are grateful for the extensive technical assistance to György Dunai. The authors wish to express their gratitude to all those who have given valuable assistance in preparing the “Lecture notes of Forensic Medicine”. They also wish to thank the Semmelweis Publishers for the aid and encouragement given in the preparation of the volume.

Péter Sótonyi