Knife After Death

The Unbelted Motor Vehicle Accident

In Episode 9 of Season 2, Dr. Wolfe explains the most common of the many injuries that can occur when a person is involved in a motor vehicle crash while not wearing a seat belt.  This is considered to be a brief overview, focusing only on head and chest injuries in such a scenario.

Big Hearted: The Danger of Hypertension

Dr. Wolfe discusses the basic pathophysiology of high blood pressure and its consequences within the body, as seen in those who are autopsied due to deaths from hypertensive cardiomyopathy. 

Case Study: Abdominal Pain in a Toddler

Dr. Wolfe discusses a case of abdominal pain in a toddler that resulted in death.  In this case, he discusses the differential diagnosis, clinical features and autopsy findings of this cause of death. 

We Need To Talk About Bob Saget

In this episode, Dr. Wolfe addresses the death of Bob Saget, including a detailed explanation of the head injuries that caused his death and what goes on during an investigation of an unattended death involving head injuries. First and foremost, foul play must be ruled out. The autopsy is one piece of a larger puzzle. 

Case Study: Cracking Open a Cold One

In this case study, forensic pathologist Dr. Wolfe discusses a type of case more commonly seen in northern latitudes and colder environments. The importance of scene examination is paramount in such cases, and the clinical and autopsy findings are discussed. 

Case Study: The Benign Tumor That Killed

In this episode, Dr. Wolfe discusses a rare case in which a case of sudden death was caused by a benign tumor. Note: The time of the episode may be listed as 36 minutes, but it is 23 minutes.

Common ‘Faint-Inducing’ Moments for Autopsy Newbies

Dr. Wolfe discusses many of the sights, smells and sounds of the autopsy procedure that have resulted in visitors to his autopsies being unsettled, running out of the room or fainting. This is a good episode for anyone who has not observed an autopsy but is considering doing so. 

The Death and Strange Autopsy of Albert Einstein

In this episode, Dr. Wolfe discusses the cause of death of Albert Einstein and briefly covers the unusual saga of the removal, storage and study of Einstein’s brain.

The COVID-19 Autopsies

Dr. Wolfe gives an overview of what types of findings are observed at typical COVID-19 autopsies. 

Life, Death and the Scientific Mind

In the final episode of Season 1 of Knife After Death, Dr. Wolfe discusses how scientific principles apply to the field of forensic pathology (use case studies), pitfalls of unscientific approaches and ultimately the philosophical reasons why he became a medical examiner.