Yuan And Ming Dynasties Forensic Literature

The forensic medicine is the theory and technology which is applied to the medicine and natural science, and a medical discipline which is used to do research and resolve questions that related to medicine .The birth of forensic medicine is inseparable from the production of law, and its survival and development depend on the strengthen and development of law.Forensic medicine in Ancient China has a long history and brilliant achievement and has ever gained the world's attention. According to the extant document, our country is the first one to create a forensic science in the world .Especially in the Song Dynasty, it has been developed to a very brilliant period and made a remarkable contribution. The forensic medicine of Yuan and Ming dynasties, although not breaking the achievement of the Song Dynasty, has been developed and innovated in both the inspection system and the forensic works. In Yuan Dynasty great importance was attached to forensic inspection. In the early Yuan Dynasty, the decree of inspection was issued, which changed the conduct of the coroner's autopsy into the Medical examiner autopsy with the coroner present. In addition, the autopsy documents issued, after being printed and distributed by the authority in charge, were sent out to the regional state and county and filled according to the format in the inspection. Obviously, the forensic inspection system in the Yuan Dynasty has tended to be more and more legalized. Jie An Shi is the first document which has mentioned the three major components of the modern forensic medicine simultaneously in the world, and provided the prototype for the research field of the modern forensic medicine. It was also a summary of the practice and development of the forensic medicine in ancient China, and recorded a number of valuable inspection reports. Wu Yuan Lu written by Wang Yu which is based on Xi Yuan Ji Lu,further summarized the experience of corpse surface inspection, which made up some of the deficiencies of Xi Yuan Ji Lu and further developed the forensic science theory .And it has became reference books of the Korean and Japan's inspection area and made outstanding contributions to the Chinese and foreign cultural exchange. The three new methods of deaths were identified in the Ming Dynasty, and established the procedure from the living body inspection to dead body inspection.But recently the research to the forensic medicine of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties is still a relatively weak part for the research of history of the forensic medicine at home and abroad. Especially with limited number of researchers in this area and historical material difficult to read, there were few books on systematical study and elaboration of the forensic medicine of Yuan and Ming Dynasties. In view of this, the author of this article, after reviewing the birth of forensic medicine in ancient China and its development process, made the detailed introduction to the inspection system, forensic works and forensic medicine experts of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties as well as its impact on the Qing Dynasty and so on ,so as to enrich this research field.