What’s in a name? A discussion on the definition of natural and unnatural causes of death

Abstract When considering the manner of death, two categories can be distinguished, namely natural death and unnatural death. Though most physicians think that the distinction between the two is evident, this is not the case. When comparing the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Germany it is noticed that the terms natural and unnatural might be used in law but are not defined by law. In practice, the term unnatural death is used when there is an external cause of death, but even that turns out to not be sufficient in making an obvious difference between the two terms. Different countries may e... Mehr ...