Editorial
The Doctor Who Doesn’t Save Lives
Como citar: Júnior JNL. The Doctor Who Doesn’t Save Lives. Persp Med Legal Pericia Med. Vol. 11, 2026;
Recebido em 08/04/2026
Aceito em 20/04/2026
The authors report no conflict of interest.
The Doctor Who Doesn’t Save Lives
Resumo
INTRODUÇÃO: A atuação do médico legista frequentemente é percebida como distante do cuidado tradicional associado à preservação da vida, suscitando questionamentos sobre seu papel na prática médica. OBJETIVO: Refletir sobre o significado do trabalho médico-legal a partir de uma experiência vivenciada no Instituto Médico Legal. MÉTODO: Relato reflexivo de experiência profissional, com abordagem narrativa. RESULTADOS: A partir de questionamento formulado por familiar de um falecido, emergiu reflexão sobre a função do médico legista, evidenciando sua contribuição para o esclarecimento das causas de morte e para a produção de provas técnicas. DISCUSSÃO: Embora não atue na preservação direta da vida, o médico legista desempenha papel essencial na garantia da verdade dos fatos, na proteção de direitos e na prevenção de injustiças. CONCLUSÃO: O trabalho médico-legal, ao dar voz aos mortos e respostas aos vivos, representa forma relevante de contribuição à sociedade.
Palavras Chave: Medicina Legal; Autópsia; Morte; Ética Médica; Justiça
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The work of the forensic pathologist is often perceived as distant from the traditional medical role associated with preserving life, raising questions about its place in medical practice. OBJECTIVE: To reflect on the meaning of medico-legal work based on an experience in a medico-legal institute. METHODS: Reflective report based on professional experience, using a narrative approach. RESULTS: A question posed by a relative of the deceased prompted a reflection on the role of the forensic pathologist, highlighting their contribution to determining causes of death and producing technical evidence. DISCUSSION: Although not directly involved in preserving life, the forensic pathologist plays a fundamental role in establishing the truth, protecting individual rights, and preventing injustices. CONCLUSION: Medico-legal work, by giving voice to the dead and answers to the living, represents a relevant contribution to society.
Keywords (MeSH): Forensic Medicine; Autopsy; Death; Medical Ethics; Justice.
It was early January. The heat, as usual in Teresina, was relentless.
At the Medico-Legal Institute, time moves differently—slower, heavier. There I was, releasing yet another body. I called the family.
They approached with that familiar silence of those who have not yet managed to make sense of their own grief. As I filled out the death certificate—focused on the technical terms, the required fields, the responsibility that document carries—I heard the question, simple, direct, disarming:
“Doctor, what is it like to be a physician who doesn’t save lives?”
My pen stopped.
There was no aggression. No accusation. But there was something harder to face: the feeling of truth.
For a few seconds, I had no answer. In that moment, everything I did seemed small. Almost useless. I did not resuscitate. I did not operate. I did not prescribe. I dealt with what could no longer be saved.
And then came the most unsettling thought: should I be proud of what I do?
The answer did not come immediately. But it came.
It came with the memory of bodies that revealed what no one else could say. With cases in which an “accident” proved to be a homicide. With examinations that gave voice to victims who could no longer speak. With reports that prevented injustices—for both victims and the accused. Above all, it came with the realization that my work does not end with the body. It begins there.
Each autopsy brings order to what was once silence. Each finding narrows uncertainty. Each conclusion establishes a starting point for the truth.
I do not save bodies, but I help prevent stories from being erased, distorted, or forgotten. I help reduce the doubts of those left behind. I help give consequence to what has happened. And, often, I help prevent error from continuing after death.
Perhaps saving lives is not only about preventing death. Perhaps it is about preventing death from becoming irrelevant.
When I looked up, still standing before that woman, I realized that perhaps she was right—just not in the way she imagined.
