Thousands of Autopsies Later, a Forensic Pathologist Shares Lessons from the Dead

Emeritus Professor of Forensic Medicine Pekka Karhunen has spent over four decades performing autopsies, witnessing firsthand the slow but clear evolution of Finnish society. Since the 1970s, Karhunen has conducted thousands of post-mortems, a practice that has offered him a unique, albeit somber, perspective on life and health.

One striking and consistent observation from his extensive career is the prevalence of coronary artery disease. Karhunen notes that nearly every man he has examined upon death had at least the early stages of this condition. This finding underscores a persistent health challenge within the population he has served.

Despite his professional immersion in death and his intimate knowledge of its finality, Karhunen admits to sharing the universal human fear of his own mortality. The article notes that Karhunen was photographed in the autopsy room at Tampere University Hospital, highlighting the setting of his decades-long work.

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One thing has remained: every man, when he died, had at least incipient coronary artery disease.