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Why might a pathologist remove groups of organs together during an autopsy?
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autopsy
English physicians Charles Scarborough and Edward Arris performing an autopsy in 1651 (watercolour painted in 1818 by G.P. Harding from an original work in the Barber Surgeons' Hall, London).
During an autopsy, pathologists may choose to remove groups of organs togetherâa process known as an en masse methodârather than removing each organ individually. The primary reason for this approach is to allow the pathologist to observe and determine any disturbances in the functional relationships between those organs. By keeping the chest organs or abdominal organs as a single unit, the examiner can better assess how disease processes may have affected the interconnected structures within those body cavities.1