Medico-legal aspects of medical certification of cause of death.

This paper deals with the medico-legal aspects of death certification, the inadequate attention accorded to these aspects in most of the present death certificate forms, and the consequences resulting from this circumstance. A description is also given of the revision of the national system of medical certification of causes of death in Finland. This revision seeks to avoid the drawbacks mentioned by means of an improved form of death certificate introduced in 1960. Certain recommendations are also made on the basis of the experience acquired so far.