What is the Difference between autopsy and biopsy?

An autopsy, also known as a post-mortem examination or an obduction, is a surgical procedure in which the internal organs and structures of a dead body are studied to determine the cause and manner of death. A biopsy on the other hand, is generally performed on living tissue or cells taken from living individuals in order to diagnose medical conditions. It involves taking samples from specific sites or parts of affected tissues for laboratory testing and analysis.

The main difference between an autopsy and a biopsy lies in how samples are obtained from individuals - both deceased (in the case of autopsies) or alive (in relation to biopsies). In addition, autopsies can provide more comprehensive information about what led up to someone's death than just isolated tissue samples analyzed during a biopsy procedure. Autopsy results sometimes reveal underlying diseases that may have escaped notice while the person was still alive; they can also provide detailed information regarding any events that might have occurred immediately prior to the person’s passing.

In short, an autopsy looks more closely at why someone passed away whereas biopsies typically focus on diagnosing active diseases within individuals who are still alive.