The authors present results of our center retrospective study comparing autopsy findings from years 1929 (n=275) and 1989 (n=974). The male to female ratio was very similar in both cohorts (1.3:1 in 1929 and 1.4:1 in 1989). The age range in 1929 was 0-88 years with median of 50 years, whereas in 1989, the age range was 0-98 year and median was 65 years. Among lethal diseases in 1929 were namely infections and infectious complications - 61 % of all patients (out of these, 18 % were tuberculosis cases), neoplasms (12 %) and cardiovascular disorders (6.5 %). In 1989, malignant neoplasms were most frequent (31 %), followed by cardiovascular disorders (21 %) and infections (4.6 % - out of these, tuberculosis represented only 0.6 %). Our study is unique by comparing two well documented autopsy cohorts in a single center from two years being 60 years apart. The study clearly demonstrates dramatic changes in healthcare achieved during the 20th century.
Keywords: Autopsy; autopsy findings; health care; healthcare; lethal diseases; pathology; research.