A just completed documentary "AUTOPSY: THROUGH THE EYES OF DEATH'S DETECTIVES", takes you behind the closed doors of the autopsy suite and into the inner sanctum of the forensic expert and pathologist for a candid look at what they really do--and who they really are. The documentary also explores the medical crisis brought on by declining autopsy rates and how this adversely affects medical research and quality of care.

1. Autopsy rates are rapidly declining. In 1950 nearly 50% of the population were autopsied. Today rates have dipped below 10%.

2. Medical research will take a serious hit due to declining rates. Progress made in combating AIDS and Alzheimer's Disease is directly attributable to autopsy findings.

3. Medicine will lose its ability to determine the effects of new drugs and treatments on the human body.

4. Autopsy saves lives. When autopsy reveals a congenital defect, family members are often tested and sometimes treated for the "inherited" condition. Without autopsy this will not be possible.

5. Health care will be adversely affected by the declining autopsy rate. In 40% of the autopsies performed today pathologists are discovering that the cause of death is not what was clinically expected. This is a reflection of the kind of medical care the public is now receiving.

6. Autopsy is the last word and it's always going to be. Hospitals need to have an unbiased check and balance system with regard to patient care. Without autopsy, monitoring our health care will not be possible. And given the poor state of our current health care system we cannot afford to lose touch with why the public is dying.

"Autopsy: Through the Eyes of Death's Detectives" not only addresses these medical crises but, for the first time, demystifies the procedure for the public. As Dr. Thomas Noguchi states in the documentary, "The public has the right to know". Perhaps if the public can get past the taboo and learn why autopsy is necessary, rates can start to rise.

The film includes the illustrious and sometimes controversial Dr. Noguchi, Former Los Angeles County Coroner; Dr. Michael Fishbein, Chief of Pathology at UCLA; Dr. Stephen Geller, Chief of Pathology at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, who has published many articles detailing the crisis caused by the decline in autopsy rates.