Interview with forensic doctor Michael Tsokos: about his farewell to the Charité and mysterious deaths

Interview with forensic doctor Michael Tsokos: about his farewell to the Charité and mysterious deaths

Michael Tsokos is one of the best -known forensic doctors in Germany. After working as head of forensic medicine at the Berlin Charité, he resigned his tasks at the end of 2023. In an interview with the Berliner Zeitung, Tsokos spoke about his view of forensic medicine, political developments in the Charité and the challenges in teaching. He emphasized the difference between forensic medicine and pathology and emphasized that forensic medicine made an important contribution to clarifying deaths.

tsokos reflected on his career and emphasized that access to medical studies was often limited by incorrect selection criteria. He also criticized the political influence on the Charité and the neglect of student training. For personal reasons and the desire for change, Tsokos decided to end his work on the Charité and to pursue new perspectives.

In terms of Corona policy, Tsokos critically commented on the handling of the statistics and emphasized the importance of a differentiated view of causes of death. He complained that political interests could distort medical reality. In addition, Tsokos spoke about his experience in forensic medicine, including the introduction of modern examination methods such as the virtual autopsy.

The challenges of daily work as a forensic doctor showed Tsokos using some examples, including the examination of child abuse and sudden deaths. He emphasized that the public perception of forensic medicine is important in order to understand the work and the importance of autopsies. Overall, Tsokos illustrated the complexity and social relevance of its field.