The branch of medicine concerned with the resolution of legal issues by the application of scientific medical knowledge. The issues may be of criminal or civil nature. The specialty of forensic medicine is often referred to as legal medicine in Europe and in Spanish-speaking countries. The development of forensic medicine began in Europe in the early nineteenth century. Although forensic medicine has its basis in the specialty of pathology, physicians in other specialties, such as psychiatry, orthopedics, cardiology, and neurology as well as specialists in other disciplines, may be called on to resolve legal questions posed by judges, attorneys, investigators, and hearing boards.