**Preface to "Forensic Science and Legal Medicine: A Multidisciplinary Puzzle!"**

Even if the terms "forensic sciences"and "legal medicine"seem to be synonymous, they could be defined as two sides of the same coin. It has been demonstrated that they are different components of the application of medical knowledge upon the legal system. Legal medicine has greater relevance to civil and tort law, impacting upon patient care, whereas forensic medicine relates to criminal law and damage to (or by) patients.

The discipline of forensic science is remarkably complex and includes methodologies ranging from DNA analysis to chemical composition and pattern recognition. Many forensic practices were developed under the auspices of law enforcement and vetted primarily by the legal system rather than being subjected to scientific scrutiny and empirical testing. Furthermore, the recent experience of the COVID-19 pandemic suggests a pivotal role of the forensic autopsy in order to gather information about unknown diseases. As previously described, only a full autopsy can investigate the potential mechanisms of damage to organs or systems not readily accessible to biopsies, such as central nervous system or cardiovascular system, leading to appropriate healthcare strategies that are useful in the control of the disease. Another important perspective that underlines the importance of forensic sciences is related to the development of vaccine candidates and new therapies for the prevention and treatment of different diseases, with certain benefits for healthcare.

Furthermore, legal medicine plays a pivotal role in risk management. In healthcare, the term "risk management"refers to all processes employed to detect, monitor, assess, mitigate, and prevent risks in healthcare facilities and safeguard patient safety. Considering the importance of this issue, a further aim of this Special Issue is to assess the role and progress of research and training in the field of risk management.

This Special Issue, entitled "Forensic Science and Legal Medicine: A Multidisciplinary Puzzle!", collected accurate and up-to-date scientific information on all aspects of this theme, publishing original investigations, case series and case reports, and reviews in all forensic and medico-legal branches.

> **Francesco Sessa** *Editor*
