Difficult beginnings of forensic psychiatry in the Russian Empire in the 18th century

This publication reveals the origins of forensic psychiatry in tsarist Russia during a selected historical period. The article reveals the first forensic and medical examinations of the mental state of defendants, as well as the first major legal regulations in this area. The issue of the participation of a medical expert (usually physicians) as an expert witness in court proceedings in the examination of the mental state is discussed from legal and historical, as well as historical and medical aspects.