The Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical Law is currently one of the oldest departments of Kharkiv National Medical University – was founded in 1804. For significant contribution to the pedagogical, methodological, scientific and educational work by order of the Rector of the University 229 from 01.08.2016 the department was awarded an honorary the name of Honored Professor M.S. Bocarius, and in 2009 the lecture hall of the department – the honorary name of prof. F.O. Patenko.

Its heads were: prof. L.I. Vannoti (1804–1811), honors prof. I.D. Knigin (1811–1826), prof. O.S. Venediktov (1826–1835), prof. I.F. Leonov (1835), prof. R.H. Dabelov (1835–1843), prof. I.A. Sviridov (1843–1862), prof. A.S. Pitra (1862–1875), prof. M.L. Zaleski (1875–1884), prof. V.K. Anrep (1884–1887), prof. F.O. Patenko (1887–1910), honors prof. M.S. Bocarius (1910–1931), prof. M.M. Bocarius (1931–1961), prof. M.P. Marchenko (1961–1988), prof. V.O. Tatarenko (1988–1998; 2000–2003), Assoc. prof. Kaplunovsky (1998–1999), prof. Yu.O. Krapivkin (2000), prof. V.O. Olkhovsky (2003–2020).

The most significant events of the department: November 1806 – the first anatomical theater (morgue) was established at the department; January 1813–- prof. I.D. Knigin delivered the first in Ukraine physiological work “On respiration”; early 1830 – prof. I.F. Leonov first began lecturing on hygiene and the medical police; 1850 – prof. І.О. Sviridov first began to take care of forensic diagnostics of mentally ill people; 1850-60 – prof. I.F. Leonov and prof. A.S. Pitra first published forensic data on death from asphyxia; 1866 – prof. O.S. Venediktov was the first among Kharkiv scientists to propose a method of embalming corpses; 1866 (F.V. Gan) and 1886 (M.O. Obolonsky) – forensic medical examinations of material evidence were started for the first time; 1870 – prof. M.L. Zaleski for the first time in Ukraine initiated forensic toxicological research; 1886–1887 – prof. V.K. Anrep first published “Collections of works performed in the laboratory of the department. V. I and V. II”; late 1880 – early 1900 – under the leadership of prof. F.O. Patenko was defended at the department by 3 doctoral dissertations of E.F. Bellin (1888), S.P. Dvornichenko (1893) and M.S. Bocarius (1902); 1913 – on the initiative of prof. M.S. Bocarius, a separate building was built for the department, which later received the status of the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the Imperial Kharkiv University; prof. M.S. Bocarius created the first domestic thorough textbooks, manuals and scientific journals on forensic medicine; became the first head of the forensic service of Ukraine (1920); initiated the establishment of the Research Institute of Forensic Science in Kharkiv (1923); held the 1st All-Ukrainian Congress of Forensic Physicians in Kharkiv (1925); he was one of the first among medical professors of Ukraine to be awarded the title of Honored Professor of the USSR (1925); 1930–2000 – works of professors M.M. Bocarius, M.P. Marchenko, V.O. Tatarenko, devoted to the study of the problem of the statute of limitations of death and examination of physical evidence, put their names in a cohort of leading specialists in Ukraine in the above sections of forensic medicine.