ABSTRACT
A movement beginning in the latter part of the 19th century established standards of education and training for certain professions. Despite the development of standards of professionalism in some areas, a significant problem arose related to the office of the county coroner. While the coroner was charged with a quasijudicial function and determined the causes of deaths, no particular education or training was required. Massachusetts was the first state to license nurses, physicians, and lawyers. In 1877, the Massachusetts legislature passed a statute that replaced coroners with medical examiners and required medical examiners to be licensed to practice medicine.
