ABSTRACT
The medical examiner’s office described here is located in a major city having a population of about 500,000 people, and the office serves the entire county in which the city is located. About 5000 people die each year in the county (1% of the population), and approximately 2000 deaths (40% of all deaths) are reported to the office each year. Of the 2000 deaths reported to the office, about 500 are declined, and although a brief report is on file at the office, the medical examiner does not conduct a full investigation and does not sign the death certificate. The remaining 1500 cases usually consist of about 100 homicides, 100 suicides, 300 accidental deaths (of which about half are traffic accidents), a few cases in which the manner of death is undetermined, and the remaining 1000 or so cases involve natural deaths. Out of the 1500 cases fully investigated by the office, a scene investigation is conducted in about 700 cases, an autopsy is performed in about 700 cases, the body is examined only externally in about 350 cases, and the remaining 400 or so cases are signed out (certified) without examination of the body at the morgue. There are 3 medical examiners and a forensic fellow (pathologist) in training. Each medical examiner has to testify in a murder trial once or twice per month.
