First Name
Last Name
Email (required)
I agree to receive emails from the National Academies (required)

We respect your privacy and will never share your information.

Search this publication

Front Matter i-iii
Introduction 4-4
Personnel 5-5
Reports 6-7
Duties of Coroner 8-9
Judicial Duties of Coroner 10-11
Facilities for Postmortem Examination 12-16
Cleveland 17-21
Present Survey of the Coroner System 22-22
Duties of Coroner 23-23
Character of Work Done 24-25
Toxicologic Examinations 26-26
Bacteriologic Examinations 27-27
San Francisco 28-28
Jurisdiction of Coroner 29-29
Records 30-31
Lack of Cooperation With Other Agencies 32-32
Decadence of the Office 33-33
Nontechnical Staff 34-34
Procedure in Coroners Cases 35-35
Coroners Necropsies 36-36
Toxicologie Examinations 37-37
Relation To Undertakers 38-39
Cooperation With Other Agencies 40-40
Summary 41-42
Abolition of Coroners Office by Massachusetts 43-43
Records 44-44
Use of Material for Teaching 45-45
Morgue Facilities 46-46
Kinds of Cases Investigated 47-47
Summary 48-48
The Medical Examiner System in Massachuretts Outside of Boston 49-49
Records 50-50
The Medical Examiner Act 51-51
Appointment of Assistants 52-52
Necropsies 53-53
Functions of Medical Examiner 54-54
Organization of Office 55-57
Morgue Facilities 58-58
Toxicologic Examinations 59-59
Transportation 60-60
Records of the Office 61-61
Relation of Medical Examiner Service To Other Public Services 62-62
District Attorneys 63-63
Department of Health 64-64
Hospitals 65-65
Research and Publications 66-66
Medical Assistant To District Attorney 67-67
Summary and Recommendations 68-68
Part Time Service 69-69
Advancement of Knowledge 70-70
Comparative Costs of the Two Systems 71-74
Teaching of Forensic Medicine 75-76
Medicolegal Institutes 77-78
Summary of Defects of Coroner System and of Advantages of Medical Examiner System 79-81
Recommendations 82-83
Expert Medical Aid in Nonhomicide Cases 84-86
Conflicts Between Legal and Medical Theories 87-89
Procedural Limitations Upon Medical Testimony 90-93

Log In

Former MyNAP users: You'll need to reset your password on your first login to MyAcademies. Click "Forgot password" below to receive a reset link via email. Having trouble? Visit our FAQ page to contact support.

Members of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, or National Academy of Medicine should log in through their respective Academy portals.

Email (required)
Password (required)

Don't have an account?

Register

Email (required)
New password (required)
Retype password (required) Password must be at least 8 characters
I agree to receive emails from the National Academies
I accept the terms of use
terms of use

Thank You

Thank you for creating a MyAcademies account!

Enjoy free access to thousands of National Academies' publications, a 10% discount off every purchase, and build your personal library.

Forgot Password

Enter the email address for your MyAcademies (formerly MyNAP) account to receive password reset instructions.

Email (required)

Reset Requested

We sent password reset instructions to your email . Follow the link in that email to create a new password. Didn't receive it? Check your spam folder or contact us for assistance.

Reset Password

New password (required)
Retype password (required) Password must be at least 8 characters

Reset Password

Your password has been reset.

Verify email

Verify Your Email Address

We sent a verification link to your email. Please check your inbox (and spam folder) and follow the link to verify your email address. If you did not receive the email, you can request a new verification link below

The coroner and the medical examiner, issued under the auspices of the Committee on Medicolegal Problems (1928)

Chapter: Necropsies

My Academies

The coroner and the medical examiner, issued under the auspices of the Committee on Medicolegal Problems (1928)

Chapter: Necropsies