Medical Examiner

A medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests.

A medical examiner is a government official who

• Investigates human deaths
• Determines cause of death
• Issues death certificates
• Maintains death records
• Responds to deaths in mass disasters
• Identifies unknown dead
• Other functions depending on local law

In some jurisdictions with English origins or history, a coroner performs these and other duties. Within the United States, there is a mixture of coroner and medical examiner systems, and in some states, dual systems. The meaning of these terms, duties, and requirements to hold office vary widely between jurisdictions.