The occupation of medical examiner is not only complex, involving many other specialists in different disciplines, but it is also a job that is comprised of two jobs. The medical examiner is usually a medical doctor who specializes in forensic pathology-the “study of structural and functional changes in the body as a result of injury” (Levine 1). Yet, while the medical examiner is generally a physician with a strong medical background, he is also a member of the law enforcement agency of the city, county or state for which he works. This is because the medical examiner is often utilized to discover the cause of death in any criminal case where the deceased victim died from assault, robbery, kidnapping, rape, murder or suddenly even though they appeared healthy. These investigations can be time-consuming and complex, but the procedures used by the medical examiner have been greatly expanded in scope and ability by the advent of highly technological means of conducting forensic science. DNA testing is one such example. There are many laws and procedures that dictate the duties of the medical examiner when they are summoned by law enforcement agents to perform a medical death investigation. For example, the medical examiner may perform an autopsy, or be prevented from doing so, only under certain circumstances and situations. The approval of the District Attorney is usually necessary to prevent an autopsy on occurring on a deceased victim of a suspected homicide, for example. There are even various pieces of legislation that set boundaries on when and when not a medical examiner may utilize the organs of the deceased for patients awaiting organ donation. The list below does not cover the entire range of duties a medical examiner may perform, but it basically lists the most typical duties the medical examiner performs when he or she is called in by law enforcement agents to conduct a medical death investigation:
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