Medical Examiner
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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 o
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rbon monoxide. Thus, unless it was accidental inhalation of the deadly gas, this type of asphyxiation would more than likely point to homicide through intentional poisoning. There are many technological means of assisting medical examiners with accuracy and the scope of their examinations. For example, high powered microscopes and techniques such as gas chromatography can reveal much evidence that would normally be hidden to the naked eye:
Gas chromatography permits the detection not only of alcohol but also of other drugs, such as barbiturates, cocaine, amphetamines, and heroin. When a body is discovered in a lake, stream, river, or ocean the lungs are found to be filled with water, the medical examiner must determine if the drowning occurred where the body was found or elsewhere. A standard microscope that can magnify objects to 1500 times their actual size is used to look for the presence or absence of diatoms, single-celled algae that are found in all natural bodies of water. The absence of diatoms raises the possibility that the drowning took place in a sink or bathtub, not where the body was found, since diatoms are filtered from household water during treatment. A scanning electron microscope that can magnify object
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Approximate Word count = 2886
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)
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