If the cause of death is obvious, why would the M.E. investigate?
The cause of death may seem obvious but it is often not the case. Even in hospitals with sophisticated diagnostic methods and technology, the diagnosis of a disease or the cause of death is wrong in an estimated 10%-15% of cases. Autopsy means, “to see for oneself”. An autopsy provides information that can be reliably obtained in no other way. It is especially important in those deaths that may wind up in civil or criminal proceedings. The autopsy provides for an unbiased, independent record of the anatomic findings made by a physician specifically trained in death investigation.
