Which professional performs autopsies and may serve as coroner in some jurisdictions?

• A. Pathologist
• B. Coroner
• C. Forensic Scientist
• D. Medical Examiner

Answer: (D)

Autopsies are postmortem examinations used to determine the cause and mechanism of death, and they’re typically performed by physicians trained in forensic pathology. The medical examiner is a physician whose job is to investigate deaths, order and perform autopsies, and in many places may also serve as the coroner. This overlap—performing autopsies and potentially filling the coroner role in some jurisdictions—best fits the description. A pathologist can perform autopsies but isn’t inherently tied to the coroner role in many systems; a forensic scientist works in labs analyzing evidence; and a coroner is often an elected official who isn’t necessarily a physician, so the medical examiner is the most fitting answer.