Florida's Medicolegal Death Investigation System: A Brief History of the Medical Examiners Commission. Issue 1 (March 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hyma, Bruce A.; Nelson, Stephen J.
• Is Part Of: Academic forensic pathology. Volume 4:Issue 1(2014)
• Page Start: 46
• Page End: 53
• Publication Date: 2014-03
• Subjects: Forensic pathology -- Florida -- Medical Examiners Commission; Forensic pathology -- Periodicals; Forensic pathology; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 614.1
• DOI: 10.23907/2014.007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1925-3621

Abstract

Throughout Florida history, death investigations were performed under a haphazard or nonexistent system of justices of the peace coroners. These investigations were restricted to certain types of criminal deaths and deaths in jail, ignoring the vast majority of unexpected or violent deaths. There had not been a provision for the investigation of the large number of sudden, natural and violent deaths that fall into the non-criminal, yet public interest, category. Few states have an oversight and regulatory body such as Florida's Medical Examiners Commission. Its purpose is to advise medical examiners and to develop policies and procedures for how medicolegal death investigation is performed in the state. This article describes the formation and function of our Medical Examiners Commission and its membership, and also briefly describes other states that have a regulatory commission or similar governing body.