Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with coroner

To see dead people, or not to see...

Anonymous — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:49:05 -0800

How does one socialize with the dead? As a medical student, my significant other is thinking about interning at a medical examiner's office in a city for a few months full time. She would have the chance to do her own research, follow examiners into crime scenes, or observe autopsies.

To me this.. sounds great! But I'm concerned about the psychological effects of being around bodies all the time. She's very respectful and considerate, introverted but somewhat down-to-earth, and she sees this internship as something very interesting, and not as an exotic fodder-for-stories opportunity. She's never ever been freaked out by blood or bodies in anatomy labs, but this is a totally different issue. These aren't the clean, well-kept natural-death bodies that she encounters in anatomy labs: these are bodies that will have been in car accidents, been murdered, raped, etc.

So I ask to the members of AskMe who have worked in morgues, graveyards, crime scenes, nurses, EMTs, etc? What is your experience dealing with the dead (in a medical context)? Has this affected your viewpoint (made you more pessimistic or optimistic), or your relationships with people (emotionally/mentally/physically)?

Thanks in advance!

Sudden death: Coroner or copper?

humblepigeon — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 02:28:50 -0800

I'm confused about when a sudden death becomes a coroner investigation, rather than a police investigation (UK). The coroner is supposed to investigate sudden deaths and can hold a jury trial to investigate the cause of death. But doesn't that tread on the toes of the police? Who decides if a sudden death is a coroner investigation or a police investigation? Can the two take place simultaneously? What are the criteria for deciding who handles it?

Practical steps to take after a person dies

nickyskye — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 17:26:44 -0800

Can anyone tell me about the legal, practical steps of dealing with a person who dies, their dead body? I live in NYC but imagine the steps must be pretty similar all over the US and Europe too. I'm trying to know the step-by-step actions to take both for the event of my own death, to leave convenient instructions for my relatives/friends and also to know for myself because I've been lost about what to do practically when people I knew died.