THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE'S RELATIONSHIP TO THE LAW IS TRACED FROM BEFORE CHRIST THROUGH THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE BIRTH OF MODERN PATHOLOGY IN THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURY. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MEDICOLEGAL INSTITUTES, THE INSTITUTION OF CORONER'S INQUESTS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODERN MEDICAL EXAMINER SYSTEM ARE ALSO REVIEWED, ALONG WITH THE DIVERSE NATURE OF THE VARIOUS CORONER/MEDICAL EXAMINER SYSTEMS UTILIZED IN THE U.S. FINALLY, USING THE FACILITIES OF THE NEW YORK CITY MEDICAL EXAMINER, THE LEGAL AND MEDICAL DUTIES OF A MEDICAL EXAMINER ARE ILLUSTRATED. THESE DUTIES RANGE FROM INVESTIGATIONS AT THE SCENE OF A DEATH AND THE TRANSPORTATION OF BODIES, TO THE NOTIFICATION OF NEXT OF KIN, DETERMINING THE NECESSITY OF AN AUTOPSY, AND THE PERFORMANCE OF FULL POSTMORTEM EXAMINATIONS. (KBL)