New-York tribune., 1902-02-09
HAS NO USE FOR CORONER.S
THE NEW-YORK MEDICAL JOURNAL"
AGREES WITH DISTRICT AT
TORNEY JEROME

The New-York Medical Journal OF which DR.
Frank P. Foster is editor says in an editorial on
The Coroner in its issue printed yesterday that
the old Dutch office OF the PATRON might well
be revived to go on maintaining that of
oner The editorial further says:
Thoughtful men have long been of this opinion
ahd the Massachusetts office of medical examiner
has commended itself to them, but it has taken
elsewhere in this issue to bring the matter the
our District or1ey 0i Lowered wee 9eGR s dghP III little
IN recent affair with a coroner's clerk. has
make realtza ea the utter mselessnesS
OF mat expensive institution. the office OF coroner
lot ne mas fixed public attention upon It.
- ~ has mas more than once been recommended-and
p specl PEE medical officers connected with the
boaru OF Health might properly perform the med
and that the boards existing resources for CON
ducunS chemical analyses and meteorological in
or such work whenever the necessity might arise.
S 10 rhe occasional great saving Of expense, as has
oeen shown in number of murder within
recent years. 1t would hardly be requisite, we
presume. to couple any judicial function with the
inquistors' authority for the District Attorney
IN me grand jury, and the recorder would probably
be called for in any of apparent criminal re-
sPGo2nsslnliity G2ns for death
choeI any new order OF things, OF course. neg
lect and delay would have TO be vgilantly guarded
uCaole TO discipline appointed officers than those
eIected 10 serve for specified terms. Whether the
circumstances is made the duty Of one set of med
iesI oicers or of another the time has come. it
,ba NS-N
SShe She present cumbrous and antquated methods.
so far as we have been able to ascertain, no in
teligent and disinterested citizens dissent from
TINS view, and the people ought to be able to
have their way in the matter without any great
loss OF time
The issue also contains a letter from DR.. II. R.
Purdy on the subject. His letter reads in
part follows:
Suppose we abolish the office who shall perforrn
the duties that the coroner and his physicians
now required to perform? The answer TO that
question was. in my opinion very satisfactorily
gwen more than ten years ago by DR.. Stephen
IN every city or town of this State organized
board OF health with competent physicians at
tached. and as the boards of health had finally
pass upon all death certificates. the duty of In
vestigating the Of death Of persons who died
under conditions that warranted suspicion o.
crime should belong to them. DR., Smith further
coroners office should be performed by justices of
the peace. police justices city magistrates, and
the Distrlct Attorney or an assistant should be
present and examine all witnesses. A bill
braGlng these ideas was prepared two years ago
by Dr Smith. with the addition OF section sug-
gested by DR.. ]. w. s. GouIey providing that in
the larger cities the boards of health should each
organize a pathological laboratory and equip Il
with the apparatus necessary for the accurate and
immediate investigation of the of death re-
Quiring chemical or meteorological appliances.
coroners office is menace Il is disgrace
the city" let them take the word of a coroner's
physician who made that charge
If it s the desire of medical men TO have phySi-
clans learned in the science Of pathology TO con
duct the post-mortem examinations and
learned in the law TO hold the inquests without
an ignorant jury. let them take five minutes Of
their valuable time 10 write to their Senators and
Assembymen and tell them So
II but show half the zeal that some OF our
brother physicians did in 1894 IN their successful
efforts TO have the constitutional convention omit
the legislature will not dare TO turn deaf to
our appeals.