The aim of a post-mortem is to determine the cause of death. Post-mortems are carried out by pathologists (doctors who specialise in understanding the nature and causes of disease). The Royal College of Pathologists and the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) set the standards pathologists work to.

Who is the person who performs an autopsy?

Who does the autopsy? Autopsies ordered by the state can be done by a county coroner, who is not necessarily a doctor. A medical examiner who does an autopsy is a doctor, usually a pathologist. Clinical autopsies are always done by a pathologist.

Who performs autopsies in the UK?

A post mortem examination or autopsy is a medical examination of a body after death, carried out for a coroner. Most examinations performed in England and Wales are conducted by a pathologist of the coroner's choice with the purpose is to establish the medical cause of death.