Author – The Durango Herald

Suspicion is nothing without proof

On March 2, one day after he was indicted by a federal grand jury for rigging bids for oil and natural gas leases, Aubrey McClendon, 56, former Chesapeake Energy CEO and part owner of the NB...

DATE: Jul 6, 2016 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report

Johns Hopkins ‘medical error’ study delivers false conclusion

The authors of a paper from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine wrote: “If medical error was a disease, it would rank as the third leading cause of death in the U.S.” The lay press c...

DATE: Jun 1, 2016 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report

Wise mentor’s lessons shaped my career, life

My teacher, a towering figure in forensic pathology and New York City‘s chief medical examiner for a quarter century including on Sept. 11, has died. Dr. Charles S. Hirsch was 79. ...

DATE: May 4, 2016 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report

‘Experts’ don’t always know what truth is

I learned very early in my career that some “experts” don’t know what they’re talking about. After my general pathology residency but before I began a forensic pathology fellowshi...

DATE: Apr 6, 2016 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report

After Scalia’s death, autopsy was necessary

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, 79, died last month during a hunting trip in West Texas. Conspiracy theorists suggest Scalia’s assassination was ordered by President Barack...

DATE: Mar 2, 2016 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report

The challenge of deciphering person’s intent

According to medical examiner tradition, vehicular fatalities are accidents even when the crash was the result of drunken or reckless driving. The vehicle operator will probably f...

DATE: Feb 3, 2016 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report

Good judgment trumps rules about standards

Doctors have always opposed mandated practice standards. I’ve heard the arguments for more than 30 years. When I was a resident, one of the first pathology standards to be drafted...

DATE: Jan 6, 2016 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report

There’s reason to doubt what families say

Some people object to listing toxicology results in the autopsy report, which is public record in many states. Most are embarrassed on behalf of a loved one. Some have another reason. ...

DATE: Dec 2, 2015 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report

Medical examiners consider range of evidence

A New York state medical examiner certified that Vincent Viafore’s death was a homicide because his “kayak drain plug (was) intentionally removed by (an)other.” The New York Times...

DATE: Nov 4, 2015 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report

Two examples that may prove shaking can kill

Some medical experts have decided that shaking can’t kill babies. These experts regularly testify for the defense when murder charges are brought after an infant’s death has been ...

DATE: Sep 30, 2015 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report

Drowning a tough call for coroners

Fictional medical examiners have no trouble telling if somebody drowned. In real life, that determination can be hard. The classic finding in drowning is a cone of white froth bub...

DATE: Sep 2, 2015 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report

Doctor’s ‘tone’ is professional, not malicious

Last month, the anti-abortion activist group Center for Medical Progress released an undercover video of a Planned Parenthood doctor graphically describing techniques by which fetal organs f...

DATE: Aug 5, 2015 | CATEGORY: Coroner's Report