Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Medical Examiner-Coroner's office records
- Dates:
- 1891-1963
- Creators:
- Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office
- Abstract:
- The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office Records consist of coroner inquests and testimonies, coroner's official registers, records of coroner investigations, hospital death records, and lantern slides of human cells and tissue samples taken from the deceased. These records range from 1891 to 1963.
- Extent:
- 15 cubic feet
- Language:
- Languages represented in the collection: English
- Preferred citation:
-
Medical Examiner-Coroner's office records, 2008-013, Santa Clara County Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office Records consist of coroner inquests and testimonies, coroner's official registers, records of coroner investigations, hospital death records, and lantern slides of cells and tissue samples taken from the deceased.
The inquest records range from 1948 to 1958. These records contain testimony and evidence for investigation of suspicious deaths or suicides.
The coroner's official registers and records of coroner investigations document investigations into cause of death. These records contain the name of the deceased, birth and death date, place of birth, names of parents, occupation, place of death, and cause of death. The hospital death records record the names of those who died in hospital with no extra information about the deceased.
The lantern slides were most likely used for teaching purposes, and contain photographs of cells and tissue samples relating to pathology. Some of these samples came from deceased Santa Clara County residents, while others were manufactured slides for lectures and teaching purposes. These slides range from the 1930s to the 1950s.
- Biographical / historical:
-
"The elective office of coroner was established in 1850. In 1876, the coroner was made the exofficio public administrator. The coroner's duties include holding inquests over deaths of unknown cause. Under county charter, the coroner was appointed by the county executive. In 1963, the coroner was separated from the pubic administrator, and each coroner thereafter was required to have a medical degree."
- Acquisition information:
- These records were transferred by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office in 2008.
- Processing information:
-
This collection was processed by Trista Raezer working under NHPRC grant NAR07-10047-07, the Santa Clara County Archives Project. For more information about the project, please see the Archives website.
- Arrangement:
-
These records are arranged into three series: Coroner's Inquests and Testimony, Coroner's Record Books, and Lantern Slides.
- Physical location:
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult Archives staff.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
- Bibliography:
- Laffee, Glory Anne and Detlefs, Robert G. "County Leadership: Santa Clara County Government History." The County of Santa Clara Historical Heritage Commission: San Jose, 1995. Page 140.
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- © 2009
- Date Encoded:
- Machine-readable finding aid created by Trista Raezer. Machine-readable finding aid derived from MS Word. Date of source: September 29, 2008.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
The Archives can claim physical ownership only for some collections. Users are responsible for securing permission of the copyright holder for publication or quotation.
- Preferred citation:
-
Medical Examiner-Coroner's office records, 2008-013, Santa Clara County Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
1875 Senter RoadSan Jose, CA 95112, US
- Contact:
- (408) 755-7895