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ANNUAL REPORT
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Manner: Natural (2001) A natural death is one due to a spontaneous or naturally occurring disease or degenerative process. A death so
classified usually falls under the jurisdiction of the coroner because of
the sudden or unexpected nature of the death, because there was no
physician with knowledge or awareness of the decedent’s condition, or
when circumstances surrounding the death arouse suspicion.
It should be stressed that the natural deaths investigated by the
coroner’s office may not be representative of all natural deaths in the
general population, because these jurisdictional considerations introduce
a significant sampling bias. Diligent
search for medical history can often result in death certification by a
knowledgeable physician, rather than by a government agency.
This effort accounts for the decline in natural deaths certified by
the coroner’s office during the last four years.
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