Also do you need an MD degree to be either one?
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The difference is historical, and in many jurisdictions it is one & the same. However, a coroner is an elected/appointed office. In medieval times they held a king's inquest to determine cause of death (by natural causes, hands on another or misadventure etc). They investigated and held the coroner's inquest. A ME however, is ALWAYS a MD, they do the medical investigation-the autopsy. In large counties (this is a county position), the ME is the same as the coroner and is a MD. In very tiny counties, the coroner may not be a MD, and autopsies are subcontracted out to a pathologist.