Section 15-4-11

Fees of physician or surgeon for postmortem, autopsy and internal examinations; recovery of costs by county against estate.

(a) Any surgeon or physician who being duly summoned by the coroner makes a postmortem examination and gives a professional opinion thereon is entitled to receive $5.00, with an additional fee of $.10 for each mile he may be compelled to travel to make such an examination, and such fee shall be paid out of the county treasury upon certificate of the coroner certifying that such services have been rendered.

(b) When any physician or surgeon is summoned by the coroner to perform an autopsy or internal examination, the physician or surgeon performing such an autopsy or internal examination shall be entitled to receive the sum of $25.00, to be paid out of the county treasury upon certificate of the coroner that such service has been rendered; and when an autopsy or internal examination has been performed, the physician or surgeon shall not be paid the $5.00, as provided for an external postmortem examination, but the sum of $25.00 provided for in this subsection shall be the entire amount received for such service.

(c) If the estate of the deceased is solvent, the amount paid by the county under this section shall be recovered from the estate of the deceased.

(Code 1852, §823; Code 1867, §4374; Code 1876, §4002; Code 1886, §4813; Code 1896, §4936; Code 1907, §7174; Code 1923, §4569; Code 1940, T. 15, §88.)