Drug overdoses are at an all-time high in this county. In fact, overdoses are the biggest killer of Americans under 50. This increase in drug related deaths is taking a toll on medical examiners as they struggle to keep up with the backlog of bodies that are coming through their offices. Medical Examiners’ offices are continually at risk of losing their accreditation as they struggle to keep up with these overwhelming numbers — and a decrease of new pathologists entering the field isn’t helping their efforts.

This poignant New York Times piece takes a look at the first hand experiences of New Hampshire’s chief forensic pathologist Dr. Thomas Andrew, who has worked in the field for 20 years. The toll it has taken on him is so profound that he has decided to leave his profession to go to seminary school in hopes of someday helping the young people that may have ended up on his autopsy table down the road.