8.6/1011 votesLoading...#1 - The Chain of Life and Death
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/29/2004
A 94-year-old woman dies in the hospital after having a convulsion. The case becomes the business of the medical examiner's office when no one will sign her death certificate. Dr. G finds no evidence of a heart attack or stroke. Could the woman's death be related to a childhood incident where she drank lie soap, or was it a complication of her recent hip surgery?A 24-year-old man falls off his bicycle onto the street and subsequently dies. He wasn't wearing a helmet, but a witness to the accident reported that the cyclist seemed to collapse before crashing. His mother says that prior to the accident, the man was acting as if he knew he was going die. Did he die from a head injury, was his death the result of his preexisting heart condition, or could he have been engaging in high risk behaviors that his family was unaware of?A 28-year-old stripper collapses in her home and refuses to go to the hospital. Later, she is found dead in bed. Her brother reveals that the woman used be a man, but recently had a sex change. Needle marks are found on her breasts, but no drugs are found in her system. Dr. G finds that silicone leaks from the puncture marks, but the woman had no breast implants. Had the woman been injecting her breasts with silicone, and did this somehow cause her death?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.5/1012 votesLoading...
#2 - Who Is Watching the Children?
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 11/5/2004
An infant and his two-year-old sister are found dead in a house shared by two families. At first, they are believed to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning or cold medicine overdoses. When Dr. G. examines the infant, she finds no apparent cause of death. However, when she examines the two-year-old, she finds teeth imprints on the insides of the child's mouth, indicating that someone had suffocated her. Since the girl's infant brother has no teeth, Dr. G assumes that he too was suffocated. After the police verify the alibis of all the adults living in the house, a 12-year-old girl from the other family living in the house becomes the prime suspect. At first she admits to committing the crime, but later denies it. The neighborhood is outraged that the police would accuse a child of murder, so the girl is sent to live with her grandparents. Not long after the girl moves in with her grandparents, the family dog is found dead. Dr. G must do an autopsy on the dog to find out whether it too has a been suffocated, and if that will be a significant piece of evidence in convincing a jury that the girl is guilty.A 25-year-old pregnant mother checks into a homeless shelter, and reports that she has ovarian cancer. A week later, she falls ill and dies on the way to the hospital. Dr. G first checks the woman's ovaries, but finds no evidence that the woman ever had ovarian cancer. The woman was overweight and had an enlarged heart, which meant that she was at risk of having high blood pressure and and developing blood clots. Were these risk factors what caused the young mother's untimely death?
Director: N/A
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- 8.3/1014 votesLoading...
#3 - A Mother's Love
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 2/4/2005
While in the process of adopting a five-week-old baby, a mother takes him to work with her. While there, the baby inexplicably obtains a skull fracture while unsupervised. Since the parents cannot provide an explanation as to how the injury occurred, the hospital must investigate for abuse. The baby is taken away from the parents and placed with a foster family. The family's lawyer asks Dr. G to review the evidence. Can Dr. G's professional opinion help reunite a family?Eleven months after becoming paralyzed in a car accident, a 36-year-old woman dies in the hospital. Doctors claim the cause of death was a bacterial infection, a complication from her injuries. The woman's mother strongly believes her daughter was poisoned by her husband while in the hospital. Will Dr. G's autopsy confirm the mother's suspicions, or prove that there was no foul play involved?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.3/107 votesLoading...
#4 - Degrees of Death
Season 5 Episode 13 - Aired 10/20/2008
A 43-year-old man takes a nap at his parents house, and is later found dead in bed. The man had several conditions that put his health at risk, including morbidly obesity, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. However, Dr. G is hesitant to jump to conclusions when her autopsy findings dont quite add up, so she opts to wait for the toxicology results before closing the case. A 53-year-old woman is found dead on her couch. The woman was obese and a smoker, her son notes that she had suffered an episode of intense eye pain the day before, and Dr. G finds signs of trauma on the womans lower body. With many potential suspects, only Dr. Gs autopsy will narrow down the cause of death.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/108 votesLoading...
#5 - Ashes to Ashes
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 3/11/2005
On a rural Texas highway, a fire is discovered in which three bodies have been burnt beyond recognition. Dr. G finds bullets in all three bodies, and determines that they were all fatally shot before being set on fire. Working together with the Texas Rangers, she must identify the victims and help to find who killed them.A 55-year-old man is dies while on a city bus. No one saw him die, so he is sent to the morgue for an autopsy. With no medical records available, Dr. G must consider all possibilities as she looks for the cause of death.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1010 votesLoading...
#6 - Fighting for the Truth
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 4/22/2005
An employee is found dead in a restaurant kitchen. Clues found near the body include an empty cash register, a knife, a phone ripped off the wall, and a trail of blood splotches leading to a vandalized car in the parking lot. The man was well known for starting brawls, and alcohol and drug abuse. There are many possibilities as to how the man could have died, so Dr. G must do an autopsy to find exactly who or what killed him.A man dies in the hospital after taking a dangerously high amount of acetaminophen, an over-the-counter pain medication. Before dying, the man claimed that the overdose was a suicide attempt. Normally, acetaminophen overdoses do not result in death. Dr. G works to find evidence to indicate whether this was really a suicide attempt or if the man accidentally killed himself in a scam for medical attention.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1011 votesLoading...
#7 - Dangerous Games
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 6/13/2008
A 12-year-old boy is found dead in his room with his karate belt wrapped around his neck. The boy had never exhibited suicidal tendencies, but he had been grounded on the weekend of his death for trying to skip school. Dr. G looks for evidence as to whether or not the boy's death was a suicide.A 55-year-old biochemist on sabbatical from Russia collapses and dies while eating lunch with colleagues. When the Russian Embassy and the FBI take interest in the man's death, Dr. G suspects that foul play may be involved.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/109 votesLoading...
#8 - Dark Waters
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/19/2004
A decomposing body is found in a pond, and a tent is found in the nearby woods. Dr. G performs the autopsy in the morgue's decomposition room, but finds few clues other than fingerprints, and mouthwash in the stomach. A wallet containing identification is found in the tent, and the fingerprints confirm the identity of the victim. According to the 39-year-old man's friends, he had a drinking problem. Had the man been consuming mouthwash to get drunk, and did this play a role in his death?After a panicked babysitter's 911 call, a 17-month-old baby is found unconscious. The baby dies on the way to the hospital. Dr. G finds evidence that the baby was asphyxiated, and the babysitter claims that the child's neck was pinned between a bed frame and a playpen in a freak accident. Dr. G sends field investigators to the babysitter's house to re-create the incident so she can compare the babysitter's story to her autopsy findings. Will the re-creation confirm the babysitter's story, or will it indicate that she may be guilty of murder?A 52-year-old English tourist has a heated argument with his family and walks back to his hotel. On his way back, he collapses on the sidewalk. Dr. G's autopsy confirms that he died of a heart attack, but his family worries that the stress from the argument may have played a role in his death.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/108 votesLoading...
#9 - Twist of Fate
Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 5/23/2008
A 75-year-old woman dies in the hospital four days after a minor car accident. The woman reported that she experienced severe pain in her neck, chest, and back just prior to crashing. Hospital tests do not find any apparent medical conditions or injuries that would have caused the woman to die. Dr. G searches for trauma and natural causes of death that the hospital may have missed.An 81-year-old man dies in the hospital while receiving medical tests to diagnose his abdominal pain. Although the man has an extensive medical history, there is no obvious cause of death. Dr. G does an autopsy to try and find a cause of death for the man's death certificate.
Director: N/A
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- 8.0/106 votesLoading...
#10 - Shock to the System
Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 6/6/2008
A 60-year-old basketball coach is found dead in his house after missing a week of work. The man has a clean medical history, but Dr. G finds evidence of a well known medical condition that may have lead to the man's demise.A 54-year-old man arrives in the morgue after dying from a brain hemorrhage in the hospital. However, the cause of the brain hemorrhage remains a mystery. The man died while drunk and high on amphetamines, indicating that the hemorrhage may have been drug-related. The man's son reports that his father had been involved in bar fight prior to this death, suggesting that the hemorrhage may have been the result of an assault, and therefore a homicide. Dr. G must consider both possibilities, as well as others, as she searches for the cause of the brain hemorrhage.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/106 votesLoading...
#11 - How Not To Die
Season 5 Episode 12 - Aired 10/14/2008
A girl finds her 35-year-old father dead on the couch. The man has no medical records, but the mans family thinks that the mans well water was contaminated. A neighbor also reports that the man was coughing up blood, indicating a possible tuberculosis infection. Dr. Gs husband, an infectious disease specialist, collaborates with Dr. G on the case. A 51-year-old man is found dead in bed. The man had been suffering from depression due to his recent divorce, and two bottles of prescription painkillers are found on the nightstand next to the bed. The family suspects that the man committed suicide. Will Dr. Gs findings confirm their worst fears?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/106 votesLoading...
#12 - America's Most Shocking Cases
Season 6 Episode 7 - Aired 10/19/2009
A 14-year-old boy falls ill, and dies after an apparent seizure. The hospital staff suspects a bacterial meningitis infection. If the hospital is correct, the boy's friends and family could also be at risk. It's up to Dr. G to find out if the hospital is correct, and if not, find the true cause of death. A 47-year-old man goes to sleep the couch after drinking heavily, and never wakes up. The man had recently had part of his leg amputated due to gangrene. Dr. G suspects that arterial narrowing in other parts of the man's body may have played a role in his death, but she will not know for sure until the autopsy is completed.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/106 votesLoading...
#13 - Last Gasps
Season 6 Episode 8 - Aired 11/2/2009
A 6-month-old girl becomes unresponsive in her crib, and stops breathing on the way to the hospital. Dr. G knows that the cause of death in infant cases is often elusive, and the baby's recent cold is the only potential clue. A 34-year-old man visits the hospital for severe abdominal pain, which the doctors believe is benign symptom of the man's recent cocaine binge. The man is sent home when the pain subsides, but the man falls ill and dies two days later. The man's wife claims that he has not used cocaine since the incident, and believes the hospital missed a key diagnosis. Could the wife be correct, or did her husband's cocaine habit finally catch up to him? It's up to Dr. G to find out.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/107 votesLoading...
#14 - Deadly Circumstances
Season 7 Episode 5 - Aired 11/1/2010
A 52-year-old man is found dead in a motel parking lot. The man was reportedly ill when he checked into the motel two days prior, but Dr. G is also on the lookout for signs of foul play. A 45-year-old father is found dead at the base of his attic ladder. The man had been renovating the attic, making heat stroke and power tool electrocution possibilities. It's up to Dr. Joshua Stephany, Dr. G's youngest medical examiner, to piece together the details of this perplexing case.
Director: N/A
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- 7.9/1011 votesLoading...
#15 - In the Dead of Night
Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 6/20/2008
A 71-year-old man collapses at home and is dead on arrival at the hospital. The doctor at the hospital refuses to sign the death certificate due to no apparent cause of death, so the body is sent to the morgue for an autopsy. Dr. G first suspects a cardiac death, but then discovers that the man had a toe infection and was taking antibiotics that caused adverse side effects. Because of the man's complex medical history, Dr. G decides that an autopsy is necessary to determine the cause of death. A 25-year-old man is found dead in a motel room after a night of partying and heavy drinking with friends. The man had a history of unexplained grand mal seizures and was obese, but Dr. G suspects that the cause of death may be related to alcohol and/or cocaine use.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/108 votesLoading...
#16 - Once Bitten
Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 8/1/2008
A 42-year-old diabetic woman dies at home while recovering from a tooth extraction. The woman died after being treated by her sister for low blood sugar, and the sister worries that she may have made a mistake that contributed to her sister's death. However, Dr. G suspects that the death may instead have been from complications of the dental surgery.A 69-year-old woman struggling with depression is found dead in bed by her family. The woman had been healthy, and the family is worried that she may have committed suicide. Dr. G works to find the cause of death, but this proves more difficult than she anticipated.
Director: N/A
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- 7.8/106 votesLoading...
#17 - A Fatal Attraction
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 10/3/2005
This episode looks at two of Dr. G’s past cases involving domestic abuse. A 30-year old man and his 35-year-old girlfriend are found dead in a car in the parking lot of a church. Both victims were stabbed to death. Dr. G’s autopsy of the female victim shows that she was brutally attacked, and the violent nature of her death suggests a crime of passion. The male victim, who was stabbed in the heart, has additional injuries that suggest suicide. Was this a murder-suicide, or was a third party involved? A 50-year-old sheriff’s deputy is shot in the head by his girlfriend. The woman claims self defense, but everyone who knew the man claims that he was not a violent person. The couple had a rocky relationship, and they had been known to threaten each other with guns. Can Dr. G determine whether or not the shooting was really self defense?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/107 votesLoading...
#18 - Needle in the Haystack
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 3/24/2006
A woman shoots her abusive husband and claims self-defense. The angle of the gunshot wound and other conflicting details with the woman’s story seem to suggest that she is lying. The woman is indicted and the medical investigation seems to be over. However, the case is later re-opened when witnesses claim the man was very ill near his time of death. Did the man’s wife, or possibly someone else, try to poison the man before he was shot? A 44-year-old diabetic woman is found dead and naked in the trailer of a convicted sex offender. There are no external clues to suggest that the woman was raped or murdered. Dr. G must open the body to see what caused the woman’s death. Was she murdered, did she overdose on drugs, or did she die of natural causes?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/1012 votesLoading...
#19 - A Lingering Question
Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 6/9/2006
A 34-year-old woman is brought into the morgue with her body covered in a strange rash. She came down with the illness a week before her death and eventually died in the hospital despite being treated with antibiotics. Two weeks before the woman died, she reported being bitten by a stranger who kissed her in a bar and believed that was how she contracted the illness. With a cervical cancer relapse and chicken pox as possible culprits, Dr. G must conduct an internal examination. A 56-year-old man dies after suffering an apparent epileptic seizure in his yard. At first it seems as if the man died of Sudden Unexpected Death In Epilepsy, but Dr. G’s autopsy reveals that epilepsy was not the only condition putting the man’s health at risk.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/106 votesLoading...
#20 - Hidden Killers
Season 7 Episode 2 - Aired 10/11/2010
An 18-year-old seemingly healthy athlete dies two days after being hospitalized with back pain and a mysterious rash. Dr. G suspects an infection, and is concerned that this case may have public health implications. A 49-year-old woman is found dead on her couch, covered with blood from a head wound. Blood on the stone hearth of the fireplace suggests that woman struck her head. Did she simply fall, or was she assaulted? It's up to Dr. G to find out.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.7/1014 votesLoading...
#21 - Life Interrupted
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 12/14/2007
A 19-year-old female private is abducted from an air force base. A retired military officer claims to have murdered the woman and leads police to her body. Dr. G must do an autopsy to determine whether the suspect is being truthful, or making a false confession to gain attention in a high profile case.A 79-year-old woman dies at home three days after undergoing knee replacement surgery. The woman seemed healthy just prior to her death. Dr. G must find out whether or not the woman died of complications from the surgery.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.6/108 votesLoading...
#22 - Dying to be Young
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 6/10/2005
A healthy 53-year-old woman is found dead in bed. After performing an autopsy and taking blood and tissue samples, Dr. G cannot find the cause of death. Through conversations with the woman's husband, Dr. G finds out that the woman was suffering from symptoms of a hormonal imbalance and taking over forty dietary supplements a day. Dr. G must find which, if any, of these supplements may have caused her death.After a night of drinking, a 60-year-old man leaves a friend's house on his bicycle and is later found dead in a ditch by the side of the road. It is up to Dr. G to find out whether he fell off his bike or died some other way.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.6/106 votesLoading...
#23 - Burning Questions
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 9/16/2005
After a night of drinking, a 23-year-old man is found dead in a burning car in a parking garage. Since the man was not able to get out of the car, investigators hypothesize that he was dead or unconscious when the fire started. Dr. G and crime scene investigators work to find out how the man died and who or what started the fire. A 58-year-old man suffering from kidney failure dies in the hospital with his ex-wife by his side. The hospital marks the cause of death as kidney disease, but the man’s roommate claims that he was strangled by his ex-wife. Dr. G must either confirm or deny the roommate’s accusations.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.6/1012 votesLoading...
#24 - Toxic Forces
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 11/23/2007
A 25-year-old woman dies after breaking out in hives and becoming short of breath. The woman had been working with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in Biloxi, Mississippi where she may have acquired an infectious disease. She also had a history of complications from insect bites. With a number of possibilities as to the cause of the woman’s mysterious illness, Dr. G must look inside the body to find the answers.A 35-year-old man is found dead by his partner just hours after threatening to commit suicide. With a history of suicide attempts, and a number of medications found at the scene, it appears that the man intentionally overdosed. Dr. G must examine the evidence from her autopsy and toxicology reports to determine whether or not the man took his own life.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.6/1011 votesLoading...
#25 - Deadly Doses
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 5/23/2008
A 36-year-old woman experiencing inexplicable itching all over her body overdoses on antihistamines. The woman appears to be fine for a time at the hospital, but then she goes into cardiac arrest and dies. Dr. G discovers from the woman's medical history that the woman had lupus, an autoimmune disease. Dr. G tries to find out whether the overdose caused the woman's death, or if the woman died of a complication of her condition.A 50-year-old woman collapses at home and dies in the hospital. The woman had been experiencing chronic pain for years due to injuries received in a car accident. The woman experienced depression due to the pain, making suicide a possible cause of death. It's up to Dr. G to find out if the woman took her life, accidentally overdosed on her pain medication, or died in some other way.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Dr. G: Medical Examiner
Every episode of Dr. G: Medical Examiner ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Dr. G: Medical Examiner!
Dr. G: Medical Examiner is a reality television series shown on TLC and Discovery Fit & Health. Dr. G, or Dr. Jan Garavaglia, is the...
Genres:DocumentaryCrimeReality
Network:Discovery Health Channel
Best Episodes Summary
"The Chain of Life and Death" is the best rated episode of "Dr. G: Medical Examiner". It scored 8.6/10 based on 11 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 10/29/2004. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Who Is Watching the Children?".