According to Norwegian law, cases where medical diagnostic procedures or treatment may have caused death shall be reported to the police. During the period 1993-1995, an autopsy was performed at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Oslo, in 76 cases of such deaths in hospital. In only one case did the police investigation result in a sentence for malpractice. The chief county medical officers react more often; in 16% of the cases, hospital procedures were criticised, or the hospitals were advised to improve hospital routines, and another 14% of the cases were reported to the Norwegian Board of Health. Thus, as expected, the chief county medical officers react more often with criticism than the police do with accusation. The appearance of the police in the hospital often implies a serious conflict of cultures. There are good arguments for specialists in forensic medicine acting as intermediaries between the health service and the judicial system.