Doctor examined skeleton (8)
I believe the answer is:
sawbones
'doctor' is the definition.
(sawbones is a kind of doctor)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sawbones that I've seen before include "Surgeon or doctor (slang)" , "operator" , "A slang surgeon, sounds grating" , "Surgeon (joc.)" .)