Forensics Book Summary - Forensics Book explained in key points

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Forensics summary

Name: Forensics
Rating: 4.7 (17 reviews)
Author: Val McDermid

Val McDermid

What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA, and More Tell Us About Crime

4.7 (17 ratings)

29 mins

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Natural Sciences Life Sciences Diseases & Illnesses Memoirs

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Forensics
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What’s in it for me? Discover how the evolution and power of forensics plays a crucial role in solving crime.

Most of us, at some point, have either watched or at least flicked through some sort of series featuring forensics, be it CSI or something else. But have you ever thought about the actual forensic process and how it came to be what it is today?

Ever since Sherlock Holmes used forensic evidence to solve crimes, we have been intrigued by the subject. And yet, most of us don’t know that much about how it actually works. Forensics is an in-depth exploration of the field’s history – its different specialists and experts and the methods that they use.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

how four bones led to the conviction of the “sausage king” of Chicago;
that blowflies can help determine time of death; and
how Japanese pottery inspired one of forensics most well-known methods.

For 100 years, crime scene investigators have been securing forensic evidence.

If you spend any time in front of the TV, then you know that there’s no shortage of detective shows out there. Crime Scene Investigators, or CSIs, have become an integral part of today’s pop culture. But forensic science isn’t just a made-for-TV phenomenon.

Investigators of real crime scenes have been helping police collect and interpret evidence since the nineteenth century, when evidence-based legal proceedings were established. However, forensic techniques remained quite rudimentary until Edmond Locard came along in the early 1900s.

Locard established the world’s first crime scene investigation laboratory in 1910 in Lyon, France. Inspired by the fictional Sherlock Holmes, Locard’s most influential contribution to forensic science is the aptly-named Locard Principle, which states: “Every contact leaves a trace.”

But the principles of modern crime scene analysis were established later, in 1931, when Frances Glessner Lee founded the Harvard School of Legal Medicine. There, she created the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Deaths, a series of intricate dollhouse-sized crime scenes that serve as a pedagogical tool for forensics students.

But what do CSIs actually do?

Once a police detective has secured a crime scene, it’s time for the CSI to get to work. She starts with an initial inspection of the scene, collecting inceptive evidence, that is, clearly recognizable evidence, like weapons or a bloody fingerprint. This is done very carefully; full-body suits, gloves and hairnets are worn, in order to keep the scene uncontaminated.

The crime scene is then photographed from floor to ceiling and corner to corner. Every possible piece of evidence is bagged and clearly documented for a secure journey from crime scene to courtroom.

It’s crucial that CSIs work quickly to ensure that the most compelling evidence makes it to the courtroom. Even if a prime suspect is apprehended, police can’t keep them forever, so identifying inceptive evidence quickly is paramount.

In fact, speed is so important that modern CSI experts are considering introducing mobile investigation labs and mobile technology that would speed up the investigative process.

Fire scene investigators face a unique set of challenges that separate them from standard CSIs.

Ever since the Great Fire of London of 1666, during which a fire at a baker’s shop resulted in a conflagration that incinerated over 13,000 homes, there has been a need for fire scene investigators. But how do these investigators find the source of something as evidence-obliterating as fire?

A proper fire scene investigation starts from the outside and moves inward. After the firefighters have stopped the fire and a structural engineer gives the go-ahead, a fire scene investigator arrives to interview witnesses, photograph the scene and scrutinize the outside of the building for evidence.

Entomology, the study of insects, can prove crucial in determining times of death.

The idea of inspecting insects found on or in a corpse may be nauseating. But scrutinizing creepy-crawlies is in fact an ancient forensic tool.

The first recorded example of forensic entomology dates back to 1247, when Chinese official Song Ci produced a coroner’s handbook.

Forensic pathologists’ examinations of corpses have a long legacy as a valuable forensic resource.

The first recorded instance of forensic pathology dates back to Julius Caesar in 44 BC, and since then forensic pathology has been an indispensable tool in determining cause of death.

An autopsy, much like investigations of fires, starts outside and moves inward. Investigators start by collecting biological samples, like hair and fingernail scrapings, and then rigorously document every scar and physical feature before making a Y-shaped incision in the body to examine the organs.

Forensic toxicologists study one of the oldest and sneakiest murder weapons: poison.

Throughout history, poison has been a choice murder weapon. It’s up to forensic toxicologists to stay abreast of new lethal substances and be able to identify them and search for antidotes.

In fact, historically, toxicology has been as much about saving lives as convicting criminals.

Fingerprinting was one of the most groundbreaking forensic developments of all.

While fingerprinting is ubiquitous in modern forensics, the story of how it came to be is quite curious.

It all started with Henry Faulds, a Scottish missionary in Tokyo who was inspired by the way Japanese potters marked their pots with finger imprints. He discovered that these subtle prints became visible when dusted with powder.

Analysis of bloodstains and DNA has revolutionized forensic science.

Bloodstains do more than simply indicate that a crime was committed. They can actually tell us what weapon was used and where and how the fatal blow was struck. It can also tell us who did it.

Fittingly, the science of bloodstain analysis has some pretty bloody beginnings. In 1895, at the Institute for Forensic Medicine in Poland, Edward Piotrowski, in order to better understand blood patterns found at crime scenes, bashed rabbits on the head and had a painter document how the blood spattered. Using these paintings, he published the first paper on bloodstain patterns made from blows to the head.

Forensic anthropologists – specialists in skeletal remains – are important in identifying the deceased.

Could you identify your friend by looking at their skeleton? Probably not. When a skeleton is all that remains of a body, identification becomes extremely difficult – that is, unless you’re a forensic anthropologist.

Forensic anthropology was first put on the map for the general public in 1897, during the trial of the “sausage king” of Chicago, who murdered his wife and tried to dispose of the remains in an industrial sausage vat. Forensic anthropologists were able to identify four bones found at the crime scene as being from a woman’s body. This evidence, along with the fact that his wife’s wedding ring was also found at the scene, led to his conviction.

Facial reconstruction technicians have developed methods for solving otherwise unsolvable mysteries.

The first thing that comes to mind when trying to describe a person is usually that person’s facial features. However, when someone dies, the body decays, causing them to lose these identifiable characteristics. Forensic scientists use facial reconstruction to fit faces to the dead.

Facial reconstruction is based on an understanding of the 22 bones that make up the human skull; such anatomical expertise enables technicians to recreate an individual’s face.

Digital forensics, the analysis of computer evidence, is an evolving field that helps establish a crime’s timeline.

When suspects are interrogated by police, they tell all kinds of stories, both true and false, to prove their innocence. But how can police discern which stories are true and which false? Today, digital forensics has proven crucial in establishing a timeline and validating or disproving an alibi.

In the 1980s, digital forensics was largely about fraudulent business activities. All that changed with the advent of Windows 95, which made it easy for criminals to use personal computers to commit crimes.

Forensic psychology is the science of making sense of crimes by getting inside the mind of the criminal.

Sometimes an investigation dead-ends: all clues and leads go cold. At this point, investigators have to get creative. In such cases, they can bring in forensic psychologists, who, rather than identifying a particular suspect, build a profile of possible suspects and point investigators in the right direction.

Forensic psychology is a relatively recent addition to forensic science. While the first offender profile dates back to 1888 (in the case of Jack the Ripper), it didn’t become a serious tool for the police until the conviction of George Metesky, the “mad bomber” of New York, who was captured after a profile created by psychiatrist Dr. James Brussel was released to the public in 1957.

Forensic evidence must overcome some serious challenges to be admissible in court.

Finding the evidence is only half the battle. It takes an entirely different set of skills to present that evidence in court so that it will be intelligible to jurors. Unfortunately, lawyers sometimes present evidence in a manner that suits their purposes, rather than those intended by the forensic scientist.

Being able to provide good expert testimony in a courtroom is plagued by many challenges, the first of which being the chain of custody of forensic evidence, that is, the path it took from the crime scene to the courtroom. If evidence wasn’t handled with meticulous care and proper documentation showing all the steps, it could become inadmissible in court.

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What is Forensics about?

Forensics (2014) provides an inside look at the morbid world of forensic investigation. Filled with fascinating history and anecdotes from real criminal cases, Forensics gives you a complete, compelling overview of everything that happens during the investigation of a crime scene.

Who should read Forensics?

Those interested in the history of forensic science
Aspiring criminal investigators
People who watch shows like CSI

About the Author

Val McDermid is an award-winning crime novelist who began her career as a bureau chief for a national UK tabloid. Her best-selling Tony Hill novels were the inspiration for the popular UK television series Wire in the Blood.

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