Nile Valley Forensics

In this paper, I will discuss the background of forensic pathology, the pros and cons of forensic pathology, and the similar and different in a forensic pathologist and a coroner. There are various disciplines in Forensic Science that can help with a crime, and solving that crime. One of these various disciplines is Forensic Pathology which the study of disease, and its causes, moreover; it involves the discovering the cause of the death where a death is sudden or suspicion to law enforcement. While a Forensic Pathologist can be helpful to law enforcement, and helpful in assisting in crime investigation, there are cons to being forensic pathologist. Furthermore, forensic pathologist can be confused with coroner even though they do the same

Anthropology is the study of humans and the human condition and it is considered to be the most holistic of the social sciences because it integrates every aspect of life, from religion to politics, from language to economics, the study of anthropology attempts to understand our place in this universe as humans. Forensic anthropology, on the other hand, is a unique sub-field that falls within the category of physical anthropology and consists of the examination of human remains. It involves “reading the evidence in the bones” in order to identity a decedent as well as to help determine the cause and time of death, by applying skeletal analysis and archeological techniques to help solve criminal cases. Forensic

We find that the “oldest written sources of western medicine are The Hippocratic writings from the 5th and 4th centuries BC; which covers all aspects of medicine at that time and contain numerous medical terms.”(Wulff) This was the beginning of the Greek era of the language of medicine, which lasted even after the Roman

The word autopsy derives from the Greek word autopsia, which means “the act of seeing for oneself” (Autopsy 1). An autopsy purpose is to “determine the cause of death, observe the effects of disease” (Autopsy 1). Human dissection was frowned upon until after the Middle Ages. The first human dissection was performed in 300 BCE by Herophilus and Erasistratus, two physicians who were studying disease (Autopsy 2). In the late 2nd century CE a Greek physician Galen of Pergamum was the first

The earliest documented example of doctors making the connection between cause of death and crime can be found in a book titled ‘HsiDuan Yu’ (‘The Washing Away of Wrongs’) that dates back to 1248. In this book, doctors describe establishing a case of drowning by the presence of water in a subject 's lungs and identifying a death by strangulation through observing the characteristic ligature marks on the throat and crushed cartilage in the neck (Nickell & Fischer, 2014, p. 6). This same book recounts a case in which insect activity was used to solve a murder: in 1235, a victim was murdered by hacking, and Tzu ordered the men in the village to put their

The idea of using the science has been started before the debuting of Sherlock Holmes in 1887, who had introduced about the forensic science to help criminal investigation. In history, the work of forensic scientists was performed by medical personnel. Until the end of eighteenth century, the attempts of French medical jurist Antoine Louis, crime solving Chinese book “ Hsi Duan Yu”(the washing way of wrongs), etc gave ideas about determining time of death, analyzing blood stain, identifying chemical used in crime, etc. After eighteenth century, the modern chemistry paved new way of identifying crime like the idea of measuring height, length of right ear and outstretched

Should the case have legal implications relating to the cause of death, a forensic expert may be called upon to provide testimony in criminal and civil cases. Part of the expert witness testimony maybe by a forensic anthropologist who could delineate the length of the postmortem interval of when the human remains were discovered or determine cause and manner of death. Therefore, it is essential that the medicolegal death investigation follows established and approved procedures, so that the evidence will be admissible in court.

The purpose of a forensic autopsy is to find out the time of death, the mechanism of death, and the manner of death. The time of death is what led to the death, the mechanism of death refers to anything used to kill the person, and the manner of death is either homicide or suicide.

The beginnings of forensics science were very rudimentary, but an amazing science for that generation. One of the earliest known forensic scientists was a Roman lawyer named Quintilian, who was able to prove a man’s innocence by a bloody handprint, which was found at the scene, around 1000[A.D.]. (Lyle). Was it simple knowledge? Yes, however, this lead to further improvements as time progressed.

A thirst for knowledge can lead to many great achievements in life and provide a tremendous understanding of a subject that was unfamiliar or ambiguous to most people, which benefits society. The more that people understand and study a subject, the subject becomes more simple and straightforward. When people strive for information, people are now able to stop and keep atrocious behaviors at bay. In the non-fiction book, “The Killer of Little Shepard,” written by Douglas Star is an engaging book about the development of forensic science that lead to the birth of modern forensics. The author gives great details on how the formation towards modern forensics while telling the story of a serial killer- Joseph Vacher- in late 19th century France;

The book gives a general overview of the field of forensic science. The sections of the book include “The Scene of the Crime; Working the Scene--The Evidence; Working the Scene of the Body Human;

There are two ways forensic pathologist labels the cause of death: proximate cause of death and immediate cause of death. Proximate cause of death is a sequence of events that ultimately led to death. While, immediate cause of death is an injury or disease that led to the death of an individual (Forensic Pathology). Once the cause of death is acknowledged, the pathologist has to establish the manner of death. The manner of death can be homicide, suicide, accidental, or from natural causes. Forensic pathologist has to give an account for ‘normal’ postmortem changes, such as Rigor mortis, Liver mortis, desiccation, and putrefaction and mummification. When Rigor mortis occur, the body’s muscles decompose and become extremely rigid. When the blood of a corpses settle in an area it causes Livor

Dating back to 3000 BCE the invention of writing began in Egypt. This invention marked Egypt as the beginning of medicine due to their ability to record their findings and knowledge. While Egyptians thought gods demons and spirits played a key role in causing diseases they provide us the first look of the art of healing that we have come to call medical care. Most of the knowledge we know about medicine is all thanks to the numerous papyruses found in archaeological searches. One papyrus that impacted the medical field is the Edwin Smith papyrus, which dates back to as early as 3000 BC. Imhotep, a physician to King Djoser, lived in about 2600 BC and thought of as the father of medicine. It is believed that Imhotep was the author of the Edwin

I am obtaining my degree in Biological Anthropology and contemplating a minor in forensic studies due to my fascination and aspirations to one day work within the field of forensic anthropology. While I was reviewing the chapter 1 notes, I realized that this class is more than just a requirement for my degree. It is perhaps one of the most important classes I will take to achieve success in my career. The world of forensic anthropology is completely encapsulated with technical writing and communication.  A forensic anthropologist is responsible for analyzing and identifying human skeletal remains of people who are no longer identifiable to the untrained eye due to things such as advanced decomposition. The investigational methods and procedures

Great leaps have been made in the field of forensic science since its humble beginnings in 300BC. However, the surge of advancements within forensic science did not appear until the early 1800s. That is not say that early uses, of what would later become known as forensic science, were not impactful. Without these early ideas, we may not be where we are today.