Body of Evidence: The History of Forensic Medicine

A century after the execution of Dr Crippen for the murder of his wife, Fraser Joyce argues that, in cases hingeing on identification, histories of forensic medicine need to consider the roles played by the public as well as by experts.

Dr Crippen and Ethel Le Neve on trial at the Old Bailey

Traditionally the history of forensic medicine in murder cases focuses on the ‘experts’ in the field, such as toxicologists, psychologists and pathologists. It often neglects the ordinary people to whom the body in question has profound personal meaning and whose contribution to the investigation is more peripheral but nevertheless significant. 

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