Cutting-edge accounts of special topics from various fields of forensic pathology and death scene investigation. The authors explore new avenues for analyzing the pathology of death from starvation (child neglect), head injuries inflicted by glass bottles, the clinical and pathological features of primary cerebral neoplasms, obesity as it is relevant to the forensic pathologist, and infant and early childhood asphyxial death. Other areas of interest covered include suicide, viral myocarditis in sudden death cases, curious death scene phenomena (hiding, covering and undressing), forensic entomology, the interpretation of toxicological findings, anabolic-androgenic-steroid abuse, and autopsy findings of subendocardial hemorrhages.

***PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE released a film based on "The Poisoner's Handbook "in January 2014***
Equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller, "The Poisoner's Handbook" is "a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie" ("The New York Observer")
A fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder, "The Poisoner's Handbook" is a page-turning account of a forgotten era. In early twentieth-century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. Science had no place in the Tammany Hall-controlled coroner's office, and corruption ran rampant. However, with the appointment of chief medical examiner Charles Norris in 1918, the poison game changed forever. Together with toxicologist Alexander Gettler, the duo set the justice system on fire with their trailblazing scientific detective work, triumphing over seemingly unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry and the gatekeepers of justice.

It is at least a decade since scientists turned their imaginations to creating new compact, portable test instruments and self-contained test kits that could be used to analyze urine and saliva for alcohol, drugs, and their metabolites. Although the potential applications for such tests at the site of specimen collection, now called "on-site" or "point-of-care" testing, range far beyond hospital emergency rooms and law enforcement needs, it was catalyzed by the requirements of workplace drug testing and other drugs-of-abuse testing programs. These programs are now a minor national industry in the United States and in some western European countries, and cover populations as diverse as the military, incarcerated criminals, people suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, all athletes from college to professional ranks, and of course the general employed population, which is monitored for illegal drug use and numbers in the millions. It is not surprising, then, that the need for rapid and precise tests, conducted economically by trained professionals, has become a major goal. Current government approved and peer reviewed laboratory methods for urine analysis serve present needs very well and have become remarkably robust over the past twenty years, but the logistics of testing some moving populations, such as the military, the Coast Guard, workers on off-shore oil platforms, and athletes-perhaps the most mobile of these groups-are unacceptably cumbersome.

Prominent experts explain the pharmacology and metabolism of benzodiazepines (LDB) and g-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and offer powerful and effective methodologies that will enable better detection of these drugs in various body fluids, as well as in hair. The techniques include highly sensitive immunoassay detection of LDBs, the detection of Rohypnol (R) and other LDBs by mass spectrometry, and the ultrasensitive detection of GHB. State-of-the-art and highly practical, Benzodiazepines and GHB: Detection and Pharmacology offers toxicologists, forensic scientists, and clinical chemists today's most effective methods for detecting these widely abused drugs that are sometimes found associated with criminal acts.

A concise compilation of the known interactions of the most commonly prescribed drugs, as well as their interaction with nonprescription compounds. The agents covered include CNS drugs, cardiovascular drugs, antibiotics, and NSAIDs. For each class of drugs the authors review the pharmacology, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, chemistry, metabolism, epidemiological occurrences, adverse reactions, and significant interactions. Environmental and social pharmacological issues are also addressed in chapters on food and alcohol drug interactions, nicotine and tobacco, and anabolic doping agents.
Comprehensive and easy-to-use, Handbook of Drug Interactions: A Clinical and Forensic Guide provides physicians with all the information needed to avoid prescribing drugs with undesirable interactions, and toxicologists with all the data necessary to interpret possible interactions between drugs found simultaneously in patient samples.

This complete laboratory reference manual explains the principles behind solid phase extraction (SPE) and provides readily reproducible protocols for solving extraction problems in forensic and clinical chemistry. Numerous actual chromatograms, based on original research and diverse applications, demonstrate the technique and the results that can be achieved. Extensive appendices allow fast access to frequently needed information on reagents, the preparation of solutions and buffers, milliequivalent and millimode calculations, buffers and pKa for SPE, and a complete RapidTrace (R) technical manual. Each proven protocol is described in step-by-step detail and contains an introduction outlining the principle behind the technique, lists of equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and on avoiding known pitfalls.

Sudden in-custody restraint deaths have emerged as a critical and imp- tant problem for police, correctional, and medical care workers. The scope and magnitude of the problem clearly reveals that the subject matter is worthy of further consideration. Although the frequency of these deaths is very low, the criticality of its occurrence requires attention to the subject matter. The purpose of Sudden Deaths in Custody is to provide current information that addresses the issue from a number of perspectives. It is our purpose to assemble, under one title, current research that addresses the varying facets that underscore the nature of sudden in-custody deaths. The intent is to provide information that can further educate and assist those officers, adm- istrators, investigators, trainers, and medical personnel who must interact, intervene, and make decisions about how to prevent sudden in-custody deaths. Sudden Deaths in Custody specifically addresses sudden in-custody deaths that occur after a violent confrontation. Such incidents may occur after police or correction officers' intervention, but also include incidents that may occur in a mental health facility or emergency medical field setting. The deaths described in this volume all involve sudden death within minutes or hours of contact preceded by one or more of the following: violent confrontation with police or corrections personnel, forcible control measures, and behavior inf- enced by a chemical substance, or mental impairment. Incidents involving custodial suicides, homicides, accidents, fatal pursuits, or police shootings are excluded.

Leading forensic pathologists from around the world synthesize the practical advances in a variety of important subspecialties of forensic pathology and demonstrate how the latest medical and scientific progress is being applied to solve current problems of high interest to forensic pathologists today. The authors offer cutting-edge insights into death from environmental conditions (lightning and elder abuse), homicide by sharp force, death from natural causes (asthma, Marfan syndrome, and peliosis of the liver and spleen), and pathology of human endothelium in septic organ failure. Additional chapters address special aspects of crime scene interpretation and behavioral analysis, neogenesis of ethanol and fusel oils in putrefying blood, agrochemical poisoning, imaging techniques in forensic pathology, and fixation techniques for organs and parenchymal structures. A comprehensive, up-to-date review of the international literature is given for each chapter.

Handbook of Autopsy Practice, Fourth Edition is divided into three parts. Part I contains six new chapters in which the reader will find an assortment of tools that will increase the value of the autopsy. Included in the section are valuable resources and tools such as a sample next-of-kin letter, a quality assurance worksheet, new discourse on the dissection procedure which is accompanied by a worksheet and template for the gross description. There is also a new, detailed discussion of the safe handling of sharps, complete with photographs and the reader will also find the updated requirements of the Eye Bank of America and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for ocular tissue transplantation.

Part II has been updated with new diseases and recent references added. Practicing autopsy pathologists, residents and students are invited to review this alphabetical listing of disorders before each autopsy in order to re-acquaint themselves with what they might encounter. Part III provides a series of tables providing organ weights and body measurements for fetuses, children and adults.

Handbook of Autopsy Practice Fourth Edition is an essential resource for clinicians, pathologists, residents and students who strive to hone their trade and increase the value of the autopsies they perform.

This book introduces the reader to the basic principles of handwriting and the factors that affect their development. The book discusses the basic concept of the characteristics of writing that are compared when making an identification or elimination of a writer. In addition, readers will be able to recognize the signs of forgery and disguise and to distinguish between simulation and disguise.

Criminal Profiling: Principles and Practice provides a compendium of original scientific research on constructing a criminal profile for crimes that are not readily resolvable by conventional police investigative methods. Leading profiling expert Richard N. Kocsis, PhD, utilizes a distinct approach referred to as Crime Action Profiling (CAP), a technique that has its foundations in the disciplinary knowledge of forensic psychology. The initial four chapters examine the skills, accuracy, components, and processes surrounding the construction of a criminal profile. The next two chapters focus on CAP research, the methods developed for the profiling of violent crimes and describing a systematic method for the interpretation and use of the CAP models. The subsequent three chapters canvass the respective CAP studies undertaken for crimes of serial rape, serial/sexual murder, and serial arson. An explanation for how each of the models is developed is also given. The final chapters of the book are devoted to the geographical analysis of crime patterns and to a discussion of the format conventions and procedural guidelines for developing a criminal profile. Offering a scientifically grounded method for the construction of a criminal profile, Criminal Profiling: Principles and Practice provides law enforcement personnel, forensic psychologists and psychiatrists, criminologists, and forensic investigators with a step-by-step, practical guide for understanding and applying CAP techniques for the construction of a criminal profile in a systematic and replicable manner.

An international panel of experts from diverse specialties examine the idea of "evil" in a medical context, specifically a mental health setting, to consider how the concept can be usefully interpreted, and to elucidate its relationship to forensic psychiatry. The authors challenge the belief that the concept of "evil" plays no role in "scientific" psychiatry and is not helpful to our understanding of aberrant human thinking and behavior. Among the viewpoints up for debate are a consideration of organizations as evil structures, the "medicalization" of evil, destruction as a constructive choice, violence as a secular evil, talking about evil when it is not supposed to exist, and the influence of evil on forensic clinical practice. Among the highlights are a psychological exploration of the notion of "evil" and a variety of interesting research methods used to explore the nature of "evil."

Commingling of human remains presents an added challenge to all phases of the forensic process. This book brings together tools from diverse sources within forensic science to offer a set of comprehensive approaches to handling commingled remains. It details the recovery of commingled remains in the field, the use of triage in the assessment of commingling, various analytical techniques for sorting and determining the number of individuals, the role of DNA in the overall process, ethical considerations, and data management. In addition, the book includes case examples that illustrate techniques found to be successful and those that proved problematic.

Forensic mental health assessment (FMHA) has grown into a specialization informed by research and professional guidelines. This series presents up-to-date information on the most important and frequently conducted forms of FMHA. The 19 topical volumes address best approaches to practice for particular types of evaluation in the criminal, civil, and juvenile/family areas. Each volume contains a thorough discussion of the relevant legal and psychological concepts, followed by a step-by-step description of the assessment process from preparing for the evaluation to writing the report and testifying in court.
Volumes include the following helpful features:
- Boxes that zero in on important information for use in evaluations
- Tips for best practice and cautions against common pitfalls
- Highlighting of relevant case law and statutes
- Separate list of assessment tools for easy reference
- Helpful glossary of key terms for the particular topic
In making recommendations for best practice, authors consider empirical support, legal relevance, and consistency with ethical and professional standards. These volumes offer invaluable guidance for anyone involved in conducting or using forensic evaluations.
This book considers those legal, ethical and assessment issues that arise when forensic mental health professionals are asked to evaluate an individual's capacity to waive his or her Miranda rights, and the subsequent validity of the confession.

Dr Geoffrey Garrett was for over 30 years a Home Office pathologist. This is his personal memoir, in conjunction with crime journalist Andrew Nott, of many infamous, unusual and heartbreaking cases and a fascinating history of his professional life, giving a unique insight into a pathologist's work. Beginning with a no-holds-barred account of the basic methodology of a post-mortem examination, the book chronicles many memorable cases, including: The discovery of a preserved body on the Yorkshire moors later identified as the first victim of the Moors Murderers The murders of three policemen plus the apprehension of a murderer who turned out to be a policeman's son An examination of sex crimes The Moss: a seminal piece on Manchester's 'Bronx' - Dr Garrett reveals life in the ghetto, the drug gangs and how they operate How a man's face, burned beyond recognition, was reconstructed to help solve a murder Plus examples of many other baffling crimes which were resolved on the pathologist's table.

More than 38 million people around the world live with HIV/AIDS. For decades, scientists have been studying AIDS and the HIV virus that causes it. This fascinating book describes its emergence as a new disease and the reasons why it took as long as it did to find a treatment. Find out how, thanks to new treatments and technologies, this disease that was once almost unstoppable can now be effectively treated and, in some cases, cured.

Child abuse and suspicious child deaths are very complicated matters for clinicians, pathologists, law enforcement officials and legal professionals to investigate. Meanwhile, the evidence base for forensic pathology, especially in paediatrics, is steadily growing. In Paediatric Forensic Medicine and Pathology, two internationally acclaimed editors have brought together a first class author team who provide an up-to-date, comprehensive, and thorough review of the contemporary problems encountered in practice today. Individual chapters explore the emerging role of imaging in the diagnosis of non-accidental injury and compare recent evidence contrasting sudden infant death and SIDS; the head and neck injury chapter carefully explores the 'shaken baby syndrome' and similar patterns of injury that have recently gained widespread media attention. Special emphasis is given to interview and assessment procedures, and useful clinical forms are included throughout the book. Whether in a clinical, laboratory, or legal setting, readers dealing with forensic inquiries or who are in preparation for court will find the comprehensive background and evidence base necessary to support their investigations. Paediatric Forensic Medicine and Pathology is an invaluable resource for forensic pathologists, paediatric pathologists, and paediatricians, as well as all practitioners in the judicial and legal, criminal investigation and social services systems that have to deal with such cases.

Despite important technological advances, most forensic investigations and prosecutions still rely heavily upon human factors. It is in understanding these human factors that psychology has a major role to play.

This book brings together cutting-edge researchers in forensic psychology to show how psychological knowledge can be applied to investigating and prosecuting offences. It takes a holistic approach, linking together the different stages of the investigation and prosecution processes, demonstrating what psychology can contribute at each stage. The links between maximising reporting rates, thorough investigation, proper presentation of evidence in court, and of effective sentencing policy are examined. Potential pitfalls for the investigative and prosecution process are outlined and ways of overcoming these problems discussed.

"Practical Psychology for Forensic Investigations and Prosecutions" describes contemporary research but it is also immensely practical. Written for police officers, lawyers, forensic psychologists and social workers, it will also be a valuable resource for all psychology students who wish to see how psychology can assist policing and the law

The field of psychology-law is extremely broad, encompassing a strikingly large range of topic areas in both applied psychology and experimental psychology. Importantly, both applied and experimental psychologists have made meaningful contributions to the psychology-law field, and each of these domains includes a range of well-developed topic areas with robust empirical support. Despite the continued and rapid growth of the field, there is no current and comprehensive resource that provides coverage of the major topic areas in the psychology-law field. The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Law fills this gap and offers an up-to-date, scholarly, and broad overview of psychology-law topics. David DeMatteo and Kyle C. Scherr have brought together a diverse group of highly esteemed applied and experimental researchers and scholars to discuss key topics in the field from both national and international perspectives. The volume is broadly divided into three sections: foundational psychology-law, applied psychology-law, and experimental-psychology-law. The Foundational Psychology-Law section includes chapters that are relevant to both applied psychology and experimental psychology, making a unique contribution that ties together the applied and experimental aspects of the field. The Applied Psychology-Law section provides coverage of topics related to the provision of forensic services (broadly defined) in criminal and civil legal contexts. Lastly, the Experimental Psychology-Law section covers empirically examined legal system issues and outcomes related to victims, offenders, witnesses, attorneys, and triers of fact. With comprehensive coverage of both applied and experimental topic areas and chapters written by a diverse group of well-established psychology-law scholars and emerging future leaders, this Handbook presents emerging, cutting-edge topics in psychology-law that will continue to grow and meaningfully shape future research programs and policy reform.

The Practice of Forensic Neuropsychology focuses the awareness of neuropsychologists on the critical areas of forensic practice that should be considered during each phase of a scientific neuropsychological examination/investigation. Written by three eminent neuropsychologists and a seasoned attorney, this important book contains practical information and guidelines for conducting valid and reliable forensic neuropsychological examinations that aid the 'trier-of-fact' in both civil and criminal settings. The authors also include vital information to help attorneys evaluate neuropsychological claims put forth by their own or opposing experts.

La moria grandissima began its terrible journey across the European and Asian continents in 1347, leaving unimaginable devastation in its wake. Five years later, twenty-five million people were dead, felled by the scourge that would come to be called the Black Death. The Great Mortality is the extraordinary epic account of the worst natural disaster in European history -- a drama of courage, cowardice, misery, madness, and sacrifice that brilliantly illuminates humankind's darkest days when an old world ended and a new world was born.

This book is the second volume in the Recent Advances in Forensic Medicine and Toxicology series. Volume One (9789351525585) published in 2014. Divided into five sections, the text provides specialists and trainees with the very latest advances and information in their field. The book begins with discussion on medical jurisprudence and legal issues covering issues such as medical negligence and medical evidence in victim examination. The next chapters cover clinical forensic medicine describing specific cases, and forensic pathology explaining autopsy for different scenarios. New to this volume, are two final sections which discuss advances in forensic anthropology, examination of skeletal remains, and controversies in forensic testing and investigations. Key points New volume presenting latest advances and information in forensic medicine and toxicology Covers medical jurisprudence, clinical forensic medicine and forensic pathology Volume Two features two new sections on forensic anthropology and forensic science Highly illustrated with forensic photographs, diagrams, tables and boxes

Back to the Asylum explains why American mental health law and policy now emphasize "law and order" rather than individualized justice and civil liberties, and why mental health law is currently being reshaped to protect society rather than the mentally ill. The authors convincingly demonstrate how rapidly changing American values gave shape to two very different visions of justice for the mentally ill. They argue that from about 1960 to 1980 - what they call the Liberal era - Americans staunchly supported civil liberties for all, particularly for disadvantaged citizens like the mentally ill. In fact, criminal law itself provided ample opportunities for mentally ill offenders to escape punishment for their crimes. Moreover, deinstitutionalization and restrictive civil commitment laws made it difficult to hospitalize the mentally disabled against their will. However, from 1980 on - what the authors call the Neoconservative era - Americans, fearful of rising crime and the increasing number of homeless in their communities, demanded new laws to restore law and order. Today, it is much harder for mentally ill offenders to escape criminal blame and far easier to put other disturbed citizens into hospitals against their will.

Back to the Asylum masterfully explains how this abrupt shift in mental health law and policy - a shift from protecting individual civil rights to protecting the community - impacted the mentally ill. It examines these legal changes in their broader social context and offers a provocative analysis of whether these law reforms had their intended effect. Finally it forecasts the future of mental health law and policy as America enters the twenty-first century.