Forensic Medicine in Western Society

Forensic Medicine in Western Society
Author: Katherine D. Watson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 462
Release: 2010-11-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1136890572

The first book of its kind, Forensic Medicine in Western Society: A History draws on the most recent developments in the historiography, to provide an overview of the history of forensic medicine in the West from the medieval period to the present day. Taking an international, comparative perspective on the changing nature of the relationship between medicine, law and society, it examines the growth of medico-legal ideas, institutions and practices in Britain, Europe (principally France, Italy and Germany) and the United States. Following a thematic structure within a broad chronological framework, the book focuses on practitioners, the development of notions of ‘expertise’ and the rise of the expert, the main areas of the criminal law to which forensic medicine contributed, medical attitudes towards the victims and perpetrators of crime, and the wider influences such attitudes had. It thus develops an understanding of how medicine has played an active part in shaping legal, political and social change. Including case studies which provide a narrative context to tie forensic medicine to the societies in which it was practiced, and a further reading section at the end of each chapter, Katherine D. Watson creates a vivid portrait of a topic of relevance to social historians and students of the history of medicine, law and crime.

Forensic Medicine in Western Society

Forensic Medicine in Western Society
Author: Katherine Denise Watson
Publisher: Taylor & Francis US
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2011
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780415447713

Annotation This highly original text presents an overview of the history of forensic medicine in the West since the medieval period right up to the present day.

History of Forensic Medicine

History of Forensic Medicine
Author: Burkhard Madea
Publisher: Lehmanns Media
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2017-01-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 386541205X

Forensic Medicine is an old medical discipline defined as “that science, which teaches the application of every branch of medical knowledge to the purpose of the law” (Alfred Swaine Taylor). Forensic Medicine deals with medical evidence not only in practice but also in research and furthermore all legal essentials in health care especially for doctors are part of teaching, training and research. Several steps in the development of Forensic Medicine can be distinguished: At first the use of medical knowledge for legal and public purposes.Secondly the compulsory medical testimony for the guidance of judges.Thirdly the professionalization as an own academic discipline. The development and existence of a speciality of Forensic Medicine depends essentially on two factors: on a sufficiently high development of the law and on a sufficiently high development of medicine. The period of professionalization of Forensic Medicine as an own academic discipline started in the 19th century, especially in Paris, Vienna, London, Edin­burgh, Berlin. Since than the world has changed dramatically and we are now witnesses of a rapid, deep-rooted social cultural, legal and technological trans­formation. Already 40 years ago Professor Bernhard Knight wrote in a survey on legal medicine in Europe: “In all aspects of life, the exchange of information on an inter­national level can do nothing but good and legal medicine is no exception.” This book on the History of Forensic Medicine is an approach in this direction. Forensic Medicine has a long and rich tradition since medical expertise has to face legal ques­tions and new questions and developments raised by the society. The aim of this book is to address the state of Forensic Medicine in different coun­tries worldwide. With contributions from Europe, China, Japan, the United States and the United Arabic Emirates.

Medicine and Justice

Medicine and Justice
Author: Katherine D. Watson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2019-12-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000765377

This monograph makes a major new contribution to the historiography of criminal justice in England and Wales by focusing on the intersection of the history of law and crime with medical history. It does this through the lens provided by one group of historical actors, medical professionals who gave evidence in criminal proceedings. They are the means of illuminating the developing methods and personnel associated with investigating and prosecuting crime in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when two linchpins of modern society, centralised policing and the adversarial criminal trial, emerged and matured. The book is devoted to two central questions: what did medical practitioners contribute to the investigation of serious violent crime in the period 1700 to 1914, and what impact did this have on the process of criminal justice? Drawing on the details of 2,600 cases of infanticide, murder and rape which occurred in central England, Wales and London, the book offers a comparative long-term perspective on medico-legal practice – that is, what doctors actually did when they were faced with a body that had become the object of a criminal investigation. It argues that medico-legal work developed in tandem with and was shaped by the needs of two evolving processes: pre-trial investigative procedures dominated successively by coroners, magistrates and the police; and criminal trials in which lawyers moved from the periphery to the centre of courtroom proceedings. In bringing together for the first time four groups of specialists – doctors, coroners, lawyers and police officers – this study offers a new interpretation of the processes that shaped the modern criminal justice system.

The History of Forensic Science in India

The History of Forensic Science in India
Author: Saumitra Basu
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2021-08-24
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000411192

This book explores the interaction between science and society and the development of forensic science as well as the historical roots of crime detection in colonial India. Covering a period from the mid-19th to mid-20th century, the author examines how British colonial rulers changed the perception of crime which prevailed in the colonial states and introduced forensic science as a measure of criminal identification in the Indian subcontinent. The book traces the historical background of the development and use of forensic science in civil and criminal investigation during the colonial period, and explores the extent to which forensic science has proven useful in investigation and trials. Connecting the historical beginning of forensic science with its socio historical context and diversity of scientific application for crime detection, this book sheds new light on the history of forensic science in colonial India. Using an interdisciplinary approach incorporating science and technology studies and history of crime detection, the book will be of interest to researchers in the fields of forensic science, criminology, science and technology studies, law, South Asian history and colonial history.

Legal Medicine in History

Legal Medicine in History
Author: Michael Clark
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 380
Release: 1994-06-09
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0521395143

A collection of essays on the social history of legal medicine including case studies on infanticide, abortion, coroners' inquests and criminal insanity.

Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States

Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2009-07-29
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0309142393

Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community. The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators.

Forensic Medicine and Death Investigation in Medieval England

Forensic Medicine and Death Investigation in Medieval England
Author: Sara M. Butler
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2014-08-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317610245

England has traditionally been understood as a latecomer to the use of forensic medicine in death investigation, lagging nearly two-hundred years behind other European authorities. Using the coroner's inquest as a lens, this book hopes to offer a fresh perspective on the process of death investigation in medieval England. The central premise of this book is that medical practitioners did participate in death investigation – although not in every inquest, or even most, and not necessarily in those investigations where we today would deem their advice most pertinent. The medieval relationship with death and disease, in particular, shaped coroners' and their jurors' understanding of the inquest's medical needs and led them to conclusions that can only be understood in context of the medieval world's holistic approach to health and medicine. Moreover, while the English resisted Southern Europe's penchant for autopsies, at times their findings reveal a solid understanding of internal medicine. By studying cause of death in the coroners' reports, this study sheds new light on subjects such as abortion by assault, bubonic plague, cruentation, epilepsy, insanity, senescence, and unnatural death.

Medicine and Justice

Medicine and Justice
Author: Katherine D. Watson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2019-12-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781003009801

"This monograph makes a major new contribution to the historiography of criminal justice in England and Wales, by focusing on the intersection of the history of law and crime with medical history. It does this through the lens provided by one group of historical actors, medical professionals who gave evidence in criminal proceedings. They are the means of illuminating the developing methods and personnel associated with investigating and prosecuting crime in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when two linchpins of modern society, centralised policing and the adversarial criminal trial, emerged and matured. The book is devoted to two central questions: what did medical practitioners contribute to the investigation of serious violent crime in the period 1700 to 1914, and what impact did this have on the process of criminal justice? Drawing on the details of 2,600 cases of infanticide, murder and rape which occurred in central England, Wales and London, the book offers a comparative long-term perspective on medico-legal practice - that is, what doctors actually did when they were faced with a body that had become the object of a criminal investigation. It argues that medico-legal work developed in tandem with and was shaped by the needs of two evolving processes: pre-trial investigative procedures dominated successively by coroners, magistrates and the police; and criminal trials in which lawyers moved from the periphery to the centre of courtroom proceedings. In bringing together for the first time four groups of specialists - doctors, coroners, lawyers and police officers - this study offers a new interpretation of the processes that shaped the modern criminal justice system"--