History of Forensic Pathology
Among other duties, forensic pathologists perform autopsies on bodies to determine cause of death. Forensic pathology is a branch of forensic science that can be traced back as far as 44 B.C., but that was not recognized until 1959 in the United States by the American Board of Pathology and until 2003 in Canada.
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Historical Examples
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In 44 B.C., the physician who attended the slain Julius Caesar determined that of the 23 wounds found on the body only one was fatal. In the fifth century, Germanic and Slavic societies were the first to make it a legal requirement for physicians to determine cause of death.
The First Textbook
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China published the first textbook on forensic medicine in 1247. It outlined the procedures that physicians should follow when helping to investigate a suspicious death. In the present day, forensic pathologists aid in the investigation of suspicious, sudden or unexpected deaths.
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Court Testimony
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Forensic pathologists are often called upon to offer expert testimony in civil and criminal court cases. Even as far back as medieval times, before they were called forensic pathologists, medical experts weighed in on court cases. In medieval England, for example, a woman sentenced to hanging could receive a stay of execution if a physician could prove she was pregnant.
Evolution
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In 1986, forensic pathologists used DNA profiling to identify Colin Pitchfork as the murderer of two girls in the English Midlands. In 1987, DNA profiling was introduced into U.S. criminal courts for the first time. That same year, it helped identify Tommy Lee Andrews as a sexual predator who was charged and subsequently convicted of a series of sexual assaults in Orlando, Florida. In 1998, the FBI put together its DNA database, which allowed for interstate cooperation in the investigation of crimes.
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References
- Photo Credit back s image by Andrey Kiselev from Fotolia.com
