My Account Wish List
Advanced Search
Print - Close Window
www.greenwood.com/catalog/C35386.aspx
All Greenwood Products
Crime and Circumstance Investigating the History of Forensic Science
Suzanne Bell
ISBN: 0-313-35386-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-35386-4
272 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 6/30/2008
List Price: $49.95 (UK Sterling Price: £34.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • Suzanne Bell is a well known and accomplished forensic scientist in the U.S.A., and as such has written this interesting and informative book from her own perspective. However, unlike some other publications on this and like subjects that have originated in America, the author embraces this topic from a world-wide panorama. This book weaves an intriguing and engaging tale of how an obscure corner of medicine, dating back to ancient times, matured into modern forensic science. Along the way the author introduces interesting and absorbing cases and personalities across history, nations and cultures which assists the reader to translate what was encountered then, into the reality of current forensic science and laboratory investigation.
    —Internet Law Book Review     10/1/2008
Description: Today, there is more interest in forensic science than ever before. Crime and Circumstance weaves an intriguing tale of how an obscure corner of medicine dating back to ancient times matured into modern forensic science. The author explores the scientific and social threads that created forensic science and continue to drive its evolution in an entertaining narrative that introduces readers to intriguing cases and personalities across history, countries, and cultures and helps readers translate what they encounter in popular media into the reality of forensic science and laboratory investigation.

Through historical and contemporary examples, Bell illustrates how cutting-edge research migrates to forensic laboratories, a transfer that is more indirect than people might expect. Although science and the judicial system both pursue truth, the interface between them is anything but seamless. This unique historical approach focuses on personalities from scientific law enforcement and emphasizes the myriad discoveries made over the years. Through these stories, the reader is introduced to the underlying science in an interesting, lively, and accessible way.
Table of Contents:
  • Illustrations
    Preface
    Acknowledgments
    Introduction
    Chapter 1. Sexy Science?
    Chapter 2. The Scene of the Catastrophe
    Chapter 3. Uniquely Human
    Chapter 4. Settlements and Civilization; Justice and Death
    Chapter 5: The Emerging Rules of the Game
    Chapter 6: Science and Biology; Alchemy, and Chemistry
    Chapter 7: One Elements Story
    Chapter 8: A Visit from God
    Chapter 9: Death Investigation and Forensic Toxicology
    Chapter 10: Forensic Chemistry: The Color of Evidence
    Chapter 11: The Eye of the Beholder
    Chapter 12: Gunpowder and DuPont; Dyes and Polymers
    Chapter 13: Microscopy and Trace Evidence
    Chapter 14: Patterns I: Firearms and Toolmarks
    Chapter 15: Patterns II: Measuring and Mis-measuring Man
    Chapter 16: Blood: Forensic Biology Arrives
    Chapter 17: DNA: The Genetic in Genetic Markers
    Chapter 18: Admissibility and the Trilogy
    Chapter 19: Profession and Personalities
    Chapter 20: Professional Immaturity
    Chapter 21: Let us Return to the Scene of the Crime
    Notes
    Bibliography
    Index
About the Author: SUZANNE BELL is a forensic chemist at West Virginia University. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and a Diplomate/Technical Specialist certified by the American Board of Criminalistics. She serves on the international Scientific Working Group for Seized Drug Analysis. She has published widely in academic journals including the Journal of Forensic Science, Journal of Analytical Toxicology, and Analytical Chemistry. She is the author of the textbook Forensic Chemistry and the Encyclopedia of Forensic Science.
PDF Catalogs:
Praeger Crime Catalog 2008.pdf
All rights reserved. Copyright © 1999-2009 ABC-CLIO
130 Cremona Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93117 805-968-1911