9781422284049

Words to Understand Asphyxiation: death by lack of oxygen or obstruction to normal breathing Ballistics: the investigation of guns and bullets Mortician: an undertaker; a person who prepares dead bodies for burial or incineration Serology: the laboratory analysis of blood serum, particularly in the detection of blood groups and antibodies Toxicology: the study and analysis of poisons Every Contact Leaves a Trace Crime can take many different forms from petty theft and forgery to violent murder—and science can be used to help solve nearly every case. The word “forensic” means “connected with the court- room”; so forensic science is therefore concerned with gathering hard evidence that can be presented at trial. The most important cases in which detailed scientific evidence is required are those involving brutal assault, rape, and death. This is why, in the early days of forensic science, most of those who gave evidence were medical practitioners and the practice was long known as “medical jurisprudence.” Gradually, however,

Left: A British crime officer gathers evidence at a crime scene.

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