“World of Forensic Science portrays the vast scope and influence of modern forensic science”. So begins the introduction to this collection of just under 600 articles on the subject. The scope the editors have taken is illustrated by some of the articles in the first few pages: Adipocere, Aflotoxin and the African Lemba tribe; these are a particular feature of a corpse, a natural toxin and an ethnic group with a claim to be Jewish that has some support from DNA evidence. Art forgery, food poisoning and authentication of wines are areas that, although crime may be involved, are often dealt with in civil courts. Standard techniques like fingerprinting, hair analysis and tool marks are covered. More recent and still experimental techniques, such as ear prints and isotope analysis, are also covered. The entry for isotope analysis mainly covers 14C dating. In the recent London case of Adam, the torso in the Thames, isotope analysis was used to identify the time the African boy had been eating a European diet and to identify the area of Africa he came from. Events surrounding death are covered, both causes of death and its investigation.
There are many biographical entries. These include authors like Arthur Conan Doyle (who more or less invented forensic science), and Patricia Cornwell, who based novels on forensic science including the work of the body farm and has done research on the identity of Jack the Ripper. Forensic scientists include Edmond Locard, who did much of the founding work to make forensics a science, and Bill Bass, who founded the body farm. There are several historical and organizational articles. I was pleased to see the UK Forensic Science Service (FSS) get an entry, although the article does not make clear that organized forensic science in the UK dates back to the 1930s. The FSS has recently become a GovCo, a government owned company, but that happened beyond the copy date of the book.
The Introduction ends with a hope that the book will inspire a new generation of investigators, and that it will be of interest to those who wish to be informed about items in the news and topics of current debate. I think the book will meet both aspirations. The first is also met by Forensic Science: An Encyclopedia of History, Methods and Techniques (Tilstone, 2006), which I also recently reviewed in these columns (RR 2006/327), but this new book is wider in scope. Tilstone, for example, only covered the crime of arson and the evidence topic of accelerants. The present volume covers fire investigation generally, which includes accidents and product failure as well as criminal fires. The broader scope of World of Forensic Science will also make it of wider use to the interested citizen. However, the book is bigger and therefore more expensive, although still of reasonable value. World of Forensic Science will suit larger libraries in forensic (and similar) organizations, universities that teach forensic science and major public reference libraries. Given the wide interest in forensic science from law enforcement agencies and the general public, both this book and Tilstone should sell well.
