Postmortem

How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths

By: Stefan Timmermans

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Hardcover | 15 June 2006 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
380 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2.34 x 1.6 x 0.26

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As elected coroners came to be replaced by medical examiners with scientific training, the American public became fascinated with their work. From the grisly investigations showcased on highly rated television shows like C.S.I. to the bestselling mysteries that revolve around forensic science, medical examiners have never been so visible—or compelling. They, and they alone, solve the riddle of suspicious death and the existential questions that come with it. Why did someone die? Could it have been prevented? Should someone be held accountable? What are the implications of ruling a death a suicide, a homicide, or an accident? Can medical examiners unmask the perfect crime?

Postmortem goes deep inside the world of medical examiners to uncover the intricate web of pathological, social, legal, and moral issues in which they operate. Stefan Timmermans spent years in a medical examiner’s office, following cases, interviewing examiners, and watching autopsies. While he relates fascinating cases here, he is also more broadly interested in the cultural authority and responsibilities that come with being a medical examiner. Although these professionals attempt to remain objective, medical examiners are nonetheless responsible for evaluating subtle human intentions. Consequently, they may end—or start—criminal investigations, issue public health alerts, and even cause financial gain or harm to survivors. How medical examiners speak to the living on behalf of the dead, is Timmermans’s subject, revealed here in the day-to-day lives of the examiners themselves.

Industry Reviews

"Fascinating, carefully crafted, and very illuminating. Strongly grounded in the three years Stefan Timmermans spent shadowing medical examiners, Postmortem also draws extensively on written materials about forensic pathology, medical examiners, the coroners who preceded them, and especially on the court records of the infamous 'nanny trial.' It is remarkably rich and gives us new insight into how we moderns manage death." - Carol Heimer, Northwestern University"

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Preface and Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction: Brokering Suspicious Deaths	p. 1
Making the Case for Heart Disease	p. 35
The Fifty-One Percent Rule of Suicide	p. 74
Forensic Credibility at the "Nanny Trial"	p. 113
The Perfect Crime	p. 157
A Baby Died. Where Were the Parents?	p. 195
The Organ and Tissue Trade	p. 225
Conclusion: The Hope of Forensic Authority	p. 251
Postscript: "How Can You Watch Autopsies?"	p. 275
Notes	p. 283
Bibliography	p. 331
Index	p. 357
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Postmortem

How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

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