Average customer rating:
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- If my office caught fire, this is what I'd bring with me.
- Spitz and Fishers Medicolegal Investigation of Death.
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Spitz And Fisher's Medicolegal Investigation Of Death: Guidelines For The Application Of Pathology To Crime Investigation
Manufacturer: Charles C. Thomas Publisher
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ASIN: 0398075441 |
Book Description
MEDICOLEGAL INVESTIGATION OF DEATH, known as the "bible" of forensic pathology to pathologists around the world, has withstood the test of time, recently celebrating its twentieth year of publication. Totally rewritten and updated throughout, the text is oriented to forensic pathologists, criminal investigators, and attorneys. It embraces all aspects of the pathology of trauma as it is witnessed daily by law enforcement officers, interpreted by pathologists of varying experience and expertise in forensic pathology, and used by lawyers involved in the prosecution and defense in criminal cases as well as those engaged in civil litigation. This authoritative and complete textbook is written by some of the most respected experts in the United States. The book continues to use a simple and practical approach in keeping with the tradition established by the previous editions. It avoids technical terminology, where possible, in compliance with the aim of addressing not only physicians but all parties with an interest in the study of injury patterns and the practice of pathology as it relates to the law. A large amount of new information and abundant material not previously covered are included in this volume. The many new illustrations, diagrams and sketches showing patterns and mechanisms of injury as well as an inclusive index render this book unique.
Customer Reviews:
Great book!!!!!!!.......2007-05-13
This is a great book, it's easy to read, it has excellent, detalied and graphic photographs. I highly recomend this book as a text or reference book.
Excellent Book........2007-03-15
This a must read & a book to hold on to for reference.
Love it..........2007-02-26
All the information you need for death investigation...has a couple extra chapters in the new edition that were not in the last one...
If my office caught fire, this is what I'd bring with me........2006-06-30
At first I was hesitant to spend $120 on a reference book I couldn't manually look through (aside from the pages available for viewing through Amazon), but I took a chance. As a forensic scientist who is new to death investigation, this reference is well worth the money. From front to back, this book is packed with well-written, thorough discussions of the different causes and manners of death. The written information, complimented by hundreds of photos and illustrations, is presented in terms that are comprehensible even to those without a background in forensic pathology or medicine. For the amount and quality of information packed into this large volume, $120 is actually a steal. I absolutely recommend this reference for anyone who has a role in death investigation. Students of forensic science, if you're too broke to buy this, put it on your wish list and hope you get it as a graduation gift. It's a must-have that is worth the three-digit price tag.
Spitz and Fishers Medicolegal Investigation of Death........2005-08-18
This text is a requirement in some forensic fellowships. While in some subjects, the text is out-of-date, in other subjects, the facts never change and provide for a overall great reference text. I would recommend this book to anyone who is considering forensics as a career.
Average customer rating:
- Duped, again
- Superwoman
- Don't start on Cornwell with this novel...
- cheesy
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Cause of Death
Patricia Cornwell
Manufacturer: Berkley
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![Black Notice [BARGAIN PRICE] [Hardcover] by Cornwell, Patricia Daniels](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0002X7VXE.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Black Notice [BARGAIN PRICE] [Hardcover] by Cornwell, Patricia Daniels
ASIN: 0425213382
Release Date: 2007-01-02 |
Amazon.com
Patricia Cornwell's heroine Dr. Kay Scarpetta is back; this time to solve the mystery of the death of an Associated Press reporter who was killed while nosing about in a decommissioned navy yard. Scarpetta's involvement in the case leads her to be targeted for murder herself by a nasty little neo-fascist cult with delusions of grandeur that include a plan to "kill and maim, frighten, brainwash and torture" all who oppose their plan to rule the world. Helping Scarpetta is her niece Lucy, an F.B.I. agent whose computer expertise leads to a heart-stopping journey into cyberspace.
Book Description
This New Year's Eve marks the end of a life-and the beginning of a nightmare for Kay Scarpetta.
Download Description
Dr. Kay Scarpetta plunges into the murky depths of a ship graveyard to recover the very human remains of Ted Eddings, an investigative reporter. What kind of story was Eddings chasing below the icy surface of the Elizabeth River?
Customer Reviews:
Duped, again.......2007-09-20
My review of this Patricia Cornwell/Kay Scarpetta book "Cause of Death" doesn't
have to do with the author or the story but with the publishers who designed a
different cover for an old book. It's a ploy I see frequently and find very
annoying. Unfortunately I got caught, for the umpteenth time. They reprint the
same book a few years later, with a new cover, and people buy it - again.
Superwoman.......2007-09-13
This was the last Kay Scarpetta mystery I've read. Scarpetta as superwoman and the outlandish, totally implausible ending were the reasons I stopped reading Cornwell's books. After this one, I decided that, with Kay Scarpetta around, who needs a department of law enforcement, or even a criminal justice system? She can singlehandedly gather any evidence at any crimescene, process it, and catch, try, and convict the perpetrators (I may be wrong, but I believe she also has a law degree to go with her medical degree.) Then, at midnight, after a full day of crimefighting, she can whip up a full, multi-course Italian meal from scratch - probably with homemade pasta and produce from her own garden! The early books were great, but, as I said, I won't read another!
Don't start on Cornwell with this novel..........2007-08-21
You can't start reading the Scarpetta novels in the middle, you have to start with the very first one and work your way through. This is in the middle, with characters already developed, and it is very difficult to like them if you start with Cause of Death. While I agree this is not her best work, and I REALLY wish she'd kill off the niece, Lucy, she really is a good suspense writer. SUSPENSE, not mystery. There is a difference in that in suspense you often know who the bad guy is, and the suspense is finding out what happens next. I would suggest The Body Farm and From Potter's Field as a couple of good ones.
cheesy.......2007-05-29
I couldn't finish it. It got more and more disappointing as the story progressed. I like to try reading new authors and different types of stories and I am perfectly happy to mix cheesy novels in with good stuff . . . all things in moderation as they say.
The whole book; characters, and story just felt false and untrue. When the characters start talking about computers it gets especially bad. It is clear that the author has no understanding of what she is talking about. A lot of the book felt that way.
All in all, it reads like a transcript of 'Walker, Texas Ranger." If that is your thing, then maybe give it a try.
Don't waste your money.......2007-04-04
This isn't one of Cornwell's better Scarpetta mysteries. The plot takes a sharp turn three-quarters of the way through into the realm of the truly unbelievable, and I lost interest. I finished the book only because I had nothing else to read in the house.
Don't bother buying this book. Fortunately, I got it for free, so no great loss there.
Oh, and I agree with one of the other reviewers -- the dialogue coming out of Scarpetta's mouth was stilted. And the ending? Blech.
Book Description
The body of a woman floats to the surface of a lake with sixty pounds of cinder block and chain attached to her legs. Her killer faces the death penalty if the prosecution can answer one question: Did she drown? A worker for the only U.S. plant licensed to produce anthrax dies, the victim of a heart attack. But what caused his heart to stop beating?
Follow veteran medical examiner Dr. Stephen D. Cohle into the world of forensic pathology, as he solves these and many other cases. Written from an insider's view, Cause of Death puts the reader behind Dr. Cohle's shoulder while he examines each victim. The cases range from exotic murder mysteries ripe for a CSI episode to everyday casualties of heart attacks and car accidents. Every victim, though, has a story to tell.
Enter a real-life morgue with its strange sights, sounds, and smells, and watch a forensic mastermind as he unravels each victim's cause of death.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect not only for health libraries but for law libraries and general-interest collections........2007-07-08
CAUSE OF DEATH: FORENSIC FILES OF A MEDICAL EXAMINER isn't just for college-level students of forensic medicine: it's a pick for any interested in forensic investigations, which will include many a legal reference collection as well as public library patrons. Chapters from a veteran medical examiner and forensic pathologist document the case histories and real-life challenges of autopsies, pairing detailed autopsy notes with insights on victims, murder methods and more. Perfect not only for health libraries but for law libraries and general-interest collections.
True Life Crime.......2007-06-10
Never having watched CSI, I was curious about why the daily goings-on of a medical examiner would merit a book. I did not have to read far to realize that this was fascinating stuff! Cause of Death demystifies what happens behind doors that no one ever wants to go through, but all enevitably will.
Dr. Cohle and Mr. Buhk allow the reader to see and smell the county morgue from an "over-the-shoulder" view. The authors present a perspective that preserves the sanctity of life, but damns some of life's behaviors and actions. The book does not sensationalize the macabre and sometimes horrible circumstances and details of death; it does reveal the bizarre, the terrible, and sometimes humorously ironic details that man (and woman)does to himself or others.
The writing style of the book allows the reader to learn more about individual victim cases. The reader can go along for the victim's last car ride all the way to the victim's last gurney ride; The reader can get a taste of the victim's last choice of poisen or the authors' last choice of music; the reader can experience how interminably long ten seconds is when a baby is being shaken by an angry father; and the reader can sense that the cause of death is not a television show to be wrapped up during a sixty minute time slot.
Great read!
An Honest Look at Working in a Morgue.......2007-05-26
Stephen D. Cohle, MD is the chief medial examiner for Kent County, Michigan. During his years as the medical examiner, he has performed thousands of autopsies. Some have been part of high-profile murder cases, but the majority are not fodder for the next episode of CSI but are instead of just men and women, and sometimes children, who met their end through normal, though still heart-breaking means.
Cause of Death is told from the perspective of the medical examiner, but is unique from some of the other books by well known forensic pathologists. This volume does not highlight sensational cases, like the Jon Benet Ramsey case, but are instead full of what are just regular folks who happened to find their way to the morgue in various ways. It also gives the reader more of a sense of what a real medical examiner's office is like. There are no exhibits of murder weapons from famous cases, but there is a display of alcohol, delivered with some of the bodies who so often meet their demise as a result of the contents of these bottles.
Along for the trip, and co-authoring the book, is Tobin T. Buhk, who once told Cohle that he should write a book about his experiences. Buhk joined him in the morgue over the course of several months, and was able to witness and sometimes participate, in the autopsies of several people. This gives the authors the chance to bring the reader into the stories as more than just a casual observer. We are able to experience the operations of the morgue through the eyes of the expert, Dr. Cohle, and the novice, Buhk.
The Kent County morgue is not what you see on CSI or Law and Order. It is a place that is a collection of contradictions. The bodies that are brought into the room are treated with the reverance and professionalism we would all hope they would. But contrasted with this is a constant-changing soundtrack which varies from Los Lobos to Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Music is always playing during the autopsies, sometimes providing a counterpoint to the tragedy before them.
Along with the surgical gowns, latex gloves, and face guards, humor is another prophylactic used in the morgue. It is brought in to protect, not against disease, but the melancholy that comes from spending day after day determining the various manners in which humans find to end one another's or their own lives. And Tobin discovers, after just a few trips to the morgue, that sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.
Each chapter contains one or two cases that came through the Kent County Medical Examiner's Office. Each contains a description of the case and the methods used by Dr. Cohle to determine, if possible, the cause of death. Unlike television, it is not an immediate process, done in moments. It sometimes takes hours to perform a complete autopsy, and even then it may be days before toxicology reports confirm the cause of death. This is truth of working in a morgue.
The book gives an honest account of what it really is like to work in a morgue. All of the sounds, smells, and there are a lot of smells, that make up the work of the medical examiner. If you ever thought it was glamorous to work in a morgue, take a glance through this book and you will qickly realize, it requires a high degree of training, long hours, and a willingness to look at the worst of humanity day after day. Kind, gentle people are not the majority of the traffic at the morgue, and even when they are, many times they arrived due to the actions of someone not so kind or gentle.
Book Description
A riveting work of investigative journalism that charts the rise of the dietary supplement craze and reveals the dangerous—and sometimes deadly—side of these highly popular and completely unregulated products.
Over 60 percent of Americans buy and take herbal and dietary supplements for all sorts of reasons—to prevent illness (vitamin C), to ease depression (St. John’s wort), to aid weight loss (ephedra), to boost the memory (ginkgo biloba), and even to cure cancer (shark cartilage, bloodroot)—despite the fact that few of these “natural” supplements have been proven to be safe or effective. The vitamin and herbal supplement industry generates over $20 billion a year by selling products that promise to cure or fix, but are produced and marketed essentially without oversight. And while the media has been quick to sensationalize the benefits of supplements, few have taken a hard look at the dangers posed by many of the remedies flooding the market today. Award-winning journalist Dan Hurley breaks the silence for the first time in Natural Causes.
From the snake-oil salesmen of the early twentieth century, to rise of the health food movement in the sixties and seventies, Hurley charts the remarkable growth of an industry built largely on fraud, and reveals the backroom politics that led to the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which effectively freed the industry from FDA oversight. In unprecedented detail, he shows how supplement manufacturers have concealed the truth about dozens of untested treatments and the shocking rise in deaths, disfigurements, and life-threatening injuries caused by products deceptively promoted as “safe and natural.” Most importantly, he provides a telling look at why, in an age of unprecedented scientific advancement, we continue to buy and believe in remedies for which little evidence exists—and why the supplements we take to promote our health may be doing far more harm than good.
As Hurley shows, the dietary supplement craze may be one of the greatest swindles ever perpetrated on the American public—one that feeds billions of dollars each year into the pockets of lobbyists, politicians, and any charlatan who wants to slap a label on a bottle and tout it as the next big “natural cure.” Blending hard facts with spellbinding personal stories, Natural Causes is a must-read for anyone who has ever popped a multivitamin or an herb, and provides a hard-hitting, frightening look at a cultural trend that is out of control.
Customer Reviews:
Dan Hurley prescribes a dose of common sense........2007-07-27
Are you aware that currently no government agency is responsible for testing dietary supplements to assure their purity and potency? Did you know that today over 60% of Americans buy and take one or more herbal or dietary supplements? Would it anger you to learn that you have probably been spending your hard earned money on products that simply don't work? And would you be concerned if you discovered that the American media has expended precious little energy to uncover the truth about these products?
"Natural Causes" explodes many of the myths surrounding the multi-billion dollar vitamin and supplements industry. Author Dan Hurley makes a compelling case for tightening the screws on these companies and demanding more regulation and much more accountabilty.
Around the turn of the 20th century the self-treatment movement was experiencing somewhat of a revival in this nation. As Dan Hurley correctly points out the tug-of-war between traditional medicine and natural alternatives seems to be somewhat cyclical. We can all recall images of the "snake oil" salesmen peddling all sorts of elixers and other concoctions from the back of their wagons. These hucksters made all sorts of fabulous claims for their homemade tonics. In response to all of this Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906. The act required that medicines containing opiates and certain other drugs must say so on their labels. Later amendments to the act also required that the quantity of each drug be truly stated on the label, and that the drugs meet official standards of identity and purity. Finally, the government had a handle on the industry.
Fast forward now about 90 years. Once again, interest in "natural" medicine and treatments was on the rise. Seems that there was a huge potential market for new "natural" remedies, treatments and supplements. There was a lot of money to be made. Aided by a number of prominent politicians a group of manufacturers led by one Gerry Kesser somehow managed to convince the Congress to pass a piece of legislation called DSHEA in 1994. Passage of the "Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act" would essentially create a whole new category of so-called "natural" products that were simply not subject to regulation of any kind. Over the next dozen years tens of thousands of new products would flood the market making all sorts of wild claims. We have all seen the ads in newspapers and magazines and on television. And despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of these products fail to produce the promised results the American people continue to purchase them in ever increasing numbers. What's more, testing has shown that many of these products are contaminated with dangerous metals such as lead and that the ingredients listed on the label are frequently incorrect. It is somwhat disconcerting to think that large numbers of Americans have turned their backs on traditional medicine and rely on the advice of a clerk at the health food store to treat what ails them. This is a very dangerous situation that has had serious consequences over the years and Hurley presents numerous examples throughout the book.
At the conclusion of "Natural Causes" Dan Hurley proposes a series of 13 steps that would largely correct this situation. This is definitely a conversation that the country needs to have. I found "Natural Causes" to be a real eye-opener. Highly recommended reading!
May Your Medicine Be Your Food, and Your Food Be Your Medicine.......2007-07-14
After reading this vastly detailed account of the multi-million dollar Vitamin Supplement Industry, and the horrific tragedies many people have experienced through the belief that taking vitamin supplements will provide better health and cure all their ills, my family and I have completely stopped taking all supplements. Elimination of taking these highly questionable substances has, I believe, saved us from the sickness and damage they can, and do, cause.
Having experienced a terrifying incident from taking the suggested dose of a supplement for arthritis, one which caused my brain, my entire nervous system, my eyes, my ability to stand up and walk to a phone, as if my brain was completely scrambled, made me realize that other strange physical symptoms were also caused by the supplements I was taking, to supposedly improve my health.
All those symptoms disappeared after ceasing taking all vitamin supplements.
Everyone who believes that vitamin supplements will increase their health and eliminate their physical problems needs to read this book and think seriously about how gullible the public is, believing the hype of advertising, believing the self-created "experts" on the subject of health, convincing people to follow their advice and to buy and ingest anything and everything suggested.
Dan Hurley has given us the the proof and the truth of what drives the vitamin industry: Profit!
It's true that most people's choices of what and how they eat, is making them sick. Taking vitamin supplements and herbs will not correct what poor diet does to the health of the body, and often causes further damage.
Somewhat helpful but seriously incomplete........2007-07-13
Mr. Hurley covers many key issues concerning the real and present dangers of an unregulated industry that the public is increasingly turning to because of frustration with the drug/surgery-only approach still found in much of the medical industry.
However, Mr. Hurley leaves out important information that would have been helpful to anyone concerned about their health and trying to understand what is going on -- esp folks concerned about chronic diseases, about 1/2 the population. (1) Page 165. Hurley claims the AMA's only policy recommendation on vitamins is folic acid for pregnant women and Vit. K for infants at birth. NOT TRUE. In 2003, the AMA came out with a recommendation that all adults take a good multivitamin to help protect them from chronic diseases, the area that drugs cannot address except to suppress symptoms. This is why so many healthcare professionals of every kind are starting to take a multivitamin every day. But how do we know which ones to take?
(2) The only "okay" vitamin company acknowledged is Natrol, pg.233 -- "practices are as good as or better than anyone's in the industry." No, Natrol is a good company but not the top-quality supplement producer in the industry by far. In fact, there are major companies producing much higher quality supplements, using PHARMACEUTICAL-GRADE STANDARDS in their manufacturing. How did Hurley miss such an important distinction? Considering he's covering the supplement industry, wouldn't you think he'd talk to allopathic doctors who are increasing using and recommending multivitamins? As a good researcher,Hurley should have asked many different doctors, both allopathic and holistic, if they use supplements and if so, what products they use and recommend to their patients. The companies producing PHARMACEUTICAL-GRADE VITAMINS & MINERALS are using STANDARDS that meet drug-company standards for safety, purity, and reliability. The companies METAGENICS, DOUGLAS LABS, and USANA come to mind. In fact, an increasing number of allopathic doctors now make these supplements available through their medical offices for their patients -- METAGENICS for instance is only sold through licensed healthcare professionals. Yet, Hurley makes no mention of this area of the industry which is very surprising given his strong emphasis on the importance of scientific standards.
In fact, Hurley and his publisher missed an enormous opportunity to begin to get unscrupulous supplement manufacturers and uneducated healthfood store clerks out of the supplement business and to begin put everyone's primarycare doctors in charge of this area of supporting health. If folks marched into their doctor's office and asked for and received a recommendation for professional-grade multivitamins for themselves and their family, that would go along way to begin to eliminate the WILD WEST APPROACH THAT IS SO DANGEROUS -- the many supplements that are based on ingredients for which there is no science to support their use; problem of the wrong supplementation for a condition; supplementation that can interfere with meds someone might be on; supplementation that can actually worsen a condition; mis-use of supplements inc. overdosing which is very common; and the use of dangerous supplements because contaminated with lead or other toxins.
So don't dispair, fellow Americans. Go to your primary physician and ask for their help. And keep asking until you get their help. Most doctors want to do what is best for their patients. The growing body of research on professional-grade supplementation is out there for their education. Patients want to believe and follow their doctors. An educated doctor would establish with everyone of his/her patients the need to take a professional-grade multi-vitamin and then make recommendations. Patients would learn to ask their doctors about supplements and stop asking the uninformed for information they do not possess and are not trained to interpret. That, Mr. Hurley, is what your book could have done for the American people.
Fear & Yellow Journalism.......2007-07-09
For those of us that have used vitamin & mineral supplements - along with excercise & a balanced diet - the ideas in this book ring untrue. Mainstream doctors and their 'big pharma' supporters rely on fear in their treatment recomendations. Without fear, who would take most prescription & OTC medicines after reading the contra indications? On a macro level: the USA ranks low for medical treatment effectiveness(for industrial countries); prescription & OTC drugs kill and cause severe reactions in an astounding number(greater than 300,000)of people. When is the last time you heard of someone dying from a vitamin overdose?
My thanks to Mr. Hurley for supporting my philosophy - When my AMA approved doctor gives me advice, I do the opposite.
Everyone Who Takes Vitamins Should Read This Book.......2007-06-11
This is an important book. We read about melamine in pet food from China killing our pets, and we assume our own government regulates American products to prevent such tragedies. It does, for food and drugs. But there is a crucial loophole. Since the DSHEA was passed in 1994, anything sold as a diet supplement bypasses government regulation. The fiction is that these supplements are food; that people are taking them to replace something lacking in their diet. The reality is that no one has ever had a deficiency of St. John's wort or echinacea in their diet: people are taking these for medicinal purposes. Drugs can't go on the market until they are tested for effectiveness and safety; known side effects must be communicated to the consumer; there is a system in place to detect problems after marketing; there are safeguards of quality and dosage control. None of this is true for diet supplements. An independent lab that tests vitamins and diet supplements estimates that there is only a 75% chance that you are getting what the label says.
These products are widely assumed to be safe because they are natural. Hurley explains why this is a false assumption. About a third of prescription drugs come from natural sources. A drug is a drug, whether it was made in a plant or in a lab. Anything natural that has a therapeutic effect is likely to have side effects. We are increasingly seeing reports of people whose diet supplements interfered with the prescription drugs they were taking or contributed to excessive bleeding after surgery, people who required liver transplants after taking Kava kava, people who developed kidney failure after taking a weight loss pill, and people like Steve Bechtel who might be alive today if he had not used ephedra.
People complain about "Big Pharma" but the diet supplement industry is a hugely profitable business that has deliberately organized itself and successfully lobbied to change our laws for their own financial benefit. They say they are protecting the public's right to choose, but they are also undermining the public's right to be safe. And the worst thing is that they are misinforming the public. Hurley names names and reports a surprising number of known scam artists and convicted felons in the business.
Hurley lambastes the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: it has spent many millions of our tax dollars checking out unlikely remedies, and so far the results of all its research have been almost exclusively negative. Notably, recent NCCAM studies have concluded with a high degree of confidence that echinacea, saw palmetto, and glucosamine/chondroitin are ineffective.
Hurley covers the evidence for vitamin pills and shows how recent studies are increasingly showing that they probably do more harm than good. He finds only two supplements that have good evidence behind them for use by the general public. If I hadn't already thrown my multivitamins away after doing my own research, I would have done so after reading this book. I am a medical doctor, I keep up with the medical literature, and I write about these subjects myself. I can vouch for the accuracy of Hurley's information. His characterization of the medical research is in agreement with the scientific consensus as published in The Medical Letter and other respected sources.
Hurley discusses why intelligent people forget the "buyer beware" principle and fall for diet supplement claims. We have been sold a bill of goods, both by cynical marketers and by well-meaning but misinformed friends. There is a huge body of mythology out there, and we owe it to ourselves to apply our critical thinking skills to the claims.
Hurley's example of the woman who lost her nose has been criticized because she used an illegally imported product. Critics have not read carefully. This woman went to integrative medicine guru Andrew Weil's website and used what he recommended: bloodroot. She bought the bloodroot from a company he recommended. On that company's website, she found a recommendation for something "even better" - Cansema, reportedly 100% effective for skin cancer, illegal in the US but available on the Internet. Cansema may not technically fall under the DSHEA, but this woman was clearly a victim of the kind of thinking the diet supplement industry fosters.
[...]
I support the right of everyone to choose diet supplements, but I also support the right of everyone to have all the information needed to make an informed choice. This book is a valuable tool to help the consumer understand what he is really buying. It should open a lot of eyes. I think everyone who buys a diet supplement or even a multivitamin owes it to himself to know what is in this book.
Product Description
A fearless exposé of mainstream medicines most revered dogma, Malignant Medical Myths is solidly based on trusted medical and nutritional books and journals. Americans spend $2 trillion per year on health care, about $7,000 each, yet it buys almost the poorest healthcare among developed countries, with 200,000 deaths per year from medical treatment. Find out why advice from authorities on screening tests, drugs, diet, exercise, alcohol, radiation, radon, and water fluoridation is often wrong and commercially motivated. See how clinical trials are slanted. Understand how sickness is created to sell treatments, and which government agencies support these shenanigans.
Customer Reviews:
malignant medical myths.......2007-10-05
This was exactly what I was looking for, INFORMATION and while it isn't a book for the beach, I will read and refer to it for many days,months and years. Would not part with this book.
Buy One for your Physician.......2007-06-13
One of the most remarkable examples of herd behavior among humans is their tendency to create and believe lore about medicine. Although biomedical researchers consider themselves above all this, as Kauffman shows, they are not. Without engaging in either inflated rhetoric or florid outrage, Kauffman exposes and dissects conventional wisdom in a careful selection of conditions that affect large numbers of people. Despite the occasional misstep, he puts the evidence and argument out on the table for us to see and judge. We cannot ask for more. When you are finished reading it, send it to your doctor.
Evidence based medicine at it's best!.......2007-02-26
If you care about your health, or that of those around you, this is a must read book.
This certainly isn't a book you can simply skim read. It took me a while to ponder about the impact this might have (I'm a medical student). The arguments are very well presented; he puts all the studies in front of you and analyzes them in a relevant manner.
What I consider to be a minor flaw in the book: the author sometimes concludes that certain differences in mortality are "negligible" when I don't think they are negligible. Certainly though, improvements in mortality rate are far easily attainable via fish oil, magnesium and other quality supplements.
I would love to see a new version of this book, further exploring and digging through the literature on various drugs and supplements.
Highly Recommended.......2007-01-29
You need this book. It is easy to become so engrossed in Kauffman's easy writing style that you will continue reading and lose track of time. Thumb through and stop at any place and you are guaranteed to find a wealth of information. Detractors to the best toxic-free remedies are provided rebuttals--you can learn a comprehensive approach to what and why. Let's make this required reading in medical schools! The only error I found was a typo misspelling of Antiplatelet in the Fig. 1-2 Treatment Meta-Analysis Table (p. 21). Again, this book is so loaded with useful information you will constantly refer to it. On p. 232 and again on p. 254 we read, correctly, how sunblock contributes to cancer by blocking Vitamin D formation--something that Rodale Press in their vast publishings fail to impart. Rodale Press, whom some may consider a leader in preventive health publishing, recommends sunblock to unsuspecting readers.
The hallmark of clinical observations (p2-3) over random clinical trials [RCT] is a common sense approach often missed in the medical literature and is sometimes used to discredit bonafide treatments that elicit positive results. You will learn of the class-action lawsuit against Pfizer regarding Lipitor [still want to ask you Dr. if it's right for you?](p97) and that statins cause cancer (p98).
The section on fluoridation is a must read. "How Antiflouridationists Have Weakened Their Cause," to only non-English speaking countries having the foresight to reject fluoride, to 60% US public water supplies being fluoridated--we get the good, the bad, and the ugly. As fluorides have been shown to increase cancer risks, adding them to water violated the Delaney Clause of the 1958 Amendment to the Food Drug & Cosmetic Act of 1938. So, the Delaney Clause was repealed in 1996 (p.273). Also, adding fluoride violates the EPA policy on drinking water standards (Safe Drinking Water Act) explaining why the 1990 National Toxicology Program on sodium fluoride was "revised" with findings of "clear evidence of carcinogenicity" to "equivocal" evidence. This was necessary to keep the flouridation program legal (p274).
On mammograms, benefits claim lower breast cancer mortality without providing all-cause mortality. Kauffman reminds that this is also a major fault in "major texts in gynecology and oncology" (p217). However, I was surprised to find thermography cast in such low regard, but then this is coming from the American College of Radiology, who cites a false-positive rate of 25% (p.212). Kauffman clarifies this in Addendum 1, on an entire page devoted to Thermography, in which thermography is better "able to detect breast cancer 5-8 years before mammography with vastly fewer false-positive errors" (p.327).
On anti-oxidents in red wine, Kauffman notes no evidence that moderate drinking offers worthwhile health benefits (p.142). What Kauffman calls "sudden enthusiasm for red wine in the late 1990s," reminds of a medical school course in which the professor remarked his telling the grape juice convention promoters that their product wasn't needed--that wine was preferred. No mention was made by the professor of the far superior anti-oxident capability of 1 gram of Vitamin C--in comparison.
There is absolutely no reason that this book should not sell out and go through several subsquent printings. A valuable edition to your medical library or home book-shelf.
A valuable book.......2006-10-21
In Joseph Conrad's famous novel, "Heart of Darkness," Marlowe, the narrator of the central tale travels to the Congo in search of the enigmatic and elusive Kurtz, a renowned European ivory trader who went to Africa as an idealistic "emissary of pity, and science, and progress." Marlowe finally encounters Kurtz on his deathbed, in a compound surrounded by a ruined fence, the posts of which are capped with shrunken human heads. Kurtz, having succumbed to primitive, destructive forces-- both external and internal-- utters his last words-a withering realization of truth: "The horror! The horror!"
Readers of Joel Kauffman's book "Malignant Medical Myths" should prepare themselves for an analagous journey of discovery. Not only will they learn of the specifics: that taking an aspirin a day may not make you live longer; that low carbohydrate diets are beneficial, not dangerous; that statin drugs, while effective in reducing cholesterol-an irrelevant endpoint-do little to reduce mortality-and then only in a very select population; that high blood pressure is over-treated; that the benefits of moderate alcohol use, exercise, and mammograms are exaggerated; that chelation therapy is unfairly maligned; that fears of radiation are overdone; that cancer cure rates have not changed much in the last forty years.
More important than these specifics is the totality-the picture of the medical establishment which emerges from them. That establishment, like Kurtz, is often seen as a beacon of pity, and science, and progress, but, when examined more closely, seems corrupted by greed, an aversion to truth, and a kind of tribalistic conformity; it seems to lack the structures which would provide an ethical backbone, and promote a commitment to scientific thinking. The hospital compound, with its white coats and gleaming machines is shadowed and compromised by an ominous fence of grievous errors and unpleasant truths.
The first subheading in Dr. Kauffman's introductory chapter is: "You Do Not Have To Trust Your Doctor." The reasons gradually become clear: Doctors' recommendations often rely on information which is "outdated, biased, flawed, and sometimes based on outright fraud."
Drug companies manipulate the results of clinical trials by careful selection of volunteers, by elimination of those who show initial adverse side-effects, by publishing only favourable results, by dealing only with surrogate endpoints, by failing to use placebos, and by failing to provide total mortality figures. Relative risk statistics, which are often highly misleading are used to advantage. Abstracts of medical papers, and hence press releases, may contain selective and hence misleading information. Doctors may not only rely on information given by drug company representatives; they are feted, gifted, and even paid by drug companies. Doctors on decision-making committees and panels often have conflicts of interest because of financial ties to drug companies. Doctors have great difficulty in exercising independent judgement, because conformity to current thinking, no matter how mistaken, is the safest course.
"The horror! the horror!"
We should be grateful to Dr. Kauffman for the research he has done to expose these medical myths, and reveal the corruption which initiates and maintains them. I became aware of Dr. Kauffman's work in 2005, in researching the causes of heart disease. Dr. Kauffman is a former professor of Chemistry at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and (according to biographical information on the back cover) has now "turned his attention to exposing fraud in medicine."
I think everyone should read this book, but there is no doubt that many will find it troubling. At the end of Conrad's novel, Marlowe meets with Kurtz's fiancee. When she asks what Kurtz's last words were, he responds: "The last word he pronounced was - your name."
He lies, because, in the end, the truth is too difficult. (It is the "necessity" of this lie that is the "Darkness" referred to in the title.) Dr. Kauffman is a Marlowe who has the courage to tell us what really happened.
Customer Reviews:
Good book from a GREAT man and public speaker.......2006-01-15
Both a doctor and a lawyer, the brilliant Dr. Cyril Wecht gives us a good, if not too brilliant, book about JFK and various other murders and strange deaths. It is a shame that Wecht's books fail to capture his true essence, because he is not only a very intelligent, brilliant (there's that word again!) man, but he is a dynamic, charismatic public speaker. Something just seems to gets lost on the printed page. Still, worth your time.
Vince Palamara
Pittsburgh, PA (presented with Dr. Wecht at COPA 1995 & 1996)
Nations Top Medical Examiner.......2003-09-11
There is a very interesting Forward written by attorney F. Lee Bailey in which he comments on the cases covered in the text from a defense attorney's standpoint. Wecht also holds a law degree so having the two views of the ME and the attorney, really made this book a captivating read!
Wecht personally examined the assassination evidence in the National Archives and found that significant pieces were missing including JFK's brain, a fact that had gone previously unreported despite two inventories one listing the items and the second excluding them. Wecht unsuccessfully attempted to trace the missing evidence and has placed an Appendix in the book entitled Where is JFK's Brain? detailing it's journey up to its disappearance. Note this is the only attempt that was ever made to recover this evidence.
Wecht gave testimony to the Rockefeller Commission and was completely misquoted. Wecht was asked to serve as a member of the pathology panel on the House Select Committee on Assassinations. He alone spoke against the single bullet theory the others had close government ties to protect. Wecht's adamancy caused him to loose out on offers he would have otherwise received.
Wecht examines the medical evidence in the RFK assassination and clearly proves that there were two gunmen, meaning a conspiracy did exist and the evidence presented in the Chappaquiddick chapter raise some interesting questions about Ted Kennedy's conduct that night. Wecht blows the lid off the cover up over Elvis Presley's cause of death. The book also explores other famous cases including Dr. Charles Friedgood, Jean Harris, Claus von Bulow and a few not so well known.
Cyril Wecht is the foremost ME in the country. This book is the Bible of death investigation!
Cyril Wecht.......2002-11-21
The book is a easy and intreging read. Every chapter is devoted to a different crime, so it never gets boring. This book was highly recommended to me by a friend who works under Cyril Wecht at the Allegheny County Corenors (?) Office and after hearing all the tales he had from his time learning from Dr. Wecht, I had to learn more. I recommend this book as a breather when your in the mist of a tough semester and you to relax
Lessons from a Forensic Pathologist.......2002-07-20
The Foreword by F. Lee Bailey tells of his friendship and admiration for Dr. Cyril Wecht. He also "highlights a truth which most Americans do not readily comprehend: that our legal system is not in its essence 'a search for truth' at all. The system is in reality a search for those truths which at least one of the lawyers want to bring to the fore, and not those truths which are too hot ... for either of them to dare to handle" (p.xvi). The Introduction tells of his personal history, experience, and expertise. "Cyril Wecht is the Sherlock Holmes of forensic science" says Alan Dershowitz. Or a Dr. Joseph Bell?
Chapter 1 deals with the assassination of JFK. The single bullet theory, from a scientific standpoint, is a deliberate attempt to cover up the truth (p.22). It was one of the worst investigations of a homicide he has ever seen. The autopsy was done by a inexperienced military pathologists. He attempted to get the autopsy reports, which are public records, for the Garrison investigation; but the Federal government would not allow it! Page 35 tells of his examination of the physical evidence. The preserved brain of JFK was missing. Page 43 points out that the forensic pathologist who disagreed with him had economic dependencies with the Federal government. He tells of a computer program that can analyze photographs to show details not observable by the human eye (pp.51-3). It detected alterations in the autopsy photographs. Dr. Wecht helped to develop the scene in the movie "JFK" that demonstrated why the single bullet theory is silly. He found the attitude of the Kennedy family "completely incomprehensible" (p.74). [Perhaps they were authoritatively advised of a shameful genetic disorder that must be kept secret?]
Chapter 2 deals with the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. The fatal bullet was most likely the first, which hit him behind hi right ear. The other two bullets were fired into his right armpit. [As if he threw up his right arm as he fell.] Sirhan was shooting from the front, and could not have killed RFK. The appointed defense lawyer never mentioned this. Chapter 3 deals with Chappaquiddick, the accident that killed Ted Kennedy's political future. No autopsy was done on Mary Jo Kopechne. The accident was considered just another weekend car crash (p.94). Any wooden bridge could be slippery with dampness. Page 101 teaches that you shouldn't tell Polish jokes when your judge is Polish; he denied their motion.
Chapter 4 deals with a Doctor convicted of murdering his wife. Dr. Wecht says for a jury to find a person not guilty, the jurors must feel that the defendant was framed by the police, or that it is possible that someone else committed the crime. Chapter 5 tells of the case of Jeffrey MacDonald. When a case is tried several years after the crime, the determination of what happened is limited to the evidence collected at the time. Jeffrey started a new life, then his father-in-law started a crusade to convict him. The old scars could be either self-inflicted or the result of multiple attackers. Jeffrey's psychological profile did not suggest a person who would suddenly snap and kill his wife and children
Chapter 6 tells of his review of the toxicology report of Elvis Presley. Many drugs were present; the levels suggested accidental death, not suicide. Dr. Nick was indicted for over-prescribing drugs for the King, but acquitted (p.147). Other chapters deal with Jean Harris, and Claus von Bulow. They are warnings against the recreational use of drugs. The other interesting stories deal with lesser known people. In dozens of cases a person appeared guilty, but the evidence was circumstantial and the person was innocent (pp.180-1). Page 196 explains why a defendant should not testify if they are "very self-confident".
Not a Feel Good Hit.......2002-04-17
Warning, you have to be just a bit morbid to pick up this book. The dust jacket says it all, this author has dug through the autopsy reports of some famous people to find the "real" cause of death. Keeping the tabloid effort of the publisher aside, this is a somewhat interesting book if only from a "looking at an accident" form of macabre curiosity. As far as the writing goes, the author does a good job of keeping the complex medical terminology down to a minimum and when used is careful to explain them in layman's terms. Overall interesting and well-written if you are in to this type of book.
Book Description
During a routine investigation, a suspect turns hostile. The officers on the scene spring into action and get the suspect under control by handcuffing him. Though the suspect has been successfully subdued - he dies shortly thereafter… A psychiatric patient suddenly becomes violent. The hospital staff struggles to control the patient with four point restraint. While order has been restored and the patient has been restrained - she dies soon afterward… Criminal and civil cases often cite "positional asphyxia" as the cause of death in such instances, blaming the rough treatment individuals may have received during restraint. The authors of Excited Delirium Syndrome: Cause of Death and Prevention, however, propose a different explanation. In this groundbreaking book, they cite the reason being a condition called Excited Delirium Syndrome, in which the normal physiological changes produced by violent activity culminate in sudden cardiac death, often in conjunction with the effects of a drug. After introducing the topic, the book recounts the condition's history and examines traditional explanations as to why such deaths occur, and then counter as to why they are not justifiable. In addition, it illustrates the effects that stressors, legal medication, and drugs of abuse have on the cardiovascular system. The effects of underlying disease, including endogenous mental disease are also discussed. In addition, the book details prevention, assesses the role of first responders, investigators, and mental health professionals, and describes "high-risk" individuals. These topics, along with the many actual case studies that provide further insight, make Excited Delirium Syndrome: Cause of Death and Prevention an essential resource for anyone treating or interacting with those that may have this disorder.
Customer Reviews:
Excuse for deaths in custody?.......2005-11-08
I'm just looking at this book briefly, so I could be wrong, but it looks to me like a new medical theory to explain people dying at the hands of police or prison guards, etc. Not surprisingly, this is mostly a result of their drug abuse sending them into a state of delirium and not any actions by the police. I'm not a medical professional, so I can't judge the validity of the presentation. But it's written by a nurse and her husband. That they're located in Texas and thanking the Lord, our God in the acknowledgements makes me suspect a religious right underlying perspective.
Book Description
Dr. Cyril Wecht is one of the most sought-after forensic pathologists in the world. His willingness to take on the establishment if necessary and provide proof that runs counter to popular opinion make his books fascinating reading.
The author of Mortal Evidence and Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey? now applies his scientific expertise to several additional high-profile cases as well as other lesser-known but highly intriguing mysteries. For the Scott Peterson case, Dr. Wecht became intimately involved, even studying the remains of Laci and Conner Peterson. In addition to recounting this sad story, he provides his detailed assessment of the evidence in the case as well as his view of the jury's verdict. For the Chandra Levy case, Dr. Wecht not only examined her remains, but also visited the very remote and isolated scene of the tragic homicide. He also meticulously assesses the evidence concerning Rep. Gary Condit's role in this case. Moreover, he examines the death of 248 soldiers in a plane crash at Gander Air Force base. Consequently, Wecht now challenges the U.S. government to reopen the case, and to admit it was, in fact, a terrorist attack. He also questions the original finding of suicide in the death of Air Force Captain Jeffrey Digman. Dr. Wecht also analyzes in depth the shooting of former NBA All-Star Jayson Williams's chauffeur; the case of Washington, D.C. nurse Jane Bolding, accused of euthanizing patients in her care; and the suspicious death of Jonny Gammage, (the cousin of Pittsburgh Steeler Ray Seals), who was stopped and told to get out of his car in a police action.
This riveting book concludes with a reconsideration of two of the most infamous cases of the 20th century—the assassination of President Kennedy and the death of Marilyn Monroe. As the first civilian pathologist to examine the autopsy report of President Kennedy, Wecht has repeatedly criticized the Warren Commission. Here he reveals his own private evidence in the case in addition to assessing recently disclosed medical information. In regard to Marilyn Monroe, Wecht reconstructs that tragic evening, evaluates the evidence, and draws his well conceived conclusions.
Customer Reviews:
Tales from the Morgue.......2007-05-13
Written so the layman can understand it. Very good reading.
I felt as if I was present during this FAMOUS AUTOPSYS!!.......2007-04-11
This book is awesome! Great detail of each autopsy. Marlilyn Monroe, & JFK autopsy details are amazing! Easy read, you never want to put this book down!
Analyze This.......2006-05-24
This book is not particularly well-written. It's somewhat cobbled-together, a Frankenstein creation of mismatched parts.
And here and there the reasoning doesn't seem sound. For example, Dr. Wecht's summary feeling that Scott Peterson was unfairly convicted of killing his wife and unborn son isn't sensible. He is basing his objection on the fact that all the evidence against Peterson was circumstantial. Well, but given the weight of that evidence...
Then in his chapter on the accidental shooting committed by Johnny Gammage, basketball player, Wecht quotes the forensic testimony he gave on the stand. This testimony is garbled and contradictory. Wecht couldn't have been of much help to the attorneys for whom he was testifying.
Again, in his analysis of the 1985 crash of the military plane Arrow Jet 950 in Newfoundland, Wecht seems to overlook a key possibility. He takes issue with the official conclusion that the crash occurred because of inadequate plane de-icing, and that the fire that engulfed the plane only occurred after impact. Wecht thinks the condition of the dead passengers and crew belie this conclusion, because he found smoke in some of the victims' lungs. Wecht's own theory is that it's likelier some sort of explosion (possibly even a terrorist bomb) rocked the plane in mid-air, causing an in-flight fire. But finding smoke in victims' lungs could also mean that some of the passengers survived a few moments after the crash and inhaled smoke from the fire that did in fact occur only after impact - couldn't it?
Some better chapters follow, but by this time I was growing leery of Wecht's interpretations. So even though he presents an interesting, concise account of the Kennedy assassination, I don't quite trust his dissenting conclusion about it, especially since the majority of his peers reviewing recently released material come to opposite conclusions. However his theory sounds correct.
Similarly his chapter on Marilyn Monroe's death sounds as if it could be the final word on the subject. His unsensational theory about her cause of death should quash all the lurid, teasing TV speculations that periodically get aired. But even here, Wecht undermines an otherwise good analysis. He sees fit to gratuitously interject the fact that Marilyn Monroe wasn't his "type," that he prefers "cool brunettes." Informing us of his taste in woman while he contemplates Monroe's stomach and colon contents, makes him sound like the ultimate jerk. He perpetrates one final indignity on Monroe.
But there is value in reading about these different cases on which Wecht says he consulted. You'll get summaries of the facts of each case. And you will learn how much of forensics is art rather than science. You'll come to better distinguish the dramatized certitudes of the CSI series from real life, where there are often as many different opinions about the cause of a crime as there are forensic scientists working on the case.
evidence of innocence for Scott Peterson.......2006-04-01
At last, a book based on professional forensic evidence on the Scott Peterson case. This perspective, coupled with the book, Presumed Guilty, by Matt Dalton, create for me a more level-headed portrayal of facts, painting a clearer picture for the truth. Wecht's one piece of evidence for me, is the caffeine found in the toxicology test from Laci's autopsy. I have learned elsewhere, that Laci did not drink caffeine during her pregnancy. She clearly left her home alive, then, and was not drugged by Scott, as the prosecution suggested. She most likely was forced to drink caffeine under duress, suggesting the likelihood of an abduction. I do believe Scott will win his freedom, with a chance for a fairer trial.
From high-profile forensics cases.......2006-03-18
Dr. Cyril Wecht is one of the most sought-after forensic pathologists in the world: his expertise lends to providing proof that runs counter to popular opinion and his scientific expertise reads well for lay readers fascinated by true crime investigations. TALES FROM THE MORGUE: FORENSIC ANSWERS TO NINE FAMOUS CASES tackles high-profile cases from Scott Peterson's murder of his wife and unborn child to the assassination of President Kennedy and the death of Marilyn Monroe. Dr. Wecht reveals methods, evidence, trials, and pathology techniques in a lively discourse which reads like a thrilling murder mystery of nine famous cases. Fascinating reading and a lively writing style lend to TALES FROM THE MORGUE 's appeal to a wide general-interest audience.
Book Description
It began in Boston, with angry colonists objecting to the tyranny of a king who ruled from an ocean away.
It was voiced by patriots such as Sam Adams and Patrick Henry and echoed by citizens from New England all the way to the Carolinas.
It was fought by many -- colonists and patriots, Loyalists and slaves, Frontiersmen and Indians, British and French soldiers.
Over more than ten years, sides were taken, guns drawn, lives lost. But through it all, one man -- a general from Virginia named George Washington -- held the young colonies together and led them to victory, beating almost impossible odds.
History lovers Betsy and Giulio Maestro tell this true story of extraordinary times, incredible drama, and the birth of a new nation.
Customer Reviews:
A lively guide to death.......2004-01-21
This book is an excellent resource for writers who want to imbue their stories with the authentic details of unnatural death but don't really have all the tools and training of a full-time medical examiner. In my case, as a crime author, the text was an invaluable reference, putting some highly technical material into easily digested context. Recommended for writers of all kinds who need a good reference work on the myriad ways to die.
Good information, bad writing.......2002-09-19
This is part of the Writer's Digest "Howdunnit" series--aids for the mystery writer when constructing a story. There's a lot of great information here, from the description of how an emergency room is arranged and operated, to the same for an autoposy, to numbers for ways in which people die by suicide, homicide and accidents. Wilson uses some quotes from books--mystery and otherwise--to illustrate his sections. I can't say much for his choice of quotes, especially this one from Robin Cook's Mortal Fear:
"Glancing up at the monitor, which still showed normal ECG activity, Jason touched Cedric's neck. He could feel no pulse.
'Let me have a cardiac needle,' he demanded. 'And someone get a blood pressure.' A large cardiac needle was thrust into his hand as he palpated Cedric's chest to locate the ridge of the sternum."
I imagine that it might be difficult to continue to work after someone thrust a huge needle into your hand, eh? Such wonderful writing to be used as a model for would-be authors. I also noticed that Wilson is in love with the M.D. designation following his name. His name never appears in the book without it. From the use of quotes from his own published novels, and from the fiction that he created from this book, its obvious that the M.D. never helped his fiction writing any, other than provide him the information that makes up this book. Maybe it did help him understand the material presented here; at least enough to present it in a clear and readable manner. I plan to go on and check out the other books in this series, but I hope the other authors are better fiction writers than this guy.
Wow...........2001-09-01
This is one of the best books in the howdunit series...It is a very good book for people just starting to learn about forensics. It is very detailed in many differnet areas including: medical and leagal procedures, how to deterimin time of death, autopsy, differnt methods of death, capital punishment, and of course, causes of death. I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in crime scene investigation, or forensics, police work, ect. Happy reading!
Good reference for writers........2001-08-17
If you're planning on writing a suspensful novel and are unsure of whom to turn to in order to obtain information on forensic medicine, then this book is a useful resource. This can help you write clues for the detective in your novel to follow in the search for answers. Scientific terms are explained, so it is a great book to read.
It was the scent of death with twist of almond........2001-03-02
Cause of Death ranks 2nd place in my "Favorites from the Howdunit Series". This book is amazingly informative and it will keep you reading straight through to the end! Cause of Death informs you that you might be able to tell how a victim died by the smell. For example, almond scent often relates to cyanide poisoning, or cyanide gas.
Cause of Death goes in depth on how a person might have died, what happens to a body once it is dead, types of injuries, and so much more! It even has detailed pictures such as the emergency room, and (in autopsy) how a human is cut for examination. Cause of Death covers it all...from priorities in the ER, to the order things are done at an autopsy.
The three most interesting sections of the book cover: * the discharge of firearms with pictures of types of bullets, how they impact, and what a hole would look like shot at different distances. * how to distinguish a murder from a suicide. * Crime and punishment (including a list of states' death penalties and how they are carried out).
I see no faults in this book. It has a great amount of information to create the perfect, believable death plot in your story. I highly recommend getting this book!!
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- Superimmunity for Kids : What to Feed Your Children to Keep Them Healthy Now, and Prevent Disease in Their Future
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- The 6th Target
- The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
- The Bone Collector (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel)
- The Book of Five Rings
- The Charm School
- The City of Falling Angels
Books Index
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