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by Colin Evans, 326 pp, with illus, paper, $14, ISBN-13 978-0-425-21007-9, ISBN-10 0-425-21007-3, New York, NY, Berkley Books, 2006.

JAMA. 2007;297:216-217.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Dr Bernard Spilsbury was an early 20th-century British forensic pathologist. He gained fame after being involved in the forensic investigation of the famous "Dr Crippen Case"—his expert testimony in court made him the first modern forensic media figure. His methods were notable; for instance, he identified Crippen's victim by detailed microscopic study of a single scar. To convince the lay jury, Spilsbury brought the glass slides of the scar—and his microscope—to court. Spilsbury's further career as Home Office forensic pathologist was highlighted by several other high-profile cases and spanned two world wars. Spilsbury personally performed 25 000 postmortem examinations—up to 1000 per annum. He was knighted in 1923.

The Father of Forensics, by Colin Evans, relates Spilsbury's career, particularly his involvement in such infamous cases as the Crippen case, "The Brides in the Bath," and "The Butcher of Soho." The book illustrates in part how forensic medicine and science were practiced . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Werner Jacobs, MD, PhD, Reviewer
werner.jacobs@uza.be

Marc De Leeuw, MD, Reviewer
marc.deleeuw@telenet.be
University of Antwerp (UA)
Antwerp, Belgium

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