Growing role of Forensic Science

The first recorded evidence of the use of forensic science is contained in a book produced in Song dynasty China in 1248.

Hsi Duan Yu (Washing Away of Wrongs) details how an investigator established that a particular sickle was used to kill a murder victim by testing different blades on animal carcasses and comparing the wounds.

In more recent times forensic science has become a greatly specialised field, with many disciplines involved besides genetics, including:

Classification of Forensic Science: (Widely Used)

Anthropology: Forensic anthropologists, often working with pathologists, as seen on TV shows such as CSI and Silent Witness, study badly decomposed remains to work out age, sex, height and ancestry, as well as investigating signs of trauma or disease.



Entomology: The study of insects, which helps establish issues such as time and place of death, using information such as the gestation period of species which lay eggs on dead bodies.



Palynology: Detailed knowledge of pollen types and distribution can help establish time and location of death, and whether a body has been moved.



Toxicology: A variety of techniques are used to detect the presence in a body of any of a wide range of poisons, chemicals and drugs.