Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death--An Exploration of the Haunting Science of Forensic Ecology [Hardcover]

Jessica Snyder Sachs (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 073820336X | ISBN-13: 978-0738203362 | Publication Date: October 16, 2001 | Edition: 1

When detectives come upon a murder victim, there's one thing they want to know above all else: When did the victim die? The answer can narrow a group of suspects, make or break an alibi-even assign a name to an unidentified body. But outside the fictional world of murder mysteries, time-of-death determinations have remained infamously elusive, bedeviling forensic pathologists throughout history. Scientists are doing their best to right this situation, using DNA testing and other high-tech investigative methods. But as Jessica Snyder Sachs argues in Corpse, this is one case in which nature might just trump technology: plants, chemicals, and insects found near the body are turning out to be the fiercest weapons in our crime-fighting arsenal. In this highly original book, Sachs accompanies an eccentric group of entomologists, anthropologists, and botanists-a new kind of biological "Mod Squad"-on some of their grisliest, most intractable cases. She also takes us into the courtroom, where "post-O.J." forensic science as a whole is coming under fire and the new multidisciplinary art of forensic ecology is struggling to establish its credibility. Corpse is the fascinating story of the 2000year-old search to pinpoint time of death. It is also the terrible and beautiful story of what happens to our bodies when we die.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In 44 B.C., a physician named Antistius examined the fresh corpse of Julius Caesar and, in science journalist Jessica Sachs's words, "announced that he knew which of the would-be emperor's twenty-three stab wounds had proved fatal," thus giving birth to a new science.

In making his announcement "before the forum"--the origin of the term forensics--Antistius relied on the medical knowledge of the day, which was none too developed. His modern counterparts have much better science at their disposal to account for causes of death, which, Sachs notes, tend to be "usually more than obvious to every police officer responding to the scene." Less obvious, and far more elusive, is the exact time death occurred, the datum that forensic pathologists seek to obtain but usually have to guess at, hampered "by death's infinite variations." Examining a dozen case studies that touch on the contents of Nicole Brown Simpson's stomach, a felled Confederate soldier's skull, the methods of an English serial killer, and the contribution of an Indiana-based student of maggots to the forensic ecology of human remains, Sachs explores the means by which pathologists measure the interval between death and a body's discovery--a determination with often profound implications.

Sachs's book is a lucid, oddly fascinating work of popular science, though it's not for the queasy of stomach or the faint of heart. --Gregory McNamee

From Publishers Weekly

In 1932, Arthur Koehler helped catch a notorious suspect wanted for the Lindbergh baby murder by tracing a wooden ladder from a sawmill to a lumberyard and finally to the killer thereby giving rise to forensic botany. By elucidating such rare moments in history, Sachs, a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Discover, Parenting and Redbook, examines the often distasteful world of the forensic sciences. And while this first book is a serious scientific investigation, it also manages to bring forensic science (specifically, forensic ecology) into the layman's arena, pursuing what Sachs calls "the postmortem stopwatch" namely, the means by which investigators can better determine the time of death. Following various forensics experts on investigations, she conducts an intense study of the differences between rigor, livor and algor mortis; the analysis of stomach contents; the discerning tastes of flies; and bodily juices sluiced into soil. The book is sure to please readers interested in the processes of death and decomposition: this is the world of maggot instars and the generational cycles of "Great Sarcophagi." Appearing on the tail of Michael Baden's Dead Reckoning (Forecasts, July 23), the book brings to the fore some familiar characters (entomologist Wayne Lord and Bill Bass of the University of Tennessee's "Body Farm," among others), and in comparison, Sachs doesn't give enough time to the link between the forensic sciences and criminal investigative tactics. While the second half of the book examines practical applications of such methods, readers might not get the sense of what all this forensics hullabaloo amounts to in a court of law or anywhere else outside of the laboratory.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (October 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073820336X
• ISBN-13: 978-0738203362
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,126,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author of Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death. For information on my current book project please visit my blog at http://www.jessicasachs.com .

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not For the Squeamish, March 29, 2003

By 

Jade Galaxy "jadegalaxy" (Olympia, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death--An Exploration of the Haunting Science of Forensic Ecology (Hardcover)

"Corpse" is nauseating on two counts. First, it includes grisly details of murders so heinous they will haunt your waking hours, if not your nightmares. Second, it describes step-by-step, many times, exactly what happens to a rotting corpse. If you are unaccustomed to reading or thinking about such things on a regular basis, it will turn your stomach.

Despite my disgust for the subject matter, I found the book hard to put down. It was entertaining to read about how experts in various academic fields--entomology, anthropology, and botany--have been recruited for time-of-death determinations. Some of these engaging personalities became the first forensic ecologists. The book describes some of their research projects as well as the crimes they helped solve. Although "Corpse" gives center stage to the entomologists and anthropologists, the three chapters near the end about botany and chemistry show the reader that these lines of research are equally credible and promising.

I didn't really know anything about this subject before reading the book, and now I know almost too much about it for my own peace of mind. I find myself remembering all the crime scenes I've ever read about or seen in movies, and critiquing them in light of what I've just read. In summary, "Corpse" is fascinating, memorable, and informative, but definitely not for the squeamish.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More maggots than you can poke at with a stick!, February 5, 2002

By 

A. Liebling (Long Island City, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death--An Exploration of the Haunting Science of Forensic Ecology (Hardcover)

Science can now tell us much about the functions of the human body, but when exactly a body expires still remains nature's secret. This elusive datum is of extreme importance in homicide investigations, as the time of death can help identify the victim, identify the murderer, or clear or incriminate a suspect. Forensic experts have been allow to testify in homicide cases for dozens of years now, and in high profile cases (most notably, OJ Simpson), and juries have reached decisions based largely on their testimonies. However, there is yet an accurate measure of time of death and "expert" testimony is really nothing more than an educated guess. The methods of anatomical measurement used now - rigor, livor and algor mortis, and the analysis of stomach contacts and eyeball fluid - can't narrow the time beyond half a day or so, and there are too many environmental and internal factors that can skew any probable window of time of death. As a result, there is a major need to find a credible method to find the human body's off switch, so that innocents won't be wrongly convicted and murderers freed.

In Corpse, pop-science author Jessica Snyder Sachs makes the case that a possible solution might be in the under-appreciated (and horribly disgusting) fields of forensics entomology and forensics botany. In stomach-churning details, she explains the use of maggots and other insects in helping pinpoint the time of death. Very graphically, it is described how long it would take for a sunflower to grow out of a corpse's empty eye socket, or for maggots to pupate on a bloated belly.

The book is actually very fascinating and engrossing (as well as just gross), and I do agree that entomology, anthropology and botany can help aid the process of time of death determination. I don't, however, think they are the golden keys to unlocking this mystery, since there are just as many variables to skew any reasonable estimate by using them as there are with the anatomical measurements. Still, this book was very well-researched and enlightening, and I learned a lot, namely: 1) I'm definitely getting cremated, and 2) I don't think I could eat rare meat for awhile.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Decomposing was never this much fun!, February 9, 2002

By 

Jonathan Reed (Warren, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death--An Exploration of the Haunting Science of Forensic Ecology (Hardcover)

Remember "Green Eggs & Ham"? This book is not at all like that one. But the moral of Dr. Seuss' classic holds true with respect to "Corpse": Don't be put off by outward appearances, something that looks or sounds bad might actually be quite good.

First time author Snyder Sachs takes a forbidding subject and makes it both interesting and, more importantly, a pleasure to read. Whether in a plane, on a beach, or at bedtime, "Corpse" will hold your attention. But wait, the real fun starts when you put the book down and discuss the subject matter with your friends and family. The mention, for example, of "maggots churning across a nearly severed neck" has never failed to attract attention in a crowded room.

I know what you're thinking: "icky!" but that brings us back to Dr. Seuss. The beauty of Snyder Sachs' pace and prose prevents the reader from turning away in disgust. On the contrary, while piquing the morbid curiosity in all of us, "Corpse" begins on a dignified, lively plane and remains there -- "Corpse" is anything but dead. It may not be your usual subject matter for light reading but it is well worth it. Say, I do like green eggs & ham.