Customer Reviews

Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dr. Baden was the chief medical examiner of New York City from 1960 to 1985, and "Unnatural Death" is a fascinating look at some of the cases he investigated. Bronx-born and Brooklyn-bred, Dr. Baden doesn't shy away from a fight whether it was with the Mayor of New York City who fired him (Dr. Baden eventually sued Mayor Koch for wrongful dismissal and won his case) or the Warren Commission, which was charged with the investigation of President Kennedy's assassination.

Baden refers to himself as "a witness to the dead," and treats the bodies on his autopsy table with what can only be described as reverence. Forensic Pathology is both a fascinating profession and a sacred calling for him. During his forty-year career he has conducted more than 20,000 autopsies and has served as an expert witness on homicide cases that include Nicole Brown Simpson, the last alleged victim of Albert DeSalvo, "Sunny" von Bulow (included in this book), John Belushi (also in this book), and JonBenet Ramsey.

Also there are those wonderful political brawls, the foremost of which in "Unnatural Death" is Dr. Baden's tussle with various government officials involved in the investigation of the deaths during the Attica prison riot. In a way, I wish there was less politics and more science in this autobiography, but Dr. Baden correctly points out that reforming the 'politics of death' and raising the status of MEs is one of his most important goals.

This book also highlights cases and anecdotes where the emphasis is on detection and forensic science rather than politics. One of the most gruesome involved a New York City ME who kept a tray of feet that had been cut off at the ankles. He called it the 'Centipede' and used his display to convince the Federal Aviation Agency that airplane seats needed to be redesigned. People's feet were being cut off during airplane crashes by the bar under their seat that was supposed to keep suitcases from sliding backwards.

The seats were redesigned, thanks in part to the 'Centipede.'

One of the saddest, most inexplicable (in psychological terms, at least) cases in "Unnatural Death" is Dr. Baden's investigation of the deaths of Mary Beth and Joseph Tinning's nine children in upstate New York. One aspect of this case that is not widely known is Mary Beth's attempted poisoning of her husband (she was having an affair with a minister at the time). According to Dr. Baden, Joseph Tinning "did not feel that his marriage had been destroyed by this attempt to annihilate him." Nor, evidently by the deaths of his nine children.

Readers will definitely gain an appreciation of the value of forensic pathology from this book, which I believe was Dr. Baden's ultimate goal in writing it.

If you are an avid reader of true crime, this is a hard to put down book. And if the HBO special "autopsy" held you on the edge of your seat, this is just a continuation. It has everything in here, from celebrity autopsies, to everyday people. It is not morbid and creepy, although some aspects may make the weak queasy, its realism and therefore compelling. It amazes as to how a medical examiner can solve a crime and pin point time and cause of death. Just a interest-keeper of a read, not only for anyone in the medical field, or forensics, but simply everyone.

A great book!! One of my all time favorites that easily explains complex situations and extremely compilcated medical jargon into a everyday conversation!! Great stories!! Mr Baden has a gift for allowing the reader to understand the trumatic events and terrible crimes we human- beings inflict on one another! Understanding the forensics science involved can surely overwhelm the common individual but not in this book as we learn from Mr. Baden! I would not hesitate to both endorse and encourage any one to read this book for themselves and not walk away disappointed! In my 9 years in L.A.County Cornoner's Office as a volunteer Forensic tech, I am more than happy to ask that Mr. Baden write at least another book to follow up this masterpiece!!

As a loyal CIS fan, Confessions of a Medical Examiner takes the reader into the fascinating and real world of forensic science. What takes 40 minutes to solve on television in reality can take days, weeks, months and sometimes never.
Michael Baden gives terrific insigt into the life and career of a medical examiner, who, unlike a hospital pathologist, autopies for three kinds of unnatural deaths - suicides, homicides and accidents. This is an untaught specialty and according to Dr. Baden, a stepchild of the medical profession. Training comes as apprentices in a medical examiner's office.
Each chapter is riveting in detail and forensic lore - for any crime buff, Confessions of a Medical Examiner should be on the "must read" list.
Marianne Gordon

Michael Baden's 'Confessions', of course, are not confessions at all,but the book is a fascinating discussion (in no particular order) of many of the very high profile (and not high profile) cases he has handled over the years. The book is more anecdotal in style, moving along at a brisk pace, covering the forensic points quite well , with little wasted verbage. Along the way, he attacks his past critics, and confesses no sins of his own. Baden provides a useful discussion as to how politicians , prosecutors and the police bias sometimes affect, influence and even corrupt the independent judgenent of a the coroner's office. He makes a strong case for establishing nationwide standards. The recent explosion of TVs shows such as CSI (and its immitators) will hopefully attract highly talented physicians to this forensic science,which science not only helps convict the guilty, but frees the innocent, as long as the ME remains independent (and not an appendage of the prosecutor).
While many of the cases have been covered well in other
books or are familiar to true crime buffs, Baden discusses
the forensic points of each case quite well and succcintly.
The creation of 'chapters' for this book was gratuitious, as
there does not seem to be any real order to the book. Still,
I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested as to
what the victim's body tells a forensic pathologist about the victim's death, and in a homicide, what it tells about the
killer

The book doesn't just talk about dead bodies - it talks about the circumstances surrounding dead bodies and gives us a better understanding of what really happened. The book explains things in layman terms to the average reader, making it easy to comprehend and follow. I found the book to be thorough and matter-of-fact.

The book points out different M.E. customs, especially in different countries, which explains how the actual cause of death can be misdiagnosed. In addition to this, there are strong political factors that influence what M.E.s write as the official cause of death because people don't want to hear that a loved one committed suicide. Murder is somehow more glamourous, especially if it's a celebrity that really died of a drug overdose.

The book explains the three ways to determine the cause of death although it's not an exact science since there are factors that can influence the situation such as temperature and location of the body. There are certain features to look for in an autospy since specific drugs only remain for a short time and are easily overlooked. The eyes retain fluids which can be a tell-tale sign of certain presences in the body. There is so much information in this book that it's almost impossible to put it down.

The most appalling thing is not what's found in the dead bodies, but the political pressures, the various professional incompetences, and gross abuse of justice that occurs in the judical system. You should read about how one doctor tested his theory on dead babies without the parents' knowledge. Unbelieveable.

This book had amazing potential in its premise alone: the former Chief Medical Examiner of New York City gives us insight into the medical (and often political) twists and turns behind the scenes of highly publicized unnatural deaths. Unfortunately, this book turned out to be a HUGE letdown.

The writing was poor and often confusing. Not a smooth read by any means - very fragmented, scattered and random. The stories themselves pull you in because they are interesting, true and controversial, but then the author leaves you with about a dozen loose ends and unanswered questions. For example, in Chapter 11, he talks about the murder of Gail Morris. We are taken through the story only to be left hanging at the end. Why did Leonard Barco confess? Too many important details are left out. I feel like I only read half a book.

Then, there is the story of Miriam Weinfeld (Chapter 5). Baden claims that she could not have been raped because her hymen was intact, making her a virgin. This is misleading, since that is not a definitive test of virginity (it is possible for a small percentage of women have an elastic hymen, which does not break). So, for someone who does know that, that definitive statement is misleading. Little details like this - statements made without any qualifications - made me distrust the book. I am sure Michael Baden has some great stories to tell (and is obviously qualified to tell them), but the writing screwed them up. It's too bad...it could have been an incredible book.

I believe Dr.Baden is one of the most insightful Forensic Pathologists in the world today.If his expertise had been utilized during the Kennedy assassination era,we would probably know for certain who actually pulled the trigger.

This thoughtful and interesting book showed that this medical examiner stands above the others. More people should have listened to his evidence in the O. J. Simpson case. In case after case, his careful examinations brought justice where others had failed. Baden is a giant in hsi profession.

Interesting forensic stories. Rambles a bit. Old evidence testing as it was written in 1980's, nice to see we have made progress. The book shows how far we have come. A bit dry to read.