Forensic Pathology

This is a short writing on forensic pathology.  If you are into true crime, I recommend reading this!

A quick warning before I begin, this text includes descriptive imagery containing murder/death/and mutilation.  

Now we can begin :)

     You may be asking yourself- "What is a forensic pathologist?" Well, A Forensic Pathologist analyzes the medical and crime scene evidence and history of the deceased while also helping identify both the murderer and the murdered individual(s).  They witness testimonials and perform autopsies on the deceased to assess whether the death was caused by violence or disease.  They also document their initial findings in a report and may have to testify in court.  They also help determine a defendant's guilt or innocence and are crucial to murder cases.  

     A ton of training goes into being a forensic pathologist, including a minimum of 13 years of post-high school education and training. To be an MD, you also need an undergraduate degree in a medical or science discipline before completing a four-year medical school program.  After you graduate from Med School, you are required to pass a licensing exam to officially become an MD.  You will then need to enroll in a four-year anatomic and clinical pathology residency along with a one-year forensic pathology residency class.  Then, you can attend your Regional Pathology and Forensic Pathology board exams. Now you can finally work as a forensic pathologist-whew!  

This is a more famous story of how forensic pathology was used to identify a murderer...

     In 1862, Hawley Harvey Crippen was born in Coldwater, Michigan.  He became a homeopath but wasn't taken seriously, so he eventually stopped working and married Cora Turner. She supposedly cheated on him with other men and possibly even women while together.  However, the night before she disappeared, she argued with Crippen about a house guest, so that seems to be one of the factors for her disappearance.  Some people argue that he gave Turner Hyoscine as an antidepressant but accidentally gave her an overdose causing him to panic and disembowel her.  A funnier proposal that several British newspapers proclaimed was that he killed her because she had syphilis.  Crippen soon ran off with his new lover, Ethel Leneve who he cheated on his wife with. When Turner disappeared, his house was searched and yielded the remains of a body that contained no bones.  The body was heavily mutilated and not identifiable, as there was only a torso left.  Pathology was used to identify the remains, scars, and hair, and even found out she was poisoned with scopolamine (Crippen had bought large amounts of scopolamine right before her disappearance...hmmm).  A Forensic Pathologist named Sir Benard Spilsbury ultimately identified the body as Cora Tuner.  (Crippen was hung :p)

     HOWEVER.  In 2007, new evidence was found to completely deny all of this!!  In fact- new forensic pathologists identified the body as a male (bruh).  Researchers said that police staged the murder to incriminate Crippen.  

The UK's CCRC declared that the Court of Appeal would not hear the case to pardon Crippen...

Many people still think he is innocent to this day.  

Sir Bernard Spilsbury (FP)                 Dr. Crippen (Murderer...maybe)

The info on being a forensic pathologist was found here:

1. Purdue College of Science, Purdue University. “Forensic Pathologist.” Forensic Pathologist - College of Science - Purdue University, www.purdue.edu/science/careers/what_can_i_do_with_a_major/Career%20Pages/forensic_pathologist.html#:~:text=A%20forensic%20pathology%20practitioner%20will,further%20evidence%20from%20the%20body. Accessed 12 May 2023. 

2. “Case Example.” FORENSIC PATHOLOGY - Home, fopat.weebly.com/case-example.html#:~:text=Hawley%20crippen-,Dr.,case%20solved%20by%20forensic%20pathology. Accessed 12 May 2023. 

I just wrote the story based on historical evidence- so I hope you like it.