BOOK REVIEWS Book Reviews

THE LITTLE HOUSE OF HORRORS BEDSIDE BOOK

Forensic Pathology DJ Williams, AJ Ansford, DS Priday, AS Forrest (Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 1996, index, ISBN 0 443 05388 X; £9.50)

Forensic Pathology is the latest volume in the Colour Guide series, a pocket book format with alternating pages of text and colour photographs. The aim of this book is to provide 'brief notes on . . . selected aspects of forensic pathology' and is directed towards medical students and practitioners who may have some involvement in forensic cases.

The text is well written and concise, covering homicides, suicides, accidental deaths, as well as deaths due to various disease processes. Inevitably, as in all books of this type, the text is rather brief and there is insufficient detail to provide a good understanding of the subjects covered.

However, the extensive selection of colour images is used effectively to illustrate points made in the text, including important features to note at the scene of death, interpretation of injury patterns, estimating time of death and changes occurring post mortem.

Many aspects of the work of a forensic pathologist are covered, for example, the presentation and interpretation of evidence in the courtroom. In a section entitled 'Deaths in children', the authors state that abdominal injuries are the second commonest cause of death in child abuse cases. It is noted that whilst 'such injuries are occasionally attributed by defence counsel to too vigorous resuscitation', this is, in fact, rarely the case. The importance of presenting evidence clearly to a jury is also emphasised. The description of stab wounds is cited as an area of potential confusion for jurors since 'a knife with a blade of a certain width produces a skin wound which is described in terms of how long it is'.

Forensic Pathology is a brief guide and as such is unlikely to be of any use to those involved in medico legal work. However, it does successfully provide an interesting overview of a vast subject, and may be of use to those medical students considering a career in this fascinating profession.

Victoria Watt

THE PARSON'S NOSE ..... Firearms, the Law and Forensic Ballistics TA Warlow (Taylor & Francis, London, 1996, 298pp, index, ISBN 0 7484 04325; £55.00)

This book has clearly been written by a very experienced firearms examiner and it deals with all the areas of work than an examiner might encounter in the United Kingdom.

The technical aspects of firearms are covered, from their development to their effects on the target and their legal

status is discussed. Useful comments are made in the parts dealing with work at the scene of crime and at the post mortem. A good section on comparison microscopy is included in the chapter on the laboratory examination of exhibits. The presentation of evidence comes towards the end of the book with helpful advice to new witnesses. The final sections contain useful information on proof marks, date codes and manufacturers' codes.

Each chapter ends with a list of further reading and the text is well supported by some one hundred and forty photographs, though the quality of these varies. The style of writing changes and the middle of the book is written in a very informal and rather conversational manner which is sometimes difficult to read and is occasionally open to misinterpretation. There are some simple errors that are easily detected by the reader and there is a cluster of these on page 75, which includes the consistent slip of expressing acceleration in ft/sec.

There is a vast amount of information packed into this book and there is something of value for anyone connected with the investigation of crimes involving firearms. The book will be of particular value as an aid to those training in the forensic examination of firearms.

Brian Arnold

. .. .. AND THE CURATE'S EGG

Handbook of Firearms and Ballistics Brian J Heard (John Wiley & Sons, Chichestel; 1997, 260pp, index, ISBN 0 471 96563 4; £45.00)

The study of firearms and, in particular, its application to crime solving is a fascinating subject. After many years of involvement with forensic firearms examination, the subject has lost little of its lustre in my eyes and so it was in anticipation of a pleasurable read that I set out to review Brian Heard's Handbook of Firearms and Ballistics. A modern textbook on this subject has been long overdue and I hoped that this publication would fill the gap.

To an extent my expectations were justified. This book has been an ambitious project, not only covering basic firearms examination but also the associated subjects of gunshot residue identification, true ballistics and the history of firearms development.

The book is well laid out and, in the main, clearly written. Firearms terminology is explained in language easily understood by the layman and there are useful glossaries, both at the end of each section and forming the final chapter. This is a book which is easy to dip into and read about any particular aspect of firearms examination covered. There is a scattering of interesting anecdotes to illustrate various points and useful lists of references for

Science & Justice 1997; 37(2): 148-150