Written in Blood: A History of Forensic Detection

by Colin Wilson (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  1995

  $9.95

  The first recorded scientific examination of a corpse was carried out by a Roman doctor called Atistius on the murdered Julius Caesar, but it was not until the 19th century that the history of scientific crime detection really began. The author charts the rise and development of forensic detection in fascinating, gruesome detail, covering, among other subjects, forensic toxology, ballistics, sexual criminology and the latest advances in forensic investigation techniques, including genetic fingerprinting and psychological profiling.

• Used

  Paperback
  2003

  $11.96

  From poisoners in ancient Rome to modern serial murderers, this newly extended edition of Colin Wilson's forensic-detection bestseller is a gruesome yet gripping history of forensic toxicology, ballistics, sexual criminology and the latest advances in the armoury of investigation techniques like genetic fingerprints and psychological profiling. A chilling catalogue of case studies, taken from original sources, shows how the tiniest scraps of evidence often produce momentous results. Like Nancy Titterton's murderer, betrayed by a single horsehair. Here too, in all its depth and notoriety, is the surprisingly modern criminal, the serial sex killer: Jack the Ripper, the Moors murderers, Charles Manson, and Peter Sutcliffe amongst others.