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In Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab, the Body Farm, Where the Dead Do Tell Tales, Dr. Bass describes how learning from his errors—some of which came back to haunt him more often then he liked -- was the original inspiration for the Anthropology Research Facility. But coupled with that was his growing awareness of the need to know more about what happens to bodies under many different conditions.The state-of-the-art in forensic anthropology during the 1960s and '70s was mostly anecdotal. So with the assistance of eager graduate students, Dr. Bass set up the first basic experiments. "It came from humble begin
In Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab, the Body Farm, Where the Dead Do Tell Tales, Dr. Bass describes how learning from his errors—some of which came back to haunt him more often then he liked -- was the original inspiration for the Anthropology Research Facility. But coupled with that was his growing awareness of the need to know more about what happens to bodies under many different conditions.The state-of-the-art in forensic anthropology during the 1960s and '70s was mostly anecdotal. So with the assistance of eager graduate students, Dr. Bass set up the first basic experiments. "It came from humble beginnings," Bass wrote about his research facility, "and it progressed by small steps." The initial questions about teeth, bones, flesh, and insects were elementary, but they needed to be answered with good scientific methods and documentation.
Bass's students eventually branched out into other areas, such as insect activity, measurement of odor, and decomposition leakage into soil. Many of them went on to become prestigious in their own right. In fact, over half of the practicing forensic anthropologists practicing today in the United States have studied with Bill Bass.It wasn't always easy, and this is where the background tales give the book added dimension beyond what's already been written about the Body Farm. Early on, there were misunderstandings about what Bass was doing and protests from groups who thought bodies were sacred, as well as a bit of negative press intended to pressure the school supporting it. Yet Bass found many sympathizers as well, since it was clear that this type of study, gruesome as it might be, greatly benefited law enforcement. Step by step, he expanded the work and offered what he learned to medical examiners, police officers, FBI agents, physicians, and anyone else who was interested. People began to learn about the place and arrived for further education. Some decided as a result that they wanted to leave their body to science, specifically to the Body Farm.
As Bass tells the history and development of this one-of-a-kind place, he utilizes cases that taught him something new or put his acquired knowledge to the test, so the book sometimes has the quality of a detective novel.
BY Katherine Ramsland
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Manufacturer: G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York
Release date: 27 October 2003
ISBN-10 : 0399151346 |
ISBN-13: 9780399151347
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