Abstract
The field of veterinary forensics has gained recognition recently, and the first texts dedicated to the topic are becoming available. With forensics, a necropsy is conducted to ascertain the manner of death (accidental or otherwise), to look for contributory causes, and to try to determine the time of death. Veterinary Forensics covers this wide-ranging field, drawing together information that will prove useful to professionals from varied specialties—animal welfare officials, shelter staff, clinical veterinarians, veterinary pathologists, and forensics experts. The writing style makes the subject accessible to those coming from all of these fields, at a minor cost to the scientific tone of the text. The lack of available veterinary data on the subject is indicated in reviewing the reference lists for each chapter. Many highly regarded medical forensics texts clearly formed a foundation for this volume, though the transposition of the information into the veterinary field could have been further refined in some areas.
The work is laid out in 12 chapters, followed by 27 appendices. Laura A. Janssen contributed the first chapter, “The Legal System and the Veterinarian's Role,” promoting the importance of building links between investigational and prosecuting officials and veterinarians to ensure that communication occurs at all stages in case development and improving the chances of attaining a conviction. Further explanation of some of the legal terminology would balance the level of medical information used in the remainder of the text. “Crime Scene Investigation” covers the identification of evidence at the scene of a crime and its collection, recording, and preservation. Assessment of the status of the body at the time of discovery prior to removal from the crime scene is discussed, including cases when the body had been buried. “CSI: The Animal as Evidence” provides tips to help determine whether traumatic lesions occurred before or after death. Development of a chain of custody is detailed, with appropriate sample labeling and documentation. “Special Considerations in Animal Cruelty Cases” describes such diverse topics as the examination of trace evidence, forensic botany, palynology (study of pollen and spores), Münschausen syndrome by proxy, physical manifestations of stress, and categories of maltreatment.
Seven chapters are devoted to “Patterns of Non-Accidental Injury”: nonpenetrating injuries, penetrating injuries, burns, gunshot wounds, asphyxia and drowning, poisoning, and neglect. Nonpenetrating injuries are discussed relative to their appearance, cause, and chronicity, and by their location relative to severity and site-related factors. Penetrating injuries are described with respect to the types of instrument involved, and the section concludes with a brief account of ritualistic crimes. Burns are classified by the percentage of surface affected and the depth of damage. The systemic effects of burns, the variation in burn type (thermal, chemical, electrical), and smoke inhalation are explained. The chapter on gunshot wounds assesses lesions by the type of firearm, the path of ammunition in the body, ballistics, range, and trajectory, and overviews the recording of findings. Generally asphyxiation is a topic covered poorly in veterinary pathology texts, but here it is clarified from mechanistic to investigational angles. Differentiation of cases of drowning versus those in which the bodies were immersed in water postmortem and other useful advice are covered in this section. Malicious poisoning as a cause of unexpected (sudden) death is a common supposition, particularly in the context of domestic/neighborly disagreement. The most frequently encountered toxins are discussed with suggestions for sample collection. Neglect is the most common form of maltreatment. Starvation, hoarding, heat stroke, hypothermia, embedded collars, and lack of treatment of medical problems are discussed, with a particular emphasis on investigating the environment.
While initially tinged with melodrama, the chapter on “Sexual Assault” describes the steps necessary to investigate “injuries to the anorectal region or genitalia.” “Animal Fighting” reports the types of lesions arising in dog and cock fighting and draws attention to environmental features that should be assessed at the crime scene. “Time of Death” relates techniques that aid in determining postmortem interval, incorporating information about progressive changes in the carcass over time both theoretically and by appearance, and relating these to the environment in which the body was found. Effects of temperature, weather, scavenging, and population of the carcass by insects are all discussed. The appendices provide a wealth of resources to aid in establishing a routine method of investigation of animal cruelty cases. Repetition in this section could have been avoided by pooling and adapting template forms. Together, the lists of specialists and laboratories and the webliography make this book a worthwhile purchase, which will hopefully be kept up-to-date in future editions.
Subdivision of information within chapters does not always flow, in part because of the breadth of the subjects under discussion, and further editorial input would have been beneficial. Separating out the approach to investigation of live animals and necropsy cases would possibly prove helpful to readers of future editions; the information on approach to live animal cases is not easily located. Occasionally acronyms are used without explanation, which given the varied readership may cause some trouble in interpretation. A degree of redundancy by repetition of information is not limited to the appendices, and some unfortunate errors (e.g., interchanging epidermal and epidural in one section) have crept into the text. Shifting back and forth between gross and histologic findings at necropsy is a style point that could have been easily avoided. The formatting of the images in black and white interspersed in the text, then repeated as a block of color plates, seemed unusual, but apparently this was a common publication practice in the past. The use of symbols in some images would have been an aid to their interpretation. In closing, after reading this forensics text, I find myself fascinated by the wealth of further investigational techniques available in examining necropsy cases and concerned over finding the funding to enjoy these new opportunities.