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1.56k reviews for:
Holtak vallatója: Nagy-Britannia első számú törvényszéki kórboncnokának emlékei – avagy élet a halál közelében
Richard Shepherd
4.22 AVERAGE
1.56k reviews for:
Holtak vallatója: Nagy-Britannia első számú törvényszéki kórboncnokának emlékei – avagy élet a halál közelében
Richard Shepherd
4.22 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
The stark and frank stories Dr Shepherd tells here are fascinating. He has a style and candour which are very accessible and very pleasing, and the narrative he manages to convey is simple and yet elegant.
His passion for his work is unmistakable and has seeped into every word on the subject in here. His precise nature and the weight of experience he wields is very engrossing.
Most fascinating are the level of personal disclosure in the book, as well as Dr Shepherd's preoccupation with the notion of truth. It becomes clear - indeed Shepherd discusses it explicitly - that the reason for this book is partly to document forensic pathology at this time, what it meant and why it was supported, and also it is partly to relieve him from some of the vast emotional weight he has been carrying throughout his career and its extraordinary cases.
What does the truth mean? What can influence it? Could it ever be as clear, as uniform, as revealing, as Dr Shepherd hopes?
Would recommend, but not to the squeamish or the sensitive as many of the crimes and cases could be considered shocking.
His passion for his work is unmistakable and has seeped into every word on the subject in here. His precise nature and the weight of experience he wields is very engrossing.
Most fascinating are the level of personal disclosure in the book, as well as Dr Shepherd's preoccupation with the notion of truth. It becomes clear - indeed Shepherd discusses it explicitly - that the reason for this book is partly to document forensic pathology at this time, what it meant and why it was supported, and also it is partly to relieve him from some of the vast emotional weight he has been carrying throughout his career and its extraordinary cases.
What does the truth mean? What can influence it? Could it ever be as clear, as uniform, as revealing, as Dr Shepherd hopes?
Would recommend, but not to the squeamish or the sensitive as many of the crimes and cases could be considered shocking.
Wow what a book. What a fascinating insight into a forensic pathologist life and work which is not only kept from those who don’t know but is also seen by some people as gross or misunderstood. They are essential in understanding death and why and how it happened be it natural or as the title suggests unnatural.
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
The Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd is such an intriguing book. Dr Shepherd is a forensic pathologist, and he estimates that during his long career (35 years), he conducted 23,00 post-mortem examinations, from mass killings like the 7/7 terror attacks in London in 2005 to some of the most disturbing tragedies that occurred in the past few decades, like the investigation of the murders of Harold Shipman and the death of Stephen Lawrence, the 18-year-old who was stabbed to death at a bus stop in one of the most notorious racially motivated attacks in south London, in 1993.
In this memoir Dr Richard Shepherd describes the complicated cased he worked on and hard training and life-long commitment required by a forensic pathologist. Forensic pathology practice requires up-to-date knowledge of medical practice, the forensic sciences and sound knowledge in anatomical pathology. Forensic pathologists have a critical role in death investigation, they don’t just examine the body of the deceased to define the cause of death, but also the factors contributing to death and assist in the reconstruction of the circumstances in which the death occurred. It requires knowledge of relevant areas of the law as a forensic scientist help lawyers, judges, and juries in delivering justice by providing results as well as knowledge of the ethical issues of forensic medical practice. In a way, a forensic pathologist can be seen as an effective advocate on behalf of the deceased.
As a doctor, Richard Shepherd, sought truth through facts. “Truth,” he says, “is based upon knowledge. So, of course, it can be compromised by incomplete knowledge.” As a pathologist he was learning that truth could be directly affected by the choices he made, by how many facts he chose to study. It was the first step in what was to become for him, a lifelong examination of the nature of truth. But truth is not always simple and singular. Truth can be different things when viewed from different viewpoints. Truth is not so easy to apply in practicality. “Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” you swear when you appear in court. But the whole truth includes all the possible alternatives for a given situation as Dr Richard Shepherd states in his book. How should a forensic pathologist respond to a question asked by the prosecutor when truth includes all possible, probable, reasonably probable or only the most probable alternatives. I found the cases that included court testimonies very intriguing.
Together with the social and political implications of some of these cases, Dr Richard Shepherd describes the impact that his work brought to his personal and family life and although I would prefer less information about his family life, I found his description about his PTSD very interesting. Mental health is a serious problem and although stigma has eased considerably in the past few decades, acceptance is still farther that it should be. Mental health problems do not discriminate with regards to situation or status. Talking openly and honestly about the challenges of mental health, as Dr Shepherd does in this book, makes a lot of difference.
In this memoir Dr Richard Shepherd describes the complicated cased he worked on and hard training and life-long commitment required by a forensic pathologist. Forensic pathology practice requires up-to-date knowledge of medical practice, the forensic sciences and sound knowledge in anatomical pathology. Forensic pathologists have a critical role in death investigation, they don’t just examine the body of the deceased to define the cause of death, but also the factors contributing to death and assist in the reconstruction of the circumstances in which the death occurred. It requires knowledge of relevant areas of the law as a forensic scientist help lawyers, judges, and juries in delivering justice by providing results as well as knowledge of the ethical issues of forensic medical practice. In a way, a forensic pathologist can be seen as an effective advocate on behalf of the deceased.
As a doctor, Richard Shepherd, sought truth through facts. “Truth,” he says, “is based upon knowledge. So, of course, it can be compromised by incomplete knowledge.” As a pathologist he was learning that truth could be directly affected by the choices he made, by how many facts he chose to study. It was the first step in what was to become for him, a lifelong examination of the nature of truth. But truth is not always simple and singular. Truth can be different things when viewed from different viewpoints. Truth is not so easy to apply in practicality. “Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” you swear when you appear in court. But the whole truth includes all the possible alternatives for a given situation as Dr Richard Shepherd states in his book. How should a forensic pathologist respond to a question asked by the prosecutor when truth includes all possible, probable, reasonably probable or only the most probable alternatives. I found the cases that included court testimonies very intriguing.
Together with the social and political implications of some of these cases, Dr Richard Shepherd describes the impact that his work brought to his personal and family life and although I would prefer less information about his family life, I found his description about his PTSD very interesting. Mental health is a serious problem and although stigma has eased considerably in the past few decades, acceptance is still farther that it should be. Mental health problems do not discriminate with regards to situation or status. Talking openly and honestly about the challenges of mental health, as Dr Shepherd does in this book, makes a lot of difference.
— 4.5 stars
i can't help but want to thank RS for writing this book. it's incredibly poignant, & hard to read at times but he recounts each story with such respect & deep thought ,that i also fell in love with this process that seeks to find justice for those who can no longer speak for themselves.
christ though, it wasnt half hard to read
i can't help but want to thank RS for writing this book. it's incredibly poignant, & hard to read at times but he recounts each story with such respect & deep thought ,that i also fell in love with this process that seeks to find justice for those who can no longer speak for themselves.
christ though, it wasnt half hard to read
I really enjoyed this book, because it shows what happens to the people we loved after they've died. Eventhough the cause of death may seem natural everyone gets a post-mortem to point out the exact cause of death. This is something that i was unaware of before i started reading this book.
It was interesting to read how Mr. Shepherd became interested in becoming a forensic pathologist and how it affected his life. The many people who he performed post-mortems on, but also explaining which symptoms or signs he was looking for to give the cause of death was very intriguing to read. I specifically enjoyed reading the little facts about deducing those causes. For example the case that includes the possibilities of strangling, choking and asphyxiation. The way Mr. Shepherd states facts about how bruises develop on the body before or after death or how the body decomposes are fascinating to read about, because it's not something you think about in your everyday life.
All in all i learned a lot about what happens to the deceased and what a profession such as a forensic pathologist includes.
It was interesting to read how Mr. Shepherd became interested in becoming a forensic pathologist and how it affected his life. The many people who he performed post-mortems on, but also explaining which symptoms or signs he was looking for to give the cause of death was very intriguing to read. I specifically enjoyed reading the little facts about deducing those causes. For example the case that includes the possibilities of strangling, choking and asphyxiation. The way Mr. Shepherd states facts about how bruises develop on the body before or after death or how the body decomposes are fascinating to read about, because it's not something you think about in your everyday life.
All in all i learned a lot about what happens to the deceased and what a profession such as a forensic pathologist includes.
This is a fascinating book written by a brilliant and thoughtful forensic pathologist.
The stories and cases from his career are so interesting but I especially love how he interwove those cases with his personal life and thoughts.
Dr Richard Shepherd has written a wonderful and intriguing book that was easy to read and hard to put down.
The stories and cases from his career are so interesting but I especially love how he interwove those cases with his personal life and thoughts.
Dr Richard Shepherd has written a wonderful and intriguing book that was easy to read and hard to put down.
This was a really interesting read
It was a good mixture of facts, cases and personal life
It was a good mixture of facts, cases and personal life