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mithilareads 's review for:
Autopsy: Life In The Trenches With A Forensic Pathologist In Africa
by Ryan Blumenthal
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
If
you've ever loved that part in a criminal detective show/book where the forensic pathologist looks at a body, checks the temperature and rigor mortis, and ascertains the time of death, this book is for you. Ryan Blumenthal busts popular misconceptions about the field (thermodynamics and rigor mortis are very complex things to ascertain within a 45-min TV show episode). The content is informative, precisely to the point and refreshing. How much ever so refreshing a book about death can be. Major themes include: the process of becoming a forensic pathologist, the procedures to be followed in an autopsy room, the story of how he was attracted to this grim field of science.
"Autopsy" by Ryan Blumenthal has a certain surgical precision to it. The author does not mince words. He writes about the most gruesome cases he has handled with a straight-faced, emotionless clarity. This book is certainly not something you should read at night. What this book lacks in poetic genius, it makes up with cold hard facts. Blumenthal explores the diversity of diseases that abound in Africa, and the various causes of death that he has come across in his career of thousands of autopsies. The chapters are labeled with exactly what is contained in them. For example, "African wildlife deaths" consists just that - and a few lions, crocodiles, black mambas and the seemingly unsuspicious hippopotami. There is no glossing over facts to make them palatable.
This book does have a certain one-dimensional feel to it, and some of the facts in the book may seem incorrect prima facie (but if you think about it / Google it they do make sense / are correct).
Deciding to read this book completely depends on your ability to read through very graphic descriptions of physical trauma. If you have a high tolerance for it, Autopsy is a good shot. (no pun intended)
you've ever loved that part in a criminal detective show/book where the forensic pathologist looks at a body, checks the temperature and rigor mortis, and ascertains the time of death, this book is for you. Ryan Blumenthal busts popular misconceptions about the field (thermodynamics and rigor mortis are very complex things to ascertain within a 45-min TV show episode). The content is informative, precisely to the point and refreshing. How much ever so refreshing a book about death can be. Major themes include: the process of becoming a forensic pathologist, the procedures to be followed in an autopsy room, the story of how he was attracted to this grim field of science.
"Autopsy" by Ryan Blumenthal has a certain surgical precision to it. The author does not mince words. He writes about the most gruesome cases he has handled with a straight-faced, emotionless clarity. This book is certainly not something you should read at night. What this book lacks in poetic genius, it makes up with cold hard facts. Blumenthal explores the diversity of diseases that abound in Africa, and the various causes of death that he has come across in his career of thousands of autopsies. The chapters are labeled with exactly what is contained in them. For example, "African wildlife deaths" consists just that - and a few lions, crocodiles, black mambas and the seemingly unsuspicious hippopotami. There is no glossing over facts to make them palatable.
This book does have a certain one-dimensional feel to it, and some of the facts in the book may seem incorrect prima facie (but if you think about it / Google it they do make sense / are correct).
Deciding to read this book completely depends on your ability to read through very graphic descriptions of physical trauma. If you have a high tolerance for it, Autopsy is a good shot. (no pun intended)