Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner

As a loyal CIS fan, Confessions of a Medical Examiner takes the reader into the fascinating and real world of forensic science. What takes 40 minutes to solve on television in reality can take days, weeks, months and sometimes never. Michael Baden gives terrific insigt into the life and career of a medical examiner, who, unlike a hospital pathologist, autopies for three kinds of unnatural deaths - suicides, homicides and accidents. This is an untaught specialty and according to Dr. Baden, a stepchild of the medical profession. Training comes as apprentices in a medical examiner's office. Each chapter is riveting in detail and forensic lore - for any crime buff, Confessions of a Medical Examiner should be on the "must read" list. Marianne Gordon

I believe Dr.Baden is one of the most insightful Forensic Pathologists in the world today.If his expertise had been utilized during the Kennedy assassination era,we would probably know for certain who actually pulled the trigger.

The book doesn't just talk about dead bodies - it talks about the circumstances surrounding dead bodies and gives us a better understanding of what really happened. The book explains things in layman terms to the average reader, making it easy to comprehend and follow. I found the book to be thorough and matter-of-fact.The book points out different M.E. customs, especially in different countries, which explains how the actual cause of death can be misdiagnosed. In addition to this, there are strong political factors that influence what M.E.s write as the official cause of death because people don't want to hear that a loved one committed suicide. Murder is somehow more glamourous, especially if it's a celebrity that really died of a drug overdose.The book explains the three ways to determine the cause of death although it's not an exact science since there are factors that can influence the situation such as temperature and location of the body. There are certain features to look for in an autospy since specific drugs only remain for a short time and are easily overlooked. The eyes retain fluids which can be a tell-tale sign of certain presences in the body. There is so much information in this book that it's almost impossible to put it down.The most appalling thing is not what's found in the dead bodies, but the political pressures, the various professional incompetences, and gross abuse of justice that occurs in the judical system. You should read about how one doctor tested his theory on dead babies without the parents' knowledge. Unbelieveable.

A great book!! One of my all time favorites that easily explains complex situations and extremely compilcated medical jargon into a everyday conversation!! Great stories!! Mr Baden has a gift for allowing the reader to understand the trumatic events and terrible crimes we human- beings inflict on one another! Understanding the forensics science involved can surely overwhelm the common individual but not in this book as we learn from Mr. Baden! I would not hesitate to both endorse and encourage any one to read this book for themselves and not walk away disappointed! In my 9 years in L.A.County Cornoner's Office as a volunteer Forensic tech, I am more than happy to ask that Mr. Baden write at least another book to follow up this masterpiece!!