"Death's Acre" is the story of how Dr. Bill Bass started the Anthropology Research Facility on a hillside near the University of Tennessee. It became popularly known as "the Body Farm," and Dr. Bass has spent the last 30 years teaching the whole world about the science of human decomposition.
It's hard to imagine a forensic anthropologist more dedicated than Dr. Bass. After all, how many people have the stomach to spend their lives studying dead bodies and how they decay. He has observed corpses decaying outdoors in winter and summer, and indoors in homes and in the trunks of cars. He's also observed what happens to a body when insects and bacteria invade the flesh and skin slips off bones.
Dr. Bass tells interesting stories about some of his tougher cases, and it's amazing to find out how much he has advanced his science. For example, by measuring a thigh bone, he's able to find out the sex, race, approximate age, and the height of the victim. He once even took a murder victim's head home and boiled the decaying flesh off her skull to help identify her.
I have seen alot of episodes of "CSI," and it's clearly not as fascinating as this book. I guess what they say is true-truth is stranger than fiction.
1 comment:
This essay provides a good analysis of the book and adequately portrays the key concepts and importance of the advancements made in the field of forensic science with examples from the book. Good job.
Post a Comment