Seventy years ago, anyone seeking to solve the problem of a nagging spouse by chopping the offender into small pieces and leaving them in a left-luggage locker at Paddington Station was likely sooner or later to find themselves confronted in court by the forensic genius of the Home Office, pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury.
Sir Bernard began his career as a forensic patholo-gist at a time when this job was regarded as the lowest echelon of the medical profession. During his career, Spilsbury’s integrity and breadth of knowledge elevated the profession to the high status it now commands. He was perhaps the world’s first expert witness.
