LETHAL WITNESS Sir Bernard Spilsbury Honorary Pathologist (SIGNED)

Hardback. SIGNED. 'Sir Bernard Spilsbury, the first and only 'Honorary Pathologist to the Home Office', gave crucial prosecution evidence in classic murder cases between 1910 and his bizarre suicide in 1947. Spilsbury's meteoric career began with the Crippen trial and included the Brides in the Bath case, the Blazing Car and Brighton Trunk murders. He also contributed to 'The Man Who Never Was' deception, which saved thousands of allied servicemen's lives during the Second World War. Spilsbury founded modern forensic pathology, explaining complex pathological findings in ways that juries could understand and overcoming widespread scepticism about the use of forensic medicine in criminal trials. By the early 1920s, his name was a household word. In 1935, Spilsbury was voted 'Best Read' in the popular press, alongside Greta Garbo, Lloyd George, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mussolini. On the debit side, Spilsbury came to see himself as infallible. Policemen, prosecutors, juries, judges and cabinet ministers adored him, but professional colleagues found Spilsbury cold, stubborn, secretive, intolerant of opposition - 'a prima donna increasingly thought of as a bit of a rogue'. The author delves behind the carefully nurtured image to expose the fallacies of the man dubbed 'the most brilliant scientific detective of all time'. Controversial and dramatic, this book charts Spilsbury's rise and fall as a media star, revealing how he put spin on the facts, embellished evidence and played games with the truth. In some notorious cases, his 'positive evidence' led to the conviction and execution of men innocent of murder - gross miscarriages of justice that now demand official pardons.' Illus., Notes, Select Bibliog. and Index. 296pp. 8vo. h/back. With tipped-in label SIGNED BY ANDREW ROSE. With several newspaper cuttings to fpd, ffep and fep. F. in Nr. F. sl. sunned protected dw. A fairly heavy book which may require additional postage if shipped overseas.