Frontline Post Mortem (1983– ) Online

I have an unusual source of information that has taught me a lot about forensic medicine over the years--my wife. As a best-selling author of suspense novels, it's her business to make sure the stories she writes are competent--that the forensics in her stories are told correctly and NOT sensationalistic and unreal--like you'd see on "CSI". In fact, we NEVER watch any of the "CSI" shows in our house because my wife is afraid this misinformation could somehow make it into her books. It's also kind of weird having a wife like this, as cops and coroners are among her best friends, we've watched SEVERAL shows about the body farm in Tennessee and attending autopsies is not unheard that unusual (ewwwww!!). She is very thorough and is proud that her stories COULD take place in the real world. And so, I knew a lot of what was in this episode of "Frontline". It just confirmed that my wife, for an author, knows her stuff.

This particular episode is about pathologists--those medical examiners who work with police to solve crime or investigate deaths that MIGHT be due to foul play. The show is filled with information that might surprise people--such as that coroners are often elected officials who might not even be doctors or even have college degrees! And, the competent coroners (and according to the show there a lot of incompetent ones) cannot solve crimes in fantastical ways like you often see on TV. It is NOT glamorous and it is not always an exact science.

I loved this show because it dispels so many myths. It also educates the viewer to understand the process and its possible shortcomings. In addition, if you are squeamish, they really don't get that graphic in this episode. Well worth seeing.

This show leads us to be aware of one thing: CSI is a bunch of baloney. I mean, we all know this, but how much do we know this? Much more now!

We see bodies stored in refrigerated trucks rather than proper coolers, and find out the flaws of some places that have elected officials decide how people died, and others that hire incompetent people like Dr. Thomas Gill who consistently get causes of death wrong and sometimes even outright lie. If this show did nothing else, it ruined any positive reputation Gill could ever have.

But this is important: you "call a homicide an accident and a murderer goes free", or you call an accident a murder and an innocent citizen goes to prison! But at least most of these places seemed more well put together than one in particular: in Massachusetts they lost body parts!