1859. St Mary's Church, Spondon. A little girl playing hide-and-seek jumps into a freshly-dug grave to find a dead man already occupying it. It is the body of Cedric Norton, a senior director of the Midland Railway. Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming travel to Derbyshire to investigate.

This is the story of the 2000 year-old search to pinpoint time of death. The author accompanies an eccentric group of entomologists, anthropologists, and botanists - a new kind of biological "Mod Squad"--Some of their grisliest, most intractable cases.

William Fairbairn's Timetable of Death has been used for years as a standard reference tool by students of edged-weapon tactics. When Christopher Grosz began studying the timetable to validate its use as a reference for law-enforcement responses to edged-weapons attacks, he made a surprising discovery - the information in it was flawed. Grosz began a thorough analysis of Fairbairn's work, human anatomy and the realities of effective knife targeting. He later teamed up with knife expert Michael Janich to document it all in this book. Research was conducted with the help of recognized experts in both the medical and tactical fields. The result is a modern, medically accurate version of Fairbairn's original timetable - plus contemporary self-defense applications of the updated data - that will become the new definitive resource for all students of edged-weapons tactics.

Estimation of the Time Since Death remains the foremost authoritative book on scientifically calculating the estimated time of death postmortem. Building on the success of previous editions which covered the early postmortem period, this new edition also covers the later postmortem period including putrefactive changes, entomology, and postmortem r

‘Feeble Creature’ is arrested and charged with committing a crime under several penal codes for causing disruption and chaos by inflicting unfounded fear among the masses. His crime is writing and circulating four articles taking an extreme contrarian view that humankind is suffering from ‘progeria’, the rarest of rare diseases known to medical science. In his defense before the court of justice, he says- “I sincerely desired to infuse the real meaning of ‘living’ in the psyche of mankind so that they may battle out the death inflicted by this metaphysical ailment I conveniently call ‘Progeria’. I haven’t committed any crime in doing so by expressing my conviction, cautioning and alerting the commoners to take notice. It is up to them to take notice, realize and act or ignore the warning” This novel depicts the very cause that has led mankind to this lethal metaphysical ailment, the author termed as ‘metaphysical progeria’. The author has also ventured to present a possible remedy, who only the rarest of the rare may chance to put into application. He does this by taking readers on a short journey aboard a train, a perfect analogy for the journey of life as passengers seems ever waiting for the next, an assumed time, projecting data internalized from dead past. The author dares to write an obituary of the metaphysical demise of mankind, unravelling how he arrives at this conclusion. The author believes, however, that those who choose themselves still have a chance to rise from their metaphysical graves.

Describes the techniques used to examine victims' bodies for clues in investigations of violent crime, exploring autopsies, wounds, decomposition, and bones and discussing real cases.

Death is something we all confront—it touches our families, our homes, our hearts. And yet we have grown used to denying its existence, treating it as an enemy to be beaten back with medical advances.We are living at a unique point in human history. People are living longer than ever, yet the longer we live, the more taboo and alien our mortality becomes. Yet we, and our loved ones, still remain mortal. People today still struggle with this fact, as we have done throughout our entire history. What led us to this point? What drove us to sanitize death and make it foreign and unfamiliar?Schillace shows how talking about death, and the rituals associated with it, can help provide answers. It also brings us closer together—conversation and community are just as important for living as for dying. Some of the stories are strikingly unfamiliar; others are far more familiar than you might suppose. But all reveal much about the present—and about ourselves.

Having a good death is our final human right, argues Sandra Martin in this updated and expanded version of her bestselling and award-winning social history of the right to die movement in Canada and around the world. Winner of the BC National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, finalist for both the Donner Prize in Public Policy and the Dafoe Prize for History, A Good Death has a new chapter on Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying Law. The law allows mentally competent adults, who are suffering grievously from incurable conditions, to ask for a doctor’s help in ending their lives. Does the law go far enough? No, says Martin. She delivers compelling stories about the patients the law ignores: people with life-crushing diseases who are condemned to suffer because their natural deaths are not reasonably foreseeable. With a clear analytical eye, she exposes the law’s shortcomings and outlines constitutional challenges, including the presumed right of publicly-funded faith-based institutions to deny suffering patients a legal medical service. Martin argues that Canada can set an example for the world if it can strike a balance between compassion for the suffering and protection of the vulnerable, between individual choice and social responsibility. A Good Death asks the tough question none of us can avoid: How do you want to die? The answer will change your life—and your death. “[An] excellent new book. . . .The timeliness is hard to overstate.” —The Globe and Mail “What truly distinguishes this book is the reportage on individuals and families who have fought to arrange for a better death. . . . These first-hand experiences are the beating heart of a timely and powerful examination.” —2017 BC National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction Jury Citation

Sociology of Death and the American Indian examines dying, death, disposal, and bereavement practices and applies those concepts to selectAmerican Indian tribes historically and currently, supplemented with oral histories. The focus is that learning about other cultures can enhance the understanding of one’s own culture by comparing traditional and modern societies. Gerry R. Cox addresses the centuries of injustices committed against American Indians that led to a neglect of learning about American Indian cultures and attempts to fill the gaps in knowledge of American Indian practices.