Review of: Bloodstain Pattern Analysis with an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction, 3rd edition

摘要

Bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) is a scientific sub-discipline of criminalistics frequently used to assist the reconstruction of incidents that have warranted legal attention. The formation of blood droplets, the dynamics of blood droplets in flight, and the interaction of liquid blood with other materials, including discrete sources of liquid blood, are complex processes. Although there is a wealth of published scientific studies regarding fluid dynamics, few have researched blood. Several BPA books have been written; however, many have been unsatisfactory. Regrettably, the present text falls far short of a description proffered as the "most complete and comprehensive handbook to date."This book consists of an introduction, 17 chapters (15 written by the authors), and two appendices. A forensic pathologist and a chemist separately composed the remaining two chapters. Excluding the chapters written by the guest authors, the text is unequivocally nonscientific in substance and style with a multitude of grammatical, typographical, and scientific errors. Persistent poor syntax and use of colloquialisms lie in stark contrast to the linguistic competence and professional manner of the pathologist. The chapter entitled "Understanding and Applying Characteristic Patterns of Blood" is a patent example of inappropriate parlance, In most cases, the language errors are simply nuisances that may produce confusion for some readers. Most perturbing are the scientific errors, which could mislead those lacking an education in science.