The Three Musketeers mentioned in the opening of this book and the other characters featured throughout it are not the only forensic pioneers, by any means. Due credit should go to other legendary forensic experts who, down the years, have contributed so much towards the never-ending quest to find out the truth from the dead.
Many of these characters played big roles in developing the world that has enabled Silent Witness to exist:
1. DR MATHIEU ORFILA
Dr Mathieu Orfila (1787–1853 – France) developed research work that laid the foundations for toxicology, a vital part of forensic science. His first book Traité des Poisons, or Treatise on Poisons, propelled the worlds of medicine, chemistry, physiology, and even the legal arena.
2. DR JOSEPH BELL
Dr Joseph Bell (1837–1911 – United Kingdom) would often impress colleagues by using his observation skills to deduce what a patient’s occupation was and their recent activities. He was the inspiration for the character of Sherlock Holmes.
3. DR HENRY FAULDS
Dr Henry Faulds (1843–1930 – United Kingdom) published a paper detailing the usefulness of using fingerprints for identification. Dr Faulds later collaborated with Charles Darwin’s cousin, Francis Galton, and they established a statistical model of fingerprint analysis.
4. WILLIAM R. MAPLES
William R. Maples (1937–97 – United States) was a forensic examiner specializing in human identification and trauma analysis. He worked on many high-profile cases during the 1800s, including the remains of Joseph Merrick, “The Elephant Man”.
5. JOHN GLAISTER
John Glaister (1856–1932 – United Kingdom) applied scientific methods to the examination of trace evidence gathered at crime scenes from the late 1800s into the first quarter of the following century. His work on the identification of hair was a significant breakthrough.
6. FRANCES GLESSNER LEE
Frances Glessner Lee (1878–1962 – United States) is credited with inventing miniature crime scene models in the early 1900s, which homicide investigators used to sharpen crime-solving skills.
7. ROBERT P. SPALDING
Robert P. Spalding (born 1944 – United States) developed bloodstain pattern analysis. In 1971, he joined the FBI, and his contributions changed how crime scenes are investigated.
8. HENRY LEE
Henry Lee (born 1938 – United States) worked on many notorious US murder cases, including the O.J. Simpson investigation. He has a PhD in biochemistry and went to the US specifically to study forensic science.
9. PROFESSOR DAVID BOWEN
Professor David Bowen (1924–2011 – United Kingdom) succeeded musketeer Donald Teare after working as his assistant. Later, he examined human remains that were blocking the drain of a house in Muswell Hill, north London, which led to the arrest of serial killer Dennis Nilsen.
10. SIR WILLIAM WILLCOX
Sir William Willcox (1870–1941 – United Kingdom) was a physician and toxicologist, renowned for his skill with a scalpel and test tube in the first half of the twentieth century. He experimented with patches of human skin, firing different guns at them from different distances to see how this distorted their appearance.