Blood Traces

DEDICATION v
 
EPIGRAPH vii
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS ix
 
FOREWORD xvii
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xix
 
PREFACE TO BLOOD TRACES: INTERPRETATION OF DEPOSITION AND DISTRIBUTION xxi
 
1 Physical Evidence Record 1
 
1.1 Generation of Physical Evidence Record 1
 
1.1.1 Scene as a Recording Medium 1
 
1.1.2 Creation of Blood Traces 5
 
1.2 Capturing the Physical Evidence Record: Crime Scene Analysis 5
 
1.2.1 The Stages of Crime Scene Investigation 6
 
1.2.1.1 Scene Protection and Security 6
 
1.2.1.2 Evidence Recognition 8
 
1.2.1.3 Evidence Documentation 10
 
1.2.1.4 Evidence Recovery, Packaging, and Transportation 14
 
1.3 Reconstruction of Past Incidents from the Physical Evidence Record 17
 
1.3.1 Definition 17
 
1.3.2 Art or Science, or Both? 17
 
1.3.3 Importance of the Scientific Method 18
 
1.3.4 Reconstruction vs. Reenactment 18
 
1.3.5 Holistic Philosophy: Blood Trace Configuration Interpretation Is Only One Aspect of Reconstruction 19
 
References 20
 
2 Historical Perspective 21
 
2.1 Edgar Allen Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: History in Fiction 21
 
2.2 Hans Gross 22
 
2.3 History of Research in Blood Traces 22
 
2.4 Detective Charlie Chan: History in Film 23
 
2.5 Paul Kirk 23
 
2.6 Herbert MacDonell 25
 
2.7 Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Committees and Organizations 26
 
References 26
 
3 Characteristics of Liquids Including Blood 29
 
3.1 Physical Properties and Fluid Mechanics of Liquids 29
 
3.1.1 Surface Tension and Weber Number 29
 
3.1.2 Density 31
 
3.1.3 Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids 31
 
3.1.4 Viscosity and Poiseuille's Equation 32
 
3.1.5 Flow Stability, Reynolds Number, and Rayleigh Number 33
 
3.1.6 Viscoelasticity 34
 
3.1.7 Caveats 34
 
3.2 Physical Characteristics of

Peter R. De Forest is Professor Emeritus of Criminalistics at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. He has served as a scientific consultant on physical evidence issues for over sixty years.
 
Peter A. Pizzola is the former Laboratory Director and Assistant Commissioner of the New York City Police Crime Laboratory, former manager of the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Special Investigations Unit and Commanding Officer (retired) of the Yonkers Police Forensic Lab/Crime Scene Unit.
 
Brooke W. Kammrath is an Associate Professor of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven and Assistant Director of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science. She also serves as a scientific consultant and expert witness for both criminal and civil cases.