by E. J. Wagner
Aqua Tofana. Literally, Tofana’s water; a poisonous mixture containing arsenic reportedly concocted and sold in Rome and Naples by the murderous seventeenth-century entrepreneur Teofania di Adamo.
autopsy. Medical examination of a dead human body; from the Greek meaning “to see for one’s self.”
bascule. The wooden seesaw plank of the guillotine on which the convicted was strapped for execution.
bezoar stone. Stones formed in the intestinal organs of animals such as goats; believed in former times to be an antidote to poison.
body snatchers. Grave robbers; an illicit source of human anatomical specimens.
bordereau. A form, docket, list, or covering memorandum; commonly used to refer to the list of French military documents found in the German embassy in Paris that Dreyfus was accused of writing.
cadaveric spasm. Instant rigor at the moment of death. It is rarely encountered.
carboy. A large bottle of green glass enclosed in basketwork or boxed for protection, used especially for carrying corrosive liquids.
chirography. Penmanship, or the art of handwriting.
coroner. From “crowner,” originally a representative of the Crown who was responsible for conducting inquests. In some jurisdictions, the term is used interchangebly with medical examiner; in others, a coroner is simply a layman with no medical training who is reponsible for engaging a forensic expert to consult when needed.
corpus delicti. The body of evidence that establishes that the crime has taken place.
craniology. Old term for phrenology.
dactyloscopy. The science of fingerprints.
215 declic. The blade release lever on the guillotine.
exudates. Substances such as liquids or odors released from a gland, pore,
membrane, or cut.
forensic. Of the court, relating to legal proceedings; sometimes used as
an abbreviation for “forensic science” or to refer to the application of
science to decide questions arising from legal proceedings. forensic science. Any academic science applied to legal proceedings. graphology. The study of handwriting for the purpose of judging psychological attributes of an individual.
guaiacum. A West Indian tree whose resin was used in the old guaiacum
test for the presence of blood.
hemoglobin. A component of animal blood cells that carries oxygen and
gives red blood cells their characteristic color.
homicide. The killing of one human being by another human being. hyoscine. An alkaloid sedative.
infarct. Alternatively, infarction. Recently dead tissue due to sudden loss
of blood supply, as from a heart attack.
Jemmy. A short crowbar used by burglars to gain entry, today called a
jimmy in the United States.
lividity. Gray-blue discoloration caused by the settling of blood after
death.
livor mortis. The discoloration of death, which occurs as the circulation
ceases.
lunette. Wooden collar on the guillotine in which the neck of the convicted was held for execution.
luz bone. The part of the body believed in ancient times to be that from
which the entire body of a dead individual would be resurrected at the
day of judgment.
medical jurisprudence. The original term for “forensic medicine.” It is
still used on occasion.
not proven. A verdict available to juries in Scotland in addition to guilty
or innocent, resulting in acquittal.
perimortem. At or around the time of death.
phrenology. A pseudoscience that attempted to determine intellectual
traits and character by observation of the shape of the skull. portrait parlé. Literally, “speaking picture.” The system devised by
Alphonse Bertillon in 1882 to identify individuals with police records. postmortem. Medical examination of a dead person; from the Latin
meaning “after death.”
precipitin. Serum produced in blood in a defensive reaction to the injection of blood from another species.
prussic acid. Hydrocyanic acid, a solution of hydrogen cyanide and
water.
psychopomp. A spiritual presence whose purpose is to warn of approaching disaster or to accompany a human to the afterworld. tannin. Tannic acid, often produced by the decomposition of plant matter, especially peat moss. Tannin tans skin and leather and acts as a
preservative.
vomitus. Contents of the stomach ejected through the mouth.
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