Why is the American system of death investigation so inconsistent and inadequate? In this unique political and cultural history, Jeffrey Jentzen draws on archives, interviews, and his own career as a medical examiner to look at the way that a long-standing professional and political rivalry controls public medical knowledge and public health.

A revealing history of covering up the true causes of deaths of BIPOC in custody—from the forensic pathologist whose work changed the course of the George Floyd, Eric Garner, and Michael Brown cases Dr. Michael Baden has been involved in some of the most high-profile civil rights and police brutality cases in US history, from the government’s 1976 re-investigation of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the 2014 death of Michael Brown, whose case sparked the initial Ferguson protests that grew into the Black Lives Matter movement. The playbook hasn’t changed since 1979, when Dr. Baden was demoted from his job as New York City’s Chief Medical Examiner after ruling that the death of a Black man in police custody was a homicide. So in 2020 when the Floyd family, wary of the same system that oversaw George Floyd’s death, needed a second opinion—Dr. Baden is who they called. In these pages, Dr. Baden chronicles his six decades on the front lines of the fight for accountability within the legal system—including the long history of medical examiners of using a controversial syndrome called excited delirium (a term that shows up in the pathology report for George Floyd) to explain away the deaths of BIPOC restrained by police. In the process, he brings to life the political issues that go on in the wake of often unrecorded fatal police encounters and the standoff between law enforcement and those they are sworn to protect. Full of behind-the-scenes drama and surprising revelations, American Autopsy is an invigorating—and enraging—read that is both timely and crucial for this turning point in our nation’s history.

A revealing history of covering up the true causes of deaths of BIPOC in custody—from the forensic pathologist whose work changed the course of the George Floyd, Eric Garner, and Michael Brown cases Dr. Michael Baden has been involved in some of the most high-profile civil rights and police brutality cases in US history, from the government’s 1976 re-investigation of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the 2014 death of Michael Brown, whose case sparked the initial Ferguson protests that grew into the Black Lives Matter movement. The playbook hasn’t changed since 1979, when Dr. Baden was demoted from his job as New York City’s Chief Medical Examiner after ruling that the death of a Black man in police custody was a homicide. So in 2020 when the Floyd family, wary of the same system that oversaw George Floyd’s death, needed a second opinion—Dr. Baden is who they called. In these pages, Dr. Baden chronicles his six decades on the front lines of the fight for accountability within the legal system—including the long history of medical examiners of using a controversial syndrome called excited delirium (a term that shows up in the pathology report for George Floyd) to explain away the deaths of BIPOC restrained by police. In the process, he brings to life the political issues that go on in the wake of often unrecorded fatal police encounters and the standoff between law enforcement and those they are sworn to protect. Full of behind-the-scenes drama and surprising revelations, American Autopsy is an invigorating—and enraging—read that is both timely and crucial for this turning point in our nation’s history.

AUTOPSY OF AMERICA; The Death of a Nation is a harrowing look deep inside the crumbling apocalyptic landscape of America through the eyes of Photojournalist Seph Lawless. Autopsy of America takes you through the tattered remnants of the United States of America in a way that you never seen before. The beautiful apocalyptic landscapes consisting of abandoned schools, factories, shopping malls, amusement parks, theaters, hospitals, sport arenas, homes even entire towns offer a visual diagnostic to some of the county's true ills. The captivating images are accompanied by Lawless' personal anecdotes and thought-provoking stories that are equally riveting as the images.

A New York Times–bestselling author and renowned Los Angeles medical examiner challenges the verdicts in America’s most controversial celebrity deaths. “Dr. Thomas T. Noguchi encountered the best and the worst of Los Angeles—movie stars and gangsters, politicians and millionaires. . . . But by the time ‘the coroner to the stars’ met them, they were on his autopsy table” (Los Angeles Times). In his New York Times–bestselling autobiography and its fascinating follow-up—now together in a single volume—Dr. Noguchi recounts his stormy career, divulges his innovative techniques, and reveals the full story behind his most intriguing investigations. Coroner: Dr. Noguchi sheds light on his most controversial cases: the suspicious drowning death of Natalie Wood, Marilyn Monroe’s suicide, the assassination of Robert Kennedy, the circumstances behind the drug-related deaths of Janis Joplin and John Belushi, the murder of Sharon Tate. and more. Coroner at Large: Often called the “Detective of Death,” Dr. Noguchi continues to probe the most famous fatalities in recent pop-culture history: the drowning of Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, the Hollywood murder of Sal Mineo, the suicide of Freddie Prinze, the slaying of “Playmate of the Year” Dorothy Stratten, Elvis Presley’s final hours, and more. Noguchi’s forensic acumen also provides new clues to the fates of such historical figures as Gen. George Custer, Napoleon, and Adolf Hitler. In both riveting accounts, Dr. Noguchi documents his own investigations and pioneering work in the field, as the mysteries of death—natural and unnatural—are unraveled by “one of the greats of modern forensic pathology” (Barry A. J. Fisher, director of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s crime lab).

Autopsy as a field is enjoying an unexpected renaissance as new and improved uses are found for postmortem examination in quality improvement, education, and research. Increased interest in the autopsy is evident in the popular press as well as in national and international physician meetings.This text will provide an overview of topics the authors consider crucial to competent and effective autopsy practice in the 21st century. Each chapter will combine relevant theoretical background with current and practical experience-based guidance so that pathologists and clinicians can better utilize the autopsy to provide optimal value to families, patients, hospitals, and health systems. Distinguished contributors will provide a review of the rich history of autopsy practice, including assessments of how the past both informs autopsy practice and impedes its progress. The autopsy will be placed in the context of larger healthcare systems with chapters on the use of autopsy in quality improvement and evaluating the value of autopsy as a professional activity, as well as new technology that affects practice models. Better and more reproducible methods for reporting autopsy findings will be explored to exploit the full potential of autopsy data for cross-institutional research. Two chapters will also provide the first book-level review of the growing field of autopsies performed on an urgent basis to sample both diseased and normal control tissue for research. These “rapid research autopsies” are especially crucial to cancer research and the growth of personalized medicine, and the book will explain the science behind utilization of autopsy tissue and offer a full template for designing and delivering a successful rapid autopsy program. Additionally, pathologist and clinician contributors will highlight current recommendations for special techniques and ancillary testing in postmortem examinations to serve the needs of today’s patient populations. As resident education is re-examined by pathology and education authorities, new competency-based training models will almost certainly come to the fore. A chapter will examine approaches to the future training of medical students, residents, and fellows in an environment of changing autopsy exposure. A final chapter will summarize the vision for the autopsy as a clinical outcome measure, and valuable scientific resource. This book will be a new type of volume in the field of autopsy pathology. It differs from the presently available review references and atlases in that it provides guidance for readers to embrace transformations that are already taking place in the field. There currently is no resource that offers comprehensive guidance for modern autopsy practice and looks forward to what the field might become in the future.