All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes

Writing with disarming frankness, forensic anthropologist Black, the director of the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee, takes a multipronged approach to the topic of death, exploring it through scientific, sociological, historical, and philosophical lenses. Black’s tone alternates between clinical and deeply introspective, with unflinching descriptions of causality and the physiological processes of dying. With vivid detail, she recounts her earliest experiences in anatomy courses, including her first human dissection—a cadaver, whom she fondly named Henry (after the 19th-century anatomist Henry Gray). Black reflects on her far-ranging career in forensics, whether at the front lines of criminal investigations, cold cases, or applying her knowledge to archeological endeavors. Regardless of one’s familiarity with death, no person is immune to the sting of loss, Black suggests, as she poignantly reflects on watching her own loved ones die. Parting missives are wise and assuring, but never coddling: “Skeletons are more than dusty, dry old relics: they are the footnote to a life lived, sometimes retaining sufficient resonance to ensnare the imagination of the living.” This is a perceptive study of a subject both deeply uncomfortable and uncommonly engrossing. [em](Mar.) [/em]