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Forensic entomology is legal application of the science of entomology. Entomology is the study of insects, often including spiders and other arthropods. Forensics encompasses both civil and criminal areas of law. Photographs: Bluebottle blow fly (top left) courtesy of John Mitchell (see Urban Entomology page), working in the lab (below), Silpha sp. carrion beetle (bottom left), Mediterranean flour moth (Anagasta kuehniella ), bottom right). |
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suspicious death,the length of time that insects have colonised remains is useful to
police investigations in helping to determine time of death. It is the mandate of the
Provincial Coroners Office to determine time of death but, through pathology, they are
unable to scientifically estimate beyond a certain postmortem period. In such cases,
insects may become evidence and assist in determining time of death. This is based on the
length of time that certain insect species, often species of blow fly, have colonised the
remains. Blow flies are the insects of primary significance because the time they begin to
colonise remains is often approximately consistent with the time of death.
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The forensic application of entomology has a long, although sporadic written history reaching back to 13th century China (McKnight 1981), then more recently, more than a century ago, associated with medical professionals; pathologists interested in entomology in France (Bergeret 1855, Megnin 1894) and Canada (Johnston & Villeneuve 1897). |
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entomological society in North America is the Entomological Society of Ontario, many
charter members of whom were medical practitioners where entomology was their hobby. The
field of entomology became professionally developed through agricultural and forestry
industry needs. The most recent 30 to 40 years has seen a revival of the science in the criminal area, using techniques of data analyses founded through agriculture and forestry. Currently, there are few forensic entomologists that handle criminal cases, but this is expected to change as litigators continue to challenge forensic identification methodology. |
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REFERENCES Bergeret, M. 1855. Infanticide, momification du cadavre. Ann. Hyg. Legal Med. 4: 442-452.Johnston, W. & G. Villeneuve. 1897. On the medico-legal application of entomology. Montreal Medical Journal 26: 81-90. McKnight, B.E. (Transl.) 1981. The washing away of wrongs: Forensic Medicine in thirteenth-Century China. 181pp. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Megnin, P. 1894. La faune des cadavres. Encyclopedie Scientifique des Aide-Memoire, 214 pp. Massons Gauthier et Fils, Paris. |
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