Can Science Help The Dead To Speak To Us?
Of course, the dead cannot really speak to us. However, modern science is providing us with the next best thing. An American research group specialising in the exact investigation of the bones of corpses has developed techniques to enable scientists to examine even long-buried human remains and determine the cause of death - effectively allowing the dead to 'speak'. We can now understand more clearly how a murder was committed or how terrified civilians came to be massacred by brutal Serb or Hutu militias.
If the circumstances of a person's death are not straightforward, medical authorities will perform an autopsy or post-mortem examination, in order to determine the cause of death. The autopsy will tell them exactly how the victim died from which disease, or whether an accident or murder was involved. In medical and criminal investigations, a post-mortem is now routine procedure, and is usually carried out quite soon after death, as decomposition of the body quickly destroys important clues.
In recent years, the spectrum of such investigations has increased, particularly after new methods were developed during after new methods were developed during the 1980s by research team led by an American professor, James Starrs. The new techniques mean that the bones of a corpse can be analysed as much as 20, 50, 100 or even 200 years after death. Scientists use high-technology apparatus and techniques, and rely on the latest scientific research, expecially in the fields of forensic medicine, chemistry and blogenetics. This renge of information enables them, for example, to detect even a tiny trace of poison, from the smallest samples, and to determine what is called the genetic 'fingerprint' of a deceased person. In this way, Starrs and his team can take bones that have been in the ground for many years and accurately determine the cause of death.
Scientific Detective Work
The work of James Starrs and his team has implications for many medical and legal professionals. By examining the bones of deceased soldiers, historians can possibly gain insight into the way a particular battle was fought. More urgently, the new techniques offer UN investigators the chance to shed light on ghastly massacres of Tutsis in Rwanda 1994 and the so-called ethnic cleansing operations carried out in Bosnia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia during the mid-1990s, during which so many innocent civillians were killed. In the United States, Starr's expertise is sought after by city and state criminal investigation units hoping to close many of the unsolved murder cases on their files. Michael Barden, a director of the New York State Police, comments that 'these methods enable an active criminal investigation even after many years have passed'.
The material studied by Starrs, and by many other scientists who are active in this field, is found in cemeteries and mass graves. There are some critics who think that corpses should not be exhumed for analysis. They feel that the dead should not be disturbed to satisfy the curiosity of scientists. Most people, however, support the researchers activities, regarding them as a way of getting at the truth. For this reason, Starrs and his colleagues are often given permission to exhume and analyse human skeletons.
We should not expect miracles to come from Starr's work. While the new scientific methods do indeed permit the dead to 'speak', not every remnant of bone reveals its secrets. There are some mysterious deaths that will remian unsolved.
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