Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner by Michael M. Baden, M.D.

A Medical Examiner is a medical professional who examines dead bodies to determine their cause of death. At least, in most major cities, this is so. In other areas, rural areas especially, the medical examiner may have no medical experience or training at all. Even if the medical examiner is lucky enough to have medical experience, politics or expediency may make their job harder or even well-nigh impossible.

This was certainly the experience of Doctor Michael M. Baden, who was the Chief Medical Examiner for New York for only a few short years. When he refused to bow to political expediency in one of his cases, however, the powers that be, including the Mayor of the time, Ed Koch, fired him from his job. Angered at his treatment, he sued the city for a false dismissal. Although he won the case, he didn't get his job back, and in New York, the appointment of the Chief Medical Examiner remains a political appointment who answers to the office of the mayor rather than his or her own duties.

This book also takes a look at cases that were famous, before 1989, when this book was published, at least. Which means we get close-up looks at the cases of Elvis's death, JFK's shooting, John Belushi's drug overdose, and the case of Claus and Sunny Von Bulow, and facts that were ignored or never made clear in those cases.

But these aren't the only cases discussed in the book, which is full of little-known cases discussing Identifying remains, Accidental Deaths, Near-Perfect Murders, Mutiple Murders by the same individual, accidental or natural deaths that merely looked like murder, and so on. It's a fascinating look at the how and why of death, and how Medical Examiners use the clues that murderers or scenes leave behind on the body itself. Contamination runs both ways. Where a person died leaves clues on the body, but the reverse is often also true.

The book ends with an examination of the Prison Riot at Attica in 1971, and how determination was made of who was responsible for what killings occurred during that time, as well as what reforms came out of that incident, both for MEs and the police alike.

This is a fascinating book that gives a look at a little-known profession and what they do, as well as fascinating looks at cases that illustrate the points Dr. Baden is making. Anyone who is grossed out by blood or graphic descriptions of murder, death, murder scenes or the mechanics of death would be well-advised to stay away, but most people will find the descriptions clinical rather than sensationalistic.