Infanticide examines medical expert evidence in infanticide cases,
focusing specifically on the shifting notion of "certainty" in medical
testimony. Beginning in the Early Modern period and concluding in the
mid-twentieth century, it considers how courts determined whether an
infant died from natural causes or other reasons, including violence.
The book explores expert evidence in cases of infanticide and examines
the extent of certainty created by medical specialists who founded
their testimony on anatomical exploration and science. As the book
progresses, it becomes clear that medical specialists were unable to
scientifically establish cause of death and in doing so conveyed
uncertainty in court proceedings. Rather than being regarded as a
professional failing, Dixon argues that the uncertainty created by
medical specialists redirected the outcomes of infanticide cases. The
combination of uncertainty and the changing perceptions of
infanticidal women by the court lead juries to find infanticidal women
not guilty of a capital offence in many cases. This book will be of
great interest to students and scholars of Criminology, Law and
History.
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Expert Evidence and Testimony in Child Murder Cases, 1688–1955
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781000474176
Publisert
2021
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
Routledge
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter