Forensics: The anatomy of crime, Wellcome Collection ★★★★★

Culture Whisper says ⭑⭑⭑⭒⭒
Below is our preview, which gives background information about the show. Click here to read our Forensics, Wellcome Collection review.

From Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock to David Tennant’s brooding Broadchurch, it seems official – we are obsessed with murder and solving crime. With this in mind, the Wellcome Collection, London is hosting an in-depth look at the world of forensic medicine which is as gruesome as it is enthralling.
What is forensics?
For those that don’t spend their evenings curled up in front of a great crime mystery; forensics combines medicine, science and law in the art of decoding a crime scene by interpreting the clues left behind.
Wellcome Collection exhibition
This new show in London traces the evolution of the field with true stories; from blood splatter analysis and facial reconstruction to how a corpse decays. You’ll find original evidence, instruments and specimens on display; including sketches thought to show the scene of one of Jack the Ripper’s murders. Cross sections of organs reveal the grisly path of bullets and knives, and there are even Sally Mann’s photographs of the University of Tennessee’s ‘Body Farm’ where corpses are studied as they decompose.
Some of the methodology on display at the Wellcome Collection’s Euston gallery will be familiar from modern crime novels and TV dramas. This includes the extraordinary influence of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books which drove scientist Edmond Locard to set up the first crime investigation laboratory in France in 1910. It’s clear that the connection between fiction and forensics has a long history.
Since Locard’s day the field has expanded vastly to take in tests for DNA and all sorts of toxins, but you’ll be surprised how long some techniques have been around. Facial reconstruction, for instance, was taking place in 7000BC.
This isn’t an exhibition for the fainthearted and certainly not for young families. But if you dare, Forensics is a fascinating tribute to an ever-evolving field of science that has transformed the way we look at crime today. It also probably won’t hurt your crime solving in the latest Broadchurch series.
Suitable for teenagers over 14.