ABSTRACT
Forensic science is now a well-established discipline (Cooper and Cooper, 2007). Its practice is said to date back to China (Smith, 1986) and the rst book on forensic medicine may have been that written by the Chinese physician, Hsu Chich-Ts’si, in the sixth century AD. e rst person in recorded history to have medicolegal responsibilities was the Egyptian Imhotep, who served in many roles, including chief justice and physician, and investigated deaths that occurred under suspicious circumstances, during the reign (2668-2649 BC) of Pharaoh Zozer (Djoser). e word ‘forensic’, however, comes from a later period; it is derived from the Latin word forensis (public), an adjectival form of forum – originally meaning a market, later a place of debate. In Imperial Roman times, a criminal charge could require presentations by the accused and the accuser before members of the public.
