University College Dublin hosts Forensic Imaging Weekend
July 18, 2008
Friday 4th July – Sunday 6th July 2008
Delegates from across Ireland and as far as the Netherlands convened at the recent International Forensic Imaging Symposium hosted by the University College Dublin (UCD). The weekend event, held from Friday 4th July until Sunday 6th July was held in association with the Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy, The Inforce Foundation with Cranfield University, Quinnipiac University, USA and was organised locally by Jonathan McNulty (UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science).
The central theme was the practical and multidisciplinary approach to imaging in the forensic investigation. An intensive programme started with one of three absorbing lectures from Professor Gil Brogdon (author of Forensic Radiology and a Radiologic Atlas of Abuse, Torture, Terrorism, and Inflicted Trauma, CRC Press) on the history and future development of Forensic Radiology. Clinical imaging, including radiography and CT have featured heavily in the investigation of death from it’s inception in 1895 from the demonstration of injury to support litigation to the identification of Adolf Hitler from his intricate dental work to the use of CT with surface scanning to identify mechanisms of injury such as origin, trajectory and sequence of bullets.
Further presentations covered the role of the Anthropologist and Odontologist, appearance in Court and imaging techniques in single and multiple death investigations. Professor Jerry Conologue provided an insightful account of adaptive practice in the Paleoimaging of mummified remains using flexible Polaroid® film and plenty of initiative!
Theoretical presentations were then reinforced with practical, problem based training sessions devised by a team from the Inforce Foundation led by Mark Viner and Jonathan McNulty (UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science). Here, the primary objective was the identification of the two deceased individuals. Delegates were guided by an expert team including Professors Brogdon and Conologue through a systematic approach to post mortem identification including the anthropological examination of skeletal remains, using bone to determine a profile of the deceased, based on chronological age range, stature, gender and race. Delegates also practiced fluoroscopy skills on a body bag, followed by skeletal and dental radiography techniques. Of the training sessions, Emily Faircloth, Vice-Chair of the Association of Forensic Radiographers commented: “These simulations were a huge advantage for delegates in having the opportunity to put theory into immediate practice within a realistic setting. Trainers and delegates were unanimously impressed with the usability and image quality achieved by the digital equipment provided by Xograph Imaging systems and Kodak.”
The weekend concluded with a guided tour of the Crypts of St Michans’s Church in Dublin. This building (a stone’s throw from the world famous Jameson’s whisky distillery) was founded around 1095 and is steeped in history being the only parish church in Dublin north of the River Liffey for five hundred years. Within the vaults under the church lie the burial place of religious or noble individuals of between 300 and 800 years old. Deep inside one of the crypts are the well preserved mummified remains of four individuals: the Big Four. The remarkably good condition of The Unknown Woman, The Nun, The Thief and The Crusader are thought to be due to the constant ambient temperature of the crypt together with the presence of moisture absorbing limestone. There are several myths associated with the mummies, some of which were dispelled following their examination as part of The Mummy Roadshow; a television documentary series co-hosted by Prof. Conologue.
This multidisciplinary symposium was a resounding success in joining those with expertise, experience or a professional interest in forensic radiography with a full range of presentations, discussions, demonstrations and practical simulation to satisfy the most ardent forensic radiographer. Further information on this event and other training programmes in this field is available from:
The Association of Forensic Radiographers; www.afr.org.uk
Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy www.iir.ie
University College, Dublin www.ucd.ie/medicine
Cranfield University www.cranfield.ac.uk/forensics
Quinnipiac University www.quinnipiac.edu
The Inforce Foundation www.inforce.org.uk
