Sherlock Holmes and Forensic Science
(Room JW Grand Ballroom 8)
07 Jul 18
10:30 AM
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11:45 AM
Arthur Conan Doyle's character, Sherlock Holmes, was the first fictional detective to explicitly base his solutions of cases on observation, science, and deductive reasoning. Many of the stories include accounts of Holmes' detailed examinations of crime scenes and pieces of evidence. David Zauner, a retired forensic scientist who is also a member of The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis, a scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars, will begin his talk by exploring how the Holmes stories reflect applications of scientific principles to criminal investigations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. From there, he will look at the current capabilities of forensic science, some of the challenges forensic scientists are facing, and how new technology and methods have the potential to make major changes in crime scene investigation and laboratory examination.