Killer of Little Shepherds : A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science

by STARR, DOUGLAS

• ISBN13: 9780307266194
• ISBN10: 0307266192
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-10-05
• Publisher: Knopf

Summary

At the end of the 19th century, serial murderer Joseph Vacher, dubbed "The Killer of Little Shepherds," terrorized the French countryside. He eluded authorities for years--until he ran up against prosecutor Emile Fourquet and Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne, the era's most renowned criminologist.

Author Biography

Douglas Starr is codirector of the Center for Science and Medical Journalism and a professor of journalism at Boston University. His book Blood: An Epic History of Medicine and Commerce won the 1998 Los Angeles Times Book Prize and became a PBS-TV documentary special. A veteran science, medical, and environmental reporter, he has contributed to many national publications, including Smithsonian, Audubon, National Wildlife, Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Time, and has served as a science editor for PBS-TV. He lives near Boston.

Table of Contents

Author's Note	p. xi
Crime
The Beast	p. 3
The Professor	p. 15
First Kill	p. 28
The Institute of Legal Medicine	p. 36
The Vagabond	p. 50
Identity	p. 60
The Oak Woods	p. 72
The Body Speaks	p. 82
The Crime in Bénonces	p. 90
Never without a Trace	p. 98
In Plain Sight	p. 110
Born Criminal	p. 119
Lourdes	p. 133
Punishment
The Investigating Magistrate	p. 141
The Interview	p. 151
Professor Lacassagne	p. 167
"A Crime Without Motive?"	p. 170
Turning Point	p. 180
The Trial	p. 190
Judgment	p. 203
A Question of Sanity	p. 214
Aftermath
The Mystery of a Murderer's Brain	p. 227
Postscript	p. 237
Epilogue: The Violent Brain	p. 242
Acknowledgments	p. 251
Notes	p. 255
Bibliography	p. 283
Index	p. 289
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