by Hugh Manatee Wins » Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:05 pm
This interview with LA coroner Thomas Noguchi has some interesting comments about how to analyze a crime.<br><br>His words strike me as relevent to how I approach the systemic psychic kidnapping of the collective American mind:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.astralgia.com/webportfolio/omnimoment/archives/interviews/noguchi.html">www.astralgia.com/webport...guchi.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>OMNI<br><br> What made the RFK investigation such a prototype for future political deaths?<br><br>Noguchi<br><br> It was exceptionally complete, and there were official observers. The examination of his clothing, especially the removal of bits of hair for testing prior to his surgery, was not then typical. To reenact the sequence of events of his shooting, we needed expert examination from many agencies. This greatly expanded our notion of relevant physical evidence.<br><br>OMNI<br><br> How do forensic scientists differ from other scientists?<br><br>Noguchi<br><br> The public expects unusual personalities, but we are temperamentally similar to lab researchers. Yet medical detectives are congenial and able to work closely with police, juries, and lawyers. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Also forensic leaders never give up -- we work at a case even though many years may go by. </strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->Gallows humor, or better, morgue humor, is a safety valve for us. Because of the pressure of being surrounded by dead bodies and death scenes, we tend to see matters in a different vein.<br><br>OMNI<br><br> Do you see forensic science and detection as an art form?<br><br>Noguchi<br><br> I do. I think my style is unique. Each step is a new experience. If someone is to break tradition, I will be the first to break it. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>My interest in art morphology -- oil painting and sketching -- subconsciously helps me. The pathologist should recognize patterns as a visual art. At the death scene I probably see the same things colleagues or detectives see. I'm not only seeing; I'm recognizing and putting factors together. There's this different energy and intensity -- a sympathy, a burning desire to put it all together into a more understandable language. The deceased is speaking to you through forensic evidence that is glaring at you. But few recognize it.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>OMNI<br><br> Your style seems to balance an Eastern receptivity with American assertiveness.<br><br>Noguchi<br><br> I try to reconcile them. Part of the unique combination, perhaps, comes from my Buddhist upbringing. In Japan death is very close and friendly. It's common for the family to have a miniature temple in the living room, where the children are expected to greet deceased grandparents by reporting the day's activities. Just before examination, although most of my staff doesn't notice it, I take a very short moment to respect the deceased. "Let the deceased speak for himself" is one of my favorite expressions. I repeat it to resident pathologists.<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong> I listen, not just look -- listen deeply. Bits of evidence are like words. By putting the evidence together you compose a sentence. The series of sentences becomes the statement of the deceased -- the deceased is the best witness.<br><br> Forensic investigation is like moviemaking but in reverse.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> We arrive just after the last scene of the cowboy movie -- after the cowboys have been surrounded by the American Indians. Did the Union soldiers come to the rescue or not? <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>From the available evidence -- fragments of the last scene of the fighting -- we try to make each frame, then the one before, and finally the whole movie. We kind of roll the projector backward -- to the title.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> <hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br> <p></p><i></i>