Determination of the cause of injury or disease is a pivotal issue in virtually all criminal and civil actions, and one that is often vigorously contested. Despite this fact, there are no widely accepted standards regarding what constitutes scientifically valid evidence of causation in a forensic se...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Bibliographische Detailangaben

Weitere Verfasser:	Freeman, Michael D. (HerausgeberIn), Zeegers, Maurice P. (HerausgeberIn)
Format:	Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	London Academic Press [2016]
Schlagworte:	MEDICAL / Forensic Medicine MEDICAL / Preventive Medicine MEDICAL / Public Health Forensic epidemiology
Online-Zugang:	Volltext
Zusammenfassung:	Determination of the cause of injury or disease is a pivotal issue in virtually all criminal and civil actions, and one that is often vigorously contested. Despite this fact, there are no widely accepted standards regarding what constitutes scientifically valid evidence of causation in a forensic setting, nor is there a systematic means of quantifying and weighing evidence of causation that is routinely followed. The single most prominent explanation for this situation is the fact that causation cannot be observed, and thus conclusions of causation are not observations but rather inferences based on a presumed degree of association (i.e. risk) between an exposure and injury. In Forensic Epidemiology: Principles and Practice the authors present the legal and scientific theories underlying the methods by which risk is used in the investigation of individual causation. The discipline of forensic epidemiology (FE) is essentially a hybrid of principles and practices common to both forensic medicine and epidemiology. FE is directed at filling the gap between clinical judgment and epidemiologic data and methods in the evaluation of both general and specific (individual) causation in civil and criminal matters. Forensic Epidemiology: Principles and Practice is aimed at the legal, forensic, and scientific communities involved in the evaluation of specific causal relationships, and includes the following topics: Historical perspective on how epidemiologic evidence of causation has been used in courts in the US and EuropeTheory and science underlying the use of risk to assess individual causationPrimer on epidemiologic methods, and various measures used to arrive at individualized comparative risk assessments and probability of cause (PC)The use of statistical methods applied to publicly available data for ad hoc analysis of PC applicable to the specific circumstances of a caseBackground on related forensic disciplines, including forensic pathology, death investigation biomechanics, and survival analysisExamples of applied FE in the investigation of traffic injury and death, automotive and other product defect litigation, medical negligence, and criminal prosecution and defense
Beschreibung:	Includes bibliographical references and indexes
Beschreibung:	1 online resource illustrations
ISBN:	9780124046443 0124046444