They are the victims’ advocates, deliver the guilty to justice and relieve the burden of accusation from the innocent. For 700 years, forensic medical experts, armed with bone saw and scalpel, have gathered evidence crucial to finding out “who dunnit”. They have continually developed new methods of determining if a death has occured of natural causes, or whether foul play or even pre-meditated murder were involved.

This two-part film documents the history of forensic medicine starting with the first authenticated autopsy in the 14th century and spanning the arc of progress right up to genetic fingerprinting in today’s hightech laboratories.