IT WAS PROBABLY The Silence of the Lambs that brought the knowledge of forensic entomology to the wider world: it’s the art of making scientific deductions from insects. But the science dates back to the 13th century.
In 1235 a farmer in a small village in China had been killed with a sickle, and lawyer Song Ci was called in to investigate. He called together all the farmers and asked them to bring their sickles. So they all stood in the sunshine and waited.
After a while flies began to gather around one sickle, and Song Ci confronted its owner. Although the farmer had wiped the sickle clean, there were still enough traces of blood to attract the flies.
