Kronberg Crimes 01 - The Devils Grin

the slab. ‘He died while exhibiting severe muscle spasms. You can see all the typical tetanus symptoms including the remarkable devilish grin!’
    Touching the man’s cold cheek, I wondered how many of my students felt repelled, how many pitied the man, and how many were amused by his shocking appearance. I looked back at them and continued. ‘But does that necessarily mean that he died from tetanus? No, it does not! I urge everyone in this room to be cautious and not let our limited knowledge mask our senses. Just because we think it must have been tetanus that killed the man, doesn’t necessarily mean this was indeed the case. Preconception prohibits learning! Only after we have learned all there is to learn, after we have studied and observed, only then can we draw our conclusions. And do not expect to always find an answer to your questions. If you have done your very best and still cannot find an explanation, it is acceptable and honourable to say I do not know .’
    Several students were looking a bit perplexed now. I knew they had learned that superiority went hand in hand with practising medicine. This, in my opinion, was all rubbish.
    ‘You must see yourselves as scientists. And science is a work in progress, as is learning. You are solving a bacterial crime, gentlemen! I know your anatomy professors teach you to view the person you are dissecting as a subject. It is easier to slice apart a thing than a human being. But if you do so, you are ignoring important facts. The man could have died of an infectious disease, which makes him a human being with a significant history. A history that you have to reveal! How else would you identify the causative agent and aid in the prevention of further infections? Read up on Dr Snow’s reports on the last cholera outbreak and how he found the pump on Broad Street as the vector of transmission. The man investigated the history of the cholera fatalities and only that made him successfully prevent any further spreading of the disease. When you wake up in the morning — every morning! — I want you to think of the only thing we know for sure, which is that in fact, we know very little. After you have done so, throw away one of your favourite preconceptions.’
    McFadin’s colour turned back to a normal shade and he almost looked proud to have been of such excellent service. Everyone was glued to my lips, and the show could begin.
    ‘Now, if you please…’ I waved them forward. That was unusual for anatomical demonstrations. Normally, students were asked to keep a respectful distance. Not during my lessons, though. I wanted them to observe closely, but I had to keep an eye on the faint-hearted ones; it usually helped them when they had something to do. So far, however, everyone looked brave. ‘Now tell me, what do you observe?’
    Several students answered.
    ‘His clothes are dirty and old.’
    ‘He is thin.’
    ‘He is poor.’
    ‘He has brown hair.’
    ‘He is about forty years old.’
    ‘His body is distorted.’
    I interrupted, ‘Thank you very much! We can safely assume that the man was poor, has brown hair, and was probably thirty years old. Poverty often makes one look older than one really is. And his body is distorted. Can anyone say where the man came from?’
    Everyone shook his head.
    ‘Exactly. So far, we can’t tell.’ I searched his pockets and found them to be empty, then fetched a pair of scissors and cut away trousers, shirt and underwear. I took off his shoes and placed everything next to the slab on the floor.
    ‘What can we see now?’ I asked the group.
    ‘He is naked!’ someone shouted and we all had to laugh.
    ‘Excellent observation! I should have asked my question a little differently: what can we not see?’
    That was always the hardest, detecting things that were off-pattern. As expected, all faces looked clueless and no one answered.
    ‘How do people contract tetanus, typically?’ I hinted.
    ‘Through dirt in a deep wound,’ someone answered.
    ‘Do you see any?’ I asked.
    The young men craned their necks and after a while they shook their heads.
    ‘Shall we turn him?’ We did, but there were no wounds on his back, either.
    ‘How else can tetanus enter the body?’ No one answered, so I did. ‘You could eat an animal that had tetanus, for example.’
    Suddenly, I remembered the Hampton man. I looked at the man’s wrists and ankles but found no restraint marks. Then I checked the bends of both his elbows —