Bernard Knight
Encyclopedia
Professor Bernard Knight, CBE
, (born 1931) became a Home Office
pathologist
in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology
, University of Wales College of Medicine
, in 1980. He was awarded the CBE in 1993 for services to forensic medicine.
Professor Knight was born and currently lives in Cardiff
. As well as being a forensic scientist, and a doctor, he qualified as a barrister.
In the 1950s, he served as a Regular Army medical officer in Malaya
during the terrorist campaign, in a military hospital which he compares with 'MASH
'.
He has been writing since before 1963, when his first crime novel was published. Since then, he has written about thirty books, including contemporary crime fiction, historical novels about Wales, biography, non-fiction popular works on forensic medicine, twelve medico-legal textbooks and the humorous Crowner John Mysteries
series of 12th-century historical mysteries.
In addition, he has written scripts for radio and television dramas and documentaries, including the forensic series The Expert starring Marius Goring
, in the 1970s. He has contributed to many other textbooks and has edited several medical journals - he was Managing Editor of Elsevier's Forensic Science International, the leading international publication in the field.
Currently, he is a founder member of The Medieval Murderers, a select group of historical crime-writers within the Crime Writers' Association, who give presentations at literary festivals, libraries and bookshops, to promote their work amongst the public. He is also one of the non-fiction judges for the annual 'Dagger' Awards of the Crime Writers' Association and a regular reviewer of crime books for the Internet site Tangled Web.
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
, (born 1931) became a Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
pathologist
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Forensic Pathology
Forensic pathology
Forensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
, University of Wales College of Medicine
University of Wales College of Medicine
The University of Wales College of Medicine was a medical school based in the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, that formed a part of the University of Wales...
, in 1980. He was awarded the CBE in 1993 for services to forensic medicine.
Professor Knight was born and currently lives in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. As well as being a forensic scientist, and a doctor, he qualified as a barrister.
In the 1950s, he served as a Regular Army medical officer in Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
during the terrorist campaign, in a military hospital which he compares with 'MASH
MASH (film)
MASH is a 1970 American satirical dark comedy film directed by Robert Altman and written by Ring Lardner, Jr., based on Richard Hooker's novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. It is the only feature film in the M*A*S*H franchise...
'.
He has been writing since before 1963, when his first crime novel was published. Since then, he has written about thirty books, including contemporary crime fiction, historical novels about Wales, biography, non-fiction popular works on forensic medicine, twelve medico-legal textbooks and the humorous Crowner John Mysteries
Crowner John Mysteries
The Crowner John Mysteries are a series of novels by Bernard Knight following the fictional life of one Sir John de Wolfe, a former Crusading Knight appointed to the office of Keeper of the Pleas of the King's Crown i.e...
series of 12th-century historical mysteries.
In addition, he has written scripts for radio and television dramas and documentaries, including the forensic series The Expert starring Marius Goring
Marius Goring
Marius Goring CBE was an English stage and cinema actor. He is most often remembered for the four films he did with Powell & Pressburger, particularly as Conductor 71 in A Matter of Life and Death and as Julian Craster in The Red Shoes...
, in the 1970s. He has contributed to many other textbooks and has edited several medical journals - he was Managing Editor of Elsevier's Forensic Science International, the leading international publication in the field.
Currently, he is a founder member of The Medieval Murderers, a select group of historical crime-writers within the Crime Writers' Association, who give presentations at literary festivals, libraries and bookshops, to promote their work amongst the public. He is also one of the non-fiction judges for the annual 'Dagger' Awards of the Crime Writers' Association and a regular reviewer of crime books for the Internet site Tangled Web.
Novels written under pseudonym Bernard Picton
- The Thread of Evidence (1965)
- Mistress Murder (1967)
- Russian Roulette (1969)
- Policeman's Progress (1969)
- Tiger at Bay (1970)
Non-Fiction
- Murder, Suicide, or Accident: The Forensic Pathologist at Work (1971) (published under pseudonym Bernard Picton)
External links
- History of the Medieval English Coroner System by Prof. Bernard Knight,