Where the dead teach the living

Dr. Plamen Dimitrov, Dr. Marina Miteva and Dr. Ivan Stoyanov

Fans of one of the most-watched TV series and Emmy Award-winning "CSI: Las Vegas" are well acquainted with the likable, moderate, and lame forensic doctor Dr. Al Robbins, who accurately searches for and finds evidence of death. of the victim. And if the Ruse forensic doctors are not inferior to Dr. Robbins in terms of knowledge and skills, they certainly envied him for the hall in which he works, with all its amenities for accurate and flawless work. Or rather - until recently they envied him.

Because the forensic medics at Kaneff Hospital, whom forensic scientists rely on to give them irrefutable evidence and direct them to investigate a crime or incident with victims, already have a modern autopsy room. The head of the forensic medicine department, Dr. Plamen Dimitrov, the forensic doctor Dr. Ivan Stoyanov and the forensic medicine specialist Dr. Marina Miteva proudly call it the "modern facility". Above the hall is the inscription "Where the dead teach the living" and this is the most concise definition of the importance of the work of the three forensic doctors.

"In modern justice, but not only in modern but also in time, the most important facts on which forensic conclusions are based are the evidence. But collecting them is not always easy. In some cases, if there are no good conditions for gathering this evidence, they may be omitted. This new hall, which I call a facility for examining human corpses and remains, which are very often the subject of crime and contain a great deal of evidence, allows for a much higher quality of work, for gathering entomological evidence, for research, for toxicological analysis, also examination of bones and examination of tissues at a stage in which late carcass changes occur in them. This is a very big opportunity ", explains Dr. Ivan Stoyanov.

Crime novels and movies have long been a favorite of people because of the mystery, escalating tension and adrenaline rush of the reader and viewer. But at the same time, they reveal how difficult it is to find and gather valuable evidence and how important the forensic doctor is in arranging the whole puzzle.

What distinguishes reality from the fantasy of writers and screenwriters is that real conditions may not be so favorable, and it is much more difficult for a medical examiner than his literary counterpart to reach a definitive conclusion. What is the reason?

Autopsy table

"In general, in Bulgaria most halls are combined for the two activities - for the deceased and for those with advanced cadaveric changes. Now we have the opportunity to store bodies with advanced carcass changes. These bodies are the most difficult part to study in forensic medicine, as they are the most difficult to gather evidence of the completion of forensic work in a particular case and many things can usually be missed. The conditions we have at the moment make it possible not to omit evidence and to reflect it adequately, so that the judicial system can then successfully complete the final phase of the investigation. To draw good, understandable and correct conclusions. When all these conditions are not present, the research is associated with much more time, with much more stress for the one who makes them," says Dr. Plamen Dimitrov. For this purpose, the hall is equipped with a special refrigeration chamber in which to preserve and store the examined corpses for a longer period.

The refrigerating chamber for prolonged storage of the bodies

Thus, repeated investigations and additional receivables of materials that appear in the course of the investigation can be made.

"This facility will greatly improve the quality of work in a very difficult area such as forensic medicine. All this supports the investigation and the administration of justice not only in Ruse region, but in the whole of Bulgaria, because these cases go to the appellate court, to the Supreme Court and create a higher standard to which all colleagues will strive," added Dr. Stoyanov. .

Thanks to Dr. Dimitrov, who has previously made an extremely serious study of what conditions a world-class autopsy room must meet, the Ruse one provides a comfortable, ergonomic way of working for the research specialist. In this way, more work can be done in less time and with a better result, and the probability of making mistakes and missing something important is minimized.

Since 2017, Ruse forensic doctors have been dreaming and insisting on such a modern and comfortable hall. They see their dream come true only at the end of 2020, thanks to the director of the hospital Ivan Ivanov and the funds allocated by the Ministry of Health.

Dr. Dimitrov and Dr. Miteva in protective suits

"We started working in the hall at the beginning of the pandemic. Everything in it is built entirely with the participation of Ruse companies. They designed the ventilation system, the aspirations, the tables, the refrigerator, as well as the construction itself. We made the project - Dr. Stoyanov, Dr. Miteva and me. The hall is also adapted for work with especially dangerous infections. When there is a deceased from Covid, who is under investigation, we do such autopsies. This hall gives very high protection to the team that performs the autopsy," says Dr. Dimitrov.

The two forensic doctors have another reason to rejoice - the specialist Dr. Marina Miteva, because there are not many people who want this specialty, especially women, although there are many ladies around the world who are dedicated to this responsible profession.

"Currently, the data show that the number of qualified forensic doctors in our country is very small, between 60-70, and a large part are of pre-retirement age. That is, the problem with the staff in forensic medicine will only deepen, says Dr. Miteva.

Dr. Miteva is the only non-resident research fellow in Bulgaria.

"I can boast that Dr. Marina Miteva is the only non-resident research fellow in Bulgaria. I think that we, the forensic doctors, are to blame for the lack of desire, because we are a bit of a closed society, and we have to attract, not expect, those who want to practice forensic medicine to come on their own. Not everyone becomes a forensic doctor. The most important quality is to have a conscience," admits Dr. Dimitrov.

"I would say that the profession is very difficult, and improving the quality of work in this way makes corpses talk and people listen to us with interest. Creating such working conditions as in our new hall would be a good prerequisite for attracting more young people in this specialty," added Dr. Stoyanov.

In fact, apart from being difficult, their work is very interesting because, as Dr. Stoyanov says, "This is a constant race of reason between crime and investigation." And according to Dr. Dimitrov, forensic medicine is a big puzzle, in which in the beginning you have several parts that you have to arrange one by one. Their profession makes them a closed society, because leaks or excessive information in court cases and public appearances often turn into training for crime.

"Our work should not be on display. For example, the promotion of fingerprints immediately leads to the placement of gloves and the erasure of traces. Blood tests have always led to the use of drugs to destroy these traces, DNA tests now also lead to the use of means to destroy this evidence," says Dr. Stoyanov. And he commented that similar investigations in movies and series like "CSI" show methods that are 20 years old and that everyone already knows.

"The things that are shown are true, but there are details that are saved. There are always mistakes in a crime and that is what we are looking for. I am very glad that it is here in Ruse, in Bulgaria, forensic medicine is moving forward and developing and has young followers. This is the most important thing," the doctor concluded.

And Dr. Plamen Dimitrov is quick to add: "We are a very good team. The credit for the teamwork goes to our mentor Dr. Ivan Stoyanov, who has always been for teamwork and has proven that he knows how to gather the right people who can work together. For us, the creation of this team is not just a happy coincidence. It is absolutely purposeful to have such a variety and a set of experience, knowledge, desire to upgrade. It is very important to have diversity in a team. Even because of the way of thinking.

Dr. Robbins also works in such a good team, and if he were a real forensic doctor and not a movie character, he probably wouldn't mind sharing his experience with his colleagues from Ruse, working in their new hall, where the dead teach the living.

Silvia Dimitrova