Dying in a fire -- or not? When could it be determined?
Books already looked at: "Body Trauma", "The Whole Death Catalog"
Search terms used: "history of forensics arson", "history of forensics smoke inhalation", "history of forensics Renaissance"
Right, I'm writing about a murder set in the equivalent of 17th Cent. Spain. Body found in a burning building, looking pretty charred. I know modern forensics could determine if there was soot in the lungs or injuries before the fire.
What I haven't been able to find out is, could science of the time period have figured anything like that out (the soot in the lungs part specifically)?
Search terms used: "history of forensics arson", "history of forensics smoke inhalation", "history of forensics Renaissance"
Right, I'm writing about a murder set in the equivalent of 17th Cent. Spain. Body found in a burning building, looking pretty charred. I know modern forensics could determine if there was soot in the lungs or injuries before the fire.
What I haven't been able to find out is, could science of the time period have figured anything like that out (the soot in the lungs part specifically)?