The International Journal of Science in Society Volume 6, 2015, www.science-society.com, ISSN 1836-6236 © Common Ground, Vanda Symon, Susan Heydon, Natalie J. Medlicott, Jules Kieser, Jean S. Fleming All Rights Reserved Permissions: cg-support@commongroundpublishing.com Before CSI: Making the Case for a Novel Portrayal of Forensic Science Vanda Symon, University of Otago, New Zealand Susan Heydon, University of Otago, New Zealand Natalie J. Medlicott, University of Otago, New Zealand Jules Kieser, University of Otago, New Zealand Jean S. Fleming, University of Otago, New Zealand Abstract: Forensic science has been portrayed in television, journalism, and fiction for over a century. Since the launch of the flagship television show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” in 2000, much has been made of the so-called “CSI Effect”. However, forensic science had been incorporated into many traditional media long before CSI. We used Ngaio Marsh’s 1935 novel, “The Nursing Home Murder,” to illustrate the influence of news media, literature, and drama on the author’s decision to use hyoscine as a poison in the work. We examine the accurate portrayal of science in written crime fiction and its dissemination to the reader. The possible use of that information in copycat crime is also discussed. Content analysis demonstrates the possible influences of written media and personal connections on Marsh when choosing hyoscine as her murder weapon, and suggests she was aware of the potential for a criminal to get "the big idea" from her work. Keywords: Science, Communication, Popular Media Introduction orensic science has been thrust into the public view in recent years by the introduction of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation franchise of television programmes and the resultant flood of similar television crime dramas. There has been much discussion of the effects of this highly visualised and hyper-realistic portrayal of forensic science, as well as what has been coined “the CSI Effect,” on the criminal justice system by Cole and Dioso-Villa (2006). The literature has concentrated on three major elements of the CSI Effect: firstly, the impact on the expectations of jurors in criminal trials with respect to evidence (Schweitzer and Saks 2007); secondly, the increase in interest in forensic science as a career option (Ferguson 2013); and thirdly, the potential for criminals to learn how to avoid detection at crime scenes as a result of watching these programmes (Ferguson 2013). CSI has broken new ground in the mass communication of forensic science and the effects that has had on society, but there are many other examples of earlier television programmes, fiction and print media that have had an impact on the public perception of science and its place in the criminal justice system (Kinsey 2011). These could be called proto-CSI. That public expectations of science are born of fictional portrayals of science, rather than scientific reality, has long been thought to be true of forensic science, where public beliefs have been shaped by fiction at least since Conan Doyle penned Sherlock Holmes. (Schweitzer and Saks 2007, 359) We are exploring the hypothesis that scientific knowledge can be effectively communicated through popular print fiction. Forensic science, described in the delivery of entertainment, or infotainment, can have many flow-on effects, from educating and influencing the reader’s perceptions of criminal justice (Kinsey 2011), to the potential for educating criminals and copycat crime (Surette 2013b). F