* Most state crime labs are not inspected and certified by anyone. Hospital and commercial labs have to be certified and inspected in order to receive insurance payments. This certification is usually performed by the College of American Pathologists, an independent agency which investigates complaints and revokes accreditation if standards are not met. State labs are usually underfunded, uninspected and have a built-in conflict of interest to generate results acceptable to police and prosecutors.

* There are many excellent forensic pathologists, but, in general, the field does not attract the best and brightest. Most pathologists prefer to work in hospitals and academic centers, where the pay is better and the work not as yucky. The testimony of a pathologist, like that of any other doctor, is his/her opinion, not Holy Writ, and doctors disagree all the time.

* My advice to defense attorneys, when reviewing scientific or forensic evidence provided by the prosecution, is always to have such evidence independently evaluated. About half the time a significant discrepancy will be found.