Bernard Spilsbury | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of Spilsbury taken in the 1920s. | |
| Born | 16 May 1877 Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England |
| Died | 17 December 1947 (aged 70) London, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
| Spouse |
Edith Caroline Horton
(m. 1908) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Pathology |
Sir Bernard Henry Spilsbury (16 May 1877 – 17 December 1947) was an English pathologist. His cases include Hawley Crippen, the Seddon case, the Major Armstrong poisoning, the "Brides in the Bath" murders by George Joseph Smith, the Crumbles murders, the Podmore case, the Sidney Harry Fox matricide, the Vera Page case, and the murder trials of Louis Voisin, Jean-Pierre Vaquier, Norman Thorne, Donald Merrett, Alfred Rouse, Elvira Barney, Toni Mancini, and Gordon Cummins. Spilsbury's courtroom appearances became legendary for his demeanour of effortless dominance.
He also played a crucial role in the development of Operation Mincemeat, a deception operation during the Second World War which saved thousands of lives of Allied service personnel. Spilsbury committed suicide in 1947.