Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified or the Washing Away of Wrongs is a Chinese book written by Song Ci in 1247 during the Song Dynasty (960-1276) as a handbook for coroners. The author combined many historical cases of forensic science with his own experiences and wrote the book with an eye to avoiding injustice. The book was esteemed by generations of officials, and it was eventually translated into English, German, Japanese, French and other languages. It is the first ever written book of forensic science. Content Different versions of the book exist, but the earliest existing version was published during the Yuan Dynasty, containing fifty-three chapters in five volumes. The first volume describes the imperial decree issued by the Song Dynasty on the inspection of bodies and injuries. The second volume contains notes and methods on postmortem examinations. The third, fourth, and fifth volumes detail the appearances of corpses from various causes of death and methods of treatment to certain injuries of a wounded person. Topics that Song Ci commented on in the book include the regulations for preparing autopsy reports for the courts, how to protect the evidence in the examining process, and the reasons why workers should show impartiality during examinations; he also provided descriptions on how to wash dead bodies to determine different causes of death. The book was notable for having given methods to distinguish between suicide and death from other causes. In the book, Song writes: The particulars of each case must be recorded in the doctor’s own handwriting. No one else is allowed to write his autopsy report. A coroner must not avoid performing an autopsy just because he detests the stench of corpses. A coroner must refrain from sitting comfortably behind a curtain of incense that masks the stench, letting his subordinates do the autopsy unsupervised, or allowing a petty official to write his autopsy report, otherwise any potential inaccuracy is unchecked and uncorrected. He also writes: Should there be any inaccuracy in an autopsy report, injustice would remain with the deceased as well as the living. A wrongful death sentence without justice may claim one or more additional lives, which would in turn result in feuds and revenges, prolonging the tragedy. In order to avoid any miscarriage of justice, the coroner must immediately examine the case personally. Importance to the history of forensic entomology In The Washing Away of Wrongs (an alternative