The Coroner Lady

Julie Johnson-McGrath

Consultation for writers of fiction and non-fiction on historical forensic, scientific, medical, and technological knowledge, practice, artifacts and popular culture, including the social and behavioral sciences, and on causes of death for genealogists.

About Me

Julie Johnson-McGrath, Ph.D.

Nicknamed “The Coroner Lady” by the late urban historian Erik Monkonnen for my work on the development of forensic science in the United States, I have a PhD in the History of Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania’s internationally celebrated department.

My undergraduate degree, also from Penn, is in American Civilization, for which I received the Senior Prize. I was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa,  graduated Summa Cum Laude.

My research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and American Association of University Women, and I have taught at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Community College, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science in Philadelphia. 

Services

What I do

#1

Consultation

General discussion of the state of knowledge, practices, artifacts of the era in question

#2

Editing

Manuscript review for inaccuracies, anachronisms, etc.

Research
#3

Research

Archival research/historical literature review on specific topics

Specialties

My expertise

History of Forensic Science

Discoveries, applications, people, places, institutions

History of Medicine

Knowledge, practices, economics, institutions, patient experience

History of Technology

Knowledge, applications, system integration, user experience

History of Science

Knowledge, acceptance, people, places, institutions

History of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Knowledge, acceptance and practice of psychology, anthropology and sociology

Popular and Material Culture

Identification, use and dissemination of ideas and artifacts

Thank You

Heartfelt thanks to the lovely and talented Sampada Pulekar Ganu for the design of this website, and for allowing me to change the font to Baskerville so I could work in an obscure Sherlock Holmes reference!

The Coroner Lady

Julie Johnson-McGrath, Ph.D.

I offer historical consulting services to writers of fiction and non-fiction on the following topics: forensic science, medicine, science, technology, social and behavioral sciences, popular and material culture.