I cannot say that before September 6 I have come across an individual who has spent half of his professional life as a rock musician and the other half as a forensic pathologist.  Dr. Gary D. Telgenhoff, or “Dr. T” as his bandmates have affectionately named him, is just that individual; and he visited LSSU last Thursday as a guest speaker, pulling off his two-hour talk impressively.

I imagine that if a forensic pathologist had shown up, given a lecture about the most unpleasant details of gathering evidence for homicide investigation, then shown us a slideshow that included photographs of decapitated and mangled bodies, severely decomposed corpses found crammed into trash cans, living rooms showered with human blood, and gutted abdomens, and described the circumstances under which all of these people were killed in explicit detail, and done so with complete self-importance and seriousness, most of the audience would have left the auditorium in a state of repulsion and horror.  Dr. Telgenhoff took a different approach, and presented the many facets of his morbid profession with deadpan wit and a jet-black sense of humor that proved a success with those who turned up to listen.  He presented the audience with a series of bizarre cases he had encountered, some of them gruesome, some of them depressing, some of them humorous, and some hardly conceivable.  Apart from his fascinating presentation of the life of a pathologist, Dr. Telgenhoff expressed his skepticism about both the believability of the “CSI” television shows (which he incidentally has been used as a scientific advisor for) that American audiences hold so dear, and the believability of pathologists themselves and their use in the justice system, reassuring his audience that his sense of ethics hasn’t been completely corrupted by spending his working life around rotting corpses.  Dr. Telgenhoff deromanticized the myth of the all-purpose CSI who collects evidence, interviews witnesses, solves the crime, arrests people and saves the day, but at the same time humanized the true CSI by presenting himself with humility and honesty. Junior and Crimimal Justice major Neal Maynard said of Telgenhoff’s presentation: “Part time rock star, part time super scientist, Dr. T’s lifestyle is one that many dream about.  His ability to combine it all and deliver it in a fun, educational presentation is remarkable.” Dr. Telgenhoff explained that he is no longer able to feel disturbed at the sight of a human corpse, which may have some people asking questions, but the pathologist, he reasons, has to be able to laugh at sickening, horrific and potentially depressing things – after all, how else would he be able to do his job?        

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