For many of our people, a normal day at the office can be a walk on the wild side. Take Russell Lain, one of our forensic odontologists, or dentists, based at the Sydney Dental Hospital. During his years with us, his work has helped recover long lost soldiers, convict dangerous criminals, unravel historic mysteries and provide precious solace to thousands of grief stricken families. Drawn to the specialty at the age of 40, Dr Lain has been called in to identify bodies from the Bali bombings, the Boxing Day tsunami and the MH17 plane crash in the Ukraine. In less publicised assignments, he helped recover an unknown sailor, whose remains washed ashore on Christmas Island after HMAS Sydney was sunk by a German auxiliary cruiser in 1941, and his most recent mission took him to a deserted island off Arnhem Land in search of a sailor whose ship sunk during the Japanese attack on Darwin in 1943. “Unfortunately all we found were crocodile trails, turtles and fishing gear, so it was very disappointing, principally for the family of the missing sailor,” he said. While he finds the work rewarding, he agrees it isn’t for everyone. “It’s a great contribution to society, both to families of missing persons and the criminal justice system, so that feels good. (But) I’m sure the work has had a toll on my personal life. There’s no doubt about that. If I never have to see another deceased person in my life, I’d be quite comfortable with that.” One of 25 specialist forensic odontologists in Australia, Dr Lain insists he is “just a dentist”. “All we do is generate and compare the ante-mortem dental chart with the post mortem record. It’s not rocket science, but it is very important. It has been said that the measure of a society is the way they treat their dead, so identification needs to happen with care and respect.”
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 03:45:28 +0000
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