Forensic Pathologist Compares CSIs To 'CSI'

"Pathology was the only thing that I was ever interested in," said Dr. Gary Telgenhoff, a medical examiner who consults several times a week with the writers for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

In a lengthy interview with Elyse's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Site, Telgenhoff described his experiences working for the series, which in addition to providing medical expertise has included songwriting, for Telgenhoff was a professional musician before he became an M.D.

Obsessed with the Beatles in his youth, Telgenhoff said he played in a band called The Frost and enjoyed moderate success before he left touring to go to graduate school, where he studied anatomy and decided to become a doctor.

His first "real job" after an internship and fellowship was in Las Vegas, where he met Anthony Zuiker, who was then working on a script about crime scene analysts.

"Next thing I know, he gives me the pilot to CSI to be aired on CBS. My jaw dropped. Anthony was a trolly driver down at the Mirage and barely scrapping it", he recalled.

Asked how forensic pathology in the real world compares with the television series, Telgenhoff said, "No medical examiner is going to see everything 'they' have filmed in one career. The average day is much more routine and non-dramatic. Every now and then you get a damned interesting case...the thing is, it takes an entire lifetime to accumulate enough interesting cases to actually come up with a book."

Moreover, "The CSAs (Crime Scene Analysts) have very little in common with the CSIs on the show. The show has put the CSA/CSI into the center of the action and responsible for a case, which is total unreality. In real life, the homicide detective is in charge of the case."

"The CSA is an evidence collector," he explained. "They do not question suspects. They do not 'put the case together.' They do not do the autopsy. They are there to take bullets and other trace evidence at my direction, bag them and catalogue them. That's it."

However, citing Hollywood's duty to entertain, Telgenhoff called CSI "a damned good show."

"I do watch the show," he added. "Partly to see what lines of mine they have used and to see if they got them right. The dramatic tone, the chemistry of the cast, the 'double story line' going on and twists in the show keep me sucked in."

William Peterson, he stated, is "a damned nice guy", who knew of Telgenhoff's consulting role before they were introduced and who called over other castmembers to meet him as well.

Marg Helgenberger, too, "is a wonderful person", though her character reduced Telgenhoff to tears when one of his songs was used on the series. When Catherine Willows said on the show that "it sucked", recalled Telgenhoff, "I cried."

To read much more about the years of study necessary to become a forensic pathologist, Telgenhoff's experiences in the music industry and his dream of making a guest appearance on CSI, visit Elyse's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Site.

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