Pathologist at Swissair disaster says compassion necessary

The medical examiner who identified bodies following the crash of Swiss Air Flight 111 says this disaster will change the way pathologists do their jobs.

Doctor John Butt says those who deal with the dead are learning they must also deal with the living.

Butt's job -- identifying the fragments of human remains that scattered across a large area of open water -- was a complicated task. It required the most advanced techniques of matching DNA to come up with positive identifications.

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He did eventually identify remains for all 229 people who died in the crash. Despite the technical work in the lab Butt says the magnitude of this disaster forged relationships between the doctor and the grieving families.

"In events like this there is a great need for doctors and pathologists to be a presence, and not remain behind a closed door in a laboratory or a mortuary," Butt says.

In past disasters there has been little or no contact between families and those who examine and identify bodies. Professionals remain separate to avoid personal pain or the loss of objectivity.

Butt has since been asked to speak with pathologists in Canada and the United States about why it is important to build relationships with families, who desperately want information about the people they have lost.

He is writing a paper for a scientific journal on the issue. He says pathologists in many parts of the world are anxious to learn more about how to share information and show compassion following a horrible disaster.

Family members of those who died in the crash thanked all Nova Scotians Thursday for the part they played in the recovery mission and for their help in the grieving process.

Three days of ceremonies and memorials to mark the painful anniversary of the crash off Peggy's Cove came to a close in a multi-faith candlelight service Thursday night.