Criminal Poisoning: Investigational Guide for Law Enforcement, Toxicologists, Forensic Scientists, and Attorneys by John H. Trestrail

Author:John H. Trestrail [Trestrail, John H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781588299215
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Published: 2007-04-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

The Forensic Autopsy

“Revolted by the odious crime of homicide, the chemist’s aim is to perfect the means of establishing proof of poisoning so that the heinous crime will be brought to light and proved to the magistrate who must punish the criminal.”—M. J. B. Orfila, 1817

6.1. THE AUTOPSY

During an autopsy, the forensic pathologist looks for certain clues that might indicate that a poison could have been involved in the death. These clues could include irritated tissues (from caustic and corrosive compounds); characteristic odors, such as the almond-like odor of cyanide; or Aldrich-Mees lines (white bands on the nails that indicate chronic exposure to heavy metals such as arsenic) ( see Fig. 6-1).

6.2. POSTMORTEM REDISTRIBUTION—“NECROKINETICS”

The pathologist also reviews the results of any toxicological screens, to determine whether they are consistent with his or her pathological findings.

Certain cautions in the interpretation of the analytical toxicology results should be observed.

The concentrations of substances revealed by an analytical test will vary, depending on the site of origin of the specimen as well as the length of time that has passed since the initial exposure. The reliability of any postmortem specimen is directly related to the conditions associated with the collection of that specimen and the storage environment. It has become increasingly clear that the blood concentration of many drugs is definitely dependent on the site of collection, and that blood concentration may be significantly higher, or From: Forensic Science and Medicine: Criminal Poisoning, Second Edition By: J. H. Trestrail, III © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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