Preview

Forensic Science 11.06

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
361 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Forensic Science 11.06
Review Questions

What is toxicology?
Toxicology is the study of substances that cause adverse effects in humans or other organisms.
Who was Mathieu Orfila?
Mathieu Orfila was considered the 'father of toxicology'. He published one of the first written works about poisons and medications.
What is strychnine? What symptoms does it cause?
Strychnine is a posion that comes from the seed of the strychnine tree. It can be inhaled, consumbed or absorbed through mucous membranes. It causes cramps and stomach contractions. These can resemble seizures.
What is percent saturation?
Percent saturation is the ratio of hemoglobin that has been combined with carbon monoxide in comparison to hemoglobin that has been combined with oxygen.
What is aconite? What symptoms does it produce?
Aconite is a poison that comes from the aconite plant. It produces a numb or tingling feeling wherever the aconite comes into contact with. Also it causes muscle weakness, abnormal heartbeat and respiratory failure.

Critical Thinking Questions

What characteristics do substances often have that make them attractive as a poison when someone wants to intentionally harm another person?
Some characteristics that make them attractive are things such as odorless and colorless and tasteless because
Describe three different samples that can be used to test for poisons. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these samples?
You can use percent saturation he disadvantage is that this picks up only carbon monoxide, then there is the reinsch test that will pick up most poisons and also you can test for heavy metals.
Why are poisons used less today than they were in the past? What factors influenced this change?
They are used less today because they can be more easily detected with our new technology.
In addition to samples taken from a body, what other information or evidence could point to poisoning as the cause of death?
Capsules left on the floor or bottles of the poison

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Selavka’s presentation ranged on the many different aspects of Forensic Toxicology. The first part of his discussion centered on the types of drugs toxicologist are interested in. Drugs that were mentioned included benzodiazepines, depressants, opiates, cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana and alcohol. Dr. Selavka pointed out that Alcohol stands out from the other drugs as it is the largest contributing factor to vehicle related accidents as well as consequently deaths. Dr. Selavka also included regular toxicologist studies such as the testing for carbon monoxide, cyanide, inhalants, metals, pesticides and…

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Forensic Science Unit 4

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What are the three types of fingerprints found in the human population? How often does each occur?…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    According to Canadian Ethnobotanist Wade Davis the main drug was derived from the poisonous tetrodotoxins of puffer fish. He mentioned one concoction which contained that toxin along with bufo toads, a crushed human infant skull, sea worm, blue lizards, mimosa and itchy peas. The ingredients were powdered and perhaps ingested, or blown into the face of an intended victim. As it entered the blood stream it caused “death” in about a half hour. The death is permanent if the toxin dose is slightly too large. Otherwise it simulates death with a deep suspended coma. Either way the victim is buried.…

    • 2827 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Although chemicals generally have the same appearance in a liquid solution, they vary extremely from the fact that some may have no effect and others can cause death. One of the few ways that a certain chemical solution can be identified is through a simple test called a flame test. A flame test works by placing a certain chemical solution in an open flame and noting the color the flame changes to. The color of the flame changes due to the fact that electrons are constantly moving between energy levels as stated in the Hutchinson Encyclopedia. The chemical involved in case study B will be identified using a flame test and extensive research…

    • 1490 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bio-Burned Crime Report

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Some included Carbon Tetrachloride, Chloroform , DDT, and Aldrin. Similar to the gases , we conducted research on each one. After fully analyzing each one as a class we agreed that Carbon Tetra Chloride was found in the drug. This chlorinated hydrocarbon is produced in large quantities to make refrigerants and propellants for aerosol cans. This is something you would never find in a medical lab. It's toxic and has no valid reason as to why it was in the drug that Ms, Taylor gave to Ms. Gura. This indication supports that this incident was not an accident. In fact it was an attempt for murder. Now we rest the case to the forensics and prosecution team. We hope they find the person who almost killed Ms.Gura and lock them up for good. We need some justice in this world and it starts with this…

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Diseases were caused by poisons brought here from the stars. But poisons were not necessarily something negative, in part because related substances interacted, in part because only the does determined if a substance was poisonous or not. Poisons could have beneficial medical effects…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Prepare

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The powdered drug consist of toads, sea warms, lizards, tarantulas, human bones and the most important ingredient is a species of dried puffer fish “which contains a powerful poison known to man” –Tetrodotoxin. According to the Harvard article the drug /poison is rubbed in to the victims skin. Within hours he begins to feel nauseated and has difficulty breathing and the body slowly becomes paralyzed; with lips turning blue and purple due to lack of oxygen. The metabolism lowering to such an ungodly level its almost indistinguishable from death. The puffer fish poison was only the beginning of…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bleeding, ulceration, swollen eyelids, and liver problems. These are all just some of the effects of this cruel kind of testing. Toxicity tests or as they are called poisoning tests are an example of studies performed on the animals. This is where the animals are fed a substance or through a tube in their throat to see what amount they candle handle until their toxicity level go up or until dead. Other cruel tests like skin iribility tests are done where the animal is restrained to prevent them from fighting back while the chemical is poured onto their…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In 1982 several people died unexpectedly in the Chicago area for unknown reasons (Center & Jackson, 2003). Generally, occurrences such as these would not be considered abnormal for such a large area, however; three of the victims were from the same family and they all died during the same period (Bell, n.d.). After a physician at the hospital where the family members had been taken became suspicious, it was discovered that all three family members died of cyanide poisoning (Bell, n.d.). Further research uncovered evidence the three members of the family had ingested Extra Strength Tylenol shortly before their deaths. A search of the home revealed a bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol, which upon testing, revealed cyanide had been added into the capsules (Bell, n.d.).…

    • 1354 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Animal Testing

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Exposure to drugs, chemicals or infectious disease at levels that cause illness, pain and distress, or death…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Substance Abuse Essay

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The human body was built to endure the hardships that one might struggle through with in life but it was not built to slowly and deliberately be poisoned to death. Yet, millions of people around the world continue to abuse the power of drugs, fully aware of their consequences. Most people who use drugs have a general knowledge of the effects of the drugs on their body, but that does not stop them from continuing to put their lives in danger. Substance abuse can lead to many catastrophic consequences on the body including severe liver damage, cardiovascular effects, and neurological effects.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    is that all chemicals can cause harm at some level of exposure, summed up in the phrase "the dose makes the poison." This means that exposure to a specific small amount of any substance will have no detectable impact on normal biological processes and is considered safe. Some doses actually have beneficial effects, as we all know…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ernest Hodgson, Patricia E.Levi (2005): A Text book of Modern Toxicology, MC-Graw Hill International Edition: 237.…

    • 3193 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Toxicology can be defined as the branch of science that deals with poisons, and a poison can be defined as any substance that causes a harmful effect when administrated, either by accident or design, to a living organism. By convention, toxicology also includes the study of harmful effects caused by physical phenomena, such as radiation of various kinds and noise. The history of Toxicology dates back to the early humans who used animal and plant poisons for hunting and warfare. The Ebers papyrus (circa 1500 BC) describes several poisons known at that time. For example, it mentions hemlock as the state poison of the Greeks as well as opium, aconite and heavy metals such as lead, copper and antimony. Hippocrates (circa 400 B.C.) introduced clinical toxicology principles by describing elemental concepts of bioavailability and overdose. There are also several citations of the use of poisons in ancient Greece literature. It was Dioscorides, a Greek pharmacist, who made the first attempt to classify poisons. De Materia Medica, his 5-volume systematic description of approximately 600 different plants and 1000 different medications, became the first systematic pharmacopoeia. Socrates (470-399 B.C.) poisoning by drinking hemlock is one of the best known cases of execution by poisoning. The use of poisonings was also a very common practice in Roman politics, reaching peak numbers during the fourth century B.C. It continued until the year 82 B.C. when the first law against poisoning was issued, named the Lex Cornelia. The study of toxicology serves society in many ways, not only to protect humans and the environment from the deleterious effects of toxicants but also to facilitate the development of more selective toxicants such as anticancer and other clinical drugs and pesticides. Poison is a quantitative concept, almost any substance being harmful at some doses but, at the same time, being without harmful effect at some lower dose. Between these…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Wonder Of Science

    • 1539 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Poisoners Handbook was first published in February 18, 2010. It contains chapters on chloroform, wood alcohol, cyanide, arsenic, mercury, carbon monoxide, methyl alcohol, radium, ethyl alcohol, and thallium. Using a structure that evokes Primo Levi’s The Periodic Table, Blum considers each substance one at a time in the context of cases presented to New York’s chief medical examiner, Charles Norris, and to the toxicologist Alexander Gettler, pioneers who conducted their experiments before forensic science was a formally recognized field. Their determination drives much of the story as they confront the problems of limited resources as well as a corrupt system (which, in a fascinating detour, Blum explains had once selected examiners with little consideration for their relevant skills). The study of poison slowly gains credence in the courtroom under their combined expertise, and their findings allow others to condemn or vindicate the accused. In 1918, New York City appointed Charles Norris, Bellevue Hospital's chief pathologist, as its first scientifically trained medical examiner. The book, is about Norris and Alexander Gettler, the city's first toxicologist,…

    • 1539 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics