Problems of Forensic Sciences 2011 Vol. 84 (LXXXIV) 392-400
ANALYSIS OF POISONS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF FORENSIC MEDICINE IN KRAKÓW
Tomasz KONOPKA
Department of Forensic Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
Streszczenie
Records of all autopsies performed at the Kraków Department of Forensic Medicine since 1877 are still preserved in the departmental archives. Handwritten reports from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century provide a lot of information about the types of poisons used in suicide attempts and the state of toxicological knowledge in those days. Almost half of the suicidal poisonings were committed with the use of phosphorus matches that were available at that time. About 20% of suicidal deaths were caused by caustic substances such as mineral acids and phenol, and about 10% by metal compounds (mercury, copper, arsenic). Such poisonings were easy to determine and diagnose during autopsies because of evident pathological changes. About 10% of suicidal poisonings involved use of alkaloids such as morphine, cocaine and strychnine. These substances do not cause any changes that can be seen during autopsy procedures, so in these cases it was necessary to conduct special chemical examinations. They were described in detail in the margins of autopsy reports. The first poisoning by a synthetic drug (barbital) only occurred in Kraków in 1918.
Słowa kluczowe
History of forensic medicine; History of forensic toxicology; Poisons.