Poisons: An Introduction for Forensic Investigators

by David J. George

Overview

A unique book on recognition and investigation

of criminal poisoning for investigators

of all backgrounds and stages of their careers.

Poisons: An Introduction for Forensic Investigators is a concise yet comprehensive overview of toxicants and unanticipated circumstances in which poisoning occurs. This book expands awareness of poisoning possibilities, heightens recognition of the toxic potential of many substances, and provides information to aid in focusing investigations.

Poisons discusses life-threatening toxic substances and agents that modify behavior to achieve criminal goals. These include drugs that facilitate sexual assaults and robberies, and those found in medical child abuse and drug-product tampering.

More than 230 case studies illustrate both unintentional and intentional poisoning and highlight situations where poisoning may not immediately be apparent. Information is included in pertinent criminal poisoning cases to illustrate the temperament of poisoners, their relationship to victims, their basis for poison selection, and their method of administration.

Since Poisons is written by a single author, the discussions, format, educational level, and terminology remain consistent to aid crime scene investigators, homicide detectives, forensic scientists, death investigators, toxicologists, medical examiners, attorneys, and students. The book's more than 650 references are an asset to frame knowledge as well as a resource to return to again and again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367778989
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/31/2021
Pages:	406
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

David J. George, Ph.D. is a clinical toxicologist and general pharmacologist with broad interests and extensive experience in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry.

Table of Contents

Part I. Poison 1. Poison and Poisoning 2. Poison Exposure 3. Poison Absorption 4. Poison Biodisposition 5. Poison Detection 6. Poisoning Treatment Part II. Potential Poisons 7. Arsenic 8. Carbon Monoxide 9. Cyanide 10. Ethylene Glycol 11. Nicotine 12. Strychnine 13. Thallium 14. Aspirin 15. Acetaminophen 16. Alcohol 17. Opioids 18. Antidepressants 19. Benzodiazepines 20. Stimulants 21. Emerging Recreational Psychotropics 22. Food Poisoning 23. Plants and Mushrooms 24. Pesticides Part III. Poisoning 25. Accidental Poisoning 26. Suicidal Poisoning 27. Homicidal Poisoning 28. Poisonous Women 29. Healthcare Serial Poisoners 30. Hospitalized Patients Poisoned by Visitors 31. Medical Child Abuse and Homicide 32. Drug Abuse Fatalities 33. Celebrity Drug Deaths 34. Drug-Facilitated Crimes 35. Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault 36. Drug Product Tampering 37. Assassination 38. Multiple Victim Poisonings Appendices

Editorial Reviews

2018-07-06
Debut author George presents an in-depth book on poisons. Just about any substance can be deleterious when taken in large enough amounts—caffeine pills or even water. The book's focus, however, is on more familiar types of poisoning and overdosing. Topics include common deadly plants, recreational drugs, and many types of intentional poisonings, whether the intent is homicidal or suicidal. Technical terms occur throughout, including symptoms of many poisonings, like tachycardia (i.e. "fast heartbeat"), but the text is still highly readable for the layperson. Each chapter includes case studies that illustrate a person or people becoming very ill and often dying due to something they ingested— knowingly or not. Such studies tend to stick to the basics—the substance, when the situation occurred, and legal repercussions, if any, for the parties involved. While details can be scant, those included are often riveting. A number of examples of accidental consumption involve an unlabeled or incorrectly labeled poisonous substance, like the seemingly innocuous yet highly lethal ethylene glycol, a sweet tasting, common ingredient in antifreeze. A chapter on plants drives home the point that even big, beautiful flowers like the Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia suaveolens) can be deadly when consumed. A section on "Multiple Victim Poisonings" details how easy it can be to poison many people at once, whether the intent is as harmless as a dish at a company picnic or as sinister as a cult suicide or even a targeted attack. George deploys the requisite dark humor; on the mass suicide of the Heaven's Gate cult: "There is no evidence to indicate whether or not the cult members were successful in targeting their souls to a higher level in the universe." In contrast to the real-life examples, the book can wax somewhat obvious; for example, "The properties of the specific poison dictate the method of administration." Surely even the most heedless poisoner would not try to administer an undissolved solid poison in a liquid. Nevertheless, as the case studies show, simply because someone makes use of a poison does not necessarily mean they understand the poison's properties. Then there are those who know the hazards of a poison and yet will go to great lengths to consume it. The text is rife with troubling practices like opioid addicts' brewing a "tea" from fentanyl patches. For those who have given little thought to the many noxious substances around them, the book serves as an eye opener. Even compounds the reader has likely heard of can be found in unexpected places. It turns out nicotine is a naturally occurring component in a number of plants (including eggplant, though of course there's much more nicotine in tobacco), and it's not unheard of for helium to be utilized in suicides. By the book's end, it seems that even the most reckless reader would approach the many ingestible hazards of the world with fresh apprehension. Provides a highly informative, if occasionally technical, look at the world of harmful substances.

Kirkus Reviews