Specimens Commonly Preserved in Poisoning Cases
For toxicological analysis, the following are commonly preserved:
- Stomach and contents
- Upper small intestine and contents
- Liver
- Kidney
- Blood
- Urine
- Preserved sample of the suspected poison
Medicolegal Importance
- Determination of the nature of the poison.
- Collection and preservation of samples.
- Assessment of suicidal, accidental or homicidal poisoning.
- Documentation of treatment and findings.
Clinical
The manner-of-death assessment (suicidal vs accidental vs homicidal) and the chain of preserved specimens are what make a poisoning case medicolegal, not just clinical. Careful collection and documentation are duties of the treating doctor.