ABSTRACT
The postmortem laboratory analysis of body ßuids and tissues is an essential tool for the forensic pathologist. Toxicology studies are useful to help determine the cause and manner of death and to answer key investigative questions. This book has shown the power of visual gross microscopic Þndings in the autopsy. Drugs and chemicals, however, seldom leave characteristic or identifying visual Þndings at the autopsy. Even those substances that do leave visual Þndings, such as cyanide (causing pink livor) and carbon monoxide (causing red livor), must be conÞrmed and quantiÞed. The speciÞc drugs or chemicals found and their concentrations tell us a story about the death. The discovery of unexpected poisons can identify a perpetrator or even save a life. For example, Þnding a blood carbon monoxide of 50% in a person who died at home during the winter might save the life of the other occupants by implicating a faulty furnace.
