ABSTRACT
As a young academic entering the field of forensic science I was fortunate enough to get a copy of the Biology Methods Manual published by the (then) Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory. The nine chapters included one on ‘Urine and Faeces’, one on ‘Foodstuffs’, one on ‘Fibres and Hairs’ (including a section on plant fibres), one on ‘Botanical Applications’ and one on ‘Paper’. Being a biology manual it did not include the botanical aspects of illicit drugs. A third or more of the content of the manual was botanical!
