ABSTRACT
The living human body can be considered as a complex assembly of dynamic chemical systems. Interpretation of toxicological analyses is difficult enough under the best of circumstances, so as little variation as possible in the results should be introduced by the manner in which the samples are collected. In any case where toxicological investigations are indicated, the pathologist should always bear in mind the possibility that a criminal investigation leading to a prosecution may arise out of the death. Cerebrospinal fluid is difficult to collect at post-mortem by conventional lumbar puncture. Glucose concentrations in post-mortem blood samples are of little value unless they are high. Autolysis rapidly releases intracellular enzymes and other macromolecular markers of tissue damage into blood and makes the interpretation of enzyme activity in post-mortem specimens extremely difficult in practice. The toxicological analysis of bile can be extremely useful in some cases of overdose.
