In 399 B.C. Socrates was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock and even Grigori Rasputin had drank ten times the lethal amount of the poison cyanide in 1916.(ForensicScienceSimplified.org) Having someone drink poison was a way to kill someone and not get caught for the murder. Many people were able to get away with it because there was no way of knowing that the person was poisoned. Thanks to new methods of arsenic testing Marie Lafarge was the first person to be convicted of murder. It wasn’t until then that forensic toxicology was thought of. Forensic toxicology refers to the application of toxicology to cases and issues where those adverse effects have administrative or medicolegal consequences. (ForensicScienceSimplified.org). The task …show more content…
There are many drugs that are tested during a post mortem test which includes alcohol, analgesics, antidepressants, antihistamines, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cardiovascular drugs, cocaine, narcotic analgesics, and stimulants. (ForensicScienceSimplified.org) The testing is very extensive which requires a toxicologist who knows all aspects of testing. Samples from fluids and tissue are required for the testing from an autopsy. Drugs that aren’t included in routine toxicology screens are anticonvulsants, barbiturates, designer drugs, digoxin, GHB, LSD, and environmental toxicants. (ForensicScienceSimplified.org) There are different places where the experts work to conduct the many tests that are required for the investigation. They are certified through the American Board of Forensic Toxicology. He or she must have documented educational and hands on training and experience in order to become one. In order for any testing to be done it has to be board certified.
Immunoassays are laboratory tests that use antibodies to detect a reaction with specific substances. (ForensicScienceSimplified.org). They are used to show whether the specimen is positive or negative for a type of drug. “A true positive occurs when the test correctly detects the presence of a drug, a false positive result is one where the test incorrectly detects the presence of a drug where no drug is present, a true negative result occurs when the test correctly confirms the absence of a drug, and a false negative result is one where the test fails to detect the presence of a drug when it is