Operational Guidelines in Medical Toxicology 1st/2016

Formulation of standard procedures and specific guidelines for medicolegal autopsy is the need of the hour. The task is undertaken to lay down standard guidelines for use during autopsy in the field of forensic toxicology to ensure and enhance the consistency of medicolegal postmortem reports, etc. This will develop good autopsy practice amongst medicolegal practitioners and offer impartial evidence in judicial system. These standards are being laid to establish and explain the findings at autopsy in cases where drugs or other chemicals are implicated,ranging from fatal vehicular accidents, suicides, accidental consumption and homicides where deliberate or accidental poisoning is suspected. The standard operative procedures for autopsy practice in poisoning cases discussed in the book are the cumulative result of authors' work experience, standard textbooks of forensic medicine and toxicology, forensic toxicology, articles in various journals of international and national repute, and observations made during autopsy examination in day-to-day practice in poisoning cases. This work is based on workshops held at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, in 2012-13 and meant for use in bringing uniformity in postmortem work in medicolegal poisoning cases.