SAFETYLIT WEEKLY UPDATE

We compile citations and summaries of about 400 new articles every week.
RSS Feed

HELP: Tutorials | FAQ
CONTACT US: Contact info

Search Results

Journal Article

Citation

Wehner F, Gawatz O. Arch. Kriminol. 2003; 211(1-2): 19-26.

Vernacular Title

Suizidale Eibenintoxikationen--von Casar bis heute--oder: Suizidanleitung im

Affiliation

Institut für Gerichtliche Medizin, Universität Tübingen.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Verlag Schmidt-Romhild)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12635487

Abstract

Already the Celts and ancient Germanic peoples knew about the poisonousness of the yew, which played an important part in the mythology of these civilizations. For hunting, the arrows were made poisonous with yew juice, and yew leaves were used for homicide and suicide. In modern times taxine is rarely used with suicidal intent, although this method is actually recommended on the respective Websites. After a 14-year-old boy had intensively studied poisonous plants and methods of suicide on various Websites, he cut leaves from a yew tree (taxus baccata) in his parents' garden, crushed and ingested them and died soon afterwards. At the forensic autopsy pieces of the partially crushed, partially completely preserved yew leaves were found in the stomach. The histological findings were unspecific, e.g. marked general blood congestion of the internal organs and pronounced cerebral and pulmonary edema. When the tree leaves found in the stomach were viewed under the light microscope, a stoma typical of taxus was observed; chemical-toxicological investigations revealed 3,5-dimethoxyphenol in the gastric content, which is considered a marker for the ingestion of taxus.


Language: de

NEW SEARCH


All SafetyLit records are available for automatic download to Zotero & Mendeley
Print