Citation

Prat S, Hoizey G, Lefrancq T, Saint-Martin P. J. Forensic Sci. 2015; 60(3): 816-817.

Affiliation

Forensic Psychiatry Department, St Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; E.A. 2114 Psychologie des âges de la vie, Université François Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.12706

PMID

25702781

Abstract

Strychnine-related death has been described since the 19th century. This alkaloid was discovered in 1818. Historically, strychnine was used by the South-East Asian autochthones on their arrows. However, its production was modified by legislation, which was used to protect people against accidental intoxications. Here, we present the case of a 69-year-old man who was found dead at home. During the autopsy, we found a blue substance in the stomach. Toxicological analysis measured strychnine at 0.29 μg/mL in the blood sample, which is a relatively low level in comparison with the results given in the literature. However, histologic examination and toxicological findings permitted the conclusion of strychnine poisoning.

Language: en