Chloroquine as a poison in murder. Report of fatalities after criminal or suicidal chloroquine administration

Presented is a case of murder by means of chloroquine, committed on a 36-year-old male. The wife of the deceased had confessed to have secretely administered chloroquine-containing tablets to her husband. She was lawfully sentenced to life-imprisonment. The toxicological findings of this case are compared to the results of two chloroquine suicide cases and discussed in the context of the referring literature. An additional case where chloroquine intoxication was doubtful is introduced because of the unusual circumstances under which it occurred.     

Postmortem tissue embolisms. Report of 3 cases

In three cases of autopsy (cause of death - intoxication and drowning) we found in the lung intraalveolar und intravasal lymphatic tissue and bone-marrow. The results cannot be explained with violence during lifetime, but in tow cases as an effect of fracture of rips caused by external cardiacmassage, in one case by embalming with injection of conservation fluids.     

The role of hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide in fire casualties: a prospective study

Determinations of blood cyanide and carboxyhemoglobin concentrations were performed in 18 victims found dead in buildings after fires during a 2-year period. The results indicated that 50% of the victims had been exposed to toxic levels of hydrogen cyanide and 90% to toxic levels of carbon monoxide. Lethal concentrations of carbon monoxide were found in 83% of the victims. In one case a lethal blood cyanide but a non-toxic blood carboxyhemoglobin value was found. It is concluded that carbon monoxide appears to be more important than hydrogen cyanide as a toxic agent in the fire atmosphere, but cyanide poisoning without carbon monoxide poisoning may, under certain circumstances, be the cause of death in fire victims.     

Performance-based partnership Agreements for the reconstruction of the health system in Afghanistan

The reconstruction of the health system in Afghanistan is in its early stages, and donors have proposed Performance-based Partnership Agreements (PPAs) through which to subcontract the delivery of health services to private organisations, both for-profit and not-for-profit. Beyond ideological debates, this article sets out to explain the model underlying the PPA initiative and sheds light on empirical data concerning the assumed benefits of such an approach. The article studies privatisation and the contracting-out of health services, though there is as yet no information that can demonstrate the superiority of private over public service provision. Similarly, the merits of subcontracting have not been fully proven and such arrangements raise several ethical issues. Where PPAs are to be attempted, it is important to remain cautious and to ensure that operations are organised in such a way as to permit proper comparison. The paper concludes with recommendations to organisations involved in or considering the advantages of PPAs.     

Child abuse with fatal sequelae in an Essen autopsy sample]

In the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Essen/Germany 24 cases of lethal child battering or neglect have been observed over 17 years from 1973 to 1989. The medicolegal and morphologic findings in these cases are presented and compared to the literature. The patterns of abuse/neglect in Essen compare to those frequently reported in the literature: skull/brain traumas caused by blunt impact, multiple hematomas, bone fractures, and symptoms of malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, and general neglect. In many cases the abuse could be shown to have been chronic. In the seven years 1983-1989 the cases of lethal child mistreatment and neglect amounted to 0.18 percent of all autopsies. Five cases of lethal sexual assault in children during the same period are compared to the mistreated cases.     

The detection of aromatic substances in biological material]

The author presents experimental data and suggests a method for extraction of aromatic substances from the blood, urine, lavage water, stomach and its contents, liver and kidneys. The extract is dissolved in 96% ethanol and the aromatic substances are detected in reactions with hydrochloric acid, Marki's reagent, 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, diazotized o-dianisidine, phthivazide, chromotropic acid by UV spectrophotometry, thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography. The sensitivity of the method is 0.1-0.5 mg %.