A short note on the identification of mitragynine

The leaves of Mitragyna speciosa are used as a substitute for opium. Criminal penalties for possession of mitragynine in this country are assigned for possession of defined quantities of mitragynine and its identification as Mitragyna speciosa by thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography.     

A special case of bolus fatality

The case of a 58-year-old man is reported, who had been hospitalized for almost 30 years for paranoid-hallucinatory schizophrenia. He was found unconscious in the clinic with a scarcely perceptible pulse and irregular breathing. Attempts at resuscitation were not successful. Looking at the corpse, no findings of particular value were noted. At the court-ordered autopsy, a mouse was found in the oral cavity; the head of the mouse was stuck in the laryngeal inlet. The cause of death was ascribed to asphyxia by alimentary bolus; the cause of death was apparently the effect of choking combined with a reflex action. In the large colon (megacolon) many metal objects were found. On the basis of the evidence, it was assumed that the mouse was already dead when the patient choked on it. A disturbance in the ability to swallow as a result of alcohol or medication was ruled out, as were neurological diseases.     

Intrapleural golf ball size loose body. An incidental finding at autopsy

An intrapleural free floating golf ball size body was an incidental finding at autopsy. The pathogenesis and clinical significance of this lesion are discussed.     

Prisons in transition

The role of the prison has changed, in some ways dramatically, over the last two decades. The prison population has grown and its composition has altered. There has been an increase in the depth and weight of imprisonment, and a hardening of its emotional tone. Prisoners' voices have been silenced, outcomes have deteriorated, and yet public presentation of the prison has improved. Power has shifted upwards, as senior managers have an unprecedented grip on establishments and their 'performance'. There are new fantasies about, and constructions of, the prison's role, with little evidence to support such public and political dreams. Such sleights of hand are only possible without knowledge of the prison's interior life. Punitive prisons which treat prisoners, and possibly prison staff, unfairly and with little or no respect add to human suffering and do not address either the problem of crime or the problem of public fear.