The color reaction between paradimethylamidobenzaldehyde (Ehrlich’s aldehyde) and skatol’ gives us an easy method of detecting the presence and of estimating the quantity of this putrefactive product. The employment of the method in routine and experimental work upon the digestive tract has led to the accumulation of numerous observations that have an interest both for the physiologist and the ...

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) is considered the most notable medical scientist of his time and perhaps one of the most distinguished of all times in the history of medicine. From Dole in France to Paris, from a student of crystals to "living ferments," and from chemistry to biology and medicine, Pasteur changed the world for the benefit of humanity. The genius of Pasteur dealt with the most pressin...

INTRODUCTION The determination of ethyl glucuronide (EtG), a stable and sensitive marker that is specific to alcohol intake, finds many applications both in the forensic toxicology and clinical fields. AIM The aim of the study is to examine the possibility of using a cadaveric biological matrix, vitreous humor (VH), to determine EtG as a marker of recent ethanol use. METHODS The blood, take...

Background: Blood alcohol concentration is a major factor in forensic analysis in criminal and civil litigation. Along with ethanol, other volatile compounds such as n-propanol are produced as products of putrefaction. The aim of this study is the evaluation of ethanol and n-propanol in postmortem blood. Methods: A case-control study was done on 300 blood samples obtained from cadavers that...

Forensic pathologists have long recognised that the process of decomposition causes gas formation. Bacteria proliferate in the dead body, particularly in the blood vessels, breaking down blood and tissues and generating gas in a process of putrefaction. If decomposition was responsible for the intravascular gas then this gas should also be seen in non-diving fatalities. Resuscitation, using end...