CRC Press Forensic Toxicology: Mechanisms and Pathology

Designed for upper-level undergraduate and graduate-level courses, Forensic Toxicology: Mechanisms and Pathology introduces toxicology concepts from a forensic perspective. The book provides an understanding of the mechanistic basis of the action of drugs and toxins, addressing their physiologic and pathologic consequences on the affected organ system. It is this essential connection of toxicology to physiology and biological systems that provides the basis for the toxicologist to understand the basis of behavioral effects of drugs, and for the forensic pathologist to determine cause of death when drugs may be involved. The book gives an overview of organ system physiology and pathology, and the ways in which toxins and drugs affect those systems. Case histories, photographs of gross pathology, and photomicrographs further illustrate the processes and effects of toxic substances on the body. The book also focuses on technological advances in the field and includes cases that demonstrate real-world consequences of the effects of toxins upon organ systems, such as impairment in a DUI case or the fatal induction of cardiac arrhythmia. A comprehensive introduction to pathology and toxicologic concepts, Forensic Toxicology: Mechanisms and Pathology describes the means for identifying types of toxins as well as the key patterns and impacts of drug and toxin processes within the body. About the Author Dr. Robert H. Powers has directed forensic toxicology laboratories throughout the United States and is an associate professor at the University of New Haven, Connecticut, where he has taught forensic toxicology at the graduate level for more than 10 years. He completed his PhD in biochemistry at Michigan State University, working on the mechanism of dioxin, PCBs, and similarly acting toxins. He is board certified as a Fellow of the American Board of Forensic Toxicologists and is a consultant for civil and criminal cases, with a particular focus on questions of drug involvement in death cases and alcohol impairment. His current research focuses on the effect of ethanol on phase I and phase II metabolism of selected drugs and drug classes, decompositional drug metabolism and postmortem changes, and glycoprotein-based species differentiation. Dr. Dorothy E. Dean is a deputy medical examiner in Akron, Ohio. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio. She acquired additional training in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of Cincinnati and completed a fellowship in forensic pathology at the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is board certified in anatomic, clinical, and forensic pathology. Dr. Dean is a member of several professional organizations including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the National Association of Medical Examiners. She is also a member of the federal Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) and its Ohio counterpart (OMORT). Her special interests include teaching medical students and medical residents, identification of unidentified remains, and evaluating drug- and poison-related deaths.