The conclusion of cause of death in a case where the death is due to poisoning but viscera report give negative result, pose a confusion to law and public. The intricacy of failure to find poison in viscera of the individual whose death is due to poisoning is a routine problem in India and the reasons of it are delay in examination of the viscera, improper preservation of the viscera, use of wrong analytical technique, early disintegration of poisons, complete metabolism of poisons in the body, the amount of poison in the viscera being negligible, lack of suitable chemical test for certain poisons, tempering of preserved viscera, and the biggest issue is only common poisons are screened, residual analysis of poisons, which are limited to common poisons available in the area. The other major poisons/chemicals like insulin, KCl, Adrenaline can’t be detected. The salient points covering various aspects of viscera analysis in various Forensic Science Laboratories have been discussed with especial reference to the false positive or false negative results and interpretation of viscera report when it is negative in truly positive cases and vice-versa.
Keywords: Toxicology; Poisoning; Viscera; Autopsy; Collection; Preservation; Analysis; False negative Report.
Review Article
P. 29-36
