Download Laboratory Analysis

sent by ME
• Orders tests to determine cause or
manner of death
• DNA testing
• Fingerprints & palm prints
Toxicology
• Detection of drugs, alcohol, poisons
• Gas chrom. to test concentration of alcohol in
blood – tested first
• Urine – barbiturates or other depressants –
immunoassay
• Immunoassay = presumptive screening tool
for specific chemical – done 1st
• Then, confirmatory test – GC-MS – get
quantitative results
• 3rd – GC – for tranquilizers, narcotics,
antidepressants, etc.
• Then, immunoassay on urine for narcotics
(= opium & opium-derived drugs), cocaine,
methadone
Histology
• = study of tissues
• thinly sliced and stained
• Stains • - eosin & hematoxylin - detect cancers
• - crystal violet - detects bacterial infections
(purple)
Neuropathology
• = study of disease and trauma associated with
the nervous system (most often, brain)
• more than half of deaths for ME - neuro
• neuropathologist often determines cause of
death
• studies diseased tissues and tumors
Serology
• = study of blood, semen, & other body fluids
in reference to legal matters
• sees if victim died from blood-borne
pathogen infection
• may help ID victim or perpetrator
•
ex. blood type (class characteristic)
•
ex. DNA profile (individual characteristic)