Suspicious Deaths Research Articles

A Method for Evaluating the Adequacy of Police and Coroner Investigations into Suspicious Unnatural Deaths

A Method for Evaluating the Adequacy of Police and Coroner Investigations into Suspicious Unnatural Deaths

The Impact of Turkey's Withdrawal From the Istanbul Convention on Suspicious Female Deaths and Femicides.

In recent years, suspicious deaths, often portrayed as "falls from a height," have been increasingly associated with femicides in Turkey. This phenomenon coincided with the official withdrawal process from the "Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence" (Istanbul Convention). Our study aims to reveal the impact of Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention on femicides and the yet officially unrecognized "suspicious female deaths." This research, conducted in a descriptive, cross-sectional epidemiological style, draws its population from records of suspicious female deaths and femicides that occurred in Turkey between January 1, 2020, and June 1, 2023. There has been a notable increase in the rate of suspicious female deaths. Additionally, a significant rise has been observed in the proportion of women who were employed, had children, and sought legal protection in these deaths. The study suggests a return to the Istanbul Convention.

Prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and steatohepatitis in Türkiye: A forensic autopsy study

Background and aimsMetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a growing global epidemic in Türkiye and worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of MASLD and steatohepatitis among adults who died of unnatural causes including sudden death and non-burn trauma. MethodWe conducted a prospective review of all consecutive adult forensic autopsies for natural (sudden unexpected) and non-natural (Suicidal, homicidal and accidental) suspicious deaths carried out at the Istanbul Council of Forensic Medicine from February to May 2022. Four wedge biopsies were extracted from sagittal sectioned liver specimens. A liver pathologist with 20 years of experience examined each case for steatosis, ballooning, inflammation, and fibrosis. ResultsAmong 1797 autopsies, 62 met inclusion criteria. Overall, 43.3 % (n = 26) of autopsies showed evidence of steatotic liver disease, with a distribution of steatosis severity as: Grade I (28.3 %), Grade II (6.6 %), and Grade III (8.3 %). All these cases met at least one cardiometabolic criteria and diagnosed with MASLD. Ballooning was observed in 20.0 % of cases (5 cases grades 1 and 7 cases grade 2), and Inflammation was present in 51.7 % (9 cases with grade 0–1, 12 with 1–2, 7 with 2–3, and 3 with 5–6). Notably, 46.1 % (n = 12) of MASLD cases and 20.0 % (n = 12) of all cases were diagnosed with steatohepatitis, with three cases exhibiting delicate perisinusoidal fibrosis and one case showing portal fibrosis. ConclusionThe histopathological findings from this autopsy study confirmed the markedly high prevalence of MASLD and steatohepatitis within the general adult population, highlighting the concerning burden of steatotic liver disease in Türkiye.

‘A rifle lying across her arm’: the suspicious death of 13-year-old ‘half-caste’ Cissy Brennan

This article explores the death of 13-year-old ‘half-caste’ Cissy Brennan in far north Queensland in 1910. The entangled accounts of police constables, the Government Medical Officer, family and community members, and news reports, reveal how these narratives are buried deep within the coronial structures and colonial discourses of the inquest file. The article argues that the witness testimonies in the magisterial inquiry, including the findings of the police constables, and Government Medical Officer, became the dominant narrative in writing about Aboriginal female bodies within coronial law, creating a flawed and fragmentary historical account.

Women falling from heights in Turkey-can the Latin American model protocol help them?

It is not always possible to determine the exact origin of death in cases of suspicious female deaths. Deaths resulting from falls present many challenges in forensic medicine. In order to overcome these difficulties, we screened the approaches to suspicious female deaths from international documents aimed at preventing violence against women worldwide, and we conclude that the Latin American Model Protocol (LAMP) is the most qualified one in addressing this issue. We have converted the LAMP into a checklist, compared it with the circumstances in the cases we present, and evaluated the potential benefits that LAMP could provide. The study examines three cases of women from Turkey who have died by falling from a height. In all cases, the women's partners were present with them at the time of incident. In all these three cases, partners were in a legally suspicious position and claimed that the incident was a suicide. The investigation and trial processes were different in all three cases, and various difficulties were encountered during the establishment of the truth. This study has demonstrated that, despite the actual occurrence of femicide, the use of the investigation steps proposed by LAMP and a comprehensive approach utilizing the scientific methods of forensic medicine, law, and other disciplines that can assist in analyzing the incident during the investigation process can help reveal the cases where defendants claim cases are suicide despite cases being a femicide.

Applicability of the Madymo Pedestrian Model for forensic fall analysis

Forensic reconstruction and scenario evaluation are crucial in investigations of suspicious deaths related to falls from a height. In such cases, distinguishing between accidental falls, being pushed or jumping is an important but difficult task, since objective methods to do so are currently lacking. This paper explores the possibility of repurposing a passive rigid body model of a human from commercially available crash simulation software for forensic reconstruction and scenario evaluation of humans dropping from heights. To use this approach, a prerequisite is that the human body model can produce realistic movements compared to those of a real human, given similar environmental conditions. Therefore, this study assessed the validity of the commercially available Simcenter Madymo Pedestrian Model (MPM) for simulating human fall movements. Experimental kinematic and kinetic data was collected from nine participants, who dropped from a height in three different ways: passively tilting over, getting pushed, and jumping. Next, the performance of the MPM in reproducing the kinematics of the experimental falls was assessed by comparing the orientation of the body 0.3 s after platform release. The results show that the MPM currently does not consistently reproduce the experimentally recorded falling movements across multiple falling conditions and outcome measures. The MPM must therefore be adapted if to be used for forensic reconstruction and scenario evaluation, for example by implementing active movement.

An epidemiological profile of medico-legal autopsies at a tertiary care center

Background: An essential and necessary component of any investigation into a sudden, suspicious death is the medico-legal autopsy. It's critical to understand the profile of medico-legal autopsy cases in order to ascertain the mortality rate from non-natural causes in a given area and addressing the demographic requirements in accordance with the region's unique mortality statistics. Material & Method: The present study was a retrospective study of autopsies performed at a tertiary care centre in southern Haryana, from January 2018 to December 2023. During this period a total of 886 medico legal autopsies were conducted. Relevant information and subjective data like age, gender, marital status & manner of death have been collected from medico legal autopsy register from January 2018 to December 2023. Results: It was observed that out of 886 cases male outnumbered females in ratio 2.06:1. Majority of the victims belonged to the age group 21-30 years. Majority of the deaths occurred due to poisoning (n=264, 29.79%), followed by road traffic accidents 26.74%. Conclusion: Majority of cases were in the 3rd decade of life, males outnumbered females. Poisoning and road traffic accidents were the leading cause of death. Public attention, awareness, preventive and remedial strategies should be undertaken to reduce similar incidents.

Cases of homicide in Senegal in medicolegal autopsies during the period from 2017 to 2021

Introduction: In case of death by homicide or suspicious death, unidentified deceased bodies, a judicial procedure is opened and a requisition for an autopsy is systematically requested from the medical examiner, whose purpose is to identify the causes and circumstances of death. The objective of this study is to determine the epidemiological and medico-legal aspects of violent deaths by homicides involving a medico-legal obstacle in Senegal. Methodology: Our study was carried out in public hospital structures in Senegal. This is a retrospective study based on data collected in judicial requisitions, autopsy reports and in registers from January 2017 to December 2021. It concerned all cases of death that have benefited from a forensic autopsy following a judicial requisition. Results: During the study period, violent deaths constituted the most represented forensic form with 53.4% of autopsies performed, ahead of natural deaths with 42.4%. The average age of the deceased subjects was 37 years with a male predominance in 242 cases (78%).The place of death or discovery of the corpse was in Rural Dakar .Violent deaths by homicides accounted for 12.5% of cases. Thus, in the cases of homicides, intentional assault and wounding by a knife were in the foreground with 71.2% followed by infanticide 15%. Conclusion: Homicide deaths are violent deaths that represent a public health problem due to unemployment, poverty and economic crises. Thus, the information collected from forensic sources provides information about the victims, the causes and circumstances of death. Improving the collection of data on the perpetrators of homicides requires detailed databases on homicides during investigations and after judicial sanctions , to have a more complete overview of homicide profiles and homicide prevention strategies at national level.

Death in detention in Dakar prisons: epidemiological and medicolegal aspects

Introduction: The death of a prisoner is a suspicious death requiring systematic medico-legal involvement to determine the circumstances and causes of death. The objective of this study is to determine the profile of people who died in detention in Dakar prisons, to analyze the epidemiological and medicolegal aspects and to propose some preventive measures. Methodology: This is a retrospective study analyzing the causes of death of prisoners in prisons in the Dakar region who were autopsied, from January 2014 to December 2018 in the pathological anatomy and cytology department of the Aristide Le Hospital. Dantec. The data was collected from autopsy reports upon requisition with the aim of determining the circumstances and causes of death of the detainees. Our data was collected using individual collection sheets and subsequently analyzed with Word and Excel software. Results: The average age of the deceased prisoners was 42.4 years. The most represented age group was between 30 and 39 years old with 02 cases/06 or 33.3% with a male predominance. The three penitentiary establishments among the eight (08) recorded cases of death in our study. The Rebeuss Prison recorded 4 cases of death, the Liberty VI Penal Camp and the Special Pavilion each recorded one (01) case of death. Regarding the circumstances of death of detainees, we have identified five (05) cases of natural deaths: three cases of cardiac arrest (myocardial infarction, and or acute pulmonary edema), one suffocation and one case of death of unknown etiology, and a violent death by firearm. Conclusion: Death in a prison environment must be considered suspicious, because people deprived of their liberty have the same right to respect for their life and their dignity as any other person. Our research shows that most deaths in custody are due to natural causes, untreated medical problems or violent deaths. To limit deaths in prison, authorities must take preventive measures to eradicate the causes.

Morphological changes of larvae and pupae of Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) reared at two temperatures and on three food types.

Determining the minimum postmortem interval (minPMI) from an entomological perspective relies mainly on development data recorded for various species of flies collected from a crime scene or suspicious death. This study focused on the larval and pupal development of Lucilia sericata (Meigen), with an emphasis on the changes of the external morphology of the puparium and its pupal content throughout the duration of metamorphosis. Colonies of L. sericata were reared on 3 types of swine tissue (skeletal muscle, liver tissue, and heart tissue) at 2 different temperature regimes; 24 ± 1 °C and 30 ± 1 °C. The overall developmental time, larval width and length, and inner and outer pupal morphology changes were observed and recorded. The results show that: (i) temperature significantly influenced overall development time, as well as changes in larval width and length, but this effect was not dependent on tissue type; (ii) larval development duration was longest on heart tissue, and shortest on skeletal muscle for both temperatures; and (iii) pupation was longest for larvae reared on skeletal muscle at 24 ± 1 °C, and on liver tissue at 30 ± 1 °C, while those larvae reared on liver tissue at 24 ± 1 °C and heart tissue at 30 ± 1 °C had the shortest pupation period. A seven-character checklist plus 4 landmark stages were developed comprising the external morphology of the puparium and pupal content changes of L. sericata. In conclusion, the study provides larval and pupal development timetables, as well as checklists and photo guides for pupal character development that may be useful for future postmortem determinations.

Exploring the Impact of Hand-Foot Syndrome on Fingerprint Persistence: A Comprehensive Review

The hand-foot syndrome, also known as Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia (PPE), is a dermatological condition associated with certain chemotherapeutic agents. From a forensic perspective, understanding the manifestations of PPE becomes crucial in cases involving drug-related exposures or poisoning. This abstract explores the dermatological aspects of handfoot syndrome, its potential forensic implications, and the importance of recognizing and documenting such findings in medico legal investigations. Additionally, the abstract discusses the relevance of PPE in establishing a link between a specific chemotherapeutic drug and its adverse effects, aiding forensic experts in determining the cause of morbidity or mortality in relevant cases. Hand-Foot Syndrome (HFS), a dermatological condition commonly associated with chemotherapy, presents a unique avenue for forensic investigation. This study endeavors to unravel the forensic implications of HFS, shedding light on its potential significance in post-mortem examinations. Characterized by erythematous and desquamative changes on the palms and soles, HFS has distinct clinical manifestations that may serve as valuable markers in forensic pathology. Our research employs a comprehensive approach, integrating dermatological analysis with forensic perspectives. Through an extensive review of case studies and medical records, we aim to establish a nuanced understanding of HFS patterns and their correlation with diverse forensic scenarios. By identifying and documenting these distinctive dermatological features, forensic professionals can potentially utilize HFS as an additional tool in their investigative arsenal. Furthermore, this study explores the temporal aspects of HFS progression, seeking to determine the reliability of its manifestation timeline in forensic reconstructions. By elucidating the chronological patterns of HFS development, forensic experts may enhance their ability to establish a timeline of events in cases involving suspicious or unexplained deaths. In conclusion, this research contributes to bridging the gap between dermatology and forensic science, offering insights into the forensic relevance of Hand-Foot Syndrome. The findings presented here aim to empower forensic practitioners with an additional layer of diagnostic precision, ultimately aiding in the pursuit of justice and accurate cause-of-death determinations.

A Series of 8 Illicit Fentanyl Intoxication Deaths in Infants and Toddlers.

We report 8 children younger than 2 years who died from acute illicit fentanyl intoxications in Connecticut between 2020 and 2022.The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (CT OCME) investigates all unexpected, violent, and suspicious deaths in Connecticut. The CT OCME's electronic database was searched for fentanyl deaths by age. All underwent autopsies and toxicology testing.The ages ranged from 28 days to 2 years (mean age, 12 months). The causes of death involved acute fentanyl intoxications with 1 having xylazine, 1 having para-fluorofentanyl, and 1 having cocaine and morphine. All the manners of death were certified as homicide. The postmortem fentanyl blood concentrations ranged from 0.40 to 46 ng/mL. Most of the children were found unresponsive after being put to sleep. Three were co-sleeping with adults (2 in bed; 1 on a recliner). There was a known history of parental/caregiver drug abuse in 7 of 8 of the fatalities.We summarize the key investigative, autopsy, and toxicological findings. As illicit fentanyl use increases, there is a potential for infant exposure and death. The investigation and certification of these deaths and the role of intentional administration versus inadvertent exposure due to caregiver neglect in the context of the certification of the manner of death are described.

Fisheries observers: An overlooked vulnerability for crime and corruption within the global fishing industry

Human fishery observers play an important role in monitoring fish stocks, providing scientific data upon which management organizations set applicable fishing limits and quotas to maintain sustainable populations. At-sea observers, however, sometimes sustain harassment from crews that object to being monitored, and at least one observer has disappeared or died under suspicious circumstances while underway every year since 2009. This exploratory paper examines inherent vulnerabilities within the monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) framework that nations and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMO) have adopted to support sustainable fish stocks. As rational actors, perpetrators of observer harassment, assault, and murder likely do so to manipulate observers’ monitoring role in the MCS framework to conceal illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and other criminal activities. Qualitative analysis of reporting on observer harassment and suspicious disappearances over the past 15 years indicates the following institutional, situational, jurisdictional, and physical conditions appear to contribute to observer safety issues—privatization of fishery observer programs, crime convergence on fishing vessels, conflicting maritime jurisdictional considerations, and harsh conditions endemic to the remote maritime environment. While recorded suspicious observer deaths are too few to draw general conclusions, most occurrences befell observers working for tuna RFMOs in the Pacific Ocean, and a disproportionate number of deaths were observers from Kiribati and Papua New Guinea. Alternative surveillance approaches such as Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) produce limited results without human observers. Future policies that could contribute to observer safety include applying lessons learned from international efforts to address maritime transnational organized crime and providing observers personal communications and safety equipment to directly connect with search and rescue entities if under duress.

Exploring the Impact of Hand- Foot Syndrome on Fingerprint Persistence: A Comprehensive Review

The hand-foot syndrome, also known as Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia (PPE), is a dermatological condition associated with certain chemotherapeutic agents. From a forensic perspective, understanding the manifestations of PPE becomes crucial in cases involving drug-related exposures or poisoning. This abstract explores the dermatological aspects of handfoot syndrome, its potential forensic implications, and the importance of recognizing and documenting such findings in medicolegal investigations. Additionally, the abstract discusses the relevance of PPE in establishing a link between a specific chemotherapeutic drug and its adverse effects, aiding forensic experts in determining the cause of morbidity or mortality in relevant cases. Hand-Foot Syndrome (HFS), a dermatological condition commonly associated with chemotherapy, presents a unique avenue for forensic investigation. This study endeavors to unravel the forensic implications of HFS, shedding light on its potential significance in post-mortem examinations. Characterized by erythematous and desquamative changes on the palms and soles, HFS has distinct clinical manifestations that may serve as valuable markers in forensic pathology. Our research employs a comprehensive approach, integrating dermatological analysis with forensic perspectives. Through an extensive review of case studies and medical records, we aim to establish a nuanced understanding of HFS patterns and their correlation with diverse forensic scenarios. By identifying and documenting these distinctive dermatological features, forensic professionals can potentially utilize HFS as an additional tool in their investigative arsenal. Furthermore, this study explores the temporal aspects of HFS progression, seeking to determine the reliability of its manifestation timeline in forensic reconstructions. By elucidating the chronological patterns of HFS development, forensic experts may enhance their ability to establish a timeline of events in cases involving suspicious or unexplained deaths. In conclusion, this research contributes to bridging the gap between dermatology and forensic science, offering insights into the forensic relevance of Hand-Foot Syndrome. The findings presented here aim to empower forensic practitioners with an additional layer of diagnostic precision, ultimately aiding in the pursuit of justice and accurate cause-of-death determinations

Challenges in Viscera Analysis: Addressing Errors in Forensic Reporting and Their Medico-Legal Implications

Death is defined as the permanent and irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain life. In cases of unnatural death, such as poisoning, an inquiry is conducted by the police or magistrate under Indian law, followed by a post-mortem examination. Poisoning, particularly in suicides, is a common cause of unnatural deaths encountered during autopsies. The cause of death in such cases is confirmed only after receiving a chemical analysis report from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). Viscera samples are sent for chemical analysis in suspicious death cases or when the cause of death is unclear after autopsy. Often, viscera reports return negative, making it difficult for forensic doctors to determine the exact cause of death, thereby delaying justice or, in some cases, weakening prosecution efforts. This article explores the reasons for errors in viscera reports and discusses their medico-legal implications.

Is Medicolegal Autopsy necessary in Diagnosed Natural Deaths?

Medicolegal autopsies are performed in unnatural, sudden and suspicious deaths to find out mostly the cause, manner and mode of death. With the annual autopsy load of 3718 in the year 2022 at our centre, 524 cases consisted of diagnosed natural deaths where the cause of death was known to the physician yet they were sent for medicolegal autopsy as initially it was registered as a medicolegal case. Estimation of magnitude of natural deaths coming for medicolegal autopsy with an aim to find out whether the autopsy findings provided any extra merit over the diagnosed clinical findings including the cause of death that is, the relevance of medicolegal autopsy in natural deaths. It is a retrospective, descriptive and cross-sectional study which took 524 cases of diagnosed natural deaths coming for medicolegal autopsy at our centre in the year 2022 amongst which unidentified cases, unnatural death cases, cases which were brought dead to the hospital, sudden deaths, deaths with suspicion of foul play, cases where no clear history of the disease were available to us and cases where medical records of the deceased could not be arranged were excluded. Out of all such diagnosed natural death cases, majority of the cases (255 cases) (48.6%) died due to sepsis and the least common cause being diseased condition of the heart which constituted (56 cases) (10.6%) amongst such diagnosed natural deaths. On medicolegal autopsy, there were no extra appreciable findings which could justify the physician's decision of sending the deceased for medicolegal autopsy.

Medicolegal study of Egyptian unnatural female deaths in the childbearing period during 2019–2020

Violence against women is a global public health problem, especially in the childbearing period. However, it is considered as the least documented human rights violation worldwide which at its worst can result in femicide. This medico-legal study aims to explore the pattern of unnatural deaths among women in childbearing age group in the Egyptian community in recent years for early detection of women who are at risk and for establishment preventive measures. One hundred and one fifty of suspicious deaths of women in the reproductive age from 13 to 49 years were autopsied in Zeinhom Morgue (the Egyptian Forensic Medicine Authority) during 2019–2020. Demographic data, circumstances of death, causes and manner of death were defined and statistically analyzed. Unnatural death occurred during the 2nd −3rdh decades, 83.4 % were from urban residence, 40.4 % were single while 39.1 % of cases were married. In the majority of deaths, bodies were found at home. Regarding the manner of death, there were 38.4 % suicidal deaths and 38.4 % were homicidal death, while 19.2 % were accidental deaths. Sharp traumatic injuries were the most common pattern in homicidal cases mainly after domestic arguments by a spouse or relative while the most common suicidal and accidental pattern was jumping from height. The present study proved that violence against women resulting in unnatural deaths is very prevalent in Egypt with a rising rate in recent years. These findings could be useful for early identification of vulnerable women and for preventing woman deaths in the future.

Evaluation of medicolegal death cases sent from abroad to the province of Denizli

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to contribute to the literature by discussing the difficulties encountered in the approach to suspicious death cases reported abroad and sent to our country.
 Materials and methods: The findings were obtained by retrospectively reviewing all medico-legal death cases sent from abroad to Denizli province between January 2012 and December 2022, in which death examination and autopsy were performed.
 Results: Of the 12 cases included in the study, 3 were female and 9 were male, the youngest case was 2 years old and the oldest case was 66 (median 49) years old. Germany was the country to which the most suspicious death cases were sent with nine cases (75%), while one case each was sent from Turkmenistan, the Netherlands and Austria. When the cases were evaluated in terms of origin, it was observed that 5 (41%) cases were of natural origin followed by 4 (33%) cases of suicide origin.
 Conclusion: : In order to minimize the problems encountered in the re-evaluation of medico-legal death cases from abroad, we think that it would be appropriate for all countries to perform medico-legal autopsy in accordance with international standards for suspicious death cases sent abroad, and to share the report containing the autopsy findings and all documents that may help to clarify the cause of death of the person with the forensic medicine experts in the country of destination.

The effects of insect repellent on initial Dipteran colonization of decomposing pig remains.

Numerous factors influence insect colonization and development on decomposing remains and can influence postmortem interval (PMI) estimations when insects are used in investigations of suspicious deaths. This study aimed to determine whether insect repellent influences insect colonization of decomposing remains. Pig feet were divided into 4 groups: a control not sprayed with repellent, 40% DEET repellent, 98% DEET repellent, and lemon eucalyptus repellent. The feet were placed in containers, and insect visitation was observed over the course of 3 days, then insects were collected at the end of the third day. This was repeated twice a month from April through November 2022. The analysis focused on the order Diptera. Pairwise comparison determined that there was a significant delay in visitation time for remains with 98% DEET compared to remains with no repellent and 40% DEET. There were significantly fewer adult Diptera collected and more remains with no larvae or eggs present among remains treated with 98% DEET. It was concluded that low concentrations of DEET and lemon eucalyptus repellent did not delay colonization, but that high concentrations of DEET delayed visitation, reduced the number of adult flies collected from the remains, and reduced the likelihood of collecting eggs or larvae from the remains. This contributes to the understanding of factors that can influence insect colonization and development that allow for more accurate PMI estimations by suggesting that insect repellent does not need to be accounted for in PMI estimation, but a high concentration of DEET can deter insects in the short term.

Roman Declamation, Roman Law, and Ancient Legal Medicine: the Case of veneficium

Abstract This paper discusses the Roman legal treatment of poisoning, grounded on the lex Cornelia de sicariis et veneficis (81 BCE), through the lens of school forensic declamations (controversiae). Sections 1-4 set the context and address key methodological issues. Section 5, the core of the research, examines Pseudo-Quintilian’s Declamatio minor 350 Aqua frigida privigno data (Cold water given to stepson) – a fictitious legal case concerning a suspicious death caused by drinking cold water. It is argued that the medico-legal assumptions underlying this distinctly unique case are likely to have brought new content to the legal conceptualisation of the reckless administration of venena, and hence, to the juristic interpretation of the degree of criminal intent required in similar cases of suspected homicide. The overall objective is to provide new insights of multidisciplinary relevance into the intersections of Roman Imperial forensic rhetoric, Roman law, and Graeco-Roman medicine, by looking closer at the method of argument through which trials involving a charge of poisoning may have been conducted in actual court practice.