[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Forensic medicine](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/) › Toxicology, evidence and identification # Toxicology, evidence and identification Toxicology samples, alcohol, chain of custody and identification by teeth, fingerprints and DNA. 24 pages ## Topic - [**Alcohol in forensic medicine: blood levels and their limits** Blood alcohol measures ethanol in blood; it helps judge intoxication but must be read with the…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/alcohol-in-forensic-medicine-blood-levels-and-their-limits/) - [**Deaths from illicit drugs** In drug deaths, the scene and toxicology usually weigh more than the body's findings, and…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/deaths-from-illicit-drugs/) - [**Deaths from medicines** A medicine can kill through intentional overdose, error, interaction or accident; proving it…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/deaths-from-medicines/) - [**Drug-facilitated sexual assault and robbery** When someone may have been drugged in order to be assaulted or robbed, urine and blood samples…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/drug-facilitated-sexual-assault-and-robbery/) - [**Identifying the dead: primary and secondary methods** A body's identity is confirmed by fingerprints, teeth or DNA; everything else (clothing…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/identifying-the-dead-primary-and-secondary-methods/) - [**Interpreting postmortem drug levels** After death, drugs move from organs into the blood, so the level measured may not be the level…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/interpreting-postmortem-drug-levels/) ## Method - [**Are the remains human, and how old are they?** Before profiling bones, the expert decides whether they are human, whether they are of forensic…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/are-the-remains-human-and-how-old-are-they/) - [**Craniofacial identification: superimposition, reconstruction, sinuses** The skull can be compared with a photograph or an old X-ray of the presumed person, or used to…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/craniofacial-identification-superimposition-reconstruction-sinuses/) - [**Dental identification (forensic odontology)** Teeth withstand fire and decay; comparing their dental work and features with dental records…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/dental-identification/) - [**DNA identification: basics** The DNA profile of a body is compared with that of personal items or of relatives to confirm who…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/dna-identification-basics/) - [**Fingerprints (lofoscopia)** The ridges on the fingers are unique, do not change during life and can be classified; that is…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/fingerprints/) - [**Medical identifiers: implants, scars, tattoos and radiographs** Implants with serial numbers, old surgery, fractures and tattoos, compared with medical records…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/medical-identifiers-implants-scars-tattoos-and-radiographs/) - [**The skeleton: sex, age, stature and ancestry** Bones allow estimates of sex, age, stature and ancestry; that profile guides the search but does…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/the-skeleton-sex-age-stature-and-ancestry/) ## Finding - [**Bite marks and their limits** A bite mark shows that someone bit, and its saliva may give DNA, but matching the mark to a…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/bite-marks-and-their-limits/) - [**Body packers and drug concealment** A person carrying packets of drugs inside the body can die if one bursts or if the packets block…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/body-packers-and-drug-concealment/) - [**Carbon monoxide deaths** Carbon monoxide binds haemoglobin far more than oxygen does; after death it leaves cherry-red…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/carbon-monoxide-deaths/) - [**Corrosives, metals, cyanide and toxic alcohols** Corrosives, metals, cyanide and toxic alcohols leave different traces; some are found only if…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/corrosives-metals-cyanide-and-toxic-alcohols/) - [**Pesticide and agricultural chemical deaths** In Colombia pesticides cause most of the poisoning deaths reported, mainly suicides; paraquat is…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/pesticide-and-agricultural-chemical-deaths/) - [**Solvent and inhalant deaths** Inhaling solvents, gases or aerosols can cause sudden death with hardly any findings; the scene…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/solvent-and-inhalant-deaths/) ## Procedure - [**Chain of custody (cadena de custodia) in the hospital or rural post** Chain of custody is the record that proves a piece of evidence is the same one that was…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/chain-of-custody-in-the-hospital-or-rural-post/) - [**Disaster victim identification** In a disaster with many victims, identification follows ordered phases: scene, postmortem exam…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/disaster-victim-identification/) - [**Forensic toxicology: which samples and how** To learn whether a substance caused or contributed to a death or a crime, the right samples are…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/forensic-toxicology-which-samples-and-how/) - [**The autopsy in a suspected poisoning** When a poison is suspected, the autopsy joins the scene, the history, the body's findings and…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/the-autopsy-in-a-suspected-poisoning/) ## Law - [**Law 906 of 2004: evidence and chain of custody (arts. 254–266 and 275–277)** The Code of Criminal Procedure sets how physical evidence is kept in custody and when an item of…](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/law-906-of-2004-evidence-and-chain-of-custody/) ## A to Z - [A](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/a/) - [B](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/b/) - [C](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/c/) - [D](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/d/) - [E](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/e/) - [F](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/f/) - [G](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/g/) - [H](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/h/) - [I](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/i/) - [L](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/l/) - [M](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/m/) - [N](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/n/) - [P](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/p/) - [R](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/r/) - [S](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/s/) - [T](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/t/) - [V](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/a-z/v/) [← Forensic and legal medicine](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/) Educational content on forensic and legal medicine; not legal advice and no substitute for the technical guides of Colombia's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Laws change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, follow the guide in force and ask the competent authority. Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/areas/evidence/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/areas/evidence/