Publius Syrus stated back in 42 B.C., "You cannot put the same shoe on every foot." (Maxim 596) Though written long before the advent of forensic science, Syrus' maxim summarizes the theme of Forensic Medicine of the Lower Extremity: Human Identification and Trauma Analysis of the Thigh, Leg, and Foot. Put simply, the lower extremity is a tremendously variable anatomic region. This variation is beneficial to forensic experts. Differences in the leg and foot can be used to establish individual identity. Analysis of damage to the lower limb can be used to reconstruct antemortem, perimortem, and postmortem trauma. As a forensic anthropologist, I analyze cases involving decomposed, burned, m- mified, mutilated, and skeletal remains. Many of the corpses I examine are incomplete. Occasionally, I receive nothing but the legs and feet; a lower torso dragged from a river; a foot recovered in a city park; dismembered drug dealers in plastic bags; victims of bombings and airline disasters; and the dead commingled in common graves. Though the leg and foot contain much that is useful in forensic analysis, before this publication, investigators faced a twofold problem. Little research that focused on the lower extremity was available in the literature, and the existing research was published in diverse sources, making its location and synthesis a daunting task.

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.

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.