International Journal of Medical Toxicology & Legal Medicine

The present study was conducted from 1^st January 2002 to 14^th July 2006 in the department of Pharmacology and forensic Medicine of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sewagram; Wardha. During this period, a total of 1223 cases of poisoning were analyzed in the departmental Toxicology Laboratory, out of which 1188 cases were admitted in the Kasturba Hospital of MGIMS, Sewagram and 35 cases were directly brought dead to the hospital. Toxicology laboratory by identifying the poison responsible for poisoning and suggesting suitable antidote has contributed in active and effective management of poisoning cases. It has also helped in finding the accuracy of history, and forwarding it to the treating physician.

Among the admitted cases, 93.77% were cured and discharged, whereas 6.23% cases died during the treatment. State of consciousness at the time of hospitalization has strong association with survival. In the present study, 4.49% unconscious cases survived. In these cases, poison was analyzed in the departmental Toxicological Laboratory and accordingly proper treatment could be advocated immediately in time. In the present study, out of 109 postmortem samples preserved for reporting for medico-legal purposes, the report of analysis received from Forensic Science Laboratory was for only 29 (26%) cases. At the same time from the departmental Clinical Toxicological Laboratory (D.T.L) the reports were available for all the (100%) cases by the time of making this assessment.

In the present study it is found that F.S.L reported only 26.6% of analysis reports during a gap of more than 4 years, may be due to the overburdening of work and the other probable reason could be that the Toxicology Laboratories engaged in poison analytical work are very few in our country.

The investigating authority plays a paramount role in fixing the charges against the accused and submitting the case for further disposal to the judiciary which can save the time of judiciary which is again known for taking long time for giving final verdict in such cases.