• Guido Reijnen, Corine Bethlehem, Jacquo M B L van Remmen, Smit Hans J M HJM Rijnstate Hospital, Department of Pulmonology, Arnhem, The Netherlands., Matthijs van Luin, and Udo J L Reijnders.
• Rijnstate Hospital, Department of Pulmonology, Arnhem, The Netherlands; Public Health Service, Department of Forensic Medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Public Health Service, Department of Forensic Medicine, Arnhem, The Netherlands. Electronic address: guido_reijnen@hotmail.com.
• J Forensic Leg Med. 2017 Nov 1; 52: 56-61.

BackgroundThe yew (Taxus baccata) is a common evergreen tree containing the toxin taxine B. Between 42 and 91 g of yew leaf is lethal to a 70-kg adult. The objective of this article is to present an overview of findings in fatal yew intoxications.MethodsA search using MeSH terms was performed in PubMed for yew intoxications in the period between January 1960 and August of 2016.ResultsWe describe a total of 22 cases. Fatal intoxications can be divided into intoxications by leaves, by pulp, by bark and by yew tea. Recognizing yew tea intoxication is difficult since tea no longer contains any botanically recognisable parts. In autopsy and external examination no characteristic findings are reported, regarding the presence of parts of plants.ConclusionsIndications for yew tree intoxications at a post-mortem examination and autopsy are limited to finding parts of yew tree. The absence of recognisable parts can result in yew intoxications being overlooked. Therefore toxicological screening is recommended in unexplained deaths.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

26 keywords...

hide…