Archiv für Kriminologie
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Archiv für Kriminologie · Jan 2009
Case Reports[First report of lethal gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) intoxication after consumption of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) in Lower Saxony].
A 25-year-old drug addict died from an overdose of GBL after mistaking it for water in preparing a dilution. He realized his error and wrote a call for help in the chat room of a drug forum, so that we know the time, type and approximate amount of drug consumed. The deceased had written numerous contributions in this drug forum before, which provide further information on his drug habits and the duration of the abuse of GHB, GBL and other drugs. According to the Criminal Investigation Department of Lower Saxony, this is the first death due to GHB/GBL reported in Lower Saxony.
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Archiv für Kriminologie · Jan 2009
[External and internal post mortem examination according to the german code of criminal procedure (StPO)--review of section 87 StPO with special emphasis on the forensic autopsy].
Section 87 subs. 2 of the German Code of Criminal Procedure stipulates that a forensic or court-ordered autopsy shall be performed by two physicians. One of them must be a "forensic medical officer" (in German "Gerichtsarzt") or the head of a public forensic or pathology institute or a physician of such an institute entrusted with this task and having specialist knowledge of forensic medicine. Recently, it has been suggested to amend Section 87 subs. 2 StPO to the effect that self-employed specialists in forensic medicine can also be entrusted with court-ordered autopsies. The authors object to such privatization of forensic autopsies for legal and factual reasons and recommend to keep the present regulation according to which one of the physicians conducting the autopsy is not only required to have the necessary professional qualification, but must also hold a public position as defined in the law.