Hi guys,
This is such a weird question, but do any of you know anything about forensics or autopsies? Basically, I'm working on a story set 100 years ago and need to know whether poisons or drug abuse would of been detectable as causes of death in autopsies that far back.
Any help much appreciated!
It all depends where your story is set. In places like Chicago, coroner's physicians did open up the stomach to check intestines for poison. However, the office was overloaded and all the doctors had day jobs. They were notorious for making decisions without cutting or close examination. When they did remove organs for analysis in the lab, there were many complaints of cross contamination and carelessness.
Here's a story from 1915 in Chicago about a woman who was poisoned by her husband. The coroner's physician wasn't going to cut, but the office received an anonymous tip.