letter of advice

Chapter 9:
Gathering expert evidence through letter of advice and seeking preliminary opinion from clues teams – practicals.
What are the common irregularities found in forwarding material objects
· Loose packing without seal
· Insecure packing
· Packing of several bottles together with a possibility of breaking and spilling and thus making the content useless for analysis
· Powders could get mixed up in transit
· Packets without label and without mentioning the contents
· Liquids for examination should not be sent in a container originally holding poison
· All materials forwarded in lab should be accompanied by a letter of advice and should contain relevant details

What information should you include in letter of advice accompanying a poison case?
· in addition to a duly filled copy of letter of advice other essential details which decide scheme and sequence of analysis are as follows:
· Symptoms observed
i. Vomiting
ii. Purging
iii. Deep sleep
iv. Tingling of skin and throat
v. Convulsions and twitching of muscles
vi. Delirium and clutching at imaginary object
vii. Any other symptoms noticed.
· Time interval between last consumption of food or drink and the first appearance of symptoms of poisoning
· Time interval between last consumption of food and drink and the death if it has occurred.
· Other person/ persons who took the same food/drink in food poisoning whether they also suffered from the same or other symptoms or other symptoms of poisoning.
· Any other information which may act as a guideline