The Perils of Pursuing the Single Molecule in Forensic Toxicology

Abstract

Throughout the Middle Ages, doctors are frequently depicted holding a glass filled with urine, the most readily available biological sample. They were able to detect diabetes by dipping their finger into the liquid and then licking it to taste sugar, if any was present. When mothers kissed their children with cystic fibrosis, they tasted their saltiness and realized that something was seriously wrong. Patients in diabetic coma would be alerted to their impending death by the delicious scent of ketones.