Forensic Toxicology: The Dangers of Chasing the Single Molecule

Abstract

On depictions dating from the Middle Ages, physicians are often shown holding a glass with a yellowish liquid: urine, the most accessible biological sample. Dipping their finger into the fluid and then licking it allowed them to taste sugar (if it was present) and therefore to diagnose diabetes. Mothers of babies with cystic fibrosis tasted the saltiness of their offspring on kissing them and knew that something was terribly wrong. The sweet smell of ketones would announce the imminent demise of patients in diabetic coma.