Document Detail


Payment deferred: strychnine poisoning in Nicaragua 65 years ago.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  10696930     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: In 1933 in Leon, Nicaragua, a 22-year-old woman died after an acute convulsive illness in which she experienced trismus, opisthotonos, and hyperpyrexia. Three years later her husband, Oliverio Castaneda, was convicted of her murder and that of 2 other people in the same city. METHODS: We went to Nicaragua to investigate documents involved with that case and evaluate whether the verdict of murder by strychnine was substantiated by the data. We present the results of the investigation and provide information about the practice of medicine, pharmacy, and toxicology early in this century. RESULTS: The clinical picture in all 3 cases suggests strychnine poisoning. The clinical, toxicological, and circumstantial evidence is strong and implicates Castaneda as a murderer and strychnine as the weapon. CONCLUSION: We conclude that Oliverio Castaneda was the probable perpetrator of three 1933 strychnine murders in Leon and that he may have previously used strychnine to kill others in Nicaragua and neighboring countries.
Authors:
M B Ferguson; M A Vance
Publication Detail:
Type:  Historical Article; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of toxicology. Clinical toxicology     Volume:  38     ISSN:  0731-3810     ISO Abbreviation:  J. Toxicol. Clin. Toxicol.     Publication Date:  2000  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2000-03-21     Completed Date:  2000-03-21     Revised Date:  2006-11-15    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8213460     Medline TA:  J Toxicol Clin Toxicol     Country:  UNITED STATES    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  71-7     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM; Q    
Affiliation:
Butler University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208, USA.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Female
Forensic Medicine / history*
History, 20th Century
Homicide / history*
Humans
Nicaragua
Strychnine / history*,  poisoning*
Toxicology / history*
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
57-24-9/Strychnine

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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