H Forensic Science Period:3 Thomas Zemen, Melisa Blazevic Mathieu Orfila H Forensic Science Period:3 Thomas Zemen, Melisa Blazevic

Who was he? Mathieu Orfila lived from April 24 1787–March 12 1853. He was a Spanish born French Toxicologist. He studied chemistry at a young age, he turned down scholarships to study in Paris where he became the apprentice of pharmacist and chemist Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin. He helped uncover the truths behind the murders of Nicolas Mercier in 1838 and Charles Lafarge in 1840.  Considered as the Modern father of Toxicology.

Theories and Work Orfila argued that arsenic in the soil around graves could be drawn into the body and be mistaken for poisoning. He conducted many studies and insisted that the testing of soil be part of the procedure in all exhumation cases. Charles Lafarge was a man who had been allegedly been poisoned by his own wife, Marie Lafarge. Marie Lafarge was accused of using arsenic. No arsenic had been found in the body of Charles Lafarge by other chemists, but after Orfila had tested the body he found arsenic and concluded that the Marsh test had been done incorrectly.

Contribution to Forensic Science Because there was no reliable ways of testing for the presence of arsenic ,Orfila created new techniques and refined existing techniques of arsenic detection in bodies.  He helped to develop tests for the presence of blood in a forensic context and is credited as one of the first people to use a microscope to assess blood stains. As a pioneer in Toxicology , his studies has helped propel Medical, and Forensic sciences in many ways.

Bibliography 1.) Gale Cengage. (2006). enotes. Retrieved from http://www.enotes.com/orfila-mathieu-joseph-bonaventure-reference/orfila-mathieu-joseph-bonaventure 2.)Visible proofs: Forensic views of the body. (2006, June 19). Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/galleries/biographies/orfila.html 3.) Ramsland, K. (2012). trutv. Retrieved from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/toxicology/3.html