Toxicology is a branch of science that helps us understand the harmful effects of chemicals, poisons, or situations faced by people, animals, and the environment. Toxicologists are scientists qualified and skilled to investigate, interpret, and communicate the nature of these adverse effects.
Forensic Toxicology and Clinical Toxicology
Forensic Toxicology
Forensic Toxicology is a multidisciplinary field involving the detection and interpretation of the presence of drugs and other potentially toxic compounds in the tissues and fluids of the human body.
Clinical Toxicology
Clinical toxicology is a field that involves various forms of toxic chemicals, and they are associated with various types of diseases. It typically combines with other sciences such as biochemistry, pharmacology, and pathology.
Difference Between Forensic Toxicology and Clinical Toxicology
Forensic toxicology is the application of toxicology for the law, whereas Clinical toxicology deals with the harmful effects of agents such as chemicals, drugs, etc.
| FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY | CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY |
|---|---|
| It concerns the medico-legal aspects of the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and animals. | It concerns diseases caused by or uniquely associated with toxic substances. |
| End-user is a physician or non-medical professional such as an employee in a company, lawyer, etc. | The end-user is a medical physician. |
| It uses the results to interpret a cause of death, employment eligibility. | It uses the findings to treat and care for an intoxicated or poisoned patient. |
| Tests involved in this are done to be used as evidence in legal proceedings. | Tests involved in this are not being generated for legal action. |
| Forensic testing has a properly documented chain of custody. | Clinical testing lacks a properly documented chain of custody. |
| The data generated in the analysis is used for the provision of legal scientific value. | The data generated from screening is a guaranteed way to catch false-positive results. |
| The role of a forensic toxicologist involves monitoring and recording the influence of toxic substances and identifying the foreign chemicals and their concentration in the body. | The role of a clinical toxicologist involves the regulation of patients with acute and chronic poisoning. |
Conclusion
Forensic toxicology help in establishing the cause of death in the postmortem examination whereas Clinical toxicology gives special training in poison management and emergency medicine.
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