AlfredSwaineTaylor (1806-1880), PioneerToxicologist-and a SlightCase of Murder

forensic medicine. His textbooks on medical jurisprudence went through many editions and became standards for generations of students, pathologists, and medical examin-ers, who learned the elements of forensic medicine from them, well into the twentieth century. For nearly 50 years, Taylor published accounts of medico-legal cases in Guts Hospital Reports and other medical journals. His articles covered a wide range of death by foul play, but his specialty was poisoning, then a popular method of murder. Taylor frequently appeared as a witness for the Crown. His services were much in demand in criminal investiga-tions, and no famous trial for poisoning was conducted without his expert testimony. The anecdotal nature of his reports helped the medical public become aware of medico-legal problems and raised the standards of forensic medi