Toxicology Case Study Poster

As an introduction to toxicology, you are tasked with creating a poster that showcases one of the innumerable deaths caused by a poison or drug, legal or illegal. You may choose from the list presented, or you may research off- list.

All the posters will follow a similar format including: name, photo, years alive, what the person is famous for, manner of death, cause of death, mechanism of death, how it was determined that the death was due to drugs or poisoning and lastly, who did it and why. The basics will be readily available. However, you will need to do more research into the mechanism of death as caused by the various drugs and poisons. Be sure to talk about the damage that is done to the body both acutely or over time, as the case may be.

You will be assessed on the accuracy of your research, as well as the presentation of your poster. The poster should include all necessary information, be neat, and make sense. Use your own words when describing the mechanism of death. I don’t want to read a medical textbook description of the mechanism. Summarize it in your own words so that the audience of your peers can understand it.

An example is given on the next page. You do not have to follow the exact format. Self check before handing in(25 pt) _____name of deceased _____photo of deceased (2) _____years alive (1)

_____claim to fame(2) _____manner of death(1) _____cause of death(1)

_____mechanism of death(5) _____drug determination(5) _____organized(2)

_____who did it and why(5)

Presentation (10) *fluidity of speech (not reading, adding details not on the poster) *eye contact *loud enough for last row to hear Who Killed Jane Stanford (1829-1905)?

No one knows. The co-founder of Stanford University was murdered by strychnine.

Strychnine was mixed in with her medicine for an upset stomach. She felt she was being poisoned and called out. Her last words were, “My jaws are stiff. This is a horrible death to die.”

Poisoning was confirmed by testing the water she had been given. No one was charged with her murder. It is suspected the university president at the time was involved.

Strychnine interrupts the nerve signals to muscles. This causes the muscles to spasm. Death is usually due to respiratory failure due to the muscles no longer allowing breathing.

List of Celebrities who died due to drugs or poisons

Heroin Barbituates Janis Joplin Ike turner Judy Garland Jim Morrison Whitney Houston Marilyn Monroe Bradley Nowell Michael Carl Baze Mitch Hedberg Scott Charles Bigelow Darrell Porter Peaches Geldof David Waymer Sid Vicious Len Bias DeeDee Ramone Don Rogers Hillel Slovak

Alcohol Prescription Amy Winehouse Joan Rivers Lenny Bruce Jeff Hanneman Anthony Durante George Best Margeaux Hemingway Truman Capote John Kordic Richard Burton Keith Moon Jon Bonham Bruce Lee jack Kerouac Sigmund Freud Joseph McCarthy Tommy Dorsey

Cyanide Radiation Poison Hermann Guring Alexander Litvenenko Socrates Heinrich himmler Juan Ponce deLeon Goebbel’s children Ibn al-Khattab People’s Temple Cult Cleopatra Georgi markov Bando Misugoro

Mixed John Belushi Chris Farley Anna Nicole Smith Heath Ledger Cory Monteith Lisa Robin Kelly Billie Holiday Kris Kross andy Irons Edward Fatu Michael Jackson