Back to the roots of modern analytical toxicology: Jean Servais Stas and the Bocarme murder case

In 1850 the Belgian Count Hypolyte Visart de Bocarme was accused of having killed his brother-in-law Gustave Fougnies by poisoning with nicotine. Bocarme had isolated nicotine from tobacco leaves (Nicotiana tabacum). J. S. Stas (1813-1891) was committed expert and managed to convince the poisoner. He was the first scientist to deproteinize organ tissues by alcohol and could successfully identify nicotine after diethyl ether extraction from the victim's organs. During court trial this identification was challenged by his mentor M. J. B. Orfila from Paris, who had stated 3 years before, that it would never be possible to isolate and identify organic poisons from organ tissues. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.