. 2021 May 7;6(3):250–272. doi: 10.1080/20961790.2021.1898079

Table 3.

Forensic toxicological results of Mário Guilherme Augusto de Sampaio’s biological samples.

Object	Forensic toxicological results
First autopsy	• Narceine and a “small portion” of morphine was registered in urine • The existence of morphine and narceine in the viscera was clearly characterized by chemical analysis • Chemical reactions gave indication of the existence in the same viscera of an organic substance, which based on the chemical characteristics resembled delphinine • The amount of morphine found was very high and could cause the death of a child by itself • Morphine – delays and shortens the pulse, causes a feeling of fullness and distension in the head, drowsiness, or sleep, and sometimes before that, headaches and disturbance of vision. During wakefulness, sensitivity is numb, a gastric malaise is felt, including nausea and even vomiting, difficulty in the emission of urine, constipation, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, exaggerated sweating. When the dose is elevated and toxic, disorders of the nervous system assume an apoplectic form, there is loss of senses, which causes a comatose state, noisy breathing, and sometimes seizures before death • Narceine (i.e. also an opium alkaloid) – a powerful hypnotic drug for man. The sleep produced is deeper and much quieter than that of morphine. Unlike morphine, it seems to make nausea and vomiting disappear, but causes bladder paralysis, irritates urinary organs and produces catarrhal nephritis • Delphinine – effects include local excitation of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, giving rise to salivation, nausea, vomiting and intestinal pain; the excitation of the brain determines the decrease in the number of cardiac pulsations; excitation of the spinal cord, followed by paralysis; paralysis of the brain, which determines death by asphyxiation; paralysis of the excitatory ganglia of the myocardium, which determines the decrease and weakening of the heartbeat, leaving this organ in diastole at the time of death. The anatomical-related lesions include hyperaemia of the digestive tract and engorgement of the viscera by fluid and black blood
Exhumation	• It confirmed the presence of morphine and narceine and also corroborated the presumptive existence of delphinine • Investigations of mineral toxics, free phosphorus, and hydrocyanic acid (prussic acid) produced negative results

Object

Forensic toxicological results

First autopsy

• Narceine and a “small portion” of morphine was registered in urine
• The existence of morphine and narceine in the viscera was clearly characterized by chemical analysis
• Chemical reactions gave indication of the existence in the same viscera of an organic substance, which based on the chemical characteristics resembled delphinine
• The amount of morphine found was very high and could cause the death of a child by itself
• Morphine – delays and shortens the pulse, causes a feeling of fullness and distension in the head, drowsiness, or sleep, and sometimes before that, headaches and disturbance of vision. During wakefulness, sensitivity is numb, a gastric malaise is felt, including nausea and even vomiting, difficulty in the emission of urine, constipation, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, exaggerated sweating. When the dose is elevated and toxic, disorders of the nervous system assume an apoplectic form, there is loss of senses, which causes a comatose state, noisy breathing, and sometimes seizures before death
• Narceine (i.e. also an opium alkaloid) – a powerful hypnotic drug for man. The sleep produced is deeper and much quieter than that of morphine. Unlike morphine, it seems to make nausea and vomiting disappear, but causes bladder paralysis, irritates urinary organs and produces catarrhal nephritis
• Delphinine – effects include local excitation of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract, giving rise to salivation, nausea, vomiting and intestinal pain; the excitation of the brain determines the decrease in the number of cardiac pulsations; excitation of the spinal cord, followed by paralysis; paralysis of the brain, which determines death by asphyxiation; paralysis of the excitatory ganglia of the myocardium, which determines the decrease and weakening of the heartbeat, leaving this organ in diastole at the time of death. The anatomical-related lesions include hyperaemia of the digestive tract and engorgement of the viscera by fluid and black blood

Exhumation

• It confirmed the presence of morphine and narceine and also corroborated the presumptive existence of delphinine
• Investigations of mineral toxics, free phosphorus, and hydrocyanic acid (prussic acid) produced negative results