A New Procedure for Diatom Extraction in the Diagnosis of Drowning

A simple and economical procedure for the destruction of human organic material for the diatom examination is presented. The Author has tested a minimal amount of H2SO4 diluted solution to detect diatoms in several tissues from human corpses under crime investigation, immersed in the sea and river water. The method was compared with a traditional method that includes digestion with a large amount of strong mixture of sulphuric and nitric acid (90%). The new procedure showed that all siliceous frustules of sea and river diatoms are more resistant to the H2SO4 diluted treatment and are still recognizable after digestion, and observation under the micrscope is better than the other procedure. Moreover, the microscopical observation of amoeboid protozoa (radiolarians) was also possible.

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