OVERVIEW

The course concerns the botanical approach to forensic science and shows various fields of plant science that can be useful to solve criminal cases and legal disputes.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course will provide basic knowledge about the application of Botany to Forensic investigations and legal disputes. Possible sources of botanical evidence will be illustrated, such as palinology, dendrology, plant anatomy, pharmacognosy, molecular biology, etc. Examples of historical case reports and data analysis will be shown. Toxic plants and botanical drugs will be described.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course is aimed at providing a brief historical excursion about the application of botanical knowledge to forensic investigation: botanical pieces of evidence (palinology, dendrochronology, plant anatomy, molecular biology, etc.); methods and study cases; problems and methods in the interpretation of data (dating of manufacts, reconstruction of postmortem time; object search and localization; plants subjected to legal restrictions concerning possession, marketing, etc.). Moreover the course wil provide an overview of poisonous and psychoactive plants, including news stories and identification methods.

At the end of the course, students will acquire:

- the ability of identifying main morphological and anatomical features of plants, which could be useful for forensic investigations;

- knowledge about typical plant-derived addiction drugs and New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), and information about their farmacognostic features relevant to identification.

- the ability of identifying main toxic plants that can be confused with wild edible plants with a risk of intoxication.

PREREQUISITES

Basic knowledge of Botany

TEACHING METHODS

Class lessons, meetings with experts, observations of forensic plant samples with the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Introduction. Brief historical excursion about the application of botanical knowledge to forensic investigation. From the “Crime of the Century” (kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh Jr.) to cases of murder, war crimes, and legal disputes concerning plants subjected to legal restrictions.

Sources of forensic evidence from palynology, dendrology and dendrochronology, limnology, plant anatomy, and identification of plant portions or remnants. Elements of molecular biology applied to plants.

Methods and study cases. Techniques of investigation. Problems and methods in the interpretation of data. Dating of manufacts, reconstruction of crime scene and postmortem time.

Poisonous plants and botanical drugs: marijuana and hashish (Cannabis sativa), cocaine (Erytroxylum coca), opium (Papaver somniferum).

New psychoactive substances (NPS).  Plant-derived “Smart drugs” (natural and ethnic drugs): classification and examples (Absinthe, Areca nut, Salvia divinorum, Catha edulis, Ipomoea spp., etc.)., Historical uses and toxicity. Overview of legal restrictions.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Forensic Botany - Practical Guide. D.W. Hall & J.H. Byrd eds. WILEY-Blackwell, 2012

Forensic Botany. Principles and Applications to Criminal Casework. Edited by Heather Miller Coyle. CRC Press 2005.

Smart drugs - seconda edizione. Simona Pichini et al. .Dipartimento del Farmaco - Osservatorio Fumo Alcol e Droga Istituto Superiore di Sanità - 2010. Centro Stampa De Vittoria srl. Roma. http://www.iss.it/binary/drog/cont/SD_COMPLETO_ridotto.pdf

Lesson slides as pdf files available online at the “AulaWEB” internet site.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

LAURA CORNARA (President)

LUIGI MINUTO

MIRCA ZOTTI

STEFANO VANIN (President Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The first semester will start on 23 September 2019,  and will end on 17 Jannuary 2020. The first semester will start on 17 Febbraio  2020 and will end on 12 July 2020.

Students will have to contact the teacher by the beginning of October for the lesson schedule (cornara@dipteris.unige.it)

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Written exam with open questions concerning the topics of the syllabus.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The examination is aimed at assessing the knowledge of the main notions of forensic botany as well as the methods of investigation. The ability to treat arguments by using correct terminology and to correlate various topics will be also evaluated

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

The course will include at least one lecture given by an expert in forensic science, and observations conducted on botanical materials of forensic relevance, including Scanning Electron Microscope analyses.