Low Down

  Corrosive poisons were formerly common suicidal agents, though they are now relatively rare in Western countries, probably because of the ease of obtaining less painful substances. In some parts of the world, mineral acids are still often used for homicide, assault ('vitriol-throwing') and suicide. In Malaya, reagents used in rubber production, such as formic and acetic acids, were often taken as a means of self-destruction by young women, especially Tamil rubber workers. In Britain, acids and alkalis are now almost unknown as agents of death. Even the occasional use of sulphuric 'battery acid' as a weapon of assault rarely causes death. The phenolic corrosives, however, such as carbolic acid and lysol, are occasionally encountered as suicidal agents. Toxicologically, none of these presents much problem, as the damage is often structural rather than poisonous, unless the victim survives long enough to have complications such as renal failure or chest infections. All t...