Self-injection of toxic substances is a rare method of suicide. Since
only case reports exist in the forensic literature, an evaluation of t
he autopsy reports of the Munich Department of Legal Medicine in the p
eriod 1976-1994 was performed including 36 suicides and seven homicide
s due to injection of toxic agents. The majority of the deceased were
physicians nurses or, in cases of homicidal, intoxication relatives. T
he commonly used substances were anaesthetic drugs.