author
R. A. (Rudolph August) Witthaus
1846–1915
A pioneering American toxicologist and physician, he became one of the best-known experts on poisons in the United States and helped shape early forensic science. His books brought chemistry, toxicology, and legal medicine together for doctors, lawyers, and investigators.
1 Audiobook
Medical Jurisprudence, Forensic medicine and Toxicology. Vol. 1
by R. A. (Rudolph August) Witthaus, Tracy C. (Tracy Chatfield) Becker
About the author
Born in New York City in 1846, Rudolph August Witthaus built a career at the crossroads of medicine and chemistry. He studied at Columbia and later earned a medical degree from New York University, then continued his training in Paris before returning to the United States.
Witthaus taught chemistry and toxicology at several institutions, including New York University and the University of Vermont. He became especially well known for his work in forensic toxicology, and contemporary accounts describe him as a leading American authority on poisons.
He also wrote and edited important reference works on chemistry, urinalysis, toxicology, and medical jurisprudence. That mix of scientific precision and practical legal relevance made his work influential far beyond the classroom, and it still gives his name a place in the history of forensic medicine.