Page 46 - Sept Oct Issue
P. 46
A Close Look into an Amazing Career: A Noteworthy Interview with Jim Wigmore
alcohol concentration in transdermal sweat. I keep them advised of the most recent research in this area and
have included a chapter in my book on sweat alcohol.
EIJ: During your career please tell me about a case where someone had the highest blood alcohol you have ever
seen. How was it discovered and were there any casualties due to this high blood alcohol level?
Jim Wigmore: This highest BAC I have seen in case work was a homeless person who died on a park bench in
the middle of winter. His BAC was almost 900 mg/100mL (0.900 g/100mL) He died of alcohol poisoning and
not hypothermia. Alcohol is a depressant drug and as the BAC increases it depresses the various functions of
the human body. Typically a BAC in excess of 350 mg/100mL (0.350 g/100mL) can cause death in the average
individual. At this BAC, alcohol depresses the respiratory centers and the person stops breathing.
This unfortunate homeless person had a long history of alcohol abuse and alcoholism and had built up a
tolerance to the poisoning effects of alcohol. He died a BAC over 2 ½ X that it would take to kill an average
person.
EIJ: Please tell me about any certiications that you hold and any honors you have received in your career?
Jim Wigmore: I have received the Director’s Award from the Centre of Forensic Science, the H. Ward Smith
Award from the Canadian Society of Forensic Sciences for outstanding research and publication of a study,
citations from the Deputy Solicitor General of Ontario and the Minister of Justice of Canada and of course
the Derome Award- Prix du Merite (the highest award of the CSFS) for outstanding contributions to forensic
science. But I think my highest honor/pleasure was to have my scientiic work cited 4X by the Supreme Court
of Canada in its recent decision (R vs St Onge-Lamoreau).
EIJ: You current have an active Blog at www.wigmoreonalcohol.com, Your blog topic is medicolegal discipline
of forensic alcohol toxicology. Please explain more about your blog and the audience that your blog is reaching
to date?
Jim Wigmore: Through my blog and postings on LinkedIn, I am attempting to explain the often complicated
science of forensic alcohol toxicology to the layman, lawyer, judge, or other non-specialized forensic or medico-
legal experts. It is similar to what I have been involve with for many years. Explaining alcohol toxicology such
that jurors, judges, and lawyers will understand it, and use that knowledge which I have acquired for nearly 40
years, to make the appropriate decisions. The blog is also attempting to keep people posted on the latest studies
in this ield and to answer questions posed on the website.
The most common question involve postmortem alcohol analysis. It typically involves someone in a fatal
accident and the relatives or lawyers want to know how accurate is the postmortem alcohol result and how it can
be affected by other factors such a putrefaction or postmortem diffusion.
EIJ: I see that you currently are a Webinar Presenter at West Legal Edcenter and Carswell, Please tell us what
is the topic discussion of these webinars? Who would these webinars beneit and where can they be found for
viewing?
Jim Wigmore: I was fortunate to connect with Justice Rick Libman of the Ontario court of Justice in Toronto
and together we developed the continuing educational webinars for mainly lawyers. These have been especially
helpful for those professionals who live in isolated areas and cannot attend many conferences for their
continuing education.
46
alcohol concentration in transdermal sweat. I keep them advised of the most recent research in this area and
have included a chapter in my book on sweat alcohol.
EIJ: During your career please tell me about a case where someone had the highest blood alcohol you have ever
seen. How was it discovered and were there any casualties due to this high blood alcohol level?
Jim Wigmore: This highest BAC I have seen in case work was a homeless person who died on a park bench in
the middle of winter. His BAC was almost 900 mg/100mL (0.900 g/100mL) He died of alcohol poisoning and
not hypothermia. Alcohol is a depressant drug and as the BAC increases it depresses the various functions of
the human body. Typically a BAC in excess of 350 mg/100mL (0.350 g/100mL) can cause death in the average
individual. At this BAC, alcohol depresses the respiratory centers and the person stops breathing.
This unfortunate homeless person had a long history of alcohol abuse and alcoholism and had built up a
tolerance to the poisoning effects of alcohol. He died a BAC over 2 ½ X that it would take to kill an average
person.
EIJ: Please tell me about any certiications that you hold and any honors you have received in your career?
Jim Wigmore: I have received the Director’s Award from the Centre of Forensic Science, the H. Ward Smith
Award from the Canadian Society of Forensic Sciences for outstanding research and publication of a study,
citations from the Deputy Solicitor General of Ontario and the Minister of Justice of Canada and of course
the Derome Award- Prix du Merite (the highest award of the CSFS) for outstanding contributions to forensic
science. But I think my highest honor/pleasure was to have my scientiic work cited 4X by the Supreme Court
of Canada in its recent decision (R vs St Onge-Lamoreau).
EIJ: You current have an active Blog at www.wigmoreonalcohol.com, Your blog topic is medicolegal discipline
of forensic alcohol toxicology. Please explain more about your blog and the audience that your blog is reaching
to date?
Jim Wigmore: Through my blog and postings on LinkedIn, I am attempting to explain the often complicated
science of forensic alcohol toxicology to the layman, lawyer, judge, or other non-specialized forensic or medico-
legal experts. It is similar to what I have been involve with for many years. Explaining alcohol toxicology such
that jurors, judges, and lawyers will understand it, and use that knowledge which I have acquired for nearly 40
years, to make the appropriate decisions. The blog is also attempting to keep people posted on the latest studies
in this ield and to answer questions posed on the website.
The most common question involve postmortem alcohol analysis. It typically involves someone in a fatal
accident and the relatives or lawyers want to know how accurate is the postmortem alcohol result and how it can
be affected by other factors such a putrefaction or postmortem diffusion.
EIJ: I see that you currently are a Webinar Presenter at West Legal Edcenter and Carswell, Please tell us what
is the topic discussion of these webinars? Who would these webinars beneit and where can they be found for
viewing?
Jim Wigmore: I was fortunate to connect with Justice Rick Libman of the Ontario court of Justice in Toronto
and together we developed the continuing educational webinars for mainly lawyers. These have been especially
helpful for those professionals who live in isolated areas and cannot attend many conferences for their
continuing education.
46
