Modi A Textbook of Medical Jurisprudence and Toxicology, first published in 1920 by Dr Jaising P Modi, has been unrivalled in the Indian medico-legal landscape. For a century, it has stood as the standard reference for doctors, lawyers, judges, police officers, and forensic scientists alike. Its pages bear witness to the evolving intersection of medicine and law in India—an intersection that grows ever more complex as new technologies redefine investigation, adjudication, and medical practice.
Over successive editions, this textbook has expanded from being a compendium of medical jurisprudence and toxicology into a comprehensive synthesis of medical law, forensic medicine, and toxicology, contextualized for both academic and professional needs. The fact that it remains the primary reference even after a hundred years speaks to its scholarly foundation, practical utility, and ability to adapt to change.

Key Features:
Incorporates updates on sexual offences, including POCSO amendments, judicial interpretation of “consent,” and medico-legal examination protocols aligned with Ministry of Health guidelines
The Statement of Specific Principles for Research on Transplantation issued in 2000 underwent significant restructuring through guidelines of 2017, with many new thematic areas being added in detail
Includes section on forensic innovations: virtual autopsy, CT-based anthropometry, digital case diaries, and biometric identity tools
Toxicology sections covers paraquat poisoning, corrosive acid attacks, industrial effluents, and environmental toxicology
A detailed mapping from IPC, CrPC, and Evidence Act to BNS, BNSS, and BSA at relevant places, highlights key legal transitions and contextual evolution. Major changes in BNS are compiled in Appendix of Section 1 for easy reference
Integrates recent Supreme Court pronouncements on infanticide, legitimacy of children, DNA testing and privacy, exhumation, custodial violence, and sudden deaths linked to genetic conditions (sickle-cell disease)
A fresh appraisal of public health emergencies, particularly lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, including constitutional issues surrounding disproportionate criminalization of protocol breaches