Another question about the "Witch Hunts" (Veritaserum)

[Audra1976 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 47731

In a message dated 12/2/02 12:31:36 PM, greywolf1 at jazzfree.com writes:
<< I consulted a doctor about it the last time this 
came up on the list and I participated (almost a year ago, IIRC), and 
he told me that truth-telling serums (like sodium pentothal) are indeed 
efective. Why they aren't regularly used, I haven't the faintiest idea >>

Me:

I don't know what your doctor meant by "effective."  I've done Graduate 
studies in Pharmacology and Pharmaceutics and we were taught that Sodium 
Pentothal does not force a person to tell the truth against their will.  It's 
only a short acting sedative.  It will produce unconsciousness, coma, or 
death in large enough dosages (it's the first of the series of drugs used for 
lethal injections in the U.S.), but in a small dosage it only relaxes a 
person (slows heart rate, relieves tension, depresses the nervous system).  

The drug was synthesized in the 1930s, and it first was proported as a "truth 
serum" shortly after because psychiatrist used it to relax a patient and d
ecrease their inhibitions before hypnotherapy.  During the hypnotherapy, the 
patient could communicate memories and thoughts easily.  However in 
hypnotherapy, and/or just under the influence of Sodium Pentothal, although 
the person is less inhibited, they do not lose self-control.  If asked a 
question they do not *want* to answer truthfully, they can still lie.  
Occasionly the person may be confused under the influence of the drug and 
blurt something out that they wouldn't normally say, but that doesn't mean it 
is necessarily the truth.

I don't know much about the legalities, but I believe this is the reason why 
Sodium Pentothal and other such "truth serums" are not used on criminal 
suspects--not because a person could incrimate themselves as other people 
have suggested.  They use polygraphs, don't they?  And polygraphs are much 
more effective than Sodium Pentothal in determining the truth.  Also Sodium 
Pentothal is invasive.  Drugging suspects may fall under "cruel and unusal 
punishment."  I don't know for sure.

Now I have no idea how JKR's "Veritaserum" differs from Sodium Pentothal.  
Would Barty Crouch have told everything anyway?  I don't remember him saying 
anything that would have hurt him and his cause too much.  The things he 
revealed he did were done and it was too late to do anything about it.  He 
was caught red-handed impersonating Moody, so he couldn't very well have 
feigned innocence again.  So we really don't have any proof that Veritaserum 
forces someone to tell the truth against their will either.

Audra