A method is described for the analysis of total platinum content in a variety of histologically distinct animal tissues, plasma and urine following therapeutic dosing with cisplatin. Sample preparation involved only tissue homogenization. Read-out was based on non-flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. By careful optimization of instrument parameters, sample matrix effects could be overcome, eliminating the need for sample digestion. Accordingly, 0.02–4 μg of total platinum/g of sample could readily be determined without influence on absolute absorbancy readings by the environment in which cisplatin was present.