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 UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 SCHOOL OF LAW 
 LIBRARY 
 
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 MEDICAL 
 JURISPRUDENCE 
 
 FORENSIC MEDICINE 
 
 AND 
 
 TOXICOLOGY 
 
 R. A. WITTHAUS, A.M., M.D. 
 
 Professor of Chemistry, Physics, and Hygiene in the University of the City of Neiv York, etc., etc, 
 
 AND 
 
 TRACY C. BECKER, A.B., LL.B. 
 
 Counsellor at Law, 
 Professor of Criminal Law and Medical Jtirispritdence in the University of Biiffalo 
 
 WITH THE COLLABORATION OF 
 
 August Becker, Esq.; Chas. A. Boston, Esq.; W. N. Bullard, M.D. ; 
 
 J. Clifton Edgar, M.D. ; D. S. Lamb, M.D. ; W. B. Outten, M.D. ; 
 
 Hon. Wm. A. Poste; Edward S. Wood, M.D. ; 
 
 E. V. Stoddard, M.D. ; 
 
 Hon. Goodwin Brown; J. C. Cameron, M.D. ; E. D. Fisher, M.D. ; 
 
 H. P. LooMis, M.D. ; Roswell Park, M.D. ; Irving C. Rosse, M.D. ; 
 
 F. P. Vandenbergh, M.D. ; J. H. Woodward, M.D. ; 
 
 George Woolsey, M.D. 
 
 VOLUME ONE 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 WILLIAM WOOD & COMPANY 
 
 1894
 
 
 Copyright, 1894, 
 By WILLIAM WOOD & COMPANY 
 
 
 PRESS OF 
 
 THE PUBLISHERS' PRINTING COMPANY 
 
 132-136 W. FOURTEENTH ST. 
 
 NEW YORK
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introduction, v 
 
 Medical Jurisprudence, . ' 1 
 
 The Legal Relations of Physicians and Surgeons. T. C. 
 Becker, 3 
 
 The Law of Evidence Concerning Confidential Communica- 
 tions. Chas. a. Boston, 89 
 
 Synopsis of the Laws Governing the Practice of Medicine. 
 W. A. PosTE and Chas. A. Boston, 135 
 
 Forensic Medicine. 
 
 Thanatological, 293 
 
 The Legal Status of the Dead Body. T. C. Becker, . . 295 
 
 The Powers and Duties of Coroners. A. Becker, . . . 329 
 
 Medico-Legal Autopsies. H. P. LooMis 349 
 
 Personal Identity. J. C. RossE 383 
 
 Determination of the Time of Death. H. P. LooMis, . . 437 
 
 Medico-Legal Consideration of Wounds. G. Woolsey, . . 457 
 
 Medico-Legal Consideration of Gunshot Wounds. Roswell 
 Park, 591 
 
 Death by Heat and Cold. E. V. Stoddard, . . .627 
 
 Medico-Legal Relations of Electricity. W. N. Bullabd, . . 661 
 
 Medico-Legal Consideration of Death by Mechanical Suffoca- 
 tion. D. S. Lamb 705 
 
 Death from Submersion or Drowning. J. C. Rosse, . . 793 
 
 Death from Starvation. E. V. Stoddard, 813
 
 II^TEODUOTIOK 
 
 The terms Forensic Medicine, Legal Medicine, and 
 Medical Jurisprudence have heretofore been used inter- 
 changeably to apply to those branches of state medicine and of 
 jurisprudence which have to deal with the applications of med- 
 ical knowledge to the elucidation of questions of fact in courts 
 of law, and with the legal regulation of the practice of medicine. 
 
 Medico-legal science therefore includes all subjects con- 
 cerning which members of the legal and medical professions 
 may seek information of one another, each acting in his profes- 
 sional capacity. It consists of two distinct branches: that 
 treating of medical law, to which the designation of Medical 
 Jurisprudence properly applies; and that relating to the ap- 
 plication of medical, surgical, or obstetrical knowledge to the 
 purposes of legal trials. Forensic Medicine.' 
 
 The term State Medicine, which is sometimes erroneously 
 used as synonymous with forensic medicine, properly applies to 
 a more extended field of medical inquiry; i.e., to all applica- 
 tions of medical knowledge to the public welfare. State medi- 
 cine, therefore, while excluding medical jurisprudence, includes, 
 besides forensic medicine, public hygiene, medical ethics, med- 
 ical education, and military and naval medicine. 
 
 Toxicology, the science of poisons, may be divided into 
 
 ' The distinction made in the text medical topics, rather than an ac- 
 and in the title of this work is not quaintance with the medical science 
 new. It was recognized by the necessary for the elucidation of legal 
 father of medico-legal science, Zac- subjects. As it is our peculiar ob- 
 chias. in his two prefaces, one to ject to unite the sciences and to show 
 the " lector medicus, " the other to their mutual relevance, the title be- 
 the " lector legumperitus" ("QujBst. comes most applicable to this, al- 
 Med. Leg. ," Ed. Venet. , 1727, fol.). though it may have been improperly 
 In a note to the introduction of the affixed to former works. " The title 
 "Medical Jurispi-udence" of Dr. of one of two existing French works 
 Paris and Mr. Fonblanque (the first in wliose authorship a lawyer is as- 
 work produced by joint authorship sociated is : "Traitede Medeciue le- 
 of a physician and a lawyer, in 1823) gale, de Jurisprudence medicale et 
 is the following (p. i.) : "Someau- de Toxicologie, " par Le Grand du 
 thors have objected to the term Med- Saulle, Geo. Berryer et Gab. Pou- 
 ical Jtirifipruflcnce, as impljnng a chet, 2ded., 8vo, Paris, 1886. 
 knowledge of the laws relating to
 
 VI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 medica„ Toxicology, whose object is the prevention or cure of 
 all forms of poisoning, and forensic toxicology, whose aim is 
 the detection of criminal poisoning. In its last-named relation 
 toxicology differs from forensic medicine in one important par- 
 ticular. In all cases other than those of poisoning in which 
 questions involving medical knowledge arise, the answers are 
 entirely within the functions of the physician, the surgeon, or 
 the obstetrician, but the problems of forensic toxicology require 
 for their solution the further aid of the chemist and the phar- 
 macologist. 
 
 Forensic medicine is an applied science, partly legal, partly 
 medical, calling for information and investigation in widely 
 divergent lines, and becoming more minutely ramified with the 
 progressive advances in medical knowledge and in those 
 sciences of which medicine is itself an application. Its devel- 
 opment has been dependent partly upon the slow though pro- 
 gressive tendency of medicine from the condition of an empiri- 
 cal art toward that of an exact science, and partly upon the 
 more rapid and more advanced development of criminal juris- 
 prudence. Medical jurisprudence had reached a high develop- 
 ment during the early history of the Roman Empire, and at a 
 period long anterior to the first recognition of forensic medicine. 
 
 Although the literature of modern medico-legal science is 
 very largely written from the medical point of view and by 
 physicians, its earlier history is to be found in fragmentary 
 form, partly in medical literature, but principally in the writ- 
 ings of historians, in the earlier criminal codes, and in the early 
 records of legal proceedings. 
 
 In the earliest historical periods the functions now exercised 
 by the priest, the lawj^er, and the physician were performed by 
 the same person, who, presumably, made use of what medical 
 knowledge he possessed in the exercise of his legal functions. 
 Among the Egyptians at a very early period it is certain that 
 medical questions of fact were considered in legal proceedings, 
 and that the practice of medicine was subject to legal regulation. 
 According to Diodorus, ' " when a pregnant woman was con- 
 demned to death, the sentence was not executed until after she 
 was delivered. " The same author tells us '^ that " the physicians 
 
 ' "Bibl. Hist.," I., ii., 77; Miot's ' L. c, I., ii.,82; transl., i., 165. 
 trausl., Paris, 1834, i., 157.
 
 INTRODUCTION. Vli 
 
 regulated the treatment of the sick according to written pre- 
 cepts, collected and transmitted by the most celebrated of their 
 predecessors. If, in following exactly these precepts which are 
 contained in the sacred books, they did not succeed in curing 
 the sick, they could not be reproached, nor could they be prose- 
 cuted at law ; but if they have proceeded contrary to the text of 
 the books, they are tried, and may be condemned to death, the 
 legislator supposing that but few persons will ever be found 
 capable of improving a curative method preserved during so 
 long a succession of years and adopted by the most expert mas- 
 ters of the art. " With the system of legal trial in use among 
 the Egyptians ' it is difficult to imagine that the question of the 
 existence of pregnancy in the one case, or of malpractice in the 
 other, would not be the subject of contest, and, if contested, 
 determined without the testimony of obstetricians or of physi- 
 cians." 
 
 Medical knowledge among the Hindoos was further advanced 
 than among the Egyptians. In the Rig Veda (about 1500 B.C.) 
 occur a few medical references, among which is the statement 
 that the duration of pregnancy is ten (lunar) months. 
 
 The earliest purely medical Sanskrit texts are the Ayur 
 Vedas of Charaka and Susruta, which were probably written 
 about 600 B.C., but which are undoubtedly compilations of in- 
 formation which had been handed down during many centuries 
 before that time. In each of these is a section devoted to 
 poisons and their antidotes (Kalpa) , in which it is written that 
 a knowledge of poisons and antidotes is necessary to the physi- 
 cian " because the enemies of the Rajah, bad women, and un- 
 grateful servants sometimes mix poison with the food." Full 
 directions are also given for the recognition of a person who 
 gives poison, and to differentiate the poisons themselves, whose 
 number, from all the kingdoms of nature, is legion. The age 
 at which women may marry is fixed at twelve years, while men 
 
 ' Z,. c, I., ii., 75, 76; transl. , i., scriptions of remedies, and their 
 
 153. uses, inchidinK the incantations to 
 
 ^ The "Papyros Ebers, " in the be used with them. (See"Papyros 
 University of Leipzig, the most Ebers, " H. Joachim, Berlin. 1890.) 
 ancient medical text known, was The same is true of the Berlin and 
 written about 1550 B.C. , and is prob- Leyden papyri. The Bibl. Nat. 
 ably one of the books referred to by (Tf. 2) possesses a Chinese manu- 
 Diodorus. It contains no statement script on legal medicine. The cat- 
 bearing upon our subject. It is, alogue does not, however, state to 
 however, simply a collection of de- what period it belongs.
 
 Vlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 may not marry before twenty -five. The duration of pregnancy 
 is ^iven as between nine and twelve lunar months, the average 
 being ten. The practice of medicine is restricted to certain 
 castes, and requires the sanction of the Rajah, and the method 
 of education of medical students is prescribed.' 
 
 It is singular that the Greeks were apparently destitute of 
 any knowledge of legal medicine. Although medicine and 
 jurisprudence were highly developed among them, allusions to 
 anj' connection between the two are of very rare occurrence and 
 uncertain. 
 
 The Hippocratic writings (ca. 420 B.C.) contain many facts 
 which are of medico-legal interest : the possibility of superfce- 
 tation was recognized ; '^ the average duration of pregnancy was 
 known, and the viability of children born before term was 
 discussed,^ the relative fatality of wounds affecting different 
 parts of the body was considered,^ and the Hippocratic oath 
 makes the physician swear that he " will not administer or 
 advise the use of poison, nor contribute to an abortion." The 
 position of the physician in Greek communities was an exalted 
 one. No slave or woman might be taught medicine,^ although 
 later free-born women were permitted to practise in their 
 native places. Homer also refers to physicians as men of 
 learning and of distinction." The Greek physician was there- 
 fore in a position, both from his information and from his 
 standing in the community, to aid in the administration of 
 justice. 
 
 The Greeks were also extremely litigious and possessed a 
 code of criminal procedure which was elaborate, and in many 
 respects resembled those now in use in England and the United 
 States." The writings of the Greek orators, Demosthenes, JEs- 
 chines, Lysias, Antiphon, Isocrates, etc., which have comedown 
 to us substantiate the claim of ^lian that " to Athens mankind 
 
 ' For an account of early Indian partu, " ed. Littre, viii., 432, 436, 
 
 medicine, see Th. A. Wise, "Re- 452. 
 
 view of the Hist, of Med.," Lond., * "Aphorism i," \i., 18, 24; "De 
 
 1867, i., 272 et passim: "Hindu Morbis," ed. Littre, vi., 144. 
 
 System of Medicine," 1845, by the ^ petit, S. : "Leges Attica?, " Lugd. 
 
 same author: Haeser, "Lehrb. d. Bat., 1742, lib. iii., tit. 8. 
 
 Gesch. d. Med.," 3. ed., i., 5-40. « "Od.," iv., 229; xvii., 384. 
 
 - Hippocr. : " De Superf cetatione, " ' For an excellent account of Attic 
 
 ed. Littre, viii., 472. criminal procedure, see Kennedy, 
 
 "Hippocr.: " De Septimestri C. R. : "Demosthenes' Orations," 
 
 partu:" Ibid., "De Octimestri ed. Bohn, iii., 326-372.
 
 INTRODUCTION. IX 
 
 is indebted for the olive, the fig, and the administration of 
 justice." ' 
 
 The writings of the Greek physicians contain no refeience 
 to any legal application of their knowledge, and certain passages 
 in the writings of the orators seem to indicate that, while a 
 phj'sician was called to inspect and treat a wounded person, the 
 testimony as to the patient's condition was given in court by 
 others. 
 
 Thus in the case against Euergos and Mnesibulus, in which 
 an old woman had died some dajs after an assault, Demos- 
 thenes ^ states that he notified the accused to bring a surgeon 
 and cure the woman ; but that as they did not do so, he himself 
 brought his own surgeon and showed him her condition in the 
 presence of witnesses. Upon hearing from the surgeon that 
 the woman was in a hopeless condition, he again explained her 
 state to the accused and required them to find medical aid. 
 Finally, on the sixth day after the assault the woman died. He 
 further asserts that these statements would be proved by the 
 depositions.' 
 
 The third Tetralogy of Antiphon' (B.C. 480) relates to a 
 case in which the defence was essentially the same as that which 
 was the subject of a vast amount of medical expert testimony 
 in a celebrated trial for murder in New York not many years 
 ago. A person wounds another, who dies some days afterward. 
 The assailant is accused of murder and sets up the defence that 
 the deceased perished, not from the wounds inflicted, but in 
 consequence of unskilful treatment by the physicians. 
 
 In neither of these cases is any mention made of physicians 
 having been called upon for testimony ; indeed, the statements 
 would lead to the inference that they were not. In another case 
 in which a poor and sick citizen is accused of malingering to 
 obtain the customary pecuniary aid from the State, Lysias^ 
 summons no medical evidence but relies entirelj* upon a state- 
 ment of his client's case.* 
 
 ' " Var. Hist.," iii., 38. at a preliminary trial, and referred 
 
 ^Kennedy's transl., ed. Bohn, to at the trial by the orator. 
 
 v.. 95. -"Oratores Attici," C. Miiller, 
 
 ^ What the contents of these depo- Paris, 1877, i., 20. 
 
 sitions were and by whom made is - "Oratores Attici, "C. Miiller, ed. 
 
 unknown, as the papers referred to Didot, Paris. 1877, i., 200-203. 
 
 by the orator are not given. In the " In a doubtful fragment of Lysias 
 
 Attic courts the testimony was taken the expression "as physicians and
 
 X INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Medical legislation was not more advanced during the as- 
 cendancy of the Roman Empire, although medical science was 
 greatly developed, principally by the labors of Celsus, and of 
 Galen and other Greek physicians. A few cases are mentioned 
 by the historians which would seem to indicate a closer connec- 
 tion between law and medicine than had existed among the 
 Greeks, but the}' refer rather to the custom of exposing the 
 bodies of those who had died by violent means to public view, 
 in order that any one might express his opinion as to the cause 
 of death, than to any appeal to medical science in the adminis- 
 tration of justice. Thus Suetonius ' sajs that the physician 
 Antistius examined the dead body of Julius Caesar (b.c. 44), 
 and declared that of all the wounds only that received in the 
 breast was mortal. 
 
 Pliny ^ cites an early instance of contested interpretation of 
 post-mortem appearances in the case of Germanicus, who died 
 A.D. 19, by the action of poison, said the enemies of Piso, be- 
 cause the heart did not burn. The friends of Piso, while ad- 
 mitting the fact of non-consumption, attributed it to the de- 
 ceased having had heart disease. The same author^ quotes 
 Masurius as having declared a child born after thirteen (lunar) 
 months to be legitimate, in an action for the possession of 
 property, on the ground that no certain period of gestation was 
 fixed. The Emperor Hadrian (a.d. 117-138), according to 
 Gellius, sought medical information in a similar case, and 
 decreed the legitimac}' of a child born in the eleventh (lunar) 
 month, " after having considered the opinions of ancient philos- 
 ophers and physicians." ' 
 
 Although the Justinian collections, the "Codex" (a.d. 529), 
 the "Institutes" (a.d. 533), the "Digests," or "Pandects" (a.d. 
 534), and the "Novels" (a.d. 535-564), prepared by the best legal 
 talent of the age, under the direction of Tribonian, do not pro- 
 vide for the summoning of physicians as witnesses ; they con- 
 tain an expression which indicates that at that time the true 
 
 midwives declare" {uffTrepollarpolKal - "Hist. Nat.," xi., 71. 
 
 al fialat a-eprjvavro) is used in con- *"Hist. Nat.,"vii., 4. 
 
 nection with the question whether •* A. Gellius: "Noct. Att. ," 1. 3, 
 
 a foetus has life and maybe niur- c. 16: "requisitis veterum philoso- 
 
 dered. Cf. "Orat. Attici," Miiller phorum et medicorum sententiis." 
 
 and Hunziker, Paris, Didot, 1858, The word " refer2a?i" seems to indi- 
 
 ii., 257. cate that the emperor consulted 
 
 ^ "Jul. Cses.," 82. books, not living physicians.
 
 INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 function of the medical expert was more correctly appreciated 
 than it is to-day. His function was stated to be judicial rather 
 than that of a witness.' There is also a provision that in cases 
 of contested pregnane}', midwives (who were considered as be- 
 longing to the medical profession) should, after examination of 
 the woman, determine whether or no pregnancy exist, and that 
 their determination should be final. The practice of medicine, 
 surgery, and midwifery was regulated. Those desiring to 
 practise must have been found competent by an examination. 
 The number of phj^sicians in each town was limited. They 
 were divided into classes, and were subject to the government 
 of the Archiatri. Penalties were imposed upon those guilt}' of 
 malpractice or of poisoning. The Justinian enactments contain 
 abundant internal evidence of having been framed in the light 
 of medical knowledge. They contain provisions relating to 
 sterility and impotence, rape, disputed pregnancy, legitimacy, 
 diseased mental conditions, presumption of survivorship, poi- 
 soning, etc., which indicate that the medical knowledge of the 
 time was fully utilized in their construction." 
 
 The Germanic peoples at about the same period possessed 
 codes in which traces of a rudimentary inedical jurisprudence 
 existed. The most ancient of these was the Salic law (a.d. 
 422), in which the penalties to be paid for wounds of different 
 kinds are fixed. The Ripuarian law, of somewhat later date, 
 takes cognizance of the crime of poisoning. The laws of the 
 Bavarians, Burgundians, Frisians, Thuringians, and Visigoths 
 contain practically nothing of medico-legal interest. The Lex 
 Alamannorum has numerous provisions relating to wounds, and 
 expressly provides that the gravity of the injury shall be deter- 
 mined by a phj'sician.^ 
 
 During the period of about a, thousand years, intervening 
 between the Justinian and Caroline (vide infra) codes, the 
 advancement of medicine and jurisprudence suffered almost 
 complete arrest. The guilt or innocence of an accused person 
 
 ' " Medici non sunt proprie testes, burg. 1838: M. F. Eller. Bull. Med.- 
 
 sed majis est judicium quam testi- Leg. Soc. N. Y., 1879. i., 220-287; 
 
 moniuni."' and Friedi'eich. Bit f. ger. Anthr., 
 
 - For accounts of the medico-legal Niirnberg, 1850, I., iii., 1-64; 18(52, 
 
 provisions of the Justinian enact- xiii., 188-215. 
 
 ments, see: G. A. v. d. Pfordten, ^ See Mende : "Handb. d. ger. 
 
 "Beitriige z. Gesch. d. ger. Med. Med.." Leipzig, 1819, i., 83-87. 
 riKs d. Justin. Rechtssam.," "Wiirz-
 
 Xll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 was determined rather by his own confession under torture, or 
 by " the judgment of God" as shown by ordeal or by judicial 
 combat, than by testimony either expert or of fact. 
 
 Even during the night of the Middle Ages, instances are 
 recorded in which the opinions of phj-^sicians were sought to 
 determine questions of fact in judicial proceedings. 
 
 In the duchy of Normandy, in 1207-45, the laws provided 
 for the examination of those claiming to be sick (to evade 
 military service or appeal to judicial duel), of persons killed, 
 and of women.' 
 
 In a decretal of Innocent III., in 1209, the question whether 
 a certain wound was mortal was determined b}- phj'siciaus.' 
 
 There is extant in the statutes of the city of Bologna, under 
 date of 12-49, an entry to the effect that Hugo di Lucca had 
 been assigned the duty, when called upon by the podesta, and 
 after having been sworn, to furnish a true report in legal cases. ^ 
 
 In the kingdom of Jerusalem (ca. 1250) a person claiming 
 exemption from trial by battle because of sickness or of wounds 
 was visited by a physician {fisicien au miege) and a surgeon 
 [serorgien) , who examined him and made oath as to his con- 
 dition.' 
 
 Sworn surgeons to the king are also mentioned in letters 
 patent of Philippe le Hardi in 12T8, of Philippe le Bel in 1311, 
 and of Jean II. in 1352.' That of Philippe le Bel refers to Jean 
 Pitardi as one of " his well- beloved sworn surgeons in his 
 Chastelet of Paris," whose functions are partly indicated by 
 the extracts from the registers given below. 
 
 The registers of the Chatelet at Paris from 1389 to 1393 
 record several instances in which medical aid was rendered in 
 judicial proceedings. Under date of March 22d, 1389-90, 
 *'Maitre Jehan Le Conte, sworn surgeon to the king our sire," 
 reports to Maitre Jehan Truquam, lieutenant to the provost, 
 that " upon that daj' in the morning one Rotisseur had gone 
 
 ' ■' Etablissements et Coutuines. fuisse letalis, " Mende, " Handb. d. 
 
 Assises et Arrets de I'Echiquier de ger. Med.," i., 91. 
 
 Normandie au xiii. Siecle." A. J. ^ Hensschel. in " Janus, " Breslau, 
 
 Marnier, Par., 1839 : "veued'homme 1847, ii., 135. 
 
 en langueur, veue de mefaits. veue * " Assises de Jerusalem, " Beu- 
 
 d'homme occis et veue de femme gnot. Paris, 1841-43, quoted by Orto- 
 
 despucelee. " Ian. I.e., infra. 
 
 '-'"Ut peritorum judicio medico- * Ortolan : ''Debuts d. 1. Med. 
 
 rum talis percussio asseveretur non leg.," Ann. d'Hjg. . Par., 1872, 2 
 
 s. , xxxviii. , 361.
 
 INTRODUCTION. xiii 
 
 from life unto death in consequence of the wounds which he 
 had received on the Monday evening preceding." ' Under date 
 of July^2d, 1390, is an account of the examination of one Jehan 
 le Porchier, accused of intent to poison the king (Charles VI.), 
 in which there is reference to a very early instance of toxicologi- 
 cal expert evidence. In the wallet of the accused certain herbs 
 were found. The account proceeds: "Richart de Bules, herb- 
 alist, was summoned, to him the above-mentioned herbs were 
 shown, and he was commanded that he should examine them 
 and consider well and dul}^, reporting the truth of what he 
 should find. The said Richart, after having examined them 
 with great diligence, reported that in the box in which these 
 herbs were he had found six leaves, namely : one leaf of jacia 
 nigra, and one of round plantain, called in Latin p^antago 
 mitior, and four of sow-thistle {lasseron), called in Latin rosti 
 poterugni, and says that the leaf oijatria nigra is poisonous, 
 but that in the others there is no poison known to the depo- 
 nent."'^ On August 12th, 1390, "Jehan Le Conte and Jehan 
 Le Grant, sworn surgeons of our sire the king," are present at 
 the torture of a prisoner, but for what purpose does not appear. 
 In another case the same Jehan Le Conte testified that a wound 
 in the head of a deceased person was made with an axe.^ At a 
 later period in Ital}', the infliction of " the question" took place 
 under medical supervision. Zacchias devotes a chapter, De 
 Tormentis et Poenis,* to the consideration of the different 
 methods of torture, the degrees of pain and danger attending 
 each, and the conditions of age, sex, and health which render its 
 application inadmissible.^ 
 
 During this period, as indeed from the earliest times, the 
 practice of medicine was regulated hj law. Thus a law of King 
 Roger of Sicily (1129-54) punished those who practised med- 
 icine without authority with imprisonment and confiscation of 
 goods; and an edict of Frederick II. (1215-46) imposed like 
 penalties upon those who presumed to practise except after 
 graduation at the school of Salernum.* 
 
 ■ "Registre Criminel du Chatelet ^ See also "Reg. Crim. Chat, de 
 
 de Paris, " Par. , 1861, i., 255. Paris.," i., 204. ii.. 429: Desmaze : 
 
 - Ibid., i., 313. "Hist. Med. Leg.," 11-20. 33-41. 
 
 ^Ibid., i., 375, 409. « Isensee : "Gesch. d. Med.," i.. 
 
 ^"Quajst. Medico-Iegales,"t. ii., 316. 
 lib. vi., tit. ii. ; vol. ii., pp. 33-49, 
 ed. Venet., fol., 1737.
 
 XIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Medico-legal science was formed in the middle of the six- 
 teenth century by a simultaneous awakening of jurists and 
 physicians to the importance of the subject. 
 
 It was in Germany that expert medical testimony was first 
 legally recognized. In 1507, George, Bishop of Bamberg, pro- 
 claimed a criminal code in his domains. This was subse- 
 quently adopted by other German states, and finally was the 
 model upon which the Caroline Code, the first general criminal 
 code applying- to the whole empire, was framed and proclaimed 
 at the Diet of Ratisbon in 1532.' 
 
 These codes, particularly the Caroline, distinctly provide 
 for utilizing the testimony of physicians. Wounds are to be 
 examined by surgeons who are " to be used as witnesses ;" ^ and 
 in case of death one or more surgeons are to " examine the dead 
 body carefully before burial."^ Thej' also contain provisions 
 for the examination of women in cases of contested delivery, or 
 suspected infanticide ; * for the regulation of the sale of poisons ; * 
 for the detection and punishment of malpractice;^ and for ex- 
 amination into the mental condition in cases of suicide and of 
 crime.' 
 
 An early work on the practice of criminal law, based on the 
 Caroline Code, was published by the Flemish jurist, Josse de 
 Damhouder, in 1554. It contains a chapter treating of the 
 lethality of wounds, which should be determined by expert 
 physicians and surgeons,^ and describes the course which is to 
 be pursued in the judicial examination of dead bodies. This 
 is probably the earliest printed book (other than the laws them- 
 selves) containing reference to medico-legal examinations,^ and 
 antedates the writings of physicians upon the subject. 
 
 Although it was only in 1670 that the Ordinances of Louis 
 XIV. gave to France a uniform criminal code, medico-legal 
 reports were made by physicians and surgeons to the courts 
 
 ' "Constitutio criminalis Caro- ^ "Con. cr. Car.," art. 37. 
 lina." The first edition was printed " /6«d., art. 134. 
 atMayence, 1533, fol., by J. Schof- ''Ibid., arts. 135, 179, 219. 
 fer. See also Kopp, "Jahrb. d. ^"Non perquoslibet, uecper insi- 
 Staatsarznk. , " Frankf., 1808, i., pidos et imperitos, sed tantum per 
 183. peritos ac doctos medicos aut chi- 
 
 •2 "Con. cr. Car.," art. 147. rurgos," p. 245. 
 
 ^ Ibid., art. 149. * "Praxis Rerum Criminaliuni, " 
 
 "^ Ibid., arts. 35. 36, 131, 133; Antw., 1554 (the dedicatory epis- 
 
 " Bambergische Halssgerichts-Or- tie is dated 1551), pp. 245-252, 
 
 denung," Bamb., 1507, art. 44. 223-228.
 
 INTRODUCTION. XV 
 
 more than a century before. Indeed, the earliest medico-legal 
 work written by a physician ' is the 27th book of the QEuvres 
 d'Ambroise Pare, first printed in 1575, in which he directs the 
 forms in which judicial reports shall be made in various 
 medico-legal cases." During the remainder of the sixteenth 
 centurj' France produced but three treatises on medico-legal 
 subjects.^ One of these, written by the jurist A. Hotman, 
 distinctly mentions the employment of physicians to determine 
 questions of fact. 
 
 In Italy works on medical jurisprudence were published at 
 the close of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury. The earliest of these was a chapter of Codronchius, 
 treating of the "method of testifying in medical cases,'' in 
 1597.^ At about the same time, but certainly later, appeared 
 the work of Fortunatus Fidelis, to whom the honor of being 
 the first writer on medical jurisprudence is given by many.^ 
 
 The great work of Paulus Zacchias, physician to Pope Inno- 
 cent X., was first printed at Rome, 1621-35. This medico- 
 legal classic contains in the first two volumes the " Qiicestiones" 
 and in the third the decisions of the Roman Rota, It treats of 
 
 ' Wildberg, "Bibl. Med. -for.," printed in 1562, Pare is referred 
 
 Berl., 1819, Nos. 553, 554, 1,124, to as "chirurgien ordinaire du Roi, 
 
 1,125, 1,126, 1,304, 1,835, 1,836. et Jure a Paris. " Ploucquet, "Lib. 
 
 2, 342, cites nine works earlier than Med. dig.," Tiib. , 1809, iv., 349, 
 
 1575. Tliese are, however, mono- mentions a monograph by "Tygeon, 
 
 graphs on the period of gestation, Th. , " printed at Lyons, 1575. 
 witchcraft, fasting girls, drunken- ^ S. Pineau : " De notis Integritatis 
 
 ness, and wounds of the head. et Corruptionis Virgiuum," Paris, 
 
 Works on toxicology were written 1598; A. Hotman: "Dela Dissolu- 
 
 at a much earlier date : the QiipinKa tion duMariagepar I'lmpuissance," 
 
 and AlE^updpfima, of Nicander, ca. etc. , Paris, 1581 ; delaCorde, "Ergo 
 
 B.C. 135; the T^epl (5>/h/-?/piuv (papfia- Virgo . . . lac in mammis habere 
 
 «Ji, of Dioscorides, ca. A. D. 50 ; the potest, " Paris, 1580. Wildberg, I. 
 
 treatises, "De Venenis, " of Petrus c. , Nos. 555, 1,308, 1,309, are not 
 
 de Abbano {ca. a.d. 1250), first properly medico-legal, 
 printed Mantua, 1472; of Arnoldus •'In his "De Vitiis Vocis, " etc., 
 
 da Villanova {ca. a.d. 1300), first Frankf. , 1597. He had previously 
 
 printed {sine loc. et an.) ca. 1470 ; published a treatise, "De morbis 
 
 of Santes deArdoynis, Venice, 1492, veneficis ac veneficiis, " Venet. , 
 
 and of F. Ponzetti, Venice, 1492, 1595. 
 
 are among the earliest. Works on ''"De relationibus medicorum 
 
 toxicology are not considered in ... in quibus ea omnia (juie in 
 
 this Introduction, the historical forensibusac publicis causis luediri 
 
 sketch of that science being reserved referre solent. " etc. , Panorm i . 
 
 for a later voluine. 1603. Mongitore, " Bibl. Sic. , " 
 
 -Ed. Malgaigne, 1840, t. iii., 1. Panormi, 1707-14. i.. 199, mentions 
 
 xxvii., pp. 651-658; ed. princ, an edition of 1598, Pan., under tlie 
 
 Paris, 1575, fob, pp. 931-944. On title : "Bissus [Birrus?], sive med- 
 
 the title-page of an earlier work, icoruni patrocinium, " etc.
 
 XVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 every branch of medico-legal science, and discusses physiologi- 
 cal questions of legal interest, besides dealing with questions 
 such as the infliction of torture and miracles.' 
 
 Although the " Qusestiones Medico-legales" of Zacchias was 
 the first systematic work upon medical jurisprudence, his coun- 
 trymen in succeeding centuries have contributed but little to 
 this science. It is only during the latter part of the present 
 century that Italians have again become prominent in medico- 
 legal literature. 
 
 In France legal medicine progressed but little from the time 
 of Pare to the latter part of the eighteenth century. Several 
 treatises appeared, being chiefly upon legitimacy and kindred 
 subjects,^ with a few treating of reports, signs of death, etc' 
 
 Toward the end of the eighteenth century the labors of 
 Louis, Petit, Chaussier, and Fodere elevated legal medicine to 
 the rank of a science. The investigations of Louis (Ant. L.) 
 were numerous and important in this as in other subjects,^ and 
 the " causes celebres" contain reports of many trials in which he 
 threw light upon doubtful medical questions.^ Antoine Petit, 
 a contemporary of Louis, contributed an extensive work on the 
 duration of pregnancy as affecting legitimac5\ '' 
 
 Somewhat later Fr. B. Chaussier, between 1785 and 1828, 
 published at Dijon a number of treatises on infanticide, viabil- 
 ity, surgical malpractice, etc' Fodere, a Savoyard, was the 
 first to publish a systematic treatise on medical jurisprudence 
 in France, which was first printed in 1798 and in a much en- 
 
 ' "Qusestiones Medico-legales," murder by hanging, 1763; on the 
 
 Rome, 1612-35, 3 t., fol. See also duration of pregnancy, 1764, etc. 
 
 Kerscliensteiner ; Friedr. Bl. f. ger. These and other articles on drown- 
 
 Med. , etc., Niirnb., 1884, 'xxxv. , ing, etc., are collected in his 
 
 401-410. "(Euvres diverses de Chirurgie, '" 3 
 
 sWildberg, "Bibl. Med. -for.," vols.. Par., 1788. 
 
 gives the titles of thirty-four trea- ^ Cases of Monbailly, Syrven, 
 
 tises on legitimacy, impotence, Galas, Cassaigneux, Baronet, etc. 
 
 sterility, signs of virginity, etc., ^ "Hecueil de pieces relatives a la 
 
 published in France during this question des naissances tardives," 
 
 period. Amst. and Par. , 1766, 2 vols. 
 
 3 On reports: Rene Gendri, 1650; ^ "Consult. Med. -leg. s. u. Accus. 
 
 Nicolas deBlegny, 1684; J. Devaux, d'Infanticide, " 1785; "Obs. Chir.- 
 
 1693; Prevot, 1753; H. M. Maret, leg.," 1790; "Med. -leg.," 1809; 
 
 1757. On signs of death: P. E. "Consult, et Rapp. surd i verses obj. 
 
 Dionis, 1718 ; J. B. Winslow, 1740; d. Med. -leg.," 1824; "Mem. med.- 
 
 S. J. Bruhier, 1745. leg. s. 1. Viabilite, " 1826 : " Consult. 
 
 ^ On the signs of death, 1752; on Med. -leg. s. u. cas d'amp. d. 1. 
 
 the distinction between suicide and Cuisse, " 1828.
 
 INTRODUCTION. XVll 
 
 larged form in 1S13.' This last edition is an exhaustive treatise 
 upon all branches of legal medicine and public hygiene, and 
 won for its author the appointment as Professor of Forensic 
 Medicine in the University of Strassburg. 
 
 At about the same period appeared the works of Mahon' 
 and of Belloc, " both of which went through three editions in ten 
 years, and those of Biess3^' 
 
 The most industrious and original of French professors of 
 legal medicine was Orfila. A native of Minorca, he graduated 
 in medicine at Paris in 1811, and devoting himself to chemical 
 and toxicological investigations, published the first edition of 
 his " Traite des Poisons" in 1814. This work, which may be 
 regarded as the foundation of experimental and forensic toxi- 
 cology, went through five editions to 1852, and was translated 
 into sevei-al foreign languages. The first edition of his " Legons 
 de Medecine legale" appeared in 1821, and the fovirth in 1848. 
 Besides these Orfila published a work on the treatment of 
 asphyxia and a great number of papers on medico-legal subjects, 
 principally in the Annales cV Hygiene, of which he was one of 
 the founders with Andral, Esquirol, Leuret, and Devergie. 
 Orfila occupied the chair of chemistry and medical jurispru- 
 dence in the University of Paris for upward of thirty years, and 
 was employed as expert in innumerable cases before the courts. 
 
 Contemporaneous with Orfila, and almost as prominent, was 
 Devergie, the first edition of whose "Medecine legale," in three 
 volumes, appeared in 1836, and the third in 1852. 
 
 In 1820 the first edition of the Manual of Briand and Bros- 
 son was published. This work, the tenth edition of which was 
 published in 1879, is the first in which a jurist was associated 
 with a phj'sician in the authorship, '" and is one of five of which 
 one of the authors is a lawyer." 
 
 '"Les Lois eclairees par les Sci- * lu the later editions Chaude took 
 
 ences physiques, " Par. , 1798, 3 vols., the place of Brosson, and a chemist, 
 
 8vo ; "Traite de Med. -leg. etd'Hyg. J. Bonis, was added, 
 
 puhl.," Par., 1813, 6 vols., 8vo. « Devergie, "Med. -leg.," 1836, 
 
 ■^ "Med. -leg. ," etc., Rouen, 1801; contains a legal chapter by de 
 
 Paris, 1807, 1811. Robecourt. Paris and Fonblanque, 
 
 ■'"Cours. de Med. -leg. ," Paris, "Med. Jurispr. ," Lond., 1823; 
 
 1809,1811, 1819. Wharton and Stille, "Med. Jur.." 
 
 •* " Apergu et obs. s. 1. Med. -leg. ," Phila. , 1855; Le Grand du Saule, 
 
 Lyon, 1811; "Secours aux Asphyx- Berryer et Poucliet. "Tr. de Med.- 
 
 ies, " Lyon, 1818; "Man. d. Med.- leg. de Jur. med. et de Tox.," 2d 
 
 leg.," Lyon, 1831. ed., Par., 1881. 
 2
 
 XViil INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Special treatises on the medico-legal relations of insanity 
 were published by Georget (1821), Falvet (1828), Esquirol 
 (1838), and Marc (1840), and on midwifery by Capuron (1821). 
 
 Tardieu, Professor of Legal Medicine in the University of 
 Paris (1861-79), published a most important series of mono- 
 graphs on hygienic and medico-legal subjects,' besides man}- 
 papers, principally in the Annales d^ Hygiene, etc., and testi- 
 fied before the courts in many " causes celebres.'^ 
 
 The first work of medico-legal interest to appear in Ger- 
 many was the " Medicus-Politicus" of Rodericus a Castro, a 
 Portuguese Jew living in Hamburg, printed in 1614, which 
 deals principally with medical ethics and the relations of physi- 
 cians, but contains chapters on simulated diseases, poisoning, 
 wounds, drowning, and virginit}".'' 
 
 It was only toward the end of the seventeenth century that the 
 subject was scientifically treated, and during the latter part of the 
 seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth great 
 progress was made in the development of forensic medicine in 
 Germany. Johannes Bohn, one of the originators of the experi- 
 mental method of investigation in physiological chemistry and 
 physics, at the University of Leipzig, was also one of the earli- 
 est German contributors to the literature of legal medicine. 
 Besides smaller works he published two noteworthy treatises : 
 in 1689 a work on the examination of wounds and the distinc- 
 tion between ante-mortem and post-mortem wounds, and be- 
 tween death by injur}', strangulation, and drowning.' In 1704 
 a work giving rules for the conduct of ph3'sicians in attending 
 the sick and in giving evidence in the courts.^ At about the 
 same period M. B. Valentini, professor in the University of 
 Giessen, published three important works, containing collec- 
 tions of medico-legal cases, and of the opinions and decisions 
 
 '" Sur les Attentats aux Moeurs, " fuit exhibitiim ; cap. xi. : testifi- 
 
 1st ed., 1857; 7th ed., 1878; "Sur candi ratio Id viilneribus capitis; 
 
 I'Avortement, " 1856, 1861, 1868 ; et in iis qui aqua fueiunt suflFocati ; 
 
 "SuriaPendaison,"etc., 1865, 1870, cap. xii. : Quomodo amissa virgin- 
 
 1879; "Sur rEnipoisounement" itas : et alterius utrius conjugis 
 
 (with Z. Roussin), 1867, 1875 ; "Sur sterilitas deprehendatur. 
 
 rinfanticide, " 1868 ; "Sur laFolie, " ^"De renuuciatioue vulnerum," 
 
 1872 ;" Sur lesBlessures," 1879; "Sur etc.. Lips., 1689, 8vo ("Egregium 
 
 les Maladies, etc. , " 1879. opus, " Haller) . 
 
 '-' Lib. iv. , cap. ix. : Qua ratione •* "De officio niedici duplici, cliu- 
 
 morbum siniulantes d e p r e h e n d i ico niniirum et foreusi, " Lips. , 1704, 
 
 queaut ; cap. x. : testiiicandi me- 4to ("Eximius liber, " Haller) . 
 thodus circa eos, quibus venenum
 
 INTRODUCTION. xix 
 
 of previous writers. ' Another extensive collection of cases and 
 decisions was published in ITOG by J. F. Zittmann, from a MS. 
 left b}^ Professor C. J. Lange, of the University of Leipzig;' 
 and still another b}' J. S. Hasenesf* appeared in 1755. 
 
 During the latter part of the eighteenth century, the Ger- 
 mans cultivated legal medicine assiduousl}^ and a great number 
 of works upon the subject were published. Among these may 
 be mentioned those of M. Alberti, professor at the University 
 of Halle; ' H. F. Teichmej-er, of the University of Jena; ' A. O. 
 Golicke, of the universities of Halle and Duisburg, who was 
 the first to prepare a bibliography of the subject ; ° J. F. Fasel 
 (Faselius), professor at Jena;' J. E. Hebenstreit and C. S. 
 Ludwig, professors at Leipzig;* C. F. Daniel, of Halle;* J. 
 D. Metzger, professor at Konigsberg, the author of a number 
 of works, one of which, a compendium, was translated into 
 several other languages; '° J. V. Mliller, of Frankfurt ; " J. C. 
 T. Schlegel, who collected a series of more than forty disserta- 
 tions by various writers;'" M. M. Sikora, of Prague;'^ J. J. 
 von Plenck, professor in Vienna, who published a work on 
 forensic medicine and one on toxicology;" K. F. Uden, sub- 
 sequenth" professor in St. Petersburg, who was the first to 
 publish a periodical journal devoted to legal medicine, Avhich 
 
 ' "PandectfB Medico-legales, " ' "Elementa Medicinfe forensis, " 
 
 etc.. Francof. , 1701, 4to ; ''NovellEe Jena, 1767, published posthumously. 
 
 Medico-legales, " etc., Francof., ** Hebenstreit : " Anthropologia 
 
 1711, 4to ; "'Corpus Juris Medico- forensis," Lips., 1753; Ludwig: 
 
 legale, " etc. , Francof., 1723, fol. "Institutiones Medicinae forensis," 
 
 - "'Medicina forensis, hoc est re- ed. 2, Lips., 177-1. 
 
 sponsa facultatis niedicEe Lipsiensis '"'Beitrage zur medicinischen 
 
 ad qua?.-itiones et casus medicinales, Gelehrsamkeit, " etc., Halle. 17-18- 
 
 ab anno 1650 usque 1700, " Francof. , 54; "Samnilung medicinischen 
 
 1706, 2 vols. , 4to. . . . Zeugnissen," etc., Leipz., 
 
 ^ "Der medicinischeRichter, oder 1776; " lustitutionum Medicinae 
 
 Acta phvsico-medico forensia Col- publicfe, " etc., Lips.. 1778. 
 
 legii medici Onoldiui," Onolzbach, '" " Kurzgefasstes System der ge- 
 
 1755, 4to. richtlichen Arznej'wissenschaf t, " 
 
 * "Systema Jurisprudentiae Med- Konigsb. u. Leipz.. 1793. 
 
 icae, " etc., 6 vols., 4to, Halle, Leip- " "Entwurf der gerichtlichen 
 
 zig, and Gorlitz, 1725-47. Arznoiwissenschaft, " etc., Frankf., 
 
 * "Institutiones Medicinae legalis 1796-1801, 4 vols. 
 
 et forensis, " Jena, 1723, 1731, 1740, '- " Collectio Opusculorum selecto- 
 
 1762. rum ad Mediciuain forensem spec- 
 
 * "Medicina forensis demonstra- tantium," Lips., 1785-90, 6 vols, 
 tiva, " etc., Frankf., ad Viadr., ^^ "Conspectus* Medicina? legalis, " 
 1723; "lutroductio inhistoriani lit- etc., Prague, 1780. 
 terariamscriptorumqui medicinam '■* "Elementa Medicinae etChirur- 
 forensem commentarius suis illus- giae forensis, " Viennse, 1781; "Tox- 
 traverunt, " Frankf., 1723, 1735. icologia, " etc. . Viennae, 1785.
 
 XX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 was afterward continued by J. F. Pyl at Stendal;' and J. C. 
 Fahner.' 
 
 At this period compends for students were published in Ger- 
 many, which indicate by their number the extent to which this 
 science was the subject of study. Among these those of Ludwig 
 (17G5), Kannegieser (1768), von Plenck (1781), Frenzel (1791), 
 Loder (1791), Amemann (1793), Metzger (1800), and Roose 
 may be mentioned. 
 
 The Germans of the present century have maintained the 
 pre-eminence in legal medicine achieved by their forefathers. 
 Among a great number of investigators and writers a few may 
 be mentioned : C. F. L. Wildberg, professor at Rostock, was a 
 most prolific writer, edited a journal devoted to state medicine, 
 and contributed a valuable bibliographj' of the subject;' A. F. 
 Hecker, professor at Erfurth and afterward at Berlin, and J. 
 H. Kopp each edited and contributed extensively to a medico- 
 legal journal." A much more important periodical was estab- 
 lished in 1821 by Adolph Henke, professor in Berlin, and was 
 continuously published until 1864. Henke also wrote a great 
 number of articles and a text-book on legal medicine." Jos. 
 Bernt, professor at Vienna, published a collection of cases, a 
 systematic treatise, and a number of monographs," as well as 
 the MS. work left by his predecessor in the chair, F. B. Vietz. 
 A handbook containing an excellent history of medico-legal 
 science was published by L. J. C. Mende, professor at Grief s- 
 wald,' who also contributed a number of monographs, chiefly 
 on obstetrical subjects. K. W. N. Wagner contributed but lit- 
 tle to the literature of the subject, but it was chiefly by his 
 
 ' Magazin fiir die gerichtliche and 1849 Wildberg published fifteen 
 
 Arzneikunde und niedicinische Po- books and treatises on medico-legal 
 
 lizei, Stendal, 1782-87, 6 vols. Pyl subjects. 
 
 also published "Aufsatze und Be- ■» Kritische Jahrb. f. d. Staats- 
 
 obachtungen aus der gerichtlichen arznk. f. d. xix. Jahrh. , 1806-09. 
 
 Arzneiwissenschaft, ■" Berlin, 1783- Jahrb. d. Staatsarznk. , 1808-19. 
 
 9.3, 8 vols. Uden was the first to ^ Zeitschrift fiir die Staatsarznei- 
 
 edit a medical journal in Russia. kunde, Erlangen, 1821-64, 118 vols. ; 
 
 2 "Vollstandiges System der ge- "Lehrbuchderger. Med.," Ite Aufl., 
 
 richtlichen Arzneykunde, " Stendal, Berlin, 1812, 13te Aufl. , Berlin, 
 
 1795-1800: ^'Beitrage zur prakti- 1859. 
 
 schen und gerichtlichen Arznei- « "Visa Reperta," Wien. 1827-45, 
 
 kunde," Stendal. 1799. 3 vols. ; "Systematisches Handb. d. 
 
 ■ Jahrb. der gesam. Staatsarznei- ger. Med.," Wien, Ite Aufl., 1813, 
 
 kunde. Leipzig, 1835-40, 7 vols.; 5teAufl. , 1846. 
 
 • Bibliotheca Medicinte publicje." ' "Ausfiihrl. Handb. d. ger. 
 
 Berol., 1819, 2 vols. Between 1804 Med.," Leipzig, 1819-32, 6 vols.
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxi 
 
 efforts, while professor in the University of Berlin, that a 
 department for instruction in state medicine was established 
 there in 1832. A. H. Nicolai, also professor at Berlin, pub- 
 lished a handbook ' besides numerous articles in the journals. 
 F. J. Siebenhaar published an encyclopsBdia of legal medicine, 
 and in 1842 established a journal devoted to state medicine, 
 which in its continuations was published until 1872." J. B. 
 Friedreich, professor at Erlangen, after editing a journal de- 
 voted to state medicine from 1844 to 1849, established one of 
 the most important of current medico-legal periodicals in 1850,^ 
 to both of which he was a frequent contributor until his death 
 in 1862. Ludwig Choulant, professor at Dresden, and more 
 widely known as the author of important contributions to the 
 history of medicine, published two series of reports of medico- 
 legal investigations." 
 
 The foremost forensic physician of this period in Germany 
 was unquestionably John Ludwig Casper, professor in the 
 University of Berlin and "forensic physician" (gerichtlicher 
 Physicus) to that city, who greatly extended the department 
 established in the university under Wagner. He made in- 
 numerable investigations, some of which are preserved in sev- 
 eral collections of cases, '^ others in his classic Handbook," and 
 still others in the periodical which he established in 1852, and 
 which is now the most important current medico-legal journal.' 
 
 It is necessary in this place to make mention of one work 
 by living authors, as its appearance marked a new departure in 
 medico-legal literature, and as in it the fact that forensic med- 
 
 i"Handb. d. ger. Med.," Berlin, Statistik," etc., Berl., 1846; "Ge- 
 
 1841. richtl. Leichen-Oeffnungen, " Berl., 
 
 - "Enzyklop. Haudb. d. ger. Arz- 1851-53, 1850-52; "KlinischeNovel- 
 
 neyk.," Leipzig, 1838-40, 2 vols. ; len,"etc., Berl., 1863. 
 
 Magazin f . die Staatsarzneykunde. "^''Tract. Handb. d. ger. Med.," 
 
 3 Ceutralarch. f. d. ges". Staats- Berl., Ite Aufl. , 1857-58 ; 8te Aiifl., 
 
 arznk. , Ansbach, 1844-49; Blatter Berl., 1889, also translation of (reo. 
 
 f. d. gerichtliche Anthropologie. Balfour, New Sydenham Soc. . Lon- 
 
 Erlangen, 1850, now published at don, 1861-65. The fourth and suc- 
 
 Erlangeu under the title Fried- ceeding editions, published after 
 
 reich's Blatter f. ger. Med. u. Sani- Casper's death (1864). were edited by 
 
 tatspolizei. Karl Liman, his successor in the 
 
 ^ "Gutachten u. AufsJitze, " etc., chair of medical jurisprudence (d. 
 
 Leipzig, 1847; "Auswahl von Gut- 1892). 
 
 achten," etc., Dresden. 1853. ' Vierteljahresschr. f. ger. u. of- 
 
 '"Beitrage z. medicin. Statis- fentl. Med. . Berl. . 1852, edited after 
 
 tik," etc., Berl.. 1825-35, 2 vols.; Casper's death by Horn. 1865-70, 
 
 " Denkwiirdigkeiten z. medicin. Eulenberg, 1871-90, Wernicli, 1891.
 
 XXll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 icine extends over so wide a field of inquiiy as to require 
 treatment at the hands of specialists was first recognized. To 
 Josef von Maschka, professor in the University of Prague, the 
 credit -is due of having been the first to produce, with the col- 
 laboration of twenty-two colleagues, a trul}' systematic work on 
 modern forensic medicine.' 
 
 English works upon this subject did not exist prior to the 
 present century, '^ although physicians were emplo3'ed b}" the 
 courts to determine medical questions of fact at a much earlier 
 date. Paris and Fonblanque, in the third Appendix of their 
 " Medical Jurisprudence, " give the text of reports by the Colleges 
 of Physicians of London and of Edinburgh concerning the cause 
 of death as early as 1632 and 1687 respectively.' 
 
 Lectures on medical jurisprudence were given at the Uni- 
 versity of Edinburgh by A. Duncan, Sr., at least as early as 
 1792.* The title of Professor of Medical Jurisprudence in a 
 British university was conferred for the first time, however, 
 upon A. Duncan, Jr., at the University of Edinburgh in 
 1806.' 
 
 The first English work on medical jurisprudence worthy of 
 consideration is the medical classic known as Percival's " Med- 
 ical Ethics." This was first published in 1803, and contains in 
 
 1 "Handb. d. ger. Med.," Ti'ibin- his " Elements of Medical Jurispru- 
 
 gen. 1881-83, 4 vols. dence, " to which Percival ("Med. 
 
 ■-■ Daniel: "Bibl. d. Staatsarznk. , " Ethics," Oxford, 1849, p. 102) justly 
 
 Halle. 1784, No. 107, mentions: refers as " a valuable epitome of S. 
 
 "E. Prat, Rationarium chirurgi- F. Faselii's "Elementa Medicina? 
 
 cum, oder nothwendiges Handbuch Forensis [Regiom., 4to, 1787], in 
 
 des Wundarztes, wie er Bericht an English by Dr. Farr. " 
 
 die Obrigkeit thun soil u. s. w., aus ^ "'Med. Jur. ," iii., p. 226 seq. 
 
 dem Engl.," Harab., 1684. 4, 690. 8. Report that Joseph Lane died of poi- 
 
 The same title is reproduced by son (1628). Report that Sir James 
 
 Wildberg (No. 239) in 1819, and the Standsfield was strangled and not 
 
 edition of 1684 is mentioned by drowned, with account of autopsy 
 
 Ploucquet, "Initia" (1803), Suppf. (1687). Also extracts from the 
 
 iv., 36, and "Lift. med. dig." medical evidence in the cases of 
 
 (1809), iii., 54, the name of the au- Spencer Cowper (from 13 Howell's 
 
 thor being given as "Pratt (Elias)." "State Trials") : Mary Blandy (Ox- 
 
 This may be an early work by Ellis ford, 1752) ; John Donellan (War- 
 
 Pratt, but we can find no mention wick, 1781) ; and R. S. Donnall 
 
 of it elsewhere. In the years 1734, (Launceston, 1817). 
 
 1761. and 1787 dissertations onabor- •* "Heads of Lectures on Medical 
 
 tion were defended at Edinburgh Jurisprudence, or the Institutiones 
 
 by Arnot, Harris, and Murray. Medicinge legalis," vi., 24 pp., 8vo, 
 
 Three treatises on death from suffo- Edinb. , 1792. 
 
 cation by Goodwyn. Frank, and ^ ggg. g^p]^ . "Med. Jur. ," 7th ed., 
 
 Coleman "appeared in 1788-91. In xvi. , and note. 
 1788 S. Farr published at London
 
 INTRODUCTION. XXlll 
 
 its fourth chapter an admirable epitome of legal medicine. ' A 
 more elaborate work, based very largely, however, upon the 
 writings of continental authors, was published by G. E. Male 
 in 1816.'' In 1821 Professor John Gordon Smith published the 
 first systematic treatise on forensic medicine,^ and was one of 
 the first in Great Britain to show the importance of the subject. 
 Two years later, in 1823, appeared the elaborate and 
 scholarly work of Dr. Paris and Mr. Fonblanque, the first in 
 the English language in whose authorship members of the 
 medical and legal professions were associated.* In 1831, Prof. 
 Michael Ryan published the first edition of his " Manual of 
 Medical Jurisprudence" from the memoranda of his lectures on 
 the subject in the Westminster School of Medicine.^ A similar 
 work was published by Professor T. S. Traill, of the Univer- 
 sity of Edinburgh, in 1836." The awakened interest in medico- 
 legal subjects among the medical profession during the decade 
 1830-40 is evidenced bj^ the publication in the medical jour- 
 nals of the lectures of A. Amos, in 1830-31; of A. T. Thomson, 
 at the London University, in 1834-35; of H. Graham, at West- 
 minster Hospital, in 1835; of W. Cummin, at the Aldersgate 
 Street School, in 1836-37; and of T. Southwood Smith, at the 
 Webb Street Theatre of Anatomy, in 1837-38.' 
 
 ' In the preface Dr. Percival says : Edinb. M. andS. Jour., and "Hints 
 
 "'This work was originally entitled for the Examination of Medical 
 
 'Medical Jurisprudence, ' but some AVitnesses. " Lond., 1839, died at 
 
 friends having objected to the term the age of forty-one in 1833, after 
 
 Juviapritdence it has been changed fifteen months' imprisonment in a 
 
 to Ethics.'' An unfinished and un- debtors' prison. 
 
 pnhlished edition, written prior to ^ "Med. Jur. ," 3 vols. , 8vo, Lon- 
 
 1794 and containing Chapter IV., don, 1823. See note 1, p. v. 
 
 was printed about 1800 (see Editor's = "A Manual of Med. Jur.," Lon- 
 
 Preface, p. 2, and note. Author's don, 1831, 2d ed., 1836, Amer. ed., 
 
 Preface, pp. 25. 26, ed. Oxford, 1849). with notes by R. E. Griffith, Phila., 
 
 - " An Epitome of Juridical or Fo- 1832. 
 
 rensic Medicine," etc., viii., 199 •*" Outlines of a Course of Lectures 
 
 pp., 8vo, i^ondon, 1816, also in Th. on Med. Jur.," Edinb., 1836, 2d ed., 
 
 Cooper's "Tracts on Med. Jur.," 1840, Amer. ed., Phila., 1841. 
 
 Phila., 1819. In the preface the 'A. Amos, Loud. M. Gaz., 1830. 
 
 author refers to the lectures of Prof . vii. ; 1831, viii. A. T. Thomson, 
 
 Duncan. Lond. M. and S. J., 1834-35. vi. ; 
 
 ^ This excellent work ("ThePrin- 1835, vii. ; also Lond. Lancet. 1836- 
 
 ciples of Forensic Medicine") went 37, 1., ii. (Thomson's lectures were 
 
 through three editions in six A'ears. printed in (rernian in book form, 
 
 Dr. Smith, who was a teacher of Leipzig, 1840.) H. Graham, Lond. 
 
 medical jurisprudence in the Royal M. and S. J.. 1835, vi., vii. W. 
 
 Institution, Westminster Hospital, Cummin, Lond. M. (xaz. , 1836 37, 
 
 and University of London, aud also xix. T. S. Smith, Lond. M. Gaz., 
 
 published a number of papers in the 1837-38, xxi. ; 1838, xxii.
 
 xxiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Among the uofceworthy contributions to the science previous 
 to 1850 are the sA'-ritings of Dease (1808), Haslam (1817,)' Cliris- 
 ti&on, the successor of Professor Duncan in the University of 
 Edinburgh, and best known as a toxicologist, Forsyth (1829),* 
 Chitty (1834),= Watson (1837),^ Brady (1839),^ Skae (1840)," 
 Pagan (1840),' and Sampson (1841).' 
 
 In 1836, Dr. Alfred Swaine Taylor (b. 1806, d. 1880), the 
 first Professor of Medical Jurisprudence in Guy's Hospital, pub- 
 lished his "Elements of Medical Jurisprudence." This, the 
 most important work upon the subject in the English language, 
 is now in its twelfth English and eleventh American edition. 
 During forty years of devotion to forensic medicine Dr. Taylor 
 also contributed other important works and numerous papers, 
 published for the most part in the Reports of Guy's Hospital.' 
 In 1844, Dr. Wm. A. Guy, Professor of Forensic Medicine in 
 King's College, published the first edition of his excellent 
 work." In 1858, Fr. Ogston, Professor of Medical Jurispru- 
 dence in the University of Aberdeen, published a syllabus and 
 subsequently (1878) a complete report of his lectures." In 1883, 
 CM. Tidy, Professor of Chemistry and Forensic Medicine in 
 the London Hospital, who had previously (1877) been associ- 
 ated with W. B. Woodman in the authorship of a valuable hand- 
 book, began the publication of a more extended work, which 
 was interrupted by his death in 1892.''' 
 
 ' Dease : " Med. Jur. , " and Has- ed. , Lond. , 1875. " Lectures on 
 
 lam: "Med. Jur. Insanity," along Med. Jur.," Lond. M. Gaz., 1846, 
 
 with the treatises of Farr and of n. s., ii., iii. ; 1847, n. s., iv. Ar- 
 
 Male, are reprinted in Cooper's tides on arsenic, antimony, strych- 
 
 "Tractson Med. Jur.,"Phila., 1819. nin, and other toxicological sub- 
 
 '^ "Synop. Mod. Med. Jur., "Lond., jects, strangulation, blood-stains, 
 
 1829. etc., in Guy's Hosp. Repts. 
 
 3 "Treatise on Med. Jur.," Lond., '»" Principles of Forensic Medi- 
 
 1834; Phila., 1836. cine," Lond., 1844. The work is 
 
 " " Homicide by External Vio- now in its sixth edition, Prof. D. 
 
 lence, " Lond., 1837. Ferrier, Dr. Guy's successor in 
 
 * "Med. Jur.," Dublin, 1839. King's College, having been associ- 
 ^ " Cases in Leg. Med. , " Edinb. , ated in the authorship of the 4th ed. 
 
 1840. in 187.5 and subsequently. 
 
 ' " Med. Jur. of Insanity, " Lond., " " Lectures on Med. Jur. , " edited 
 
 1840. by Fr. Ogston, Jr., Lond., 1878. 
 
 * " Criminal Jurisprudence in re- '- Woodman and Tidy : " A Handy- 
 lation to Mental Organization, " Lon- book of Forensic Medicine and Tox- 
 don, 1841. icology, " Lond. and Phila., 1877. 
 
 '•' Principles and Practice of Med. Tidy, "Legal Medicine, " 3 vols., 
 
 Jur.," 1st ed., Lond., 1865; 8ded., Lond.. 1882-83; also, Phila., 2 
 
 Lond., and Phila., 1883. "On vols., 1882-84: New York, 3 vols.. 
 
 Poisons," 1st ed., Lond., 1848; 3d 1882-84.
 
 INTRODUCTION. XXV 
 
 The first Spanish work on legal medicine was that of Juan 
 Fernandez del Valles, printed in 1796-97. ' No further contribu- 
 tion to medico-legal literature was furnished by Spain until the 
 appearance in 1834 of the work of Peiro and Rodrigo, which 
 went through four editions in ten years.' Ten years later, in 
 1844, Pedro Mata, Professor of Legal Medicine and Toxicolog}- 
 at Madrid, published the first edition of a work, which in the 
 development of its subsequent editions, has become the most 
 important on the subject in the Spanish language.^ 
 
 The first Portuguese medico-legal treatise was that of Jose 
 Ferreira Borjes, first printed at Paris in 1832." 
 
 A posthumously published report of the lectures of Albrecht 
 von Haller was the earliest Swiss work on forensic medicine.* 
 
 In Sweden the earliest medico-legal publication was a com- 
 prehensive treatise by Jonas Kiernander, in 1776," which was 
 followed in 1783 by a translation of Hebenstreit, by R. Mar- 
 tin. The voluminous writings of the brothers Wistrand (A. 
 T. and A. H.), including a handbook, were published at Stock- 
 holm, between 1836 and 1871. Between 1846 and 1873, several 
 articles upon medico-legal subjects were published at Helsing- 
 fors, in Finland, by E. J. Bonsdorff, O. E. Dahl, and J. A. 
 Estlander. In 1838 Skielderup^ published his lectures on legal 
 medicine, delivered at Christiania, and Orlamundt * published 
 a handbook at Copenhagen in 1843. The earliest recognition 
 of medico-legal science in Russia was in the lectures of 
 Balk," begun in 1803 at the then newly founded University of 
 Dorpat. 
 
 Although dissertations upon subjects of medico-legal inter- 
 est were published at the University of Leyden as early as the 
 
 ' "CirurgiaForense, "etc., Svols. , •* "Instituigoes de Medicina fo- 
 
 12ino, Madrid, 1796-97. Wildberg rense, " Paris, 1832 ; 2d ed. , Lisbon, 
 
 mentions two earlier monographs : 1840. 
 
 "De partu Septimestri," Antvv. , ^ " Vorlesungen iiber die gericht- 
 
 1568, by F. Mena, phjsician in or- liche Arzneiwisseuschaft, " 3 vols., 
 
 dinary to Philip II. ; and "Diez 12mo, Bern, 1728-84. 
 
 privilegios para mugeres prennan- "^ "Utkasttil Medicinal-Lagfaren- 
 
 t€s, " Complut., 1606, by J. A. de heten, " etc. (Project of medical 
 
 Fontechia, professor at Alcala de jnrisprudence, etc.) Stockh., 1776. 
 
 Henares. " " Forelaesninger over den legale 
 
 - "Elementos de Medicina y Medicin," Christiania, 1838. 
 
 Cirurgia legal," etc. , Madrid, 1834; s"Haandbog i don legale Medi- 
 
 4th ed., Zaragossa, 1844. cin, " Kj^benhavn, 1843. 
 
 " "Tratadode Medicina y Cirurgia ^"Versuch eines Umrisses der 
 
 legal, " etc. , Madrid, 1844; Hthed., philosophisch. -medizinischeu Ju- 
 
 4 vols. , 8vo, Madrid, 1874-75. risprudenz, " u. s. w., Dorpat, 1803
 
 XXVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 middle of the seventeenth century,' and the works of Pineau," 
 Zacchias," Ludwig,' von Plenk/ and Metzger* were printed in 
 Holland, either in Latin or in the vernacular, no original sys- 
 tematic work on legal medicine in the Dutch language has yet 
 appeared. 
 
 The onlj^ Belgian contribution to the literature of forensic 
 medicine, other than articles in the journals, is a text-book by 
 A. Dambre, first published at Ghent in 1859.' 
 
 Two medico-legal works have been printed in the Japanese 
 language, one a report of the lectures of Professor Ernst Tiegel, 
 at the University of Tokio," the other a treatise by Katayama.* 
 
 In the United States the development of forensic medicine 
 has kept pace with that in the mother country. In an intro- 
 ductory address delivered at the University of Pennsylvania in 
 1810, the distinguished Dr. Benjamin Rush dwelt eloquently 
 upon the importance of the subject.'" In 1813, Dr. James S. 
 Stringham was appointed Professor of Medical Jurisprudence in 
 the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, and a sylla- 
 bus of his lectures was published in the following year. " At 
 the same period (1812-13) Dr. Charles Caldwell delivered a 
 course of lectures on medical jurisprudence in the University 
 of Pennsylvania.'^ In 1815, Dr. T. R. Beck was appointed Lec- 
 turer on Medical Jurisprudence in the College of Physicians and 
 Surgeons of the Western District of the State of New York; 
 and soon after Dr. Walter Channing was appointed Professor of 
 Midwifery and Medical Jurisprudence in Harvard University. 
 In 1823, Dr. Williams, in the Berkshire Medical Institute, and 
 Dr. Hale, of Boston, each lectured upon the subject.'^ 
 
 In 1819, Dr. Thomas Cooper, formerly a judge in Pennsyl- 
 
 ' See "Wildberg: "Bibl. med. ' "Saiban igaku teiko" (Medical 
 
 leg.,"Nos. 1,198. 1.143, 1,215. Juris.), 3 vols., Tokio, 1882-84. 
 
 '^ Lugd. Bat., 1610, etc. '•'"Sixteen Introductorv Lec- 
 
 3 Amstel. 1615. tures." etc., Phila., 1811, pp. 363- 
 
 4Rotterd., 1767. 395. 
 
 ^ Lugd. Bat., 1768. " Amer. Med. and Phil. Reg., N. 
 
 6 S. Gravenh. , 1815. ^ Y. . 1814, iv. , 614. It is to be re- 
 
 ' "Traite de Medecine legale etde gretted that instruction in medical 
 
 Jurisprudence de la Medecine, " 2 jurisprudence is not now given at 
 
 vols, in 1, Gand., 1859-60; 2d ed., this school (1893). 
 
 Paris, 1878 : 3d ed. , Bruxelles, 1885. ''^ Beck : "Med. Jur. , " 7th ed. , 
 
 (See Toxicology.) xix. The Index Catalogue contains 
 
 ''"Yei sei honron " (Lectures on the titles of forty-nine works by 
 
 medical jurisprudence, translated Caldwell, none of which are medico- 
 
 by Gento Ove), 3d ed., 2 vols., legal. 
 
 Tokio, 1880. " 's geek, loc. cit.
 
 INTRODUCTION. XXvii 
 
 vaiiia, and at that time Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy 
 in the University of Pennsylvania, reprinted,, with nores and 
 additions, the English works of Farr, Deaso, Male, and Haslam." 
 The works of Ryan, Chitty, Traill, and Guy were also reprinted 
 in this country shortly after their publication in Kngland. 
 
 In 18"2:), Dr. Theodric Romeyn Beck published at Albany 
 the first edition of a treatise as admirable for scholarly elegance 
 of diction as for profound scientific research. This remarkable 
 work, facile princeps among English works on legal medicine, 
 has had twelve American and English editions, and has been 
 translated into German and Swedish.^ 
 
 Papers upon medico-legal subjects or reports of lectiu-es 
 were published by J. W. Francis,' J. Webster,' R. E. Griffith,' 
 R. Dungiison,' J. Bell,' and S. W. Williams' between 18-^:] and 
 1835. In 1840, Amos Dean, Professor of Medical Jurispru- 
 dence at the Albany Medical College, published a medico-legal 
 work, followed by another in 1854, which with the later work 
 of Elwell are the only treatises on forensic medicine upon the 
 title-pages of which no physician's name appears." 
 
 iSTumerous papers and tracts upon medico-legal subjects were 
 published by J. J. Allen, T. D. Mitchell, H. Howard, D. H. 
 Storer, J, S. Sprague, J. S. Mulford, J. F. Townsend, and A. 
 K. Taylor between 1840 and 1855. In the latter year appeared 
 the first edition of the admirable work of F'rancis Wharton and 
 Dr. More ton Stille, the first American product of the collabora- 
 tion of members of the two professions, now in its fourth edition. '" 
 
 Between 1855 and 18(30 no systematic treatises on legal 
 
 '''Tracts on Medical Jurispru- Phila., 1829, and "Syllabus of a 
 
 denc3, "etc., Phila., 1819. Course of Lectures on . . . Medical 
 
 '^ " Elements of Medical Jurispru- Jurisprudence in the Philadelphia 
 
 deuce," 3 vols., 8vo, Albany, 1823; Medical Institute" [n. p., n. d.J. 
 
 12th ed., 2 vols., 8vo, Phila., 1863. >* -'A Catechism of Medical Juris- 
 
 A chapter on Infanticide by John prudence, " etc., Northam])tou. 1835. 
 
 B. Beck was added to the third edi- " Dean (A.) : "Mainial of IMedical 
 
 tion. This and later editions are Jmisprudeuce," Albany, 1840 ; Dean 
 
 "byT. R. and J. B. Beck." (A.) : "Principles of ' IMedical Ju- 
 
 ' N. Y. Med. and Phys. Jour.. risi)rudence," Albany, 18.~)4 : Elwell 
 
 1823, ii., 9-30. (J. J.) , "Medicolegal Treatise on 
 
 - "An Essay on Medical -Airispru- Malpractice and Evidence." Np\v 
 
 dence, " Phila. , 1824. York, 1S60; 4th ed.. New York 
 
 '- Pliila. J. M- and Pliys. Sc. , 1825, 1881 . 
 
 X. , 3(5— 1(). "' " M H d i c a 1 Jurisprudence. " 
 
 ""Syllabus of Lectures," etc., Phila.. 1855. 4th ed . ►^dited by R 
 
 Univ, of Va. , 1827. .Atnnry and K .S Wood, 3 vols.. 
 
 ' " An Introductory Address, " etc. , Pliila . , 1884.
 
 XXVin INTRODUCTION. 
 
 medicine were published, although the medical journals con- 
 tained numerous articles bearing upon the subject. In 1860 
 the first edition of a treatise written from the legal aspect was 
 published by J. J. El well.' In 1801) Dr. J. Ordronaux, recently 
 deceased, widely known as a teacher of legal medicine and a 
 graduate in law r,s well as in medicine, published a treatise 
 which has been extensively used as a text-book.^ At the pres- 
 ent time the great number and variety of articles published in 
 the medical and legal journals, bearing upon every branch of 
 forensic medicine and of medical jurisprudence, and written for 
 the most part by specialists, is evidence of the assiduity with 
 which the science is cultivated. 
 
 The wide appreciation of the importance of medico-legal 
 science in the United States is also indicated b}" the fact that 
 at the present time there are but few medical schools in which 
 the subject is not taught. To ascertain the extent of medico- 
 legal instruction at the present time, a circular of inquiry was 
 sent to the deans of 124 medical schools and of 56 law schools in 
 the United States and British provinces. Answ^ers w^ere received 
 from 103 medical colleges. Of these only 3 are without a teacher 
 of "medical jurisprudence." In 38 the teacher is a phj'sician, 
 in 50 he is a lawyer, in 5 he is a graduate in both professions, 
 and 3 have two teachers, one a lawyer, the other a physician 
 The average number of lectures given is 21, and the average in 
 those schools in which the teacher is a lawj^er, and therefore 
 presumably teaches only medical jurisprudence, is 15. The 
 medico-legal relations of their subjects are taught in their lec- 
 tures by the neurologist in 62 schools, by the surgeon in 66, by 
 the obstetrician in 69, and by the chemist (toxicology) in 91. 
 It appears from these reports that not only is the importance of 
 medico-legal science appreciated, but that in the majority of 
 our medical schools the distinction betw^een medical jurispru- 
 dence and forensic medicine is recognized in the fact that the 
 instructor is a lawyer, who presumably teaches medical juris- 
 prudence, wdiile the different branches of forensic medicine and 
 toxicology are taught by the specialists most competent to 
 deal with them. Eveiy practising physician requires thorough 
 
 ' "A Medico-legal Treatise on ^ "Tlie Jurisprudence of Medi- 
 
 Malpracticeand Medical Evidence," cine," etc., Phila., 1869. 
 N. Y. , 1860; 4th ed., N. Y., 1881.
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxix 
 
 instruction in medical jurisprudence, which, being strictly legal, 
 is best taught by one whose profession is the law. The general 
 practitioner only requires so much knowledge of the different 
 branches of forensic medicine as will enable him to intelligently 
 fulfil his obligations in such medico-legal cases as will be forced 
 upon him as results of his ordinary practice. He can become 
 a medical exjDert only by a particular study of and a large ex- 
 perience in some particular branch of the subject. 
 
 In our law schools the teaching of medico-legal science is 
 not as general as in schools of medicine. Of 35 law schools, 
 only 10 have professors of medical jurisprudence. Of these 
 are law3^ers, 1 is a physician, 2 are graduates in both profes- 
 sions, and 1 is a doctor of divinity. 
 
 In this work the existence of specialists in the various 
 branches of medico-legal science has been recognized for the 
 first time in a treatise in the English language. Each branch 
 has been assigned to a specialist in that subject, or at least to 
 one who has made it a particular study. 
 
 In the arrangement of the matter, the primary division into 
 the three sciences of medical jurisprudence, forensic medicine, 
 and toxicology has been adopted. The division of pure medical 
 jurisprudence is contained in the present volume, while the 
 legal aspects of neurologj^ obstetrics, etc., will be treated of in 
 future volumes along with the subjects to which thej' relate. 
 In the division of forensic medicine the classification of Casper 
 has been followed: «'.e., Thanatologicalj including those 
 branches in which the subject of inquiry is a dead body (con- 
 tained in the present volume). Bio-thanatological; relating 
 to questions concerning both dead bodies and living persons (in 
 the second volume). Biological; relating to living persons (in 
 the second and third volumes). The applications of the micro- 
 scope to forensic medicine will be treated of in the second vol- 
 ume. The fourth volume will contain the division relating to 
 toxicology. 
 
 R. A. W.
 
 MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE.
 
 THE LEGAL RELATIOl^S 
 
 PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS, 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 THEIR ACQUIREMEXT OF THE RIGHT TO PRACTISE MEDICINE AND 
 
 SURGERY; THEIR LEGAL DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS; THEIR RIGHT 
 
 TO COMPENSATION; THEIR PRIYILEGES AND DUTIES WHEN 
 
 SUMMONED AS WITNESSES IN COURTS OF JUSTICE, 
 
 AND THEIR LIABILITY FOR MALPRACTICE. 
 
 BY 
 
 TRACY C. BECKER, A.B., LL.B., 
 
 Counsellor-at-Law; Professor of Criminal Law and Medical Jurisprudence in the Law 
 
 Department of the University of Buffalo; Chairman Executive Committee 
 
 New York State Bar Association, etc.
 
 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OF THE RIGHT TO PRACTISE MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 
 
 Legal Definition and History of the Terms 
 Physician and Surgeon. 
 
 At common law the right to administer drugs or medicines 
 or to perform surgical operations was free to all. And such 
 was the rule of the Roman civil law. But the importance of 
 prescribing certain educational qualifications for those who 
 made such practices their means of gaining a livelihood soon 
 became apparent, and as early as the year 1422, during the 
 reign of Henry the Fifth in England, an act of Parliament was 
 adopted forbidding any one, under a penalty of both fine and 
 imprisonment, from " using the mysterie of fysyck unless he 
 hath studied it in some university and is at least a batchellor 
 of science." 
 
 As a result of this and other statutory regulations, a class 
 of professional men grew up, who were called "physicians," 
 because they professed to have the qualifications required by 
 such legal regulations to wisely prescribe drugs and medicines 
 for the cure of diseases. A chirurgeon or surgeon — Latin, chi- 
 rurgus ; Greek, /scpoupyo's^ compounded of x^^Pj the hand, and 
 ipY^t'^, to work — as the derivation of the word shows, was one 
 who professed to cure disease or injuries by manual treatment 
 and appliances. 
 
 It would be more interesting than profitable to trace the 
 history of these terms, and of the professions of medicine and 
 surgery from the early times, when the clergy administered 
 healing to the body as well as to the soul, and when barbers 
 were generally surgeons, and blood-letting by the knife-blade 
 and the use of leeches caused the common application of the 
 term "leech" to those who practised surgery.
 
 6 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 Definition. — For the purposes of this treatise, however, it 
 will be sufficient to define the term "physician," as meaning 
 any one who professes to have the qualifications required by 
 law to practise the administration of drugs and medicines, and 
 the term "surgeon,"' as meaning any one who professes to have 
 the like qualifications to perform surgical operations, for the 
 cure of the sick or injured. 
 
 For a list of the early statutes of England relating to the 
 practice of medicine the reader may consult Ordronaux' "Ju- 
 risprudence of Medicine," p. 5, note 2. 
 
 The present statu torj^ regulations throughout the United 
 States and in England and Canada will be more particularly 
 referred to and synopsized hereafter in this volume.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ACaUIREMENT OF LEGAL RIGHT TO PRACTISE MEDICINE 
 AND SURGERY. 
 
 Now Generally Regulated by Statute. — In nearly aU of the 
 United States, as well as in England, France, Germany, and 
 other civilized and intelligent communities, the legal right to 
 practise the administration of drugs and medicines, or to per- 
 form operations in surgery for the purpose of curing diseases or 
 injuries, has for many years been the object of statutory legis- 
 lation. The necessity and propriety of regulating by law such 
 practices is generally conceded. It is manifest to all that a 
 person engaging in the practice of medicine or surgery as a 
 profession is holding himself out to the world, and especially 
 to his patients, as one qualified by education and experience to 
 possess more than ordinary skill and ability to deal with the 
 great problems of health and life. He professes to the world 
 that he is competent and qualified to enter into the closest and 
 most confidential relations with the sick and afflicted, and that 
 he is a fit and proper person to be permitted freely, and at all 
 hours and all seasons, to enter the homes, the family circle, and 
 the private chamber of persons suffering from disease or injury. 
 All this he professes and does upon his own account, and for 
 his own profit. 
 
 Statutory Regulation of the Right to Practise, 
 Constitutional. — The exercise by the States of these statutor}- 
 powers is upheld as a valid exercise of the "police power," to 
 protect the health of the communit}'. When the constitution- 
 ality of such enactments has been questioned, it has been at- 
 tacked upon the alleged ground that the statutes under ques- 
 tion unjustly discriminated in favor of one class of citizens and 
 against another class ; and as depriving those already engaged 
 in the practice of medicine or surgery of "their property with- 
 out due process of law." State v. Pennoyer, 18 Atl. Rep.,
 
 8 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 878; ex parte Spinney, 10 Nev., 323; People v. Fulda, 52 Hun 
 (N. Y.), Go-G7; Brown v. People, 11 Colo., 109. 
 
 Opinion of United States Supreme Court. — This subject 
 has been carefully considered by the United States Supreme 
 Court in a recent case, and the broad extent of the legislative 
 powers of the States to regulate such matters clearly and fully 
 declared. Dent v. West Va. (129 U. S., 114). The Court say— 
 pp. 121 et seq. — Mr. Justice Field delivering the opinion, in 
 which all the other Justices concur : " The unconstitutionality as- 
 serted consists in its [the statutes] alleged conflict with the clause 
 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which declares that no State 
 shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property-, without 
 due process of law ; the denial to the defendant of the right to 
 practise his profession, without the certificate required, consti- 
 tuting the deprivation of his vested right and estate in his pro- 
 fession, which he had jDreviously acquired. 
 
 " It is undoubtedly the right of every citizen of the United 
 States to follow any lawful calling, business, or profession he 
 may choose, subject only to such restrictions as are imposed 
 upon all persons of like age, sex, and condition. This right 
 may in many respects be considered as a distinguishing feature 
 of our republican institutions. Here all vocations are open to 
 every one on like conditions. All may be pursued as sources 
 of livelihood, some requiring years of study and great learning 
 for their successful prosecution. The interest, or, as it is some- 
 times termed, the estate acquired in them, that is, the right to 
 continue their prosecution, is often of great value to the pos- 
 sessors, and cannot be arbitrarilj' taken from them, any more 
 than their real or personal property can be thus taken. But 
 there is no arbitrary deprivation of such right where its exer- 
 cise is not permitted because of a failure to comply with condi- 
 tions imposed bj" the State for the protection of societj'. The 
 power of the State to provide for the general welfare of its 
 people authorizes it to prescribe all such regulations as, in its 
 judgment, will secure or tend to secure them against the conse- 
 quences of ignorance and incapacity as well as of deception and 
 fraud. As one means to this end it has been the practice of 
 diiferent States, from time immemorial, to exact in manj- pur- 
 suits a certain degree of skill and learning upon which the 
 communitj' maj^ confident!}' rely, their possession being gener-
 
 STATUTORY REGULATION OF THE RIGHT TO PRACTISE. 9 
 
 ally ascertained upon an examination of the parties by com- 
 petent persons, or inferred from a certificate to them in tlie 
 form of a diploma or license from an institution established for 
 instruction on the subjects, scientific and otherwise, with which 
 such pursuits have to deal. The nature and extent of the qual- 
 ifications required must depend primarily upon the judgment 
 of the State as to their necessity. If they are appropriate to 
 the calling or profession, and attainable by reasonable study or 
 application, no objection to their validit}^ can be raised because 
 of their stringency or difficulty. It is only when they have 
 no relation to such calling or profession, or are unattainable by 
 such reasonable study and application, that they can operate to 
 deprive one of his right to pursue a lawful vocation. 
 
 " Few professions require more careful preparation by one 
 who seeks to enter it than that of medicine. It has to deal 
 with all those subtle and mysterious influences upon which 
 health and life depend, and requires not onlj' a knowledge of 
 the properties of vegetable and mineral substances, but of the 
 human body in all its complicated parts, and their relation to 
 each other, as well as their influence upon the mind. The phy- 
 sician must be able to detect readily the presence of disease, and 
 prescribe appropriate remedies for its removal. Every one inay 
 have occasion to consult him, but comparatively' few can judge 
 of the qualifications of learning and skill which he possesses. 
 Reliance must be placed upon the assurance given by his 
 license, issued bj' an authorit}' competent to judge in that 
 respect, that he possesses the requisite qualifications. Due con- 
 sideration, therefore, for the protection of society, may well 
 induce the State to exclude from practice those who have not 
 such a license, or who are found upon examination not to be 
 tullj qualified. The same reasons which control in imposing 
 conditions, upon compliance with which the physician is al- 
 lowed to practise in the first instance, may call for further con- 
 ditions as new modes of treating disease are discovered, or a 
 more thorough acquaintance is obtained of the remedial proper- 
 ties of vegetable and mineral substances, or a more accurate 
 knowledge is acquired of the human system and of the agencies 
 b}' which it is affected. It would not be deemed a matter for 
 serious discussion that a knowledge of the new acquisitions of 
 the profession, as it from time to time advances in its attnin-
 
 10 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 ments for the relief of the sick and suffering, should be required 
 for continuance in its practice, but for the earnestness with 
 which the plaintiff in error insists that, by being compelled to 
 obtain the certificate required, and prevented from continuing 
 in his practice without it, he is deprived of his right and estate 
 in his profession without dvie process of law. We perceive 
 nothing in the statute which indicates an intention of the legis- 
 lature to deprive one of any of his rights. No one has a right 
 to practise medicine without having the necessary qualifications 
 of learning and skill ; and the statute only requires that who- 
 ever assumes, by offering to the community his services as a 
 physician, that he possesses such learning and skill, shall pre- 
 sent evidence of it by a certificate or license from a body desig- 
 nated by the State as competent to judge of his qualifications. 
 As we have said on more than one occasion, it may be difficult, 
 if not impossible, to give to the terms 'due process of law ' a 
 definition which will embrace every permissible exertion of 
 power affecting private rights and exclude such as are forbid- 
 den. They come to us from the law of England, from which 
 country our jurisprudence is to a great extent derived, and 
 their requirement was there designed to secure the subject 
 against the arbitrary action of the crown and place him under 
 the protection of the law. They were deemed to be equivalent 
 to 'the law of the land.' In this country the requirement is 
 intended to have a similar effect against legislative power, 
 that is, to secure the citizen against any arbitrary deprivation 
 of his rights, whether relating to his life, his liberty, or his 
 property. Legislation must necessarily vary with the different 
 objects upon which it is designed to operate. It is sufficient, 
 for the purposes of this case, to saj^ that legi;;lation is not open 
 to the charge of depriving one of his rights without due proc- 
 ess of law, if it be general in its operation upon the subjects 
 to which it relates, and is enforceable in the usual modes estab- 
 lished in the administration of government with respect to 
 kindred matters : that is, by process or proceedings adapted to 
 the nature of the case. "
 
 early common-law rule. h 
 
 Early Common-Law Rule Concerning Suits by 
 Physicians. 
 
 The common-law rule was that the physician could not sue 
 and recover for his services, though he might for the medi- 
 cines he furnished. The theory of the law followed the eti- 
 quette of his profession and forbade him from making a spe 
 cific contract for pay for his services, and obliged him to 
 receive what his patient chose to give him, which was called 
 his "honorarium.^'' 
 
 The Early Commoii-Laiv Rule No Longer in Force. — 
 As time went on this theory vanished from the law. For 
 many years it has lost its place among the rules of professional 
 etiquette. In its stead statutory provisions have been adopted 
 which forbid a recovery for services performed by persons 
 not legally authorized to practise. The right to contract with 
 the patient or with those who employ the medical man, and his 
 remedies to enforce such contracts, will be treated of hereafter. 
 
 Statutory Regulations in New York State. — Most of the 
 States of the United States have enacted statutory regulations 
 prescribing in one form or another the necessary qualifications 
 which entitle a physician or surgeon to practise, and prescrib- 
 ing penalties for practising without having complied with such 
 statutory requirements. In the State of New York such mat- 
 ters were regulated for the first time by statute in 1787. This 
 was followed by a general enactment on the subject of the 
 organization of county medical societies, and of State medical 
 societies having boards of censors, to whom was committed 
 the power to examine applicants for license to practise, and of 
 issuing licenses (Laws of 1813, p. 91). This law remained in 
 force, with certain modifications, until 1814, when all acts reg- 
 ulating the practice of medicine and surgery were repealed. 
 A history of the statutory regulations in New York State up to 
 the act of 1811 on this subject will be found in the case of 
 Bailey v. Mogg, 4 Denio, GO.' 
 
 At the time of the passage of the act of 1813, and for many 
 
 ' In that case (Bailey v. Mogg) , nostrums of every description and 
 
 the Court says of that statute (Laws admixture could now be safely pre- 
 
 of 1844, p. 406) : "The triumph was scribed, and payments therefor ex- 
 
 uow complete, for the legislature acted by authority of law. " 
 had made every man a doctor, and
 
 12 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS— BECKER. 
 
 years afterward, nearly all of the physicians in New York State 
 practised in accordance with the theories and precepts of what 
 is now called the regular or allopathic school of medicine. 
 That act provided that the physicians in the respective counties 
 of the State of New York should meet in the respective coun- 
 ties and organize county medical societies. As a consequence 
 of the fact that the physicians of that day were chiefly of the 
 allopathic school, they necessarily obtained the control of the 
 county medical societies and State medical societies. Hence 
 it became difficult, if not impossible, for physicians who wished 
 to practise upon other theories and tenets than those obtaining 
 in that school, to obtain licenses to do so. With the growth 
 ■of the homoeopathic school of medicine and the eclectic school 
 of medicine, came applications to the legislature asking for 
 those practising under those schools the same rights and priv- 
 ileges of organizing county and State societies as had been ex- 
 tended to physicians generally by the act of 1813; so that in 
 1857, by Chapter 384, the legislature of New York State enacted 
 that the homoeopathic physicians might meet in their respective 
 counties and organize county medical societies, with boards of 
 censors having the same powers and privileges which were 
 granted by the act of 1813; and by other laws similar privileges 
 were granted to the so-called eclectic school. After the pas- 
 sage of the act of 1844, down to about 1874, as hereinbefore 
 stated, there was no limitation upon the right to practise medi- 
 cine or surgery in this State. 
 
 The inharmonious and injurious effect of such policy of the 
 State becoming manifest, the legislature, by Chapter 436 of Laws 
 of 1874, required all persons desiring to practise medicine or 
 surgery to obtain a certificate as to their qualifications from 
 the censors of some one of these medical societies. By the Laws 
 of 1880, Chapter 513, additional and more extensive and partic- 
 ular provisions were made in reference to this matter, and all 
 the physicians then practising were required, on or before the 
 time limited in the act, to file with the county clerks of their 
 respective counties their licenses to practise granted by the 
 censors of their county medical societies, or a diploma of some 
 chartered school of medicine ; and those persons who desired to 
 become licensed who were not in practice were likewise re- 
 quired to obtain similar licenses or certificates and file the same.
 
 RECENT LEGISLATION IN NEW YORK STATE. 13, 
 
 A diploma of a chartered school or medical college was given 
 the same effect as a license issued by the censors. 
 
 Recent Legislation in New York State. — The whole mat- 
 ter, however, of licensing physicians to practise has, in the 
 State of New York, been recentl}'- regulated by Chapter 468, 
 Laws of 1889, and 499 of 1890, which have reference to the 
 qualifications of persons becoming medical students, and Chap- 
 ter 507 of 1890, which gives to the Regents of the University 
 of the State of New York power to select boards of examiners 
 from persons nominated by each of the three State medical 
 societies, viz., the New York State Medical Society, Homoe- 
 opathic Medical Society, and Eclectic Medical Society. These 
 boards prepare questions which are to be approved by the State 
 Board of Regents ; examinations are held in different parts of 
 the State upon these questions, the examination papers are 
 certified to that one of these boards of examiners which the 
 student may elect, and that board in turn certifies whether or 
 not the examination has been successfully undergone ; and upon 
 its certificate the Board of Regents licenses the student to prac- 
 tise, and his examination papers are filed in the office of the 
 Board of Regents and become a matter of record. These pro- 
 visions have been enlarged and modified slightl}' by various stat- 
 utes since enacted. They are all now embodied in Chapter 601 
 of Laws of 1893. They will be found carefulty synopsized below. 
 
 Penal Provisions in Neiv York State. — The New York 
 Penal Code, which went into effect in 1882, enacted that a 
 person practising medicine or surgery, or pretending to be a 
 physician or surgeon, without a license or a diploma from some 
 chartered school, should be deemed guilt}' of a misdemeanor 
 punishable by fine or imprisonment (Penal Code, Section 356); 
 and the same statute, 357, made it a misdemeanor for a person, 
 whether licensed or not, to practise medicine or surgery, or do 
 an}' other act as a physician or surgeon, while intoxicated, by 
 which the life of any person is endangered or his health seri- 
 ously affected.' 
 
 ' Notwithstanding these statutory violated the provisions of the statute 
 
 enactments, it has been held that one against practising medicine or sur- 
 
 ■who undertakes to cure disease by gery without a license. Smith i;. 
 
 rubbing, kneading, pressing, and Lane, 24 Hun (New York Supreme 
 
 otherwise manipulating the body Court), 32. 
 (massage) is not liable for having
 
 14 LEGAL STATUS OP PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 Giving " Patented " Medicines No Exception. — At one 
 time an attempt was made to claim, that under the patent laws 
 of the United States a person had the right to administer patent 
 medicines without being punishable for practising without a 
 license, but this doctrine was repudiated by the courts. Thomp- 
 son V. Staats, 15 Wend., 395; Jordan ^'. Overseers, etc., 4 Ohio, 
 205. 
 
 Coui'ts may Compel Granting of License. — A person who 
 is qualified and complies with reasonable rules of a licensing 
 body, can compel such body to license him. This was held to 
 be the law in the case of The People ex rel. Bartlett v. The 
 Medical Society of the County of Erie, which is also an impor- 
 tant authority in respect to a vexed question of medical ethics. 
 It appeared in that case that under the general laws of New 
 York in regard to the organization of medical societies, a med- 
 ical society had refused to receive as a member a person other- 
 wise qualified, because he had advertised in the public prints a 
 certain cure, including a mechanical appliance used in treating 
 throat troubles; it being forbidden by the code of ethics of the 
 American Medical Association, which the County Medical 
 Society had adopted as one of its by-laws, that a physician or 
 surgeon should advertise. The Court of Appeals of the State 
 of New York held that this constituted no defence to a proceed- 
 ing instituted by such person to obtain a mandamus compelling 
 the society to admit him to membership, if otherwise qualified.' 
 
 ' Analysis of this decision shows personal, professional, and public 
 
 that the main ground, upon which relations. They are regulations in 
 
 the court of last resort sustained the the various departments of morals 
 
 right of the applicant for admission and manners, of courtesy and eti- 
 
 to be admitted as a member of the quette, of delicacy and honor. They 
 
 society, was, that the provisions of bind those who pledge themselves 
 
 the by-law in question were not to their observance, but cannot be 
 
 specifically made applicable to a recognized in law, as conditions 
 
 person applying for membership, precedent to the exercise of an hon- 
 
 The Court observed, pp. 192 et seq. : orable profession, by learned, able, 
 
 "The regulations embodied in the and upright men, who have not 
 
 so-called code are admirably framed, agreed to abide by them. The non- 
 
 aud commend themselves to every observance of such regulations may 
 
 reader, as tending to raise to a still be made cause for exclusion or dis- 
 
 higher elevation the character of franchisement ; but it must be either 
 
 the learned and honorable pi-of ession by the agreement of parties or bj" the 
 
 to which they were submitted for exercise of the law-making power, 
 
 approval and adoption. They are " The applicant was not a member 
 
 not limited in their scope to the either of the American Medical As- 
 
 range of moral obligation, but era- sociation or of the Erie County 
 
 brace express rules of conduct, in Medical Society, at the time of his
 
 COURTS MAY COMPEL GRANTING OF LICENSE. 
 
 15 
 
 It has also been decided that a medical society had no right 
 to make a by-law establishing a fixed fee-bill, or tariff of 
 charges, and providing for the expulsion of a member charging 
 at a different rate than that prescribed. Such a by-law was 
 declared unreasonable and void in the case of People v. Medical 
 Society of Erie County, 24 Barb., 570. 
 
 The effect of these decisions was, so far as they affect the 
 validity of bj'-laws, attempted to be avoided in that State by 
 Chapter 445 of Laws of 186(3, by which it is expressly enacted 
 that the county medical societies of the State of New York 
 may make such rules and by-laws as they see fit, " not incon- 
 sistent with the laws of said State, and may enforce them by 
 expulsion or other discipline." It may be considered doubtful 
 whether this legislation can accomplish its purpose in the case 
 of the adoption of a bj^-law void as against public policy. 
 
 No Particular Schools Recog:nized by the Courts. — 
 The general trend of the decisions in all the States, whenever 
 
 alleged deviation from the formu- 
 las prescribed by these conventional 
 rules. He was under no legal obli- 
 gation to observe them, and had 
 neither actual nor constructive no- 
 tice of their existence. Those who 
 were members of the society could 
 not lawfully be expelled for antece- 
 dent deviation from the code (Faw- 
 cett V. Charles, 13 Wend., 477). 
 Much less could such deviation be 
 alleged, as cause for exclusion, 
 against one who had never agreed 
 to be bound by it, and as to whom it 
 was not merely an inoperative but 
 an unknown law. 
 
 " As the relator demanded admis- 
 sion to the enjoyment of a fran- 
 chise to which he was presumptively 
 entitled, his exclusion could be jus- 
 tified only by facts repelling the 
 presumption that he was duly qual- 
 ified for admission, or by extrane- 
 ous facts, showing that, if his ap- 
 plication was granted, there were 
 then subsisting causes, making 'a 
 clear case' for immediate expulsion 
 {Ex parte Paine, 1 Hill, 665) . 
 
 "The burden was upon the appel- 
 lant to establish affirmatively the 
 existence of svich present cause for 
 expulsion. The societj' waived the 
 right of making a return and taking 
 
 a formal issue on the claim of the 
 relator, to be determined as matter 
 of fact by a jurj^, under the direc- 
 tion of the court ; but submitted its 
 objections in the form of affidavits, 
 which failed to establish cause either 
 for exclusion or expulsion. 
 
 "The only specific fact alleged in 
 the opposing affidavits, as ground 
 of objection, was the publication by 
 the relator of a professional adver- 
 tisement, which was inserted in one 
 or more of the Buffalo journals in 
 May, 1855, and discontinued in Jan- 
 uary, 1857, more than two years be- 
 fore his ajiplication was presented. 
 It is charged that the printing of this 
 notice was an empiricism, and in 
 conflict with the code of ethics 
 adopted by the Erie County Medical 
 Society. 
 
 "There is nothing in the terms 
 of the advertisement from which 
 any inference can justly be drawn 
 against the relator, in respect either 
 to his personal character or his pro- 
 fessional skill. There is no sug- 
 gestion, in the affidavits, that any 
 of the statements of fact contained 
 in the notice are untrue, and there 
 is nothing in its contents inconsist- 
 ent with perfect good faith on the 
 IJart of the relator. It refers to the
 
 IG 
 
 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 any questions in reference to schools of medicine have been 
 before our courts, is to avoid recognizing an}^ particular system 
 or school. The theory of the New York courts upon this sub- 
 ject is well expressed by the liberal-minded and learned Judge 
 Dal}^ in the New York Court of Common Pleas, in the case of 
 Corsi V. Maretzek, 4 E. D. Smith, 1-5. In that case it was 
 claimed that a certificate of incapacity because of sickness, 
 given by a " homoeopathic" physician to an opera-singer, was 
 not binding. It was argued that the employment of a " homoe- 
 opathic" physician under the contract did not fulfil a provision 
 thereof which required the event of the singer's sickness to be 
 certified to by " a doctor," to be appointed by the director. 
 
 The Court said : " The system pursued by the practitioner 
 is immaterial. The law has nothing to do with particular sys- 
 tems. Their relative merit may become the subject of inquirj^, 
 when the skill or ability of a practitioner in any given case is 
 to be passed upon as a matter of fact. But the law does not, 
 and cannot, supply any positive rules for the interpretation of 
 
 treatment of bronchitis, asthma, and 
 consumption, as a special depart- 
 ment of tlie profession to whicli he 
 had directed liis particular atten- 
 tion ; and it alludes to his use of 
 the method recently introduced, of 
 medicated inhalation, through an 
 instrument appropriate to that pur- 
 pose, in aid of such general ti-eat- 
 ment as experience had proved to 
 be beneficial in that class of diseases. 
 It is not denied that the relator pos- 
 sessed peculiar skill in this depart- 
 ment of the profession ; and the 
 case discloses the fact that the 
 method of auxiliaiy treatment, in- 
 troduced by him in the countj^ of 
 Erie, was not onlj^ successful in his 
 own practice, but was adopted, 
 with beneficial results, by members 
 of the county society of high pro- 
 fessional standing, and that it was 
 accepted by a large proportion of 
 the physicians of Western New 
 York. If, at the time this remedy 
 was introduced, he had been a 
 member of the County Society or of 
 the American Medical Association, 
 he would not have been at liberty 
 to direct attention, through the 
 medium of tlie public journals, to 
 the benefits resulting from its use. 
 
 This would, perhaps, have been un- 
 fortunate for those who were suffer- 
 ing, in that vicinity, from this par- 
 ticular class of diseases ; but it is 
 undoubtedly true that the suppres- 
 sion of such an advertisement would 
 have been more considerate toward 
 his professional brethren, and more 
 in accordance with the rules of deli- 
 cacy and good taste. But an error, 
 in this respect, by one who had no 
 notice of the society regulation is 
 not cause for disfranchisement. The 
 act of the relator was neither im- 
 moral nor illegal. It was no viola- 
 tion of the by-laws ; for, as to him, 
 they were wholly inoperative. It 
 was no present cause for e.vchision: 
 for the publication of the objection- 
 able notice had been discontinued 
 for more than two years. Wlien he 
 applied for admission, he proposed 
 to become bound by the by-laws ; 
 and this the society refused to per- 
 mit, for the sole cause that he had 
 not observed them before they be- 
 came rules of conduct for him. 
 ' Where there is no law, there is no 
 transgression. ' The relator, there- 
 fore, had been guilty of no legal 
 wrong which could bar his claim tO' 
 the franchise. "
 
 NO PARTICULAK SCHOOLS RECOGNIZED BY THE COURTS. 17 
 
 medical science. It is not one of those certain or exact sciences 
 in which truths become established and fixed, but is essentially- 
 progressive in its nature, enlarging with the growth of human 
 experience, and subject to those changes and revolutions inci- 
 dent to any branch of human inquiry, the laws of which are 
 not fully ascertained. The labors of the anatomist, the physiol- 
 ogist, and the chemist have contributed an immense storehouse 
 of facts; but the manner in which this knowledge is to be 
 applied in the treatment and cure of diseases has been, and will 
 probably continue to be, open to diversity of opinion. No one 
 system of practice has been uniformly followed, but phj^si- 
 cians from the days of Hippocrates have been divided into 
 opposing sects and schools. The sects of the dogmatists and 
 the empirics divided the ancient world for centuries, until the 
 rise of the methodics, who, in their turn, gave way to innu- 
 merable sects. Theories of practice, believed to be infallible in 
 one age, have been utterly rejected in another. For thirteen 
 centuries Europe yielded to the authority of Galen. He was 
 implicitly followed — his practice strictly pursued. Everything 
 that seemed to conflict with his precepts was rejected ; and yet, 
 in the revolutions of medical opinion, the works of this un- 
 doubtedly great man were publicly burned by Paracelsus and 
 his disciples; and for centuries following, tlie medical world 
 was divided between the Galenists and the chemists, until a 
 complete ascendency over both was obtained by the sect of the 
 "Vitalists. This state of things has been occasioned by the cir- 
 cumstance that medical practitioners have often been more 
 given to the formation of theories upon the nature of disease 
 and the mode of its treatment, than to that careful observation 
 and patient accumulation of facts, by which, in other sciences, 
 the phenomena of nature have been unravelled. I am far from 
 undervaluing the great benefits conferred upon mankind by the 
 study of medicine, and have no wish to minister to any vulgar 
 prejudice against a useful and learned profession, but it is not 
 to be overlooked that, as an art, it has been characterized, in a 
 greater degree, by fluctuations of opinion as to its principles 
 and the mode of its practice, than, perhaps, any other pursuit. 
 That it has been distinguished by the constant promulgation 
 and explosion of theories, that it has alternated between the 
 
 advancement of new doctrines and the revival of old ones, and 
 2
 
 18 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 that its professors in every age have been noted for the tenacity 
 with which they have clung to opinions, and the unanimity 
 with which they have resisted the introduction of valuable dis- 
 coveries. They still continue to disagree in respect to the treat- 
 ment of diseases as old as the human race ; and at the present 
 day, when great advances have been made in all departments 
 of knowledge, a radical and fundamental difference divides the 
 allopathist from the followers of Hahnemann, to say nothing of 
 those who believe in the sovereign instrumentality of water. 
 
 " In fact, nothing comparatively is known of the philosophy 
 of disease. Its eradication or cure, where the result of human 
 agency is, in the great majority of instances, attributable 
 rather to the careful observation, judgment and experience of 
 the particular practitioner, than to the application of general or 
 established methods available to all. The popular axiom, that 
 'doctors differ, ' is as true now as it ever was, and as long as 
 it continues to be so, it is impossible for the law to recognize 
 any class of practitioners, or the followers of any particular 
 system or method of treatment, as exclusively entitled to be 
 regarded as doctors. In adverting to the conflicting views and 
 differences of opinion, that exist and have ever existed in the 
 practice of the healing art, it is not to call in question the value 
 of learned, skilful and experienced physicians, but merely to 
 show the error of attempting, in the present state of medical 
 science, to recognize, as matter of law, any one system of prac- 
 tice, or of declaring that the practitioner who follows a partic- 
 ular system is a doctor, and that one who pursues a different 
 method is not." And see also White v. Carroll, 42 N. Y., 161 ; 
 Ordronaux' "Jurisprudence of Medicine," 27. 
 
 This decision was prior to the statute of 1874 and the pro- 
 visions of the Penal Code before noted. Since those statutes, 
 it is a misdemeanor to practise except as permitted hj the 
 provisions of those statutes. 
 
 In New York and Elsewhere Practitioner Without 
 License Cannot Sue and Recover for His Fees. 
 
 Since the passage of the New York Act of 1844 (Laws of 
 1844, p. 406), there has been no precise statutorj^ provision in 
 that State prohibiting in terms persons who practise physic or
 
 IN NEW YORK AND ELSEWHERE. 19 
 
 surgery without a license, from suing to obtain a recovery for 
 services performed. But this is of little consequence, for, as we 
 have already stated, so practising has been declared to be a 
 misdemeanor by the Penal Code of New York. 
 
 It is a well-settled principle that when any act is declared 
 by statute to be criminal, a contract calling for the perform- 
 ance of such an act is illegal and void. The early English 
 authorities on this point are fully collated in Wheeler v. Russell 
 (17 Mete, Mass., 258), and the later English and American cases 
 maj^ be found in " American and English Cyclopaedia of Law, " 
 title "Contracts," Vol. III., p. 872 et seq.; see also id.. Vol. 
 XVIII., p. 440. Further consideration of the validity of con- 
 tracts for medical and surgical services will be had hereafter. 
 A full sjaiopsis of the statutes of the different States regulating 
 the licensing of physicians and surgeons in force at the time 
 this volume goes to press will be placed in another chapter. 
 
 In a suit between a person who has performed medical and 
 surgical services, and one who employed him, it is said that 
 the person performing the services is presumed to have been 
 licensed to do so.' If the State sues for a penalt}', a different 
 rule is claimed to prevail.'^ 
 
 ' In Macpherson v. Cheadell (24 also Thompson v. Sayre (1 Denio, 
 
 Wend. , N. Y. , 15) the Court said, N. Y. , 75) , where this principle 
 
 p. 24 : seems to have been assumed as cor- 
 
 "In the first place I doubt much rect without question upon the 
 
 whether the defendant below, after strength of the decision quoted 
 
 retaining tlie plaintiff as a physi- above. A similar doctrine appears 
 
 cian and accepting his services as to have been enunciated in the State 
 
 such, could call upon him in the of Illinois in Chicago v. Wood, 24 
 
 first instance to jorove a regular 111. Apj:). , 42; and Williams i\ 
 
 license. In other like cases, the People, 20 111. App., 92. It may 
 
 presumption is against the defend- be sound, and undoubtedly the Eng- 
 
 ant. It is so as between attorney lish cases cited in Macpherson v. 
 
 and client, in a suit for services Cheadell, supra, tend to support it. 
 
 performed uuder a retainer. Pearce But in a case iu which the physi- 
 
 V. Whale, 7 Donl. & Ryl., 512, 515, clan's right to practise is denied, the 
 
 per Bayley, Judge ; 5 Barn, z' Cress. , safe course will be for him to have a 
 
 38, S. C. There, if the objection duly authenticated copy of his li- 
 
 sound in the fact that the plaintiff cense ready to be offered in evi- 
 
 was never admitted, or that his ad- dence. The general rule is that the 
 
 mission has become inoperative, it burden is on the plaintiff toshow all 
 
 lies with the defendant to sho^y it. tlie facts which make uj) his right 
 
 Id., and see Berrvman ii. Wise, 44 of recovery. See Bliss v. Brainard, 
 
 T. R., 566, and other cases ; 1 Phil. 41 N. H., 256 ; Salomon r.Dreschler. 
 
 Ev., 227, Cowen v. Hill's ed. Be- 4 Minn.. 278; Kane v. Johnston, 9 
 
 sides, the conti-ary would be doing Bosw., N. Y. Superior Ct., 154. 
 great violence to the presumption - That is, the burden devolves 
 
 that no man will tran.sgress the upon the defendant, and tliis not- 
 
 command of a positive law." See witlistanding the presumption of
 
 20 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 How MAY A Diploma or License be Proved in a Court 
 
 OF Law? 
 
 It is evident from the foregoing considerations that in any 
 proceedings to punish for practising without license or legal 
 authority, and in actions to recover payment for professional 
 services in the States and countries, where a license or diploma 
 of a regularly chartered school or college is required by statute 
 to entitle the person to practise, it may become important to 
 establish — first, the legal authority to grant the license or 
 diploma ; and second, the genuineness of the license or diploma 
 produced. It frequently happens that the diploma or license 
 has been obtained in another State or country. Under the New 
 York statutes, especially the laws of 1880 and 1890, it was 
 made necessary to file a diploma. When it had been issued by 
 a chartered school of another State it must be certified to by 
 some lawfully incorporated medical college in this State, before 
 being received for filing, or regarded by the law as confer- 
 ring upon its possessor the right to practise in that State. 
 
 As to the chief element of authenticity, namely, the legal 
 incorporation or authority of the body or institution granting 
 the diploma, it is clear that the act of incorporation itself would 
 be the best evidence of the incorporation of the college or school, 
 and a special act granting the power to license to a board of 
 censors or other official body or board would have to be pro- 
 duced to show the right vested in that board or body to grant a 
 license. In Georgia it has been held (Hunter v. Blount, 27 
 Ga., 76), that to prove a diploma given to a physician in an- 
 other State, the existence of the college, and the fact of its being 
 a chartered institution, must be shown bj'' producing its act of 
 incorporation. 
 
 In Thornton's case (8 Term Rep., 303; same case, 3 Esp., 
 4), it was held that the mere production in court of a diploma 
 under the seal of one of the universities, is not of itself 
 evidence to show that the person named in the diploma re- 
 ceived the degree which the diploma specified. In another 
 
 innocence, of showing what must N. Y. , 298, and cases cited ; 1 Green- 
 be peculiarly within his own knowl- leaf on Ev. , §79, and cases cited, 
 edge, namely, that he has been duly See, contra, State v. Evans, 5 Jones, 
 licensed. Peoples. Nyce, 34 Hun, N. C. , 350.
 
 HOW MAY A DIPLOMA BE PROVED IN COURT ? 21 
 
 and later case, however, Simpson v. Dunmore(9 M. & W,, 45; 
 same case, 5 Jurist, 1012), it was held that it was unnecessary 
 for the person producing a license from the Apothecaries' Com- 
 pany (an incorporated body) to practise as an apothecary, the 
 seal on which license was proved to be genuine, to give any 
 additional evidence of his identity with the person named in 
 the license. The reason for this doctrine is probably to be 
 found in the well-known rule of evidence, that identity of both 
 christian name and family name, is sufficient to raise a pre- 
 sumption of fact that the person bearing the name is the iden- 
 tical person so named in any written instrument. 
 
 In Walmsley v. Abbott (1 K. & P., 309; same case, 5 D. 
 & R., 62), proof of the signature of one of the examiners who 
 signed a certificate of examination was held sufficient to war- 
 rant the acceptance of the certificate in evidence in the first 
 instance. In another case the proof was that a person previ- 
 ously a stranger to the place went to a town which was the seat 
 of a university, and was told that a certain building was the 
 college, and that a certain person whom he saw there was the 
 librarian, and that this librarian showed him what purported 
 to be the seal of the -university, and also a book which the 
 librarian stated was the book of acts or records of the univer- 
 sity, and the seal so shown him was compared with the seal of 
 a certain diploma, the genuineness of which was in question, 
 and a copy was made from the said book of acts, of an entry 
 stating that the degree of M. D. had been conferred b}' the 
 university upon a person bearing the same name as that in the 
 diploma, and this proof was held a sufficient authentication of 
 the diploma, and of the act or authority of the university con- 
 ferring the degree. Collins case, 1 Addison & Ellis, G95; same 
 case, 3 N. & M., 703.' 
 
 The Rule in Criminal Prosecutions. — We have seen above, 
 
 ' In Finch 15. Gridley's Executors Though he did not actuallj^ see them 
 
 ("25 Wend. , N. Y. , 469-471) , Nelson, subscribe the paper, he had every 
 
 (h.J. , said: *'I am also inclined to means of becoming acquainted with 
 
 think the evidence which was given tlieir signatures; the deliver!/ of it 
 
 competent to prove the diploma to him was an acknowledgment 
 
 from Fairfield College. The wit- they liad signed it. Besides, he was 
 
 ness identified the corporate seal, familiar witli diplomas from the in- 
 
 mid had himself receired a diploma stitutionundertheirsignature, " etc. 
 
 from that institution subscribed by And see, also, Rayuor v. State, 62 
 
 the same president and secretary. Wis., 289; Wendel-y. State, yd. , 300.
 
 22 LEGAL STATUS OP PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 that in a criminal prosecution the burden is on the defendant 
 to produce and prove his license, but to warrant a conviction for 
 practising without a license it must be shown that the accused 
 actually practised. It is not enough to show that he is called 
 by persons whom he attends personally, that is, for whom he 
 prescribes, or to whom he gives medicine or whom he treats. 
 There must be proof shown that he has done this on his own 
 account or for his own profit. But proof of a single act con- 
 nected with other circumstances, such as tend to show that he 
 held himself out as a physician, is enough. Burham v. State, 
 116 Ind., 112; Hill v. Bodie, 2 Stew, and P. (Ala.), 50; Ped- 
 grift V. Schiller, 8 C. B., N. S., 200 (same case, G Jurist, N. 
 S., 1341). And if he simply practises "massage," he does not 
 fall within the acts against practising medicine, even though 
 he pretends to accomplish as much good as could have been 
 accomplished by a regular ph3^sician. Smith v. Lane, 24 Hun, 
 IST. Y., 632. But see also Leech v. Ripon, 12 Cent. L. J., 479; 
 State V. Schultz, 11 Reporter, 701.' 
 
 Falsely Pretending to he a Licensed Practitioner Gen- 
 erally a Misdemeanor. — In some of the States, and in England, 
 it is not only made a misdemeanor to practise without a license, 
 but falsely pretending to be a licensed practitioner is made a 
 misdemeanor. Such is the provision of the Penal Code of New 
 York heretofore cited. In England such a statute has been 
 somewhat strictly construed in the case of Carpenter v. Hamil- 
 ton (37 Law Times Rep., 157). In that case it appeared that 
 a person advertised himself as "John Hamilton, M.D.," of the 
 "Metropolitan Medical College of New York." It further ap- 
 peared that he was not registered as required by the law of 
 England. In a prosecution against him for falsely pretending 
 to be a licensed physician, the onh' proof of his practising being 
 
 ' In some of the States, persons and herbs within the meaning of 
 
 who simply administered roots and the statute, or whether, under tlie 
 
 herbs in treating disease, have been guise of so doing, he really held 
 
 excepted from that portion of the himself out as and acted as'a reg- 
 
 statute which forbids the practice ular practitiouer. All such penal 
 
 of medicine and surgery without a statutes are to be construed, like all 
 
 license. The proper construction other penal statutes, with due regard 
 
 of such an exception is, that it is a to the rights of the individual, and 
 
 questionof fact for the jury, whether at the same time with such degree 
 
 the person accused who claims the of liberality as will tend to preserve 
 
 benefit of the exception, simply ad- the public safety, 
 ministered a concoction of roots
 
 STATE AND LOCAL BOARDS OF HEALTH. 23 
 
 as just stated, an acquittal was sustained by a majority of the 
 court, which held that it was a question of fact to be determined 
 by a trial, court whether or not what he did was ]jretending 
 to be a physician authorized to treat a patient. The Court in- 
 timated that the person simply pretended to be what he really 
 was, namely, a doctor of medicine of the Metropolitan Medical 
 College of New York. 
 
 State and Local Boards of Health— Powers 
 Governed by Special Statutes. 
 
 In addition to the rules and regulations prescribed hj the 
 general statutes, modern sanitary science has developed so 
 broadly throughout most of the civilized states and countries, 
 that the different governments have established state boards of 
 health, and in many instances local boards of health, the latter 
 being limited in their authority and operation to specific munic- 
 ipal divisions, to which boards the government has committed 
 the power to pass certain sanitary rules and regulations, which 
 rules and regulations maj' have an important bearing upon and 
 relation to the practice of medicine and surgery. The jurisdic- 
 tion and powers of these boards are to be found in the special 
 statutes creating them, and prescribing their powers and duties, 
 and cannot be treated of extensively here. They will be con- 
 sidered further under the special subjects to which they relate. 
 
 Physicians Bound to Report Contagious Cases and Not 
 Liable for Mistaken Report. — The duty to promptly report ' to 
 
 ^ It has been held that the act of a which presents to him the appear- 
 
 physician in reporting to a health- ance of small-pox. It may be said 
 
 board in good faith that his patient that he may call in counsel. It 
 
 is suffering from small-pox, is not cannot, however, be said that pri- 
 
 actionable. Brown v. Purdy, 8 N. vate counsel should be called in 
 
 Y. St. Rep., 143. The Court said rather than such as the law lias 
 
 (per Sedgwick, J.) : "In order to appointed. Certainly, if he really 
 
 give the public the protection due thinks the case to be one of small- 
 
 to it, according to the intention of pox, it is his duty to communicate 
 
 the statute, any physician that pos- his opinion to the public authori- 
 
 sesses in fact an opinion that a pa- ties, wlio furnish skilled physicians 
 
 tient has a contagious disease, is peculiarly competent to pass upon 
 
 bound to report the ease, whether the case. They are the experts the 
 
 he Juts or has not used ordinary pro- law points out for tlie physician, 
 
 fessional skill and knowledge. A The attendance of these experts 
 
 physician of skill in everything but upon a patient can cause no injury, 
 
 cases of small-pox, which happily and thereafter the responsibility 
 
 are not numerous, may, unexpect- rests solely upon the public officer. " 
 
 edly to himself, be called to a case As to how far the decision of an
 
 24 
 
 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 boards of health every case of contagious or infectious disease 
 is manifest. 
 
 inspector appointed by a board of 
 health is regarded by the law as 
 quasi -judicial, and therefore con- 
 clusive, see Underwood v. Green, 42 
 N. Y. , 140 ; Raymond 'O. Fish, 51 
 Conn., 80. Health officers who were 
 guilty of gross negligence in remov- 
 ing infected jjersons from a city in 
 stormy weather, and putting them 
 in an unprotected and unsafe struc- 
 ture, so that such persons died from 
 the exposure, have been held liable. 
 Aaron «. Broiles, 64 Tex., 316. 
 
 The latest and most complete 
 statute laws creating or regidating 
 health boards are : England, 38 and 
 39 Victoria, chap. 55 ; United States 
 (National Board of Health), 20 Stat. 
 L. , 484, suppl. to U. S. Rev. Stats. , 
 chap. 202, passed March 3d, 1889; 
 Mass., chap. 79, Mass. Rev. Stats. ; 
 Pa. , Laws of 1885, chap. 56 ; New 
 York (State Board of Health), 2 
 
 N. Y. Rev. Stats., 1195; Local 
 Boards, id., 1191-1193. chap. 270, 
 Laws of 1885. The statutes of New 
 Jersey are considered in Lozier v. 
 Newark, 19 Vr. , 453. In Missouri 
 the power to license physicians is 
 conferred upon the State Board of 
 Health, and the Supreme Court of 
 that State has held that the act of 
 that board in granting or refusing 
 a license is discretionary and its 
 action in such a matter will not be 
 enforced by a writ of viandamus 
 (State V. Gregory, 83 Mo. , 123) ; and 
 a similar doctrine prevails in Min- 
 nesota, State V. State Med. Board, 
 32 Minn. , 324. The latest and best 
 work on the general subject of the 
 organization and powers of boards 
 of health is Parker & "VVorthing- 
 ton's "Public Health and Safety," 
 M. Bender, publisher, Albany, N. 
 Y., 1892.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 OF THE CONTRACTUAL RELATION BETWEEN PHYSICIAN 
 
 AND PATIENT. 
 
 Employment and Rights in Regard to Compensation. 
 
 Legal Character of the Employment. — Whatever may 
 have been the theories of the Roman civil law, and following 
 it of the early English common law, as to the character of the 
 employment of physicians and other professional men, it is now 
 so well settled that the reciprocal duties and obligations arising 
 between physician and patient, or attorney and client, and the 
 like, are to be classed under and governed by the law of con- 
 tracts, that any extended discussion of these theories is un- 
 necessary here.' Mr. Ordronaux, in the second chapter of his 
 interesting work on the "Jurisprudence of Medicine," has 
 considered them fully, and has quoted amply from the books of 
 the earlier and later text- writers, and from the expressions of 
 the judges, to show what these theories and rules were ; and he 
 and all later authorities agree that the ancient notion, that pro- 
 fessional services are alwaj^s gratuitous unless a special con- 
 tract to pay for them is made, has long been abandoned. He 
 observes (pp. 13 and 14): "But in our day the increase in the 
 number of professional practitioners, and their exclusive devo- 
 tion to a special class of services as a means of living, has 
 essentially modified the practical character of the contracts with 
 their patrons. Although in legal acceptation a mandate, yet 
 from force of circumstances growing out of an altered state of 
 society, the mandate is practically changed into a contract of 
 hire {locatio operis). This doubtless reduces prof essions to 
 the status of artisanship, and places them on a par with 
 manual labor, conjoined to the special skill of a particular call- 
 ing. But it also simplifies the contract, removes it from the 
 category of innominate or imperfect obligations, requiring the 
 
 ' Consult, as to this, Parsons on "Contracts," vol. ii., p. 56. 
 
 25
 
 26 LEGAL STATUS OP PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 intervention of legal fictions to furnish a means for their en- 
 forcement, and brings it within the pale of consensual agree- 
 ments based upon a sufficient consideration." 
 
 The i)liysician's right to sue on contract in England was 
 declared by legislative enactment by Chap. 90 (Sec. 31), 21 and 
 22 Victoria. It has never been denied in the United States. 
 Adams v. Stephens, 26 Wend., 451-455. 
 
 Physicians' and Surgeons' Service in a Sense Voluntary . 
 — Though it is true, as in the case of many other doctrines of 
 ancient law which were formulated under social conditions far 
 different from those which prevail in modern times, that these 
 rules and theories have long since lost their potency as distinct 
 rules governing actions at law, nevertheless the legal aspect 
 of the peculiar relationship between physician and patient, is 
 still affected by the idea that the service on the part of the 
 physician is voluntary — that is, the physician or surgeon is not 
 bound to come and perform services whenever or wherever he 
 is called. He is at liberty to refuse any and every patient who 
 attempts to employ him. 
 
 Patients may Cease Employing at Any Time^ unless 
 there is a Contract for a Certain Period. — And when he is 
 employed, the patient may at any moment discharge him, 
 without incurring liability in damages, unless a special contract 
 has been entered into between them that the services shall be 
 rendered for a fixed period. 
 
 Service once Begun by Physician must be Continued 
 until Notice of Intention to Cease is Given by Him. — If, 
 however, the services are begun, they must be continued until 
 notice has been given of the intention to discontinue them, and 
 a reasonable time allowed the patient to obtain the services of 
 another person. The reasons for this rule will be considered 
 more fully below. 
 
 Contracts either Express or Implied. — The contract be- 
 tween the physician and patient may be an express one, that is, 
 one in which all the terms are agreed upon or expressed be- 
 tween the parties, or it may be what is called an implied con- 
 tract, or one in which the patient, or another person, simply 
 calls on the phj^sician or surgeon to come and perform services, 
 and neither party specifically stipulates or agrees upon any of 
 the terms of the employment.
 
 CONTRACTS. 27 
 
 Express Contracts may Include any Stipulation Not 
 Contrary to Public Policy. — lu the case of an express contract 
 the agreement of the parties settles and determines their mutual 
 obligations, whether it be written or merely verbal. But an 
 express contract may also be made in such a form that certain 
 conditions are required to be performed by the physician before 
 he becomes entitled to any compensation for his services. It 
 may also embody an agreement that the patient shall pay cer- 
 tain sums at certain times as the treatment goes on, or that no 
 other physicians shall be employed without the consent of the 
 attending physician, or if so employed that they shall be under 
 the direction of the attending physician. 
 
 Almost anything may be stipulated which is not contrary 
 to public policy, and a breach of any such stipulation entitles 
 the aggrieved party to rescind the contract and cease from per- 
 forming it.' 
 
 Qualifications of the Rule that Express Contracts may 
 Include any Stipulation. — Some qualifications of this rule of 
 law must, however, be noted. A breach by the patient of any 
 one of these stipulations would entitle the physician to treat the 
 engagement as terminated like any other contractual relation, 
 and to bring his action for a recovery for services rendered up 
 to the time of the breach ; but it is doubtful whether he would 
 have any action for damages for failure to permit him to per- 
 form further services. This doubt arises from the legal doc- 
 trine, hereinbefore referred to, that a patient is always at 
 liberty to dismiss his physician at any time without notice, and 
 without assigning any cause, which recognizes and grows out 
 of the fact that if the trust and contidence of the patient are 
 destroyed, or impaired, no matter how unreasonably or unjustly, 
 the relation between them must thereafter be unprofitable to 
 both parties, and dangerous to the patient. On the other hand 
 there is little doubt but that whenever an express contract is 
 made by a physician to treat a patient for a certain length of 
 time for a particular disease or injur}', the physician is not at 
 liberty to arbitrarily terminate that relation or his connection 
 
 ' Of course in those States or coun- statute) , unless such contracts are in 
 
 tries in which statutes of fraud writing and duly signed, contracts 
 
 render void, contracts for personal sliould be drawn and entered into 
 
 services for a longer period than one with regard to those statutes, 
 year (or any period named in the
 
 28 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 with the case, unless he has in the contract specifically reserved 
 the right so to do. 
 
 Contracts Making Payment Contingent upon Successful 
 Treatment Valid. — The express contract between the parties 
 may also contain a stipulation, by which the physician makes 
 his compensation contingent upon his effecting a cure. Smith 
 V. Hyde, 19 Vt., 54; Mack v. Kelly, 3 Ala., 387. See also 
 CoughUn V. N". Y. Cen. R. R. Co., 71 N. Y., 443. In such a 
 case, however, if the patient does not permit the physician op- 
 portunity to treat him during the time named in the contract, or 
 for a reasonable time, if no specific time is fixed, the courts 
 would probably permit the physician to recover a reasonable 
 compensation for his services for the time during which he 
 treated his patient. 
 
 Physician must Allow Reasonable Time to Supply his 
 Place if he Quits his Patient.- — In any event, whether the 
 contract be express or implied, conditional or unconditional, the 
 law through motives of public polic}^ and with a just regard 
 for the welfare of the sick and injured, undoubtedly requires 
 that if a physician has once taken charge of a case, and deter- 
 mines to abandon it, he must give the patient reasonable notice 
 and reasonable opportunity to supply his place. If he fails to 
 do this he is liable in damages for the results that follow as the 
 proximate consequence of his abandoning the case. 
 
 This Rule Ti'ue even in the Case of a Charity Patient. — 
 This is true, it is believed, even when the patient is a charity 
 patient, and the services are gratuitous. Shiels v. Blackburn 
 (1 H. Blacks., 159). For any other ruleless strict might entail 
 the most serious consequences. Ordronaux, "Jur. of Med.," 
 13 and 14, citing Inst., lib. 3, 26, 11; Pothier, "Du Contrat 
 Mandat," Chap. I., § 4. 
 
 Elements of the Contract Between Physician and 
 
 Patient. 
 
 Duties of Physician. — When the relations between physi- 
 cian and patient are not defined otherwise by express contract, 
 the implied contract is, and the law presumes, that the physi- 
 cian contracts, first, to use the necessary care and attention ;
 
 CONTRACT BETWEEN PHYSICIAN AND PATIENT. 29 
 
 second, to use the necessary skill ; third, in case the physician 
 furnishes his own medicines (and the obligation to furnish 
 them would probably be imposed, if it was the custom of the 
 school or class of physicians to which the particular physician 
 belonged to do so), that the medicines are proper and suitable. 
 As a corollary of these duties it necessarily follows, also, that 
 the physician contracts that the instruments or appliances 
 which he uses are free from taint or contagion, and are suitable 
 and proper for the uses to which they are put. Upon this 
 theory an action could be maintained against a physician for 
 using impure vaccine. 
 
 Duties of Patient. — The patient on his part contracts, 
 first, to give the physician information concerning the facts and 
 circumstances of the case, and full opportunity to treat him 
 properly ; second, to obey his instructions and follow his direc- 
 tions, and, third, to pay him the reasonable worth and value of 
 his services. The different branches of this contract are recip- 
 rocal. The failure of either party to fulfil the obligation of any 
 one of them which is imposed upon him, would bar him of his 
 remedies against the other party to recover damages for any 
 breach, or any proximate result of his breach, of such obliga- 
 tions. The necessary care and attention required of the physi- 
 cian in such a case are measured by the requirements of the case 
 and the physician's duties to his other patients, modified, how- 
 ever, by the rule that the physician is presumed to know, at the 
 time he takes up the case, the condition and situation of his 
 other patients at that time. Consequently, if those who have 
 first employed him are so situated at the time that his services 
 for them are likely to be soon and continuously required, he 
 cannot without making himself liable in damages undertake 
 another case and then neglect it, but he should either decline to 
 take it, or should with the full knowledge and consent of the 
 patient make provision for the temporary substitution of some 
 other physician, during the time that his prior obligations en- 
 gross his attention. Nevertheless, if the situation and condi- 
 tion of those to whom he has first contracted his services is such 
 that he had, although he exercised due professional knowledge 
 and skill, no reason to apprehend that these patients would need 
 his exclusive service, and by a sudden development, arising 
 from those occult causes which obtain in all serious diseases
 
 30 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 and injuries, any of his prior patients suffer a sudden and dan- 
 gerous relapse, or from an accession of new and dangerous 
 sj'inptoms and conditions so that he must fly to their aid, he 
 would not be liable to another patient, to whom he had after- 
 ward contracted his services, for neglecting his case ; still he 
 should in such instances use extra means to obtain the services 
 of some other and equally skilful man. 
 
 Only Ordinary and Usual Skill Required. — The degree 
 and character of necessary skill contracted for has been vari- 
 ously defined by the courts. When malpractice is discussed, a 
 more extended consideration of this matter will be required. 
 At present the doctrine laid down in Shearman and Redfield 
 on "Negligence," paragraphs 433-435, maybe adopted. It is 
 as follows : 
 
 "Although a physician or surgeon may doubtless by ex- 
 press contract undertake to perform a cure absolutely, the law 
 will not imply such a contract from the mere employment of 
 a physician. A physician is not an insurer of a cure, and is 
 not to be tried for the result of his remedies. His only contract 
 is to treat the case with reasonable diligence and skill. If more 
 than this is expected it must be expressly stipulated for. . . . 
 The general rule, therefore, is, that a medical man, who attends 
 for a fee, is liable for such want of ordinary care, diligence or 
 skill on his part as leads to the injury of his patient. To render 
 him liable, it is not enough that there has been a less degree of 
 skill than some other medical man might have shown, or a less 
 degree of care than even himself might have bestowed ; nor is 
 it enough that he himself acknowledged some degree of want of 
 care ; there must have been a want of competent and ordinarj' 
 care and skill, and to such a degree as to have led to a bad 
 result. . . . But a professed physician or surgeon is bound to 
 use not only such skill as he has, but to have a reasonable 
 degree of skill. The law will not countenance quackery ; and 
 although the law does not require the most thorough education 
 or the largest experience, it does require that an uneducated, 
 ignorant man shall not, under the pretence of being a well- 
 qualified physician, attempt recklessly and blindly to adminis- 
 ter medicines or perform surgical operations. If the practi- 
 tioner, however, frankly informs his patient of his want of 
 skill, or the patient is in some other way fully aware of it, the
 
 AVERAGE STANDARD OF SKILL REQUIRED. ol 
 
 latter cannot complain of the lack of that which he knew did 
 not exist." ' 
 
 Average Standard of Skill of any Professed School must 
 be Attained. — It is also a rule that one who professes to adhere 
 to a particular school must come up to its average standard,, 
 and must be judged by its tests, and in the light of the present 
 day. Thus a physician who would practise the reckless and 
 indiscriminate bleeding which was in high repute not very 
 many years ago, or should shut up a patient in fever and deny 
 all cooling drinks, would doubtless find the old practice a poor 
 excuse for his imbecility. So, if a professed homoeopathist 
 should violate all the canons of homoeopathy, he would be 
 bound to show some very good reasons for his conduct, if it 
 was attended with injurious effects. Upon many points of 
 medical and surgical practice all of the schools are agreed, and 
 indeed common sense and universal experience prescribe some 
 invariable rules, to violate which may generally be called gross 
 negligence. Yet the patient cannot justly complain if he gets 
 only that quality and kind of service for which he bargains. If 
 he employs a cheap man, he must expect cheap service. Puf- 
 fendorf, in his "Law of Nature and Nations," observes: "We 
 read a pleasant story of a man who had sore eyes and came to 
 a horse-doctor for relief. The doctor anointed his eyes with the 
 same ointment he used among his horses, upon which the man 
 falls blind, and the cause is brought before the judge, who 
 acquits the physician. For if the fellow, says he, had not been 
 an ass he had never applied himself to a horse-doctor." See 
 also Jones on Bailments, 100; 1 Field's " Lawyers' Briefs," sub. 
 Bailments, Sec. 573; Musser ■?;. Chase, 29 Ohio St., 577; Lan- 
 phier v. Phipos, 8 Carr. & Payne, 478. 
 
 Degree of Care and Skill Used a Question of Fact. — In 
 
 'See also "Field's Medico- Legal Grover, 28 Me., 97. Illinois, Mac- 
 Guide," 208-210, where the follow- Nevins v. Lowe, 40 111., 209. Kan- 
 ing cases are cited as sustaining sas, Teft v. Wilcox, 6 Kan., 4f). 
 this doctrine : New York, Carpenter Massachusetts, Com. v. Thompson, 
 V. Blake, 60 Barb., 488; same case 6 Mass., 134; Small ■». Howard, 
 on appeal, 75 N. Y. Court of Ap- 138 Mass., 131, 35 Am. Rep., 363. 
 peals, 12. Connecticut, Landon v. Pennsylvania, Potter v. Warner, 91 
 Humphrej', 9 Conn., 209. Iowa, Pa. St., 362, 36 Am. Rep., 668. 
 Smothers ■». Hawks, 34 la. , 286. In- Wisconsin, Reynolds «. Graves, 3 
 diana. Long v. Monison, 14 Ind. , Wis. , 416. Vermont, Briggs v. 
 595. Maine, Leighton v. Sargeant, Taylor, 28 Vt. , 180. 
 27 Me. (7 Fost.), 468; Howard v.
 
 32 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS— BECKER. 
 
 an action at law, whether brought by a physician to recover 
 for his services, or by a patient to recover for malpractice or 
 neglect, it is always a question of fact, to be determined by the 
 jury under proper instructions as to the measure of care and 
 .skill required, whether or not the physician has in a given case 
 used that degree of care and displayed that amount of skill 
 which might reasonably be expected of a man of ordinary 
 ability and professional skill. These same rules apply to the 
 surgeon. He must possess and exercise that degree of knowl- 
 edge and sense which the leading authorities have announced, 
 as a result of their researches and experiments up to the time, 
 or within a reasonable time before, the issue or question to be 
 determined is made.' 
 
 Rule in Leading Case of Lanphier v. Phipos. — In the 
 case of Lanphier v. Phipos, 8 C. & P., 478, already cited. Chief 
 Justice Tyndall enunciated the rule as to the degree of skill 
 required of a physician or surgeon, which has been followed by 
 all the courts since then. He said : " Every person who enters 
 into a learned profession undertakes to bring to the exercise of 
 it a reasonable degree of care and skill. He does not, if he i& 
 an attorney, undertake at all events to gain the cause, nor 
 does a surgeon undertake that he will perform a cure ; nor does 
 the latter undertake to use the highest possible degree of skill, 
 as there may be persons of higher education and greater advan- 
 tages than himself; but he undertakes to bring a fair, reasona- 
 ble and competent degree of skill. And in an action against 
 him by a patient, the question for the jury is whether the injury 
 complained of must be referred to a want of proper degree of 
 skill and care in the defendant, or not. Hence he is never pre- 
 sumed to engage for extraordinary skill, or for extraordinary 
 diligence and care. As a general rule, he who undertakes for 
 a reward to perform any work is bound to use a degree of dili- 
 gence, attention and skill, adequate to the performance of his 
 undertaking; that is, to do it according to the rules of the art; 
 spondet peritiam art is. And the degree of skill arises in 
 proportion to the value and delicacy of the operation. But he 
 
 1 See Shear. & Redf. on Negli- Baker, 2 Willes (Eng.), 259; Ordro- 
 
 gence, 440 ; Elwell on Malpractice, naux on Jurisp. of Med. , pp. 29 et 
 
 55; Carpenters Blake, supra; Rex pass.; 20 Am. Law Rev. , 82. 
 V. Long, 4 C. &P., 422; Slater «.
 
 COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN PATIENT AND PHYSICIAN. 33 
 
 is in no case required to have more than ordinary skill, for he 
 does not engage for more." 
 
 Physician Must Instruct Patient how to Care for Him- 
 self, etc. — A corollary of these rules is, that the physician must 
 give proper instruction to his patient how to take care of him- 
 self, how to manage a diseased or injured member, when and 
 how to take any medicines that may be prescribed, what diet to 
 adopt, and that in case the physician fails to give these instruc- 
 tions he is liable for any injuries that result from this failure. 
 Carpenter v. Blake, supra. 
 
 Patient Must Inform Physician Fully Concerning his 
 Case — His Communications Privileged. — On the other hand, 
 as we have already stated, the patient owes the duty to his 
 physician of informing him fully of all the varied sj'mptoms 
 of his disease, or the circumstances attending his injury, and 
 to freely and with due confidence answer all questions concern- 
 ing his past history which would tend to throw any light upon 
 his present condition. To battle with the occult forces which 
 play so important a part in determining the course or conse- 
 quences of disease, it is absolutely essential that the physician 
 should know all that is possible to be known of the patient's 
 history, and of the history of the patient's family. As we shall 
 see later on, all such communications are, in most of the States 
 of the Union and elsewhere, by statutory enactment made priv- 
 ileged, and without the consent of the patient the phj^sician or 
 surgeon is absolutel}' forbidden to divulge any communication 
 or information which he receives in order to enable him to 
 prescribe. This rule applies equally whether the physician or 
 surgeon is acting for hire or is treating the person as a charity 
 patient, and it has been extended by construction by the courts 
 in some States, so as to include examinations made by jail 
 physicians or other physicians sent by the prosecuting oflBcials 
 of the State to examine a prisoner, for purpose of giving evi- 
 dence, but who allowed the prisoner to suppose that they were 
 there simpl}' to treat him in their professional capacity. People 
 V. Murphy, 101 N. Y., 126. At the same time the courts have 
 been careful to make an exception in the case of advice given 
 for the purpose of enabling the person receiving the advice to 
 commit a crime, and of any information received by the phy- 
 sicians while the persons asking for it were engaged in a crim- 
 3
 
 34 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS— BECKER. 
 
 inal attempt. All of these interesting questions will be exam- 
 ined and treated of at length hereafter, ' 
 
 Conditions of Contract Between Physician and Patient 
 Further Considered. — It has been observed that the contract 
 between the physician and j^atient may be conditional or un- 
 conditional. By this it is meant that limitations upon the 
 reciprocal obligations between them may be imposed, or exten- 
 sions of such obligations made, by special agreement. The 
 physician may contract to cure, and may make the cure a con- 
 dition precedent to receiving any reward for his services or 
 medicaments, and a breach of such a contract will be enforced 
 by the courts as a bar to an action for services rendered or 
 medicines furnished. The patient may agree to come to the 
 physician's home or to a hospital or other place agreed upon 
 between them, for the purpose of being treated, or of being 
 operated upon by a surgeon, and a failure to perform such an 
 agreement on the part of the patient absolves the medical man 
 from carrying out his agreement to treat the patient. In the 
 case already suggested of a request by the medical man for 
 information as to the patient's past history, or that of the 
 patient's family, or the circumstances concerning the injury or 
 symptoms of the disease, if the patient should give false infor- 
 mation, or should wilfully neglect to give true information, the 
 physician would have a right, upon giving reasonable and due 
 notice, and opportunity to employ some one else, as alreadj' 
 intimated, to decline to proceed further with his care of the 
 case, and might sue and recover pay for the services rendered. 
 
 Physicians Cannot Contract that they shall Not be Re- 
 sponsible for Want of Ordinary Care and Skill. — An impor- 
 tant and salutary exception to the general rule that all parties 
 maj^ contract freely as between themselves stipulations measur- 
 ing their reciprocal obligations, doubtless applies to the rela- 
 tions between physician and patient. It is an exception which 
 has been applied to the contract relations existing between a 
 common carrier and a shipper or a passenger. This is that 
 
 ' On the points here suggested of. Y. , 56 ; People v. Murphy, 23 N. Y. 
 
 Edington v. Life Ins. Co., 67 N. Y., Weekly Digest, 43 ; same case, 101 
 
 185; same case, 77 N. Y., 564; Grat- N. Y., 126; Hunn -w. Hunu, 1 T. & 
 
 tan V. Life Ins. Co., 80 N. Y.. 281; C, 499; Piersou v. The People. 79 
 
 Dilleber v. Life Ins. Co. , 87 N. Y. , N. Y. , 432-435 ; People v. Carlyle 
 
 79 ; Westover v. Life Ins. Co. , 99 N. Harris, 136 N. Y. , 424.
 
 CONTRACT BETWEEN PHYSICIAN AND PATIENT. 35 
 
 persons contracting to perform services which are to a certain 
 extent public in their nature, and which, as in the case of the 
 common carrier or in the case of the physician or surgeon, are 
 founded upon conventional relations, and affect the public wel- 
 fare, are not permitted, from reasons of public policj^ to con- 
 tract for a release or escape from liability arising out of their 
 own negligence or wrong. In short, a physician or surgeon 
 cannot contract with a patient that the patient shall waive any 
 claim for damages growing out of his want of ordinary care and 
 skill. Nevertheless, the physician or surgeon may frankly in- 
 form his patient of his want of knowledge and experience as to 
 the particular kind of treatment required by any special and 
 unusual disease or injury. If after full information on this 
 point, and full opportunity to employ some one else, the patient 
 insists that the physician or surgeon go on with such treatment 
 as he is able to give to the case, and injuries result which a 
 more skilful and experienced practitioner might have avoided, 
 it is probable that the courts would hold that the practitioner 
 was not liable under such circumsta,nces, or that such circum- 
 stances could be pleaded in mitigation of damages. But it 
 would be the duty of the practitioner in such a case to be ex- 
 ceedingly careful in performing any surgical operations, and not 
 administer any powerful drugs with the strength and medicinal 
 qualities of which he was not acquainted. If he should assume 
 to perform such operations or administer such drugs instead of 
 confining himself to modifying the ravages of disease by the 
 use of well-known simple remedies, or protecting against the 
 consequences of severe injury by the use of ordinary antiseptic 
 dressings and treatment, he would no doubt be liable for any 
 resulting damage, and could not recover pay for his service. 
 
 Experiments Not to be Tried on Patients — This Rule Ap- 
 plies to Charity Patients. — For like reasons of public policy 
 it has been held that a physician has no right to try experiments 
 on his patient.' In this respect a charity patient will be pro- 
 tected by law and compensated for damages received from ex- 
 periments on his health and person, just as much as a person 
 from whom a large fee could be expected. Humanity and 
 public policy both forbid that experiments should be tried upon 
 one class of patients any more than another. However this 
 ' Patten v. Wiggin, 51 Me. , 594.
 
 36 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 maj^ be, in a case of extreme danger, where other resorts have 
 failed and everything else done that could reasonably be re- 
 quired, and if the patient and his family consent after full in- 
 formation of the dangerous character of the operation, or the 
 unknown qualities and powers of the drug to be administered, 
 the practitioner would be justified and protected if some new 
 methods of treatment not entirely developed or known to the 
 profession, but supposed to be eflQcacious, should be adopted, 
 although the result might prove unfavorable. In such a case, 
 however, it would be extremely perilous for the phj^sician to 
 stand upon his own judgment alone. He should consult the best 
 talent in his profession available, and abide by the judgment of 
 his colleagues or a fair majority of them; and even then 
 should apply to his course of action the maxim. When in doubt 
 run no risks; better let a patient perish from disease or injury, 
 than while attempting uncertain experiments with the surgeon's 
 knife or the use of dangerous drugs. The safe rule is to take 
 no chances, unless there is a consensus of judgment of several 
 physicians. It maybe objected that if no experiments are tried 
 no new medicines or surgical devices could be discovered, or 
 their effects observed. The answer to this objection is that 
 vivisection, and other experiments upon live animals, permit of 
 experimentation to a considerable degree, and often effectually 
 point out the proper course of treatment of the human subjects. 
 In the case of drugs and medicines the practice is well known 
 of physicians trying the effects thereof upon their own persons, 
 in their zeal and anxiety to give to the world new discoveries. 
 But, as heretofore observed, the law does not recognize the right 
 of the medical or surgical practitioner to tamper with his 
 patients' health by the use of untried experiments, without 
 imposing upon the practitioner liability for all injuries proxi- 
 mately resulting from their use. All of such matters will, 
 however, fall more properly under consideration when the lia- 
 bility of the physician and surgeon for malpractice is considered.
 
 CHAPTER IV, 
 
 OF THE LEGAL RIGHT OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS 
 TO RECOVER COMPENSATION FOR SERVICES. 
 
 Liability to Pay for Services. — An important matter for 
 physicians and surgeons is the question as to who is responsi- 
 ble, or liable to pay for their services. If there is an express 
 contract this question does not arise; but in most instances 
 the person performing the services renders them upon call, and 
 it is necessary for him to understand his legal right to recover 
 pay for services in the absence of an express contract. 
 
 Person Treated, and not Person calling in Physician, Em- 
 ploys Him and is Liable. — In the first place, it must be stated 
 as a general proposition that the person for whom the services 
 are actually rendered, or upon whom the operation is performed, 
 is bound to pay for them, if otherwise capable in law of mak- 
 ing contracts and incurring obligations. And secondl}^, that 
 one who calls a physician or surgeon to attend a patient is not 
 presumed to have contracted to pay for the services rendered, 
 unless his relations with the patient are such that he would be 
 obligated in law to pay, even if he had not himself called in the 
 medical man. 
 
 In the first case it is presumed that the patient is liable, 
 because he receives the benefit of the services, and nothing less 
 than a distinct understanding that he was not to pay will 
 relieve him from this obligation. 
 
 31arried Women and Infants Generally Not Liable. — 
 "Where such a person is a married woman, unless the case arises 
 in States or countries where married women have been declared 
 by statutes to be liable the same as if single, this rule does not 
 obtain. Nor is an infant personally liable when he is living with 
 his parent or guardian. Hull v. Connelly, 3 McCord (S. C), ; 
 Klein ?;. La Amoreaux, 2 Paige Ch.,419; Atchinson ■?'. Bruff, 
 50 Barb., 384; Wilcox v. Smith, 2G Barb., 341. But the 
 contract of an infant for medicine and medical attendance is 
 
 37
 
 38 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 deemed a contract for necessaries, and will be held valid and 
 enforced against his estate if there is no person standing in loco 
 parentis who can be held liable. 3 Barn. & Cress., 484; 2 
 Kent Com., 236. In cases when the parent of the infant or the 
 husband of the married woman is liable, this liability obtains 
 because the services rendered are deemed necessary, and fall 
 within the common-law obligation of such persons to provide 
 and pay for necessaries for those whom they are bound to sup- 
 port and maintain. 
 
 Burden upon Physicians Treating Minors to Show Ser- 
 vices Necessary. — But even in such cases the burden is upon 
 the person performing the services to show that they were nec- 
 essary, and it is his duty to know, or learn, the true legal status 
 of the patient, and the true legal relations of the patient to the 
 person other than the patient froin whom payment is to be 
 claimed. As said in the case of Crain v. Baudouin (55 N. 
 Y., 256-261), "in the case of minor children even, the law im- 
 poses this duty upon those who would furnish them with nec- 
 essaries, relying upon the credit of their fathers, and seeking 
 to charge them. (Hunt v. Thompson, 3 Scam., 179; Van 
 Valkinburgh v. Watson, 13 J. R., 480)." " A fortiori, it is so 
 in the case of an adult married daughter living with her hus- 
 band." And as to the liability of the husband of a married 
 woman in the absence of statute giving her legal capacity to 
 contract and charge her separate estate. Consult Moody v. Os- 
 good, 50 Barb., 628; Potter v. Virgil, 67 Barb., 578 ; Crain 
 V. Baudouin, 55 N. Y., 256-261. 
 
 Mother of Infant probably Liable after Father' s Death. 
 — It has been a much disputed question whether after the father's 
 death the mother becomes responsible for necessaries furnished 
 for her minor children. The theory of law upon which a father 
 is made liable proceeds upon the ground that he is bound to 
 support the child and has a right to the child's services during 
 its minority.' It has been held that the mother after the 
 death of the father is entitled to those services. Campbell v. 
 Campbell, 3 Stock. (N. J.), 265; Cain v. Dewitt, 8 Iowa, 116; 
 Furman v. Van Size, 56 N. Y., 435-439, disapproving Bentley 
 V. Richtmeyer (4 Comstock, 38), and approving In re Rj^der, 
 11 Paige, 185. If she is entitled to the services of her child, 
 ^ See on this question also Bigelow's " Leading Cases, " on Torts, 295-303.
 
 LIABILITY FOR PHYSICIAN'S FEES. 30 
 
 she must be bound to support and care for it ; and so it was 
 held in Furman v. Van Size cited above. 
 
 Estates of Insane Persons Liable in a Proper Case. — 
 Persons of unsound mind are liable for necessaries furnished 
 for their benefit, and can be made to pay therefor at reasona- 
 ble and proper rates, but they cannot make contracts for a 
 specific rate. It is always a question of fact as to what sum 
 should be charged against their estates, if they have any. 
 
 Master Not Liable for Services Rendered Servant ivithout 
 Special Contract. — In the case of master and servant, while at 
 common law as between a master and servant the master was 
 bound to provide medicine and food for the servant when the 
 servant was an inmate of the master's house, this is an obliga- 
 tion which a third person could not enforce, and the master can 
 only be held liable for services rendered to the servant, upon 
 proof of a specific contract with him to pay for them. 
 
 Case of Grain v. Baudouin Considered. — The case of Grain 
 V. Baudouin, supra, affox-ds an interesting discussion before the high- 
 est court of New York State, as to the question as to how far a 
 father calling a physician for an adult child for whom he is not 
 bound to provide, although lying sick at the father's house, can be 
 held liable for the services rendered upon such call. In that case 
 the plaintiff attended as a physician upon the daughter of the de- 
 fendant, who was sick at his house. The daughter was of full age, 
 married and living with her husband, but was brought from that of 
 her husband to that of her father in order that she might be under the 
 care of her mother. Defendant was present when plaintiff made his 
 calls, gave the latter a history of the patient's illness, and received di- 
 rections as to her treatment. He told others of the frequency and 
 length of the plaintiff's visits, and of his opinion of the case, without 
 any disclaimer of liabilit3\ The Court held, however, that these facts 
 were insufficient to imply a promise on the father's part to pay for the 
 services, and that the additional facts that the defendant consented to 
 the calling in of a consulting physician, and that a bill was sent in by 
 the plaintiff, unless acknowledged and acquiesced in by defendant, or 
 that he had before this employed other physicians, were also insufficient 
 to raise an implication of law of such a promise to pay. The plaintilf 
 relied in his argument upon the fact that the patient was a daughter of 
 the defendant, but the Coui^t held that any presumption which might 
 arise from this had the daughter been under age, was overcome by the 
 fact that she was past a majority, and was married and lived with her 
 husband and children. The plaintiff also relied to support his cause
 
 40 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 of action upon the interest exhibited by the defendant in the course of 
 treatment pursued, and the other facts as to the presence of the defend- 
 ant when the plaintiff made his professional calls alone and in con- 
 sultation ; his receiving du'ections as to treatment ; his recognition to 
 others of the fact that the plaintiff was in attendance ; his reciting to 
 others a knowledge of the frequency and length of the visits of plaintiff 
 without any disclaimer on the part of the defendant of liability. The 
 Court said as to these facts : " It is true that particular acts will some- 
 times give rise to particular obligations, duties and liabilities. But the 
 party whose acts are thus to affect him must be in such predicament 
 as that those acts have, of legal necessity, a significance attached to 
 them, at the time, which he may not afterward repel. ... It has 
 been held that a special request by a father to a physician to attend 
 upon his son, then of full age but lying sick at the father's house, 
 raised no implied promise on the part of the father to pay for the ser- 
 vices rendered." See Boyd v. Sappington, 4 Watts (Pa.), 247; and so 
 in Veitch v. Russell, 3 Ad. & Ell. (N. S.), 927, it is said : "A physiciai;i 
 attends in every case on request ; that fa,ct alone is not enough for the 
 inference of a special contract ; " and see Sellen v. Norman, 4 Carr. & 
 P., 284. Still less where there has been no special request by the father 
 to the physician, and no more than acquiescence in his calls. As it 
 would be unnatural for the parent of an invalid child, though legally 
 emancipated, or for an intimate and confidential friend of hers, not to 
 know the rise and course of her malady, not to be interested in the 
 state of it as disclosed at any time to skilled inspection, not to be so anx- 
 ious as to be in waiting when scientific skill was to be applied for its 
 cure, not to be ready to receive directions for treatment in the inter- 
 vals ; so it is not to be implied in the one case more than in the other 
 that, from these manifestations, because unaccompanied with an ex- 
 press repudiation of liability, a liability may be implied. They are to 
 be referred to natural affection and friendly sympathj", rather than to an 
 acquiescence in the rendition of a personal benefit, or counted as acts 
 done under a sense of legal obligation." The Court further said that 
 "even if it should be assumed that the usage exists that the physician 
 called to consult with him who is in attendance, with the consent of 
 the person who has employed the latter, is in contemplation of law in 
 the hire of that person, still the assent of the defendant to the calling 
 in of the consulting physician, and his expression of desire to be present 
 when he came — until he is shown to have employed the plaintiff — is a 
 basis too weak for an implication of law, that he promised to pay his con- 
 sultation fees. Still less it is a fact from which to imply a promise to 
 pay the plaintiff." This case is, however, close to the border line, and 
 it may be well criticised and denied its apparent full weight of author- 
 ity, notwithstanding the very great learning and ability of the learned 
 Judge Folger, who wrote the opinion, upon the ground that it appears
 
 LIABILITY OF THIRD PERSONS CALLING A PHYSICIAN. 41 
 
 that the father had as a witness expressly denied calling in the plaintiff 
 or authorizing anybody to call him in, or authorizing the employment 
 of a consulting physician, and that on the trial the Court had found 
 upon the whole testimony in the case that the defendant had never 
 employed the plaintiff. Taking the decision as a whole it cannot be 
 regarded as determining thai upon such a set of circumstances as is 
 there disclosed, the father could not in any event have been held liable, 
 but rather that the trial court having found upon the whole testimony 
 that the defendant was not liable, having witnesses before it fully 
 able to judge of their capability, the appellate court could not say as a 
 matter of law that a finding in favor of the defendant should be over- 
 ruled. This case is considered here at some length chiefly for the pur- 
 pose of affording an illustration to physicians and surgeons which will 
 suggest to them the advisability of care in ascertaining in all cases who 
 is responsible for their charge for services. See also Bradley v. Dodge, 
 45 How Pr. (N. Y.), 57; Smith v. Riddick, 5 Jones (N. C), 42. 
 
 Liability of Third Persons Calling a Physician — 
 General Rule. 
 
 As to liability for services rendered, when the medical man 
 is called by one person to attend another, it may be stated as a 
 general rule that in order to create such a liability it must 
 appear that the person calling either actuallj^ intended to be- 
 come responsible, or acted in such a manner that the phj^sician 
 was led to suppose that he so intended. 
 
 Liability of Railway Company Calling Physician in 
 Case of Accident to Employees, etc. — Another more trouble- 
 some question has arisen where physicians and surgeons have 
 been called in by employees of a railway company in case of 
 sudden accident or injurj^ In one case in New York, the 
 Superior Court of New York City held, that although the gen- 
 eral superintendent of a railroad company testified that he had 
 general authority to hire and discharge men, and that he had 
 employed a physician, the railroad company" was not liable.' 
 
 This doctrine seems to be opposed to the weight of authority. See 
 cases collated in Vol. 18, "Am. and Eng. Cyclopaedia of Law,"' p. 434 et 
 seq., some of which are: Toledo, etc., R. R. Co. v. Rodrigues, 47 111., 
 188; Same v. Prince, 50 111., 26 ; Indianapolis, etc., R. R. i\ Morris, 67 
 
 'Stevenson v. The New York, Cases, 343; Cincinnati, etc., R. R. 
 etc. , Railroad Co. , 3 Duer, 341 ; Co. v. Davis, 43 Am. & Eng. R. R. 
 same case, 1 Am. & Eng. R. "R. Cases, 459.
 
 42 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 111., 295 ; Cairo, etc., R. R. Co. v. Mahoney, 82 111., 73 ; Atchison, etc., 
 R. R. V. Beecher, 24 Kansas, 228. 
 
 Same Rule does Not Prevail in United States in Case of Acci- 
 dents to Passengers. — The cases just noted were all cases of employees. 
 In the cases of injured passengers it has been doubted whether the same 
 rule applied, some State courts holding that in that case there is no 
 obligation to furnish medical and surgical attendance, but that the 
 physician attending must look to the persons whom they attended. 
 Union Pacific R. R. Co. v. Beatty, 35 Kansas, 265 ; Brown v. Missouri, 
 67 Missouri, 122. 
 
 Different in England. — In England a different rule prevails — one 
 more humane and in consonance with the moral obligation imposed by 
 the relationship of the parties. In Walker v. The Great Western R. R. 
 Co., a recent case (Law Reports, 2 Exch., 228), Chief -Justice Kelley, in 
 the course of the argument, made this remark : ' ' Must a board be con- 
 vened before a man who has his legs broken can have medical at- 
 tendance ? " 
 
 But in Cox V. The Midland Counties R. R. Co. (3 Wellsby, H. & G., 
 268), the station master, employed as the chief officer of the passenger 
 and other departments, called in a surgeon to perform an operation 
 upon a passenger injured by a train. The road was held not liable. 
 
 On the other hand, in Langan v. Great Western R. R. Co. (30 Law 
 Times, N. S., 173), a sub-inspector of railway police was held to have 
 implied power to employ a surgeon for an injured employee. But i)i 
 Arkansas an attorney for a railroad company was held not authorized 
 to do so. St. Louis, etc., R. R. Co. v. Hoover, 53 Ark., 377. 
 
 Doctrine in Indiana the More Sensible One. — The more sensible 
 doctrine seems to be established in this country, in the State of Indiana 
 at least, in the case of Terre Haute R. R. Co. v. McMurray (98 Ind., 
 358), in which the Court held that where there was great necessity for 
 the employment of a surgeon, the conductor of a train has authority to 
 employ the surgeon, if the conductor is the highest officer in rank on 
 the ground at the time. But in that case the Court expressly states 
 tliat this liability grows out of the exigencies of the case ; not out of 
 any theory of general authority. 
 
 Authority of Railroad Physician to Employ Nurses, etc. , Doubt- 
 ful. — It has also been disputed whether the authority of the company's 
 physician extended far enough to render the company liable for ser- 
 vices performed by nurses employed by him, or for board and lodging 
 engaged by him for injured employees. In Bingham v. Chicago, etc., 
 R. R. Co. (79 Iowa, 534), it was held that the authority was sufficient, 
 but in that case testimony appeared tending to show that an agent of 
 the company who had authority to employ the physician had author- 
 ized him to employ two nurses. The converse doctrine — namely, that 
 the fact that a physician of the company was authorized to buy medi-
 
 LIABILITY OF THIRD PERSONS CALLING A PHYSICIAN. 43 
 
 cines on the credit of the company does not authorize the inference 
 that he has power to render the company liable by a contract for board 
 and nursing of a person injured on the company's road — was held in 
 Maber v. The Chicago, etc., R. R. Co., 75 Missouri, 495 ; Brown v. The 
 Missouri R. R., 67 Missouz-i, 122. To the same effect, see Louisville, 
 etc., R. R. Co. V. McVeigh, 98 Ind., 391 ; Cooper v. N. Y. C. & C, 6 
 Hun, 276 ; and St. Louis, etc., R. R. Co. v. Hoover, 53 Arkansas, 377. 
 2 Redfield on Railways, 114 : 
 
 On the other hand, where a physician and surgeon has been duly 
 employed by a sub-officer or servant of the railroad company, ratifica- 
 tion of this employment, by those having authority to employ him 
 and to render the company liable, will be inferred from slight circum- 
 stances. 
 
 Such was the case of Louisville R. R. Co. v. McVeigh, which has 
 been cited. 
 
 And in another case where information of the fact of the employ- 
 ment had been conveyed to the company's general manager, and he 
 had neglected and omitted to repudiate the employment or to terminate 
 it, and the surgeon went on and performed services, it was held that 
 from these facts a ratification will be inferred. Indianapolis R.R. Co. 
 i\ Morris, supra. See also Toledo, etc., R. R. Co. v. Rodrigues, sti- 
 pra; Same v. Prince, supra; Terre Haute, etc., R. R. Co. v. Stock- 
 well, 118 Ind., 98. 
 
 Pi^esentation ay^d Retention of Doctor's Bill Raises No 
 Presumption of Liability. — The presentation of a bill to a 
 person containing charges against him for services rendered 
 another person, and his retention of that bill without disclaimer 
 of liability, does not raise a presumption of liability, for it is 
 not necessarily an account stated. To constitute an account 
 stated, there must be not only a statement of account, but ac- 
 quiescence in it ; mere retention of the account is not sufficient. 
 
 Bills Presented Not Conclusive as to Amounts Charged. 
 — On the other hand, if a bill is presented v^hich contains 
 charges which are not acquiesced in, the person making out 
 and presenting the bill is not absolutely bound by the charges 
 therein contained, although such a bill affords some evidence 
 as to the value of the services rendered.' 
 
 Claims Against Estates of Deceased Persons. — A bill for 
 a physician's services constitutes a claim against the estate of 
 
 ' Bronson v. Hoffman, 7 Hun, of Med.," svpra, p. 46; but see 
 674 ; Williams v. Glenny, 16 N. Y. . also Danzinger v. Hoyt, 46 Hun, 
 389, and see Ordronaux on " Juris. 270.
 
 44 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 a deceased person, like any other debt. In some States it is a 
 preferred claim.' In this connection it should be observed that 
 short statutes of limitation exist in most countries and States 
 applicable to such cases, shorter than the ordinary limitation 
 imposed by law upon the right to sue upon claims for services 
 rendered (which is six years). In order to preserve his legal 
 rights, the physician should as soon as possible after the death 
 of the person for whom his services have been rendered, as- 
 certain who is the administrator or executor of the estate of 
 such person, and file with such representative, personally, proof 
 of his claim. 
 
 Patient who Receives Benefit of Services of Consulting 
 Physician Liable. — The liability of a patient for the services 
 of a consulting physician is generally governed by the same 
 rules as his liability to the ph3'sician in immediate charge of 
 the case.* 
 
 Where the patient accepts the services of a consulting phy- 
 sician, although he has not directly requested them, he must 
 pay for them if he receives the benefit of them without object- 
 ing, because it will be presumed that he ratified the act of the 
 physician who was in charge of the case, in calling the other 
 physician into consultation.^ 
 
 But, however this may be, it is a principle of professional 
 ethics, which has almost acquired the authority of legal doc- 
 trine, that a physician in charge of a case should obtain the fuU 
 assent of a patient, or of his family and friends, if he is too ill 
 to give his own consent, to the calling of another ph3'sician in 
 consultation. 
 
 No Other Stranger can he Called into Sick-Boom ivithout 
 Assent of Patient. — A limitation upon the authority and right 
 of an attending physician is, that if he desires or attempts to 
 call in a stranger not a physician, he must obtain his patient's 
 
 ' And it has been held that a de- - Grain v. Baudouin, supra; Shel- 
 cedent's estate is liable for fees of ton v. Johnson, 40 Iowa, 84 ; Garry- 
 expert, who by direction of probate v. Stadlen, 67 Wis. , 512. 
 court examined widow and testified ^ And a physician may recover the 
 as to her pregnancy. This notice value of services rendered by his 
 was put upon the ground that his students. People v. Monroe, 4 
 testimony was necessary for the in- Wend. (N. Y. ) , 200 ; Jay Co. v. 
 formation of the court in a matter Brewington, 74 Ind. , 7. And the 
 before it affecting the disposition of physician in attendance is not lia- 
 the estate. Eollwager v. Powell, bie to the physician thus called. 
 S Hun, 10. Guerard-e. Jenkins, IStrobh., 171.
 
 CONSULTATIONS. 45 
 
 consent. The obligation of a physician toward his patient of 
 secrecj^ and confidence is regarded as very strict, and if a phy- 
 sician should call in a student or other stranger, without first 
 consulting his patient, or those who are in some measure related 
 to him and connected with him, it would be a verj" severe 
 stretch of morals and possibly of law. In fact, in a recent case 
 in Michigan, a physician was held liable for damages who 
 called in a stranger, an unmarried man, who was an unprofes- 
 sional man, to be with him while he was in attendance on a 
 confinement case. In that case both the physician and the 
 person so called in, and who was present at that time, were 
 held liable in damages ; and it was further held that the right 
 to recover was not affected by the fact that the patient supposed 
 that the person so called in was a medical man, and therefore 
 submitted to his presence without objection.* 
 
 The statutes which create the privilege as to professional 
 communications and information necessary to enable the phy- 
 sician to prescribe, might not apply to students or other 
 strangers, and this is probably the reason for the rule of law 
 laid down in the Michigan case. The obligation to preserve 
 inviolate a communication as a privileged communication, in- 
 cluding in the meaning of the word " communication" all 
 knowledge or information received while in attendance upon a 
 case, would be held to have been broken by the act of the phy- 
 sician in bringing in a stranger who would not be privileged 
 from testifying. 
 
 Measure of Recovery for Services Rendered. 
 
 Terms of Express Contract Govern — Reasonable Worth 
 the Rule in Implied Contracts. — In case of an express con- 
 tract its terms necessarily measure the amount of the charges. 
 In the absence of an express contract fixing the value of the 
 services to be rendered, the measure of damages for breach of 
 payment is like that in any other case of personal services, the 
 reasonable worth and value of the services performed. So like- 
 wise if medicines or appliances are furnished, which are not 
 reasonably to be expected and furnished, according to the cus- 
 tom of the school to which the physician or surgeon belongs,, 
 ' Deway v. Eoberts, 46 Michigan, 160.
 
 46 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS^BECKER. 
 
 the reasonable worth and value at the time of furnishing them, 
 and at the place of furnishing them, is the measure fixed by 
 the law to determine what shall be recovered for them.' 
 
 Value — Hoiu Proved. — When the medical man is com- 
 pelled to go into court to enforce payment for his services, it 
 has been questioned whether he can testify to the services ren- 
 dered, and the facts and circumstances surrounding the patient 
 at the time of the treatment, because it has been claimed that 
 he could not do so without violating the statute against the 
 disclosure b}^ physicians of information received which is nec- 
 essary to enable them to prescribe. The tendency of the later 
 decisions, however, seems to be that the breach of the patient's 
 contract to pay relieves the physician from his obligation of 
 secrecy, and consequentlj^, that if it is necessary for him to go 
 into court and prove the value of his services, he may testify, 
 within reasonable limitations, to all matters necessary to inform 
 the court fully as to the nature and extent of the disease or 
 injuries of the patient, in order that he may show the responsi- 
 bility imposed upon him and the extent of the services that 
 he has rendered. This subject will be fully considered under 
 the head of " Privileged Communications. " The usual course of 
 practice where there is not an express contract fixing the 
 charges, is to prove the facts and circumstances showing the 
 treatment and services, and then to produce other physicians 
 who, in answer to a hypothetical question stating the facts and 
 circumstances in the case, assuming them as true, are allowed, 
 if they state they know the value of such services, to give an 
 expert opinion as to what that value is.^ It has also been said 
 (Ordronaux, " Jurisprudence of Medicine," § 43), that if a fee- 
 bill of charges for such services has been established by an 
 association of physicians recognized hj law, such as a countj^ 
 medical society or a State medical society, incorporated pursu- 
 ant to statute, such fee-bill can, if properly authenticated as 
 having been adopted by the association, be offered in evi- 
 dence on behalf of the patient and against the physician. But 
 such a fee-bill in such a case would not be held to be conclusive 
 
 ' MacPherson'».Chedell,24Wend., presumed to be experts as to the 
 
 15; Adams v. Stevens, 26 Wend., value of other physicians' services. 
 
 451 ; Story on Bailments, § 37. Beekman v. Platner, 15 Barb. , 
 
 * Duly licensed physicians are 550.
 
 GENERAL ADVICE. 47 
 
 evidence of the value of the services, but will be received in 
 evidence, if at all, merely for the purpose of showing what was 
 the" usual and ordinary charge in such cases. As we shall see 
 later on, under "Malpractice," a judgment for services ren- 
 dered, however small, is a bar to an action of malpractice, be- 
 cause a judgment for the value of the services rendered involves 
 proof on the part of the plaintiff, and a finding on the part of 
 the court, that the services had value and were skilfully per- 
 formed and properly rendered.' 
 
 Custom of Physicians to Treat Each Other Gratis, En- 
 forceable. — Physicians frequently treat each other, and it has 
 been, held, where the custom exists to do so without charge, 
 that such a custom is binding. Of course, this rule does not 
 prevent phj^sicians from making an express contract to waive 
 the custom and agreeing that the services be compensated. 
 
 Elements to he Proved in an Action for Service, etc. — 
 General Advice. — The result of these rules may be thus sum- 
 marized, viz. : The elements to be established in an action for 
 services by a physician against a patient are three in number — 
 (1) the employment; (2) the performance of the services;" and 
 
 1 Bellinger v. Craigue, 31 Barb. , him. On the other hand, in an 
 534; Gates iJ. Preston, 41 N. Y., 113; action for malpractice brought l)y 
 Blair v. Bartlett, 75 N. Y. , 15. the patient against a physician. 
 The general rule is that in an action which is generally in form an action 
 arising on contract damages arising for a tortious act, or neglect, the 
 for a tort cannot be set up as a physician cannot plead the perform - 
 counter-claim. It follows from this ance of services and the non-pay - 
 that in an action of a physician for ment of his bill as a counter-claim 
 services, damages for malpractice or recoupment, because that arises 
 could not be recouped or counter- on a contract. If there is any ex- 
 claimed ordinarily. The way in ception to this rule it will be found 
 which that rule is avoided, and to grow out of the language of see- 
 the safer method, is for the defend- tions 549 and 550 of the Code of 
 ant to plead that it was part of the Civil Procedure of the State of 
 contract of the physician (which it New York, and of similar enact- 
 undoubtedly is), to perform his ser- ments in other States, which permit 
 vices in a faithful and skilful man- counter-claims arising out of the 
 ner, and that he committed a breach same subject-matter as the cause of 
 of it, thus charging the damages action, to be pleaded in that action, 
 which flowed from his acts as a In New York State, however, any 
 breach of contract, not as a cause of effect of that kind is negatived by 
 action in tort for malpractice or neg- the general provision that the ac- 
 ligence. If that is done the counter- tions must not only arise out of tlie 
 claim arising in malpractice can same subject-matter but be of the 
 probably be pleaded in an action for same kind and class, 
 services, and possibly a counter- '■ The degree of care and skill re- 
 claim in excess of the amount quired to be shown to entitle tlie 
 claimed by the physician recovered physician or surgeon to recover 
 as an affirmative judgment against compensation for his services has
 
 48 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 (3) the value of the services, that value being either a fixed 
 value determined by the terms of the contract between the par- 
 ties, or the reasonable worth and value of the services deter- 
 mined by evidence of experts upon that subject. It is, there- 
 fore, important that physicians and surgeons should be advised, 
 when entering upon the practice of their profession, to keep a 
 record of their transactions and of their business generally. 
 Because, if they are compelled to go into court to recover for 
 their services, they will be called upon to describe with minute- 
 ness the character and extent of the services they have per- 
 formed in order that the value thereof may be correctly ascer- 
 tained and determined in the suit. Any person in active 
 practice who is not blessed with a most tenacious and particular 
 memory is liable to forget a great many details which, with a 
 record in hand, properly kept, could be brought to his memory 
 and be testified to with absolute truthfulness and conviction. 
 And the record itself, when properly shown to be a book of 
 original entry, is generally receivable in evidence, as a memo- 
 randum of the transaction.' 
 
 already been stated to be simply ' Foster -y. Coleman, 1 E.D.Smith, 
 
 such care and skill as are possessed 85 ; Larue v. Rowland, 7 Barb. , 107 ; 
 
 by the majority of other professional Clarke v. Smith, 46 Barb. , 30 ; Kniglit 
 
 men of the same school of practice v. Cunningham, 6 Hun, 100 ; Bay v. 
 
 at the time, or what is known as Cook, 23 N. J. L. , 343. 
 ordinary care and skill.
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 OF THE PRIVILEGES AND DUTIES OF PHYSICIANS AND 
 SURGEONS WHEN SUMMONED AS EXPERT WITNESSES 
 IN COURTS OF JUSTICE.! 
 
 Introductory — Distinction Between Expert Witnesses 
 and Other Witnesses. — One of the most important positions that 
 a medical man is called upon to assume by virtue of his profes- 
 sional character, is the position of expert witness. Most writers 
 on medical jurisprudence confine themselves, in the discussion 
 of this subject, to presenting the medico-legal rules which ap- 
 pertain to this position, and concede its high importance. 
 Before defining what is meant b}' the term expert witness, or 
 treating of the rules which determine the status of such wit- 
 nesses in court, and their duties, it seems advisable to introduce 
 the subject by a brief consideration of the distinction between 
 ordinary witnesses and expert witnesses. When medicine and 
 law are united in the purpose of investigating facts, and bring- 
 ing about a legal determination as to what are or are not facts, 
 they co-operate with each other in this way. The law furnishes 
 the machinery for the inquiry and the rules which determine 
 how it shall be prosecuted. The medical man, however, is 
 called upon as an assistant to the law, because of his skill and 
 experience in his profession, which enable him to ascertain and 
 interpret the circumstances from which the facts sought to be 
 established are to be inferred. Ordinary witnesses testify con- 
 cerning matters of observation, the court and jury being en- 
 dowed with the sole power to determine the credibility of their 
 evidence and the true result of their observations. Yet the 
 border line of distinction between witnesses who testify merely 
 to actual matters of observation, and those who give their 
 
 ■ The writer is indebted for many admirable lectures on Medical Ju- 
 valuable suggestions concerning risprudence before the Medical De- 
 this svibject to Ansley Wilcox, Esq. , partment of the Universitj' of Buf- 
 of the Buffalo, N. Y. , Bar, and his falo. 
 4 49
 
 50 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 opinions upon and draw inferences from established facts and 
 circumstances, is a wavering one. The general rule of evidence 
 is well understood, that hearsay evidence is inadmissible, and 
 yet, like any other rule, this has its exceptions which grow out 
 of the necessities of given cases. This is so because there are 
 and always will be, matters brought before courts for investi- 
 gation and determination, long after the witnesses who person- 
 ally saw the facts and circumstances of the particular case in 
 which such matters are concerned have died, or have with- 
 drawn beyond the reach of the process of the court. Possibly 
 no record in writing of such facts and circumstances has been 
 left, or if in writing it lacks the sanctity of being a judicial 
 writing, and hence is no better evidence than any other form 
 of hearsay evidence. For this reason in matters of family 
 history, pedigree, custom, and the like, hearsay evidence is 
 permitted, and is entitled to as much weight as any other evi- 
 dence, if the witnesses giving it be trustworthy. 
 
 In Matters of Common Experience Witnesses in General 
 Often State Conclusions. — Moreover, in matters of common 
 experience, the testimony of any witness, if carefully analyzed, 
 often shows that he is sometimes allowed to draw, and state, 
 his conclusions and inferences, instead of being required to 
 confine his evidence simpty to telling in the strictest possible 
 way, and with the closest limitations, what he actually wit- 
 nessed. A good illustration of this is the case of a person who 
 sees a crime of homicide committed by shooting, and is called 
 upon to testify in court. He would be allowed to testify that 
 the defendant, if he could identify the prisoner at the bar as 
 such, was the person whom he saw fire the shot, although he 
 might not have examined him with close scrutiny, and might 
 never have seen him before the crime. In saying that the de- 
 fendant was the person who fired the shot, while he would be 
 in terms testifying to a fact, he would still be drawing an 
 inference, and giving an opinion, based upon his recollection 
 of the person whom he saw engaged in the act of firing, and of 
 the likeness or resemblance of such person to the prisoner at 
 the bar, which would be a matter of comparison and of opinion. 
 So, too, although he could not see the bullet take its course 
 from the mouth of the gun and imbed itself in the body of the 
 deceased, yet if he saw the firing, heard the explosion, saw the
 
 WITNESSES IN GENERAL OFTEN STATE CONCLUSIONS. 51 
 
 flash and smoke of the powder, observed the direction in which 
 the accused pointed the weapon, and saw the deceased stagger 
 and fall, he would be allowed to testify in answer to a direct 
 question whether or not the accused shot the deceased. And, 
 yet in making up that answer he would be testifying not 
 simply to a matter of actual observation, but to a conclusion. 
 As it is in reference to the question of identity so it is as to 
 many other matters which come before our courts, in all of 
 which the witnesses are permitted, without objection, to testify 
 to conclusions and to give answers which are the result of in- 
 ferences which they draw themselves, rather than a statement 
 of their actual observations. The law is not a metaphysical 
 but a practical science, limited and confined b}^ the practical 
 restrictions which experience has shown must be put upon it, 
 in order to enable it to accomplish its object of administering 
 justice between man and man. Men form such conclusions as 
 have been indicated, instinctively and unconsciouslj", and it 
 would be practicably impossible for them to narrate an}- occur- 
 rence without embodying in their narration some of these nat- 
 ural and unconscious conclusions. The law, therefore, includes 
 among the matters which witnesses are permitted to charac- 
 terize as facts, those daily and hourly inferences and deductions 
 which all men are accustomed to make, and concerning which 
 no two men who are properly constituted can greatly differ. 
 It is true that this practice sometimes leads to error, but it has 
 grown out of necessity. The greatest safeguard is, that upon 
 the trial of a question of fact both sides are represented by 
 counsel, and the opportunity which cross-examination offers to 
 an advocate of even reasonable and ordinary skill is such, that 
 these conclusions and inferences may be sifted down through 
 the chain of observation, and the process of drawing these con- 
 clusions and inferences from a series of facts, tested in such a 
 manner that the improbability, probability, or truth of any given 
 inference or conclusion may be determined with substantial 
 accuracy. The illustrations which have been given above 
 exhibit the simplest form in which so-called direct testimony 
 can be demonstrated to be not always positive and direct testi- 
 mony, but somewhat a matter of inference. Other examples 
 and illustrations of common occurrence will exhibit still more 
 closely the line between actuality and opinion. At times it
 
 52 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 becomes essential to the determination of a question, that the 
 courts should know whether or not a person was angry, whether 
 or not he was intoxicated, or whether or not at a given time, 
 when his mental status was under observation, he acted ration- 
 ally or irrationall3^ Lay witnesses have for many years been 
 permitted to testify from observation, and without possessing 
 any special qualification to do so, as to the existence or non- 
 existence of such conditions as those just mentioned in a person 
 whose actions are under consideration. It is manifest that in 
 making any such inferences the witnesses' testimony is mainly 
 a conclusion based on inference. Take the case of anger. How 
 shall that be determined? It is difficult to describe anger. A 
 loud voice, a flushed face, the use of bitter words, nervous, 
 excitable, demonstrative action — all these symptoms might 
 occur, or but few of them might occur. So, too, in the matter 
 of intoxication. It is well known that some individuals exhibit 
 the effects of intoxicants in an entirely different manner and 
 degree from others. Some men who are verj' much intoxi- 
 cated, so as to be quite incapable, in the eye of the law, of 
 forming a criminal intent, or of contracting an obligation 
 which would be valid, may still be able to walk perfectly 
 straight, or to talk without much confusion. Others, whose 
 walk and demeanor would indicate a considerable degree of 
 intoxication, might be mentallj^ clear and unruffled and even 
 stimulated by intoxicants to precise mental co-ordination and 
 reasoning. Again, there are persons, as to whom a witness, 
 after stating that he had observed them, and after stating the 
 particular matters and things in which such persons were 
 engaged, might with apparent accuracy state that they acted 
 rationally or irrationally, and yet such persons might neverthe- 
 less, upon furthfr examination, be found to have been acting 
 according to a particular custom or habit, or idiosyncrasy' of 
 long years' standing. Thus it is apparent that in each of these 
 cases, when the witness attempts to state what, out of neces- 
 sity, the court treats as a fact — viz. , whether a given person is 
 or is not angrj^, or intoxicated, or irrational — the witness is 
 really testifying to the result, in his own mind, of his observa- 
 tions of the condition and conduct of the person who is under 
 investigation, when compared with a standard which the wit- 
 ness has erected for himself. Hence such results are really
 
 WITNESSES PERMITTED TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS. 53 
 
 matters of opinion evidence, pure and simple. Other examples 
 of a like character are found in statements as to weight, 
 height, distance, speed, and the like, as to which men of com- 
 mon powers of observation, who are not strictly experts, are, 
 because of convenience and necessit}'' and the probability of 
 reasonable and ordinary accuracy, commonly permitted to give 
 their own judgment and conclusions as evidence. 
 
 All Witnesses Often Permitted to Draw and State Con- 
 clusions in Matters Involving Numerous and Complicated 
 Details. — Thus the practical necessity of the administration 
 of justice has led to the establishment of tlie rule, that where 
 the details of an occurrence are numerous and complicated, and 
 are incapable of precise description by ordinary observers, wit- 
 nesses are permitted to use, in testifying, general expressions 
 which really embody their conclusions from the facts or details 
 observed by them. Greenleaf on Evidence, Section 440, note 
 A; Wharton on Evidence, Section 434. 
 
 Wharton says that "the distinction between expert wit- 
 nesses and ordinary witnesses is this : the non-expert witness 
 testifies to conclusions which may be verified by the adjudicat- 
 ing tribunal; the expert, to conclusions which cannot be so 
 verified. The non-expert gives the results of a process of rea- 
 soning familiar to every-day life ; the expert gives the results 
 of a process of reasoning which can be determined only by spe- 
 cial scientists." See also People v. Fernandez, 35 N. Y., 49. 
 People V. Deacons, 109 N. Y., 374-382. 
 
 This learned writer (Wharton) also says, at Section 437 of 
 the same treatise : 
 
 " Where conclusions depend upon facts whose evidential 
 weight can only be determined by those familiar with a partic- 
 ular specialty, then these conclusions may be given by experts 
 in such specialty." Such also is the exact derivative meaning 
 of the word expert, it being derived from the Latin word 
 " expertus," meaning, literally, "experienced," and hence 
 skilled by experience. 
 
 Functions of an Expert Witness Essentially Judicial. — 
 It is the function of an expert witness to reason about facts, to 
 explain their connection with one another, and to draw conclu- 
 sions and inferences from them. Hence, a witness, however 
 expert in any ordinary sense in his specialt}^ when ho is called
 
 54 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 upon merely to narrate facts which he has observed, is an ordi- 
 nary witness, and is governed by the same rules which apply to 
 the ordinary witnesses. When, however, he is called upon, in 
 addition to recounting facts, to explain or interpret them by 
 reference to assumed facts, he becomes properly an expert 
 witness. It thus appears that an expert witness must neces- 
 sarily perform a part of the duties which devolve upon the 
 court or the jury. His position is, therefore, essentially judi- 
 cial, except that he has no power to enforce his determinations 
 by judicial process. The importance and responsibility which 
 the law thus confers upon an expert are of the highest character. 
 He ranks the coequal with the tribunal itself in his peculiar 
 province, so far as relates to his individual responsibility. That 
 this should tend to elevate such witnesses to a high social posi- 
 tion, and ought to require the most exact and faithful integrity 
 of purpose and statement, is self-evident. 
 
 Difference Between Status of Expert Witnesses in France 
 and Germany and in the United States and England. — In 
 some foreign countries, notably in Germany and in France, 
 experts in medico-legal matters have an assured official posi- 
 tion, and are generally not allowed to be selected at hap-hazard 
 according to the will or the length of the purse of those who 
 need their services. The consequence of this method of obtain- 
 ing expert evidence is, that expert witnesses in those countries 
 command a high measure of respect and honor. 
 
 Unfortunately, however, in this country, where the opposite 
 practice prevails, the weaknesses of human nature are such 
 that the common people, newspapers, lawyers, and even the 
 courts in some recorded opinions and decisions, have come to 
 express a great want of confidence in the weight and value of 
 expert testimony. This deplorable result of a bad system of 
 procedure is universally recognized, yet our State legislatures 
 have as j'et refrained from attempting to correct it. 
 
 Hence, in considering the value of expert testimony in mat- 
 ters of medical jurisprudence, it must be conceded, in the first 
 instance, that the difference between the system prevailing in 
 this country and in England, and that which prevails on the 
 Continent, notably in Germany and France, has not tended to 
 raise but to depress the value of such testimony in the first- 
 named countries. In the latter countries, the experts upon
 
 STATUS OF WITNESSES IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. 55 
 
 medico-legal questions are officers of the court, or are treated 
 as such. They form, in a sense, a part of the judicial system, 
 and the expression of their opinions consequently carries with 
 it great weight. Moreover, under the system which prevails 
 there, it has been possible for men to be educated up to a high 
 degree of skill and experience in the particular branches of 
 physiological or psychological or physical investigations which 
 they pursue, while here in America, and to a certain extent also 
 in England, experts are such for other reasons, and by the 
 operations of other causes, than the fact of their permanent 
 employment in that capacity. As a general thing they become 
 skilled in their profession or in the particular branches of it 
 in which they practise as specialists, and are summoned to 
 testify simply because they are selected by one party or another 
 to a lawsuit. 
 
 31r. Wha7'to7fs View of this Question in the Mairi Hostile 
 to the Prevailing System Here. — The effect of the methods 
 which thus prevail has not been entirely to the advantage of the 
 miedical profession or of our courts. Wharton, in his work on 
 "Evidence," Section 454, observes upon this point: "When 
 expert testimony was first introduced it was regarded with 
 great respect. An expert was viewed as the representative of a 
 science of which he was a professor, giving impartially its con- 
 clusions. Two conditions have combined to produce a material 
 change in this relation. In the first place it has been discov- 
 ered that no expert, no matter how learned and incorrupt, 
 speaks for his science as a whole. Few specialties are so small 
 as not to be torn by factions, and often the smaller the specialty 
 the bitterer and more inflaming and distorting are the animos- 
 ities by which these factions are possessed. Particularly is 
 this the case in matters psychological, in which there is no 
 hypothesis so monstrous that an expert cannot be found to swear 
 to it on the stand, and to defend it with vehemence. ^XiJiil 
 tarn absurdo,^ which being literally translated means that 
 there is nothing so absurd that the philosophers won't sa}- it! 
 In the second place, the retaining of experts by a fee propor- 
 tioned to the importance of their testimony is now as customary 
 as is the retaining of lawyers. No court would take as testi- 
 mony the sworn statement of the law given by counsel retained 
 on a particular side, for the reason that the most high-minded
 
 56 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 men are so swayed by an employment of this kind as to lose 
 the power of impartial judgment; and so intense is this convic- 
 tion that in every civilized communit}^ the retention by a judge 
 of presents from suitors visits him not only M^ith disqualifica- 
 tion but disgrace. Hence it is that, apart from the partisan 
 character of their opinions, their utterances, now that they have 
 as a class become the retained agents of the parties, have lost 
 all judicial authority and are entitled only to the weight which 
 sound and consistent criticism will award to the testimony itself. 
 In making this criticism a large allowance must be made for 
 the bias necessarily belonging to men retained to advocate a 
 cause, who speak not as to fact but as to opinion, and who are 
 selected, on all moot questions, either from their prior advocacy 
 of them or from their readiness to adopt the opinion to be 
 proved. In this sense we may adopt the strong language of 
 Lord Kenyon, that skilled witnesses come with such a bias on 
 their minds to support the cause in which they are embarked, 
 that hardly any W' eight should be given to their evidence." 
 
 This author then proceeds to show that under the civil law 
 system the conclusions of experts were formerly treated as un- 
 assailable facts, but under the English and American common 
 law system this is not the case, but their testimony is to be 
 weighed by the court. He says : " The grounds on which the 
 conclusion is reached may be asked for : the expert's capacity 
 for drawing conclusions, as well as his premises, may be as- 
 sailed. Cases of conflict are to be determined, not by the nvim- 
 ber of witnesses, but by the weight of their testimony, and 
 though the opinion of an expert of high character may be 
 entitled to great respect, yet if questioned, its authorit}^ must 
 ultimately rest upon the truth, material and formal, of the 
 reasoning on which it depends." 
 
 Judge Davis, of the Supreme Court of Maine, in Neil's 
 case (cited in AVharton and Stille's " Medical Jurisprudence," 
 Vol. I., Section 294), said: "If there is any kind of testimony 
 that is not only of no value, but even worse than that, it is in 
 my judgment that of medical experts. They may be able to 
 state the diagnosis of a disease more learnedly, but upon the 
 question whether it had at a given time reached a stage that 
 the subject of it was incapable of making a contract, or irre- 
 sponsible for his acts, the opinions of his neighbors, of men of
 
 MR. WHARTON'S VIEW OF THE QUESTION. 57 
 
 good common sense, would be worth more than that of all the 
 experts in the country." 
 
 Such stinging- criticisms as these, and others which might 
 be cited, of a like character, may not be always merited. It is 
 certain that medical experts' opinions, if fully enlightened by 
 scientific research and free from partisan bias, ought to occupy 
 a position like that of judicial opinions in weight and decisive- 
 ness upon the questions submitted to them. Such was the 
 jDOsition occupied in the public estimation, and in that of judges 
 and counsel, by the great Dr. Caspar in Germany, and Foedere 
 or Pinel, and others'" since their time, in France. But this posi- 
 tion was acquired chiefly because of the fact already mentioned, 
 that under the system of administration of justice which pre- 
 vails in those countries these great men were regarded, and 
 acted, as a component part of the judicial system. The}- were 
 called in as officers of the law to assist the court in forming a 
 judgment, and determining disputed questions of fact, in cases 
 involving life and death, or the devolution of property, where 
 scientific experience, knowledge and skill, not possessed by 
 judges or by counsel, was necessary for the determination of 
 the questions involved. The root of the evil in America is, as 
 already pointed out, to be found in the sj^stem which allows 
 parties to retain and pay their own experts without anj' sub- 
 stantial restrictions. Sooner or later, among the other reforms 
 in our judicial system, it will be found necessary to reform this 
 evil by the enactment of laws requiring that the witnesses in 
 medico-legal cases, particularly those in which a crime is alleged 
 to have been committed, shall be designated by the court, or by 
 some public authority, and paid from the public treasury in- 
 stead of by the parties. Such experts would then occupy their 
 proper position of special counsel, advising and assisting the 
 legal counsel and the court, but they would not be taken out of 
 this sphere and put in the utterly inconsistent one of witnesses. 
 Their status and their duties would be as clearly distinguished 
 from that of expert witnesses as now known, as the status and 
 dat}^ of the lawj'er are from the status and duty of the judge. 
 The present S3'stem has been said to be very much like putting 
 a lawyer, who has just argued his client's case, on the bench 
 to decide it. Whether experts should be appointed as perma- 
 nent government officials, like our judges, or should be selected
 
 58 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 specially for each case like juries, referees, or arbitrators, and 
 in the latter event whether they should be nominated by the 
 parties and selected by the court from such nominees, or other- 
 wise, are all questions of detail. 
 
 Our judges and lawyers seem slow to recognize the fact that 
 the duties of experts are judicial, or at least quasi-judicial; to 
 pass upon certain facts which neither the court nor the jury 
 can understand without their aid. But, as we have seen from 
 the citations just given, judges and lawyers have fully recog- 
 nized the unreliability of expert testimony, produced as it now 
 is in England and in this country at the whim and selection of 
 the parties and paid for, much or little, according to the means 
 of the parties.' 
 
 Method of Preliminary Examination of Experts— On 
 Medical Questions a Licensed Physician Presumed Compe- 
 tent. — As the system exists here, the only power that the court 
 nas over the selection of an expert, is to determine, in advance 
 of his testimony and of the elucidation of his opinions, whether 
 or not he is competent as an expert. But this power affords 
 little or no check or restriction, because in the effort to get all 
 the light that is possible upon the questions under consideration, 
 and to avoid unduly interfering with counsel in the conduct of 
 the case at bar, the practice has become universal, and is recog- 
 nized in the decisions and text writers, of permitting any medi- 
 cal man who has a license to practise his profession, to testify 
 as an expert, and to give his opinion as such on any question 
 cognate to his profession. This is so without regard to the 
 amount of study and experience he may have had in the par- 
 ticular matter under consideration. The naked fact that he is 
 licensed to practise is enough. He then — that is, after testify- 
 ing that he is a practising physician — is clothed with the gar- 
 ment of authority. The only way in which his knowledge can 
 
 ' The conservatism of lawj^ers is defects of the system as it now ex- 
 proverbial. It is hard to convince ists has been brought to public at- 
 them that forms that have been long tention in the journals of the day, 
 in use and have been found to serve in papers read before medical socie- 
 a useful purpose in the past, are not ties and bar associations, and in 
 applicable to new conditions as they ai-guments in legislative bodies, and 
 arise ; for instance, that the meth- it is lioped and believed that ere 
 ods of procuring the attendance and long a reform, something of tlie 
 of examining ordinary witnesses do character indicated, maj^ be brought 
 not fit the necessities of expert tes- about in this very important mat- 
 timony. But the question as to the ter.
 
 METHOD OF PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF EXPERTS. 59 
 
 be tested is by cross-examination as to his experience and skill, 
 and possibly by contrasting him as he appears upon the witness- 
 stand and his history as he gives it, with other and more or less 
 experienced and skilful men who follow him. 
 
 The rule is, that when a witness is produced to give an 
 opinion on a medical question, he is interrogated by the coun- 
 sel who produces him as to his qualifications. At this point, 
 before he is allowed to give his opinion, it is proper and cus- 
 tomary that the counsel ui3on the other side of the case should 
 be allowed an opportunity to cross-examine as to his compe- 
 tency, and then the court determines whether or not he is a 
 competent witness. If the court pronounces him competent, 
 a hypothetical question is put to him stating the facts of the 
 case, as the counsel interrogating him claims them to be estab- 
 lished by the evidence, and the expert is then asked to give his 
 opinion on the question at issue, based upon an assmnption 
 that the facts stated are truly stated. Then the opposing coun- 
 sel has the right to cross-examine, and to ask his views and 
 opinions- upon the same question at issue, but assuming as true 
 other and different facts or premises, as he claims them to be 
 established by the evidence. This often involves a test of wit 
 and intelligence, and of forensic acumen, between the • counsel 
 and the witness, which serves very little useful purpose, ex- 
 cept perhaps to elucidate more strongly than has been here 
 stated the defects of the system which now obtains. It is also 
 not unusual, and in fact is the result of the workings of human 
 nature, that under the manipulations of counsel skilled in cross- 
 examination, skilled in methods of indirection in stating facts, 
 and armed with the powerful weapon of the rule which permits 
 them to insist upon a categorical yes-or-no answer to a question, 
 the jury and the court become confused, the witness loses his 
 temper, or becomes affected more strongly than ever before by 
 bias against his persecutors, as he feels them to be, and the 
 examination ends in a farce. This is not always the case, and 
 the illustration given is an extreme one. Like the citations 
 from judicial criticism of expert testimony which have been 
 given, these matters are only adverted to here as danger signals, 
 a warning to both professions, and with an earnest suggestion 
 of the necessity of reform.
 
 60 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 EXPERTS, HOW SUMMONED INTO COURT. 
 
 They Must Obey the Summons and Appear and be Sworn. 
 In General they need Not Give their Opinions unless Duly 
 Compensated. — An expert witness is brought into court like an 
 ordinarj^ witness by the usual process of the court. This pro- 
 cess is, under the American system, an ordinary subpoena, and, 
 being process of the court, whether or not he has been paid or 
 promised compensation for giving his opinion he must obey 
 the process to the extent at least of appearing in court when 
 called, to be sworn. Interesting questions have been raised as 
 to his obedience to the subpoena to the extent of testifying when 
 he has not been compensated. It has been argued, and the 
 argument is sustained by the decisions of courts of high author- 
 ity in some States, that his knowledge and skill, acquired by 
 study and by experience, is his property, of which he cannot 
 be deprived without just compensation, under his constitutional 
 rights guaranteed to him by the organic law of this country. 
 On the other hand, in some other States it has been held that he 
 is so far a necessary part of the judicial system that he ma}^ be 
 called upon to give the results of his experience, knowledge, 
 and skill forming his opinion, without payment other than the 
 ordinary compensation to witnesses. It is believed, however, 
 that the better opinion is the former; that he does not stand on 
 the same footing as an ordinary witness, whose province it is 
 to testify solely to matters of observation of fact, but that he 
 stands in the position of one who has something to give ; some- 
 thing to impart in the way of knowledge or experience, which 
 is his property as much as any other thing movable or im- 
 movable of which he is possessed. 
 
 A somewhat different question has arisen in the case of a 
 witness who, like a family physician or attending physician, 
 has learned facts and has been paid for his attendance, or who 
 exacts paj^ment for his attendance, as a physician from his 
 patient, and this question is ; when such a professional man has 
 been called upon to testify to the information he thus attained, 
 whether he can be asked for, and required to give, opinions 
 based on those facts? Necessarily, having learned the facts by 
 observation, such as the appearance, symptoms, and actions of
 
 EXPERTS, HOW SUMMONED INTO COURT. 61 
 
 the patient, he is, when testifying as to these matters, nothing 
 more or less than an ordinary witness, because he is testifying 
 to matters of observation. As to these matters pubhc policy 
 requires, except so far as it has been modified, or rather ex- 
 tended, by our statutes which forbid testimony as to privileged 
 communications, that he must testify, the sarhe as any other 
 witness. But suppose that, having so testified to the facts, he 
 is asked to give his opinion ; for example, in an insanity case, 
 whether the symptoms that he found in his patient led him to 
 the belief as a professional man of experience and skill that his 
 patient was sane or insane. Tiie question is. Can he be com- 
 pelled to give that opinion, if he chooses to decline to give it 
 without the j)romise or assurance of further compensation than 
 the mere per diem fee and mileage of an ordinary witness? 
 The best authority is to the effect that he must so testify, the 
 reasoning of the court being that his opinion is only a part of 
 what he derived from his original relation of physician to his 
 patient. Wright v. The People, 112 111., 540; same case, 33 
 Alb. L. J., 79. 
 
 Same Rule in Civil and Criminal Cases. — The rule is the 
 same whether the professional man is called to testify as an 
 expert in civil or criminal cases. In either one he is not obliged 
 to give an opinion as such, independent of a personal knowl- 
 edge of the facts in the case, without being paid or assured 
 reasonable compensation therefor. His proper course of con- 
 duct is, Avhen he has obeyed the subpoena and is in the presence 
 of the court and has been sworn, and the questions put by 
 counsel disclose that the object of his examination is to elicit 
 from him an opinion, to state to the court that he has not been 
 paid any other compensation than that of an ordinary witness, 
 and that he respectfully declines to give an opinion in the case 
 as an expert, without compensation proportionate to the value 
 of his opinion.' 
 
 ' It has been a matter of great dis- pie v. Montgomery, 13 Abb. Pr., 
 
 cussion whether an expert is com- n. s., 207; Ex parte Roelker, 1 
 
 pellable to testify on matters of Sprague. 276 ; Buchanan v. The 
 
 opinion, without compensation, the State, 59Ind., 1; Dills t'. The State, 
 
 weight of the decisions being that Id. , 15 ; U. S. ■». Howe, 12 Cent, 
 
 he is not bound to do so. 1 Green- L. J., 193; contra, 6 Central Law 
 
 leaf on Evidence, §310; 1 Warwick Journal, 11; Ex 2mrte Dement, 53 
 
 Law Assizes, 158 ; Parkinson '15. At- Ala., 389 ; Sumner ■«. Tlie State, 5 
 
 kinson, 31 L. J. (n. s.) C. P., 199; Tex., 21 ; 6 Southern Law Review, 
 
 Webb V. Page, 1 E. &K., 25; Peo- 706. ; and see generally Wharton on
 
 63 LEGAL STATUS OP PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 Whether Witness Competent a Question fo) Ci>i(rt in 
 Limine. — After the expert is placed upon the stand, as we have 
 seen, the counsel upon the side of the case by which he is sum- 
 moned interrogates him as to his capacity, the purpose of the 
 interrogation being that his answers shall qualify him and 
 show him to be an expert. Whether or not he is an expert so 
 as to permit the giving of his opinion as part of the case to go 
 to the ]nvj, is for the court to decide in limine, that is, at the 
 threshold, and as a matter of discretion, and the exercise of 
 that discretion, if fair and reasonable, will not be disturbed 
 upon appeal by the higher court. It is permissible, but also 
 discretionary, after the counsel calls the witness and has ap- 
 parently qualified him, for the counsel upon the other side to 
 cross-examine the witness as to his qualifications before he is 
 examined in chief, with a view of determining whether or not 
 there are limitations upon those qualifications which should 
 prevent the court from permitting him to testify as an expert. 
 The general rule is as stated by Greenleaf in his work on 
 Evidence, Sec. 440, that it is not necessary that the medical 
 expert should have actually practised his profession. Nor is it 
 essential that the witness should belong to any particular 
 school of medicine. The law does not undertake to pass upon 
 conflicting theories of medical practice, in determining the 
 question of the qualification of a medical expert. It is proper, 
 however, for counsel to inquire as to what school of medicine 
 the witness is an adherent, because of its importance in weigh- 
 ing the value of his testimony after it has been given. 
 
 Persons Not Duly Licensed Sometimes Held Not Compe- 
 tent. — It has also been a mooted question in those States where 
 it is necessary, in order to enable a person to practise ph3"sic or 
 surgery, that he should be licensed, whether a person practising 
 without a license, however extensive his reading and practice, 
 
 Evidence, sec. 380, note 66, sec. 456; his fee; that is, as to whether he 
 
 Lawson on Expert and Opinion expects to receive any additional 
 
 Evidence ; Rogers on Expert Tes- fee besides that of an ordinary wit- 
 
 tiniony. As to the compensation ness, and it has been held that 
 
 being paid before the testimony is where the expert witness testified 
 
 given, see Wharton on Evidence, that he was to receive a fee which 
 
 sees. 456, 380 ; People v. Montgom- was contingent upon the case, he 
 
 ery, 13 Abb. Pr. , n. s. , 207. was disqualified from testifying. 
 
 It is proper, although not neces- Pollock -». Gregory, 9 Bosworth, N. 
 
 sary, that upon cross-examination Y. Superior Ct. Rep., 121-124. 
 the witness should be asked as to
 
 COMPETENCY OP WITNESSES. 03 
 
 would be considered qualified as an expert witness in a court of 
 justice. This point, so far as diligent examination discloses, 
 has not been determined in any reported case, although it has 
 been suggested at nisi prius and has been, in one instance 
 within the knowledge of the writer, decided that he is not to be 
 considered an expert in matters involving medical knowledge 
 and skill. The reasoning of the court was that the policy of the 
 State is to prohibit persons not possessing the qualifications 
 required to obtain a license, froin acting in any capacity as 
 professors and practitioners of medicine or surgery. If the 
 witness is a member of the profession, legally qualified as such, 
 it has been held that he is sufficiently qualified as an expert if 
 he shows that he possesses the average ability of members of 
 his profession. Hall v. Costello, 48 N. H., 176; Tellis ?'. Kidd, 
 12 Ala., 648; Wharton on Evidence, Sec. 446; Rogers on Ex- 
 pert Testimony, Sees. 17 and 18; Slocovich v. Orient Mutual 
 Ins. Co., 108 N. Y., 56. 
 
 As to the question whether it is necessary that the witness 
 should actually have practised his profession, see the last-cited 
 text-writer, Sees. 43 and 44, who seems to have entertained 
 views opposite to those stated by Professor Greenleaf . 
 
 Wharton on Evidence, Sec. 439, states the rule as follows : 
 " He must have special, practical acquaintance with the imme- 
 diate line of inquiry more than a mere vague, superficial knowl- 
 edge. But he need not be acquainted with the differentia of 
 the specific specialty under consideration. ... A general 
 knowledge of the department to which the specialty belongs 
 would seem to be sufficient." 
 
 Interested Persons may still Testify as Experts. — Since 
 the law forbidding interested persons from being witnesses has 
 been changed, it has been suggested that an interested person 
 although otherwise qualified might not be a competent witness 
 to give an opinion as an expert. But the established doctrine 
 is that he may give such an opinion ; the weight of it, however, 
 would be for the jury to determine. Greenleaf on Evidence, 
 Redfield's edition. Sec. 440, citing Lockwood ii. Lockwood, 2 
 Curtis, 309; Dillon v. Dillon, 3 Curtis, 96, 102, See also Dick- 
 inson V. Fitchburg, 13 Gray, 546. 
 
 Testimony of Expert, how Impeached. — Sometimes, on 
 cross-examination or otherwise, the fact becomes known that
 
 64 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 the witness who is proposed as an expert has expressed an 
 opinion on the subject in hand contrary to that which he has 
 given upon the witness-stand, and the question has been raised 
 as to establishing that fact at the outset and before his testi- 
 mony goes before the jury, in order to enable the trial judge to 
 determine whether he is competent. The rule in that case is 
 that the testimony as to his prior expression of opinion is not 
 to be received at that time, but will come properly up as 
 rebuttal, he having been asked upon his cross-examination, 
 giving time and place, whether he has made the statements 
 attributed to him. An expert witness may in other respects be 
 impeached like any other witness, that is, by the oaths of persons 
 who know him and have known his reputation, and who testify 
 that his reputation for truth and veracity is bad and that they 
 would not believe him under oath. He may also be impeached 
 by producing witnesses to prove that his special knowledge or 
 technical skill is not reliable or adequate to the undertaking 
 which he has assumed. But this testimony must be from 
 personal knowledge of the man and not from general reputation. 
 Wharton on Evidence, Sec. 437 ; Le Rose v. Commonwealth, 84 
 Pa. St., 200.' 
 
 General Rule as to Required Amount of Skill and Expe- 
 rience Stated. — The general rule may be stated thus, as de- 
 rived from these and other authorities : 
 
 ^ This latter case holds that a sec- part of his direct examination, but 
 
 ond expert may be called to testify as i^art of his cross-examination, 
 
 after the first has been thus chal- A medical expert is sometimes 
 
 lenged, to support his capacity and confronted upon the witness-stand 
 
 skill. The contrary rule, however, by long quotations from well known 
 
 obtains in Alabama (Tellis v. medical text-books, and he is asked 
 
 Kidd., 12 Ala. , 643; Pugh t5. State, whether the doctrines, opinions, etc., 
 
 44 Ala., 33). Neither can an ex- there laid down are sound. Espe- 
 
 pert be contradicted by books of cially is this done when such doc- 
 
 ecience ; that is, by books of science triues and oj^inions are in api^arent 
 
 introduced in evidence as such discord with his evidence as he 
 
 (Wharton on Evidence, 666, 721) . gives it. In such cases as this, how- 
 
 This is so because the rule is well ever honest, however intelligent and 
 
 established that books, although of non-partisan the witness may be 
 
 great authority in themselves, may (except as any opinion on one side 
 
 aot, even if proven to be such, be or the other of a disputed question 
 
 placed in evidence. They may, may be considered partisan) , he is 
 
 however, be read to the witness, placed in a verj^ difficult position, 
 
 and so be placed upon the record, IE the citations and questions are 
 
 passage by passage, and the witness from well-known authors, and he is 
 
 may be asked whether he agrees a modest man, as most men of learn - 
 
 with that doctrine, not, however, as ing are, it will be difficult for him
 
 SUGGESTIONS AS TO CONDUCT OF WITNESSES. 65 
 
 The extent of the previous study and investigation, and the 
 amount of skill and information which must be shown, will 
 depend upon the facts of each particular case. But some spe- 
 cial and peculiar knowledge or skill must be established, the 
 amount of it to be determined by the trial judge in his dis- 
 cretion. The possession of such knowledge and skill is pre- 
 sumed in medico-legal cases if the witness is a licensed prac- 
 titioner. 
 
 Some Practical Suggestions as to Conduct of Witnesses 
 on the Stand. — In this preliminary examination, the conduct 
 and demeanor of the witness are of no little importance, because 
 it is then and there that he makes his first impression upon the 
 court and jury. He should be perfectly open and unreserved 
 in stating his means of special information, in explaining what 
 are the limits of his personal experience and the extent of his 
 reading; but, at the same time, it would be well for him to 
 avoid all appearance of self-glorification and all tendency to 
 exaggerate his individual acquirements. Often has it occurred 
 that expert witnesses of undoubted capacity and honesty, who 
 are unfortunately grandiose and self-assertive in their manner, 
 have, however honest and able they might be, lost entirely their 
 weight with the court and jury by undue self-complacency and 
 exaggeration of their personal qualifications, during their pre- 
 liminary examination. This is a matter requiring tact and 
 judgment and nerve, and should be fully understood between 
 
 to deny that sucli authorities as to what insanity was, and having 
 
 these have great weight, even more stated what theories were then tlie 
 
 weight than his experience, skill, accepted ones, he was confronted by 
 
 and knowledge entitle him to counsel on his cross-examination 
 
 claim. On the other hand, if he with the question: "What do jou 
 
 takes the bold course and sticks to think of Dr. John P. Graj- as an 
 
 his opinion, he is cried down the authority on that question?" and 
 
 winds by counsel in summing him then with his own writings, quite 
 
 up, as a man of gall, boldness, au- extensive, of many years before, in 
 
 dacity and egotism. His course is which he had advocated theories 
 
 difficult whichever way he tux'us, apparently different fi'om those 
 
 but modesty as well as honesty is which he had professed upon the 
 
 usually the best policy. Perhaps witness-stand. Placed in this posi- 
 
 the best thing for such a witness to tiou, the distinguished gentleman 
 
 do under such circumstances is to simply replied: "It is ti'ue I cher- 
 
 do as once did the great mental islied those theories at that time, 
 
 alienist Dr. John P. Gray, when, but I lived to learn better, " thus 
 
 having given an opinion on a ques- substantially disarming any criti- 
 
 tion of insanity, he was cross- cism that could be made of liim in 
 
 examined as to the different theo- his capacity as a witness in that 
 
 ries from time to time prevalent as case. 
 5
 
 66 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 counsel calling him and the witness, before the witness is placed 
 upon the stand. In that event, it will be quite safe for the 
 witness to closely follow the questions of counsel by his answers, 
 and to volunteer little or nothing. If his answers are not full 
 and complete enough, counsel can renew the question in the 
 same or in other form or carry the matter into greater detail. 
 If, on the other hand, his answer is tuo full or he appears too 
 eager, he may create a prejudice against him which nothing 
 can overthrow, and which the art of counsel upon the other side 
 in cross-examination and in making comments upon his testi- 
 mony when summing up before the jury, will very effectually 
 use to destroy his weight as an expert.' 
 
 Scope and Extent of Examination of Expert Witnesses. 
 — Having stated how experts may be summoned and qualified, 
 it remains to consider the scope and extent to which they may 
 be examined. 
 
 The advancement of the sciences and the progress of re- 
 search in special fields of knowledge have made expert testimony 
 of large importance during the present century. The basis of 
 its admission is the fact that there are certain processes of 
 reasoning which an ordinary jury is incapable of performing, 
 even with the assistance of courts and lawj^ers. 'Oftentimes 
 in the administration of justice in our courts, proof is given of 
 circumstances which although admitted would have little or no 
 significance in the mind of. an ordinary juror, and which he 
 would be unable to contrast and compare with other facts, suc- 
 cessfully, without the aid of those more familiar with scientific 
 matters and the inductive process of reasoning than he is. In 
 such cases it is necessary that the jury should be specially 
 enlightened by persons who have, throvigh training, skill 
 and experience, acquired the power to enlighten them. A com- 
 mon instance and illustration of this matter is to be found in 
 the case of homicide by poisoning. A human body is found 
 dead ; externally there may be no indicia to show positively the 
 cause of death. Under such circumstance the laws of all civil- 
 ized countries permit what is called a post-mortem examination 
 by skilled phj^sicians, who, finding no external evidences of the 
 cause of death, are permitted by the officers of the law to remove 
 the internal portions of the body for special and careful exam- 
 ' For general rules for the conduct of expert witnesses see infra.
 
 SCOPE OF EXAMINATION OP EXPERT WITNESSES. 67 
 
 ination. If this discloses traces of inflammation or of lesions 
 of an abnormal character, further power is vested in the author- 
 ities to have at the expense of the State a chemical examination 
 of the internal organs. If this examination, which is neces- 
 sarily long and excessively technical, results in the discovery 
 of any poisonous substance, such as would produce death, and 
 if it is found in sufficient quantities to produce death, these 
 persons who made the post-mortem examination and discovered 
 the outward indications of the administration and effects 
 of the poison, and the chemists who discovered the poison 
 itself in the tissues of the bg^dj^ in sufficient quantities to pro- 
 duce death, are called as experts before the jury. The post- 
 mortem examiners explain what the appearance of the body 
 was, as distinguished from the appearances of the body of an 
 individual who had died from natural causes. The chemist 
 describes his course of experimentation, the various deductions 
 which he made from his experiments, the tests which he applied 
 in his investigation in discovering poison, and is then allowed 
 to testify that the poisonous substance was found in sufficient 
 quantities to produce the physical appearances which the post- 
 mortem examiners have described, and to accomplish the death 
 of the human being in whose body the poison was found. It 
 is obvious that the power of observation and the skill, which the 
 skilled chemists and ph^'sicians used as the basis of their reason- 
 ing in this case, were such as an'brdinary man, unskilled and 
 inexperienced, would not possess, and the abilit}' to use them 
 must have come from the study of treatises on such subjects, 
 and from teaching and experience, to such an extent as to en- 
 title the persons so testif j*ing to be considered by the courts as 
 qualified to express an accurate and sound opinion on the mat- 
 ters and things under investigation. Thus it appears how, in 
 such cases, a departure became essential to the successful ad- 
 ministration of justice, from the strict rule that witnesses shall 
 testif}^ solely to matters of fact and observation, and why it has 
 long been considered that some witnesses must be allowed to 
 testify to opinions and conclusions. 
 
 Again, in a like case, a body is found bearing evidences of 
 wounds or bruises. The question to be determined is whether 
 the3^ were inflicted before or after death; if before death, 
 whether they were sufficient to cause death. Some wounds and
 
 68 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER, 
 
 injuries might be sufficiently apparent and dangerous so that 
 the common, inexperienced eye would at once detect that they 
 were sufficient to cause death. But in most instances this is 
 not the case, and in such instances the testimony of experts is 
 required by the necessity of the case, to show that the wounds 
 and injuries were sufficient to cause death. 
 
 The General Rules Stated as to Subjects for Expert Tes- 
 timoni/. — Hence the general rule is, that wherever the facts to 
 be investigated are such that common experience and knowledge 
 of men do not enable them to draw accurate conclusions, but are 
 such that the studj'' and experience of specialists do enable 
 such specially endowed persons to draw accurate conclusions, 
 then the inferences and deductions they have drawn can be 
 testified to by those who qualify themselves before the court as 
 persons having sufficient skill and experience as such specialists 
 to entitle them to give opinions. The cases in which expert 
 testimony is permitted to be given are set forth in Rogers on 
 Expert Testimony, Sec. 6, quoting from Jones v. Tucker (41 N. 
 H., 540), as follows: 
 
 " 1. Upon questions of science, skill, or trade, or others of 
 like kind. 
 
 " 2. Where the subject-matter of inquiry is such that inex- 
 perienced persons are unlikely to prove capable of forming a 
 correct judgment without such assistance. 
 
 " 3. Where the subject-mMter of investigation so far par- 
 takes of the nature of science as to require a course or pre- 
 vious habit of study in order to the attainment of knowledge 
 of it." 
 
 So also Chief Justice Shaw of the Supreme Court of Mas- 
 sachusetts, in New England Glass Co. v. Lovell (7 Cushing, 
 319), said: 
 
 " It is not because a man has a reputation for sagacity and 
 judgment and power of reasoning that his opinion is admissible 
 in testifying as a witness. If so, such men might be called in 
 all cases to advise the jury, and it would change the mode of 
 trial; but it is because a man's professional pursuit, or his pecu- 
 liar skill and knowledge of some department of science not com- 
 mon to men in general, enable him to draw inferences where 
 men of common experience, after all the facts have been proved, 
 would be left in doubt."
 
 RULES AS TO SUBJECTS FOR EXPERT TESTIMONY. 69 
 
 To the same effect see Muldowney v. Illinois Central R. R. 
 Co., 30 Iowa, 472; Wharton on Evidence, Sec. 436; Greenleaf 
 on Evidence, Sec. 441. 
 
 Qualifications of this General Rule. — The extent to which 
 an expert witness can go in giving his opinion is limited to 
 matters of science and skill, and does not extend to the expres- 
 sion of views on matters of legal or moral observation, or the 
 manner in which others would probably be influenced if the 
 parties had acted in one way rather than in another. Campbell 
 V. Richards, 5 B. & Ad., 345. 
 
 So it has been held that the question whether a physician 
 has honorablj" and faithfully discharged his duty in a given 
 case, either to his medical profession or to his patient, is not a 
 question of science but of pure ethics, upon which the jury is 
 as competent to decide as any one else, and in such a case an 
 opinion would not be allowed to be given either by another 
 medical practitioner or by a professor in the science of morals. 
 Rogers on Expert Testimony, Sec. 11, citing Ramadge v. Ryan, 
 9 Ring., 333. 
 
 There are also some matters of fact which apparently tran- 
 scend the dividing line between common experience and judg- 
 ment and scientific experience and judgment, as to which 
 expert testimony is not receivable, but the jury and court must 
 weigh the facts and draw the inferences for themselves. An 
 interesting example of this is foutid in the case of Manke v. The 
 People, 78 N. Y., Oil (17 Hun, 410), cited in Stephens' "Di- 
 gest of the Law of Evidence," p. 107, note H, decided in the 
 New York Court of Appeals a few years ago. In that case one 
 Adolf was killed by a gunshot, and pieces of paper were found 
 near the scene of the homicide bearing certain marks. An ex- 
 pert was called upon to say whether they were powder-marks, 
 and whether the condition of the paper was such that in his 
 opinion it was wadding which had been fired from a gun. This 
 evidence was held to be inadmissible by the General Term of 
 the Supreme Court, and this decision was affirmed by the Court 
 of Appeals. These courts held that the question as to whether 
 this was a wad fired from a gun was a matter which the jury 
 was as competent to judge of as the witness. In delivering the 
 opinion at General Term, Presiding Justice Talcott said that 
 this case was very close to the border line, but in his judgment
 
 70 LEGAL STATUS OP PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 it was beyond the province of experts and within the province 
 of jurors. 
 
 Nevertheless, in that case the evidence of chemists who had 
 examined the wadding, and had discovered the marks on it 
 which were said to be powder-marks, and upon analysis had 
 determined that they were powder-marks, or that they were 
 marks of powder which had exploded, would have been clearly 
 admissible. 
 
 The subjects concerning which medical men may be called 
 upon to testify as experts are as numerous as the diseases, in- 
 juries, mental and physical conditions of the human race which 
 fall within the range of the practice of medicine and surgery. 
 It is therefore practically impossible to give them in detail. ' 
 
 Practical Suggestions and Admonitions Embodied in 
 Rules. — It is deemed advisable that the following practical 
 suggestions and admonitions to physicians, concerning their 
 duties as expert witnesses, shall here be given. 
 
 First : A physician should refuse to testify as an expert un- 
 less he is conscious that he is really qualified as an expert. 
 
 Second: After accepting the responsibility, his first duty 
 should be to make a diligent examination and preparation for 
 his testimony, unless it is upon a subject with which he is 
 familiar and which he is satisfied that he has already exhausted, 
 by reading the best authorities that he can find, and by careful 
 reflection upon particular questions as to which his opinion 
 will be asked. 
 
 Third : Where he is to make an examination of facts, such 
 as the post-mortem examination of a body, a chemical analysis 
 or an examination of an alleged insane person, he should insist 
 
 ^ The principal classes of such Also causes of alleged sterility or 
 subjects may, however, be briefly pregnancy; time pregnancy has ex- 
 stated as follows : isted ; also cases of alleged impo- 
 
 1. Causes of death; especially in tency. 
 
 cases of homicide, suicide, acci- 4. Rape, abortion, bastardy, ped- 
 
 dent, etc., including poisoning. erasty, onanism, masochism, and 
 
 !i. Causes, nature, and extent of many other matters relating to the 
 
 personal injuries, by violence, ac- sexual organs. 
 
 cidents, explosions, railway disas- 5. Malpractice cases, involving 
 
 ters, collision between vessels, etc. the degree of care and skill usual, 
 
 3. Birth of infants ; was infant and that used in the case under in- 
 born dead or alive ; if dead, was vestigation, and involving delicate 
 death the result of natural causes questions as to the propriety of the 
 or of internal violence ; age of in- ti'eatment adopted, etc. 
 fant at the time of birth or death.
 
 PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS AND ADMONITIONS. 71 
 
 upon having ]3lenty of time and full opportunity for doing his 
 work thoroughly. He should take particular pains to make 
 his examination open and fair, and, if possible, should invite 
 opposing experts to co-operate with him in it. 
 
 Fourth : He should be honest with his client before the trial 
 in advising him and giving him opinions, and upon the trial 
 should preserve an absolutely imjDartial attitude, concealing 
 nothing, perverting nothing, exaggerating nothing. 
 
 Fifth : On the preliminary examination as to his qualifica- 
 tions as a witness he should be frank and open in answering 
 questions. He should state fully the extent and the limits of 
 his personal experience and of his reading upon the subject, 
 without shrinking from responsibility, yet without self-glorifi- 
 cation. 
 
 Sixth : He should be simple, plain, and clear in his statement 
 of scientific facts and principles, avoiding the use of technical 
 language, and trying to put his ideas in such form that they 
 will be grasped and comprehended bj' men of ordinary educa- 
 tion and intelligence. 
 
 Seventh : He should avoid stating any conclusions or prin- 
 ciples of which he is not certain, but having an assurance that 
 he is right he should be firm and positive. He should admit 
 the limitations of his knowledge and ability. Where a ques- 
 tion is asked which he cannot answer, he should not hesitate to 
 say so ; but he should refuse to be led outside the subject of 
 inquiry, and should confine his testimony to those scientific 
 questions which are really involved in the case, or in his exam- 
 ination of the case. 
 
 Eighth : And finally, he should always bear in mind that at 
 the close of his testimony an opportunity is usually given to 
 him to explain anything which he may be conscious of having 
 said, which requires explanation ; and partial statements which 
 need a qualification to make them a truth. This is the physi- 
 cian's opportunity to set himself right with the court and with the 
 jury. If the course of the examination has been unsatisfactory 
 to him, he can then, by a brief and plain statement of the gen- 
 eral points which he has intended to convey b}" his testimony, 
 sweep away all the confusion and uncertainty arising from the 
 long examination and cross-examination, and can often succeed 
 in producing for the first time the impression which he desires
 
 72 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS— BECKER. 
 
 to produce, and can present the scientific aspects of the case 
 briefly and correctly. 
 
 Probably no man was ever so gifted as to be able in practice 
 to carr/ out all of these principles in giving medical testimony. 
 If he could, he would be the ideal expert witness. But the 
 principles are, after all, simple and easily followed in the main. 
 Any physician who knows his subject and who has a clear head 
 and the ordinary faculty of expression, by observing these prin- 
 ciples can make himself invaluable as an expert witness. There 
 is no branch of the profession which brings a broader fame, 
 greater influence, or larger emoluments than this. There is no 
 branch, on the other hand, in which men of real ability make 
 more lamentable failures.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MALPRACTICE. 
 
 Definition. — Malpractice may be defined to be — 
 
 1st. Wilful acts on the part of a physician or surgeon 
 toward a person under his care, by which such person suffers 
 death or injury; 
 
 2d. Acts forbidden by express statute, on the part of a phy- 
 sician or surgeon, toward a person under his care, by which 
 such person suffers death or injury ; 
 
 3d. Negligent acts on the part of a physician or surgeon in 
 treating a patient, by means of which such patient suffers death 
 or unnecessary injury. 
 
 These various divisions will be considered in the order in 
 which they are above set forth. 
 
 Wilful Malpractice.— The cases which fall within the 
 first two divisions of this definition are such acts as render 
 the medical man liable to punishment in a criminal prosecution, 
 and may not necessarily, although in some instances they may, 
 constitute grounds of liability in a civil suit against him. 
 
 As examples of the first class of cases may be cited those 
 instances, happily not numerous in the annals of the profes- 
 sion, where a physician or surgeon when treating a female 
 patient has had carnal connection with her, representing that 
 he was using that method of treating her to cure her disease. 
 Such a case was Reg. v. Case, 1 Eng. Law & Eq., 544 (s. c, 
 1 Den. C. C, 580).' 
 
 Honest Intent no Defence in Such Cases. — In Reg. v. 
 Reed, 1 Den. C. C, 377 (s. c, 2 Car. & K., 967), it was con- 
 tended as a defence that the defendant really believed that he 
 was curing his patient by treating her in this extraordinary 
 way. The Court, per Wildes, C. J., brushed aside this conten- 
 
 ' See also 1 Bishop Crim. Law, sec. 36 ; Rex v. Romiski, 1 Moody, 19 ; 
 Reg. V. Ellis, 2 Car. & K. , 470. 
 
 73
 
 74 LEGAL STATUS OP PHYSICIANS— BECKER. 
 
 tion with scorn, saying : " The notion that a medical man may 
 lawfully adopt such a method of treatment is not to be tolerated 
 in a court of justice ;" and in this case and in others, convictions 
 have been sustained for the crime of rape or of attempting to 
 commit rape.' 
 
 Another example of wilful malpractice would be wilful 
 neglect of a patient by his medical attendant, who became in- 
 toxicated voluntarily, though this will generally come under 
 the second subdivision, as most states and countries have enacted 
 statutes making it a criminal offence to practise medicine or 
 surgery when intoxicated. 
 
 Acts Forbidden by Statute. — Within the second sub- 
 division of the definition, or acts declared unlawful by statute, 
 fall the cases of committing or attempting to commit an abor- 
 tion, and cases of prescribing for or treating a patient by one 
 voluntarily intoxicated. If the abortion is attempted without 
 the knowledge or consent of the woman, and under the pretence 
 of performing a necessary operation upon her to cure disease, 
 undoubtedly the physician would be liable to a criminal pros- 
 ecution by the State for the offence of committing an abortion 
 and to civil action by her to recover damages. If the abortion 
 was committed with her consent, while she would have no 
 right of action against him for damages, he would be liable to 
 criminal prosecution under the statute. 
 
 Abortion Not a Crime by the Commoii Laiv. — At common 
 law it was not a crime to commit an abortion with the mother's 
 consent if the child had not quickened. In Mitchell v. Com., 78 
 K}'., 204 (s. c, 39 Am. Reports, 227), the Court, per Hines, J., 
 says : " After a patient investigation we are forced to the con- 
 clusion that it was never called a punishable offence at common 
 law to produce, with the consent of the mother, an abortion prior 
 to the time when the mother became quick with child. It was 
 not even murder at common law to take the life of the child 
 at any period of gestation, even in the very act of delivery." 
 See also Evans v. People, 49 N. Y., 8G. 
 
 The inhumanity and danger to societA' of this rule became 
 manifest at a very early period, and both in England and in 
 
 ' In such cases as these the patient had taken wilful and wicked ad- 
 would have a right of action in the vantage of his professional relation 
 civil courts for damages against the to her, to do her a grievous wrong, 
 physician or surgeon, because he
 
 ACTS FORBIDDEN BY STATUTE. 75 
 
 this country statutes were adopted, varying somewhat in the 
 degree and kind of punishment and in the nomenclature of the 
 crime, but all of them making the offence of committing an 
 abortion, no matter at what stage of gestation, a crime.' 
 
 The Common-Laiv Doctrine Criticised. — Professor Elwell 
 in his A^aluable work on " Malpractice, Medical Evidence and 
 Insanity," pp. 250, 251, makes the following remarks upon this 
 subject : " The idea once existed quite generallj-, and it still 
 exists to sofne extent, that there is no offence in destroying the 
 embryo or foetus before there is a manifest knowledge of life by 
 the mother, derived from motion of the child called 'quicken- 
 ing. ' How absurd to suppose that there is no life until the 
 mother can feel the muscular motions of the child! As well 
 might we deny the vitalit}' of the blood because it cannot be felt. 
 The muscular tissues, and even the bones to which thej" are at- 
 tached, must have some degree of substance before there can be 
 motion, and of course this development depends upon life. 
 Though this foolish notion is now fully exploded in medicine, it 
 still lingers in the popular mind, and doubtless leads to much 
 crime. The life of the foetus or embryo immediately after con- 
 ception is just as positive physiologically as at any subsequent 
 period. Quickening being an incident or sign in the course 
 of development of the foetus, it indicates not the commence- 
 ment of a new state of existence, but only a new manifesta- 
 tion of pre-existing life. ... It is uncertain in its appear- 
 ance, sometimes coming on at three months, sometimes at six 
 months, and sometimes not at all." 
 
 Legal Definitions of Terms, " Quick with Child," etc. — • 
 In Evans v. People, 49 N. Y., 8G, following R. v. Wycherly, 
 8 C. & P., 262, it was held that a woman is "quick with child" 
 from the period of conception after the commencement of gesta- 
 tion, but is "pregnant with quick child" only when the child has 
 become "quickened in the womb." This distinction has been 
 discussed in State v. Cooper, 2 Zab., N. J., 52, and since the 
 Evans case, the same court in New York State has held that 
 the expression, "woman with child," means "pregnant wo- 
 
 'The Pennsj^lvania courts at an stinct with life iu embryo and the 
 
 early period refused to follow this process of K<?station has begun the 
 
 common-law doctrine, and held crime may be perpetrated. Mills y. 
 
 that the moment the womb is in- Com., 13 Pa. St., 631.
 
 76 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 man." Eckhardt v. People, 83 N. Y., 42 (s. c, 38 Am. Rep., 
 4G2). 
 
 Death of Child by Abortion. — If, in attempting to produce 
 an abortion, the child is caused to be born alive but before the 
 end of the period of gestation, and when it is not capable of 
 sustaining life, and it dies, the person producing the abortion 
 and bringing the child into the world at this time and in this 
 manner is guilty of murder. Wharton's Crim. Law, sec. 942; 
 Rex. V. West, 2 Cox Crim. Cases, 500; Com. v. Brown, 14 
 Gray, Mass., 419. 
 
 Death of Mother by Abo7^tion. — So also where in con- 
 sequence of producing an abortion the death of the mother 
 occurs, the person producing the abortion is guilty of murder 
 at common law. 4 Blackstone's Com., 201; 1 Bishop's Crim. 
 Law, 328. In some of the States, however, these offences are 
 declared to be only manslaughter. 
 
 Further consideration of the subject of abortion will be had 
 under that title in another part of this work. 
 
 Statutes Geyierally Except Abortions Necessary to Save 
 Life. — It should be noted here, however, that nearly all the 
 statutes which define and punish the crime of abortion, or the 
 crime of manslaughter or murder committed in consequence of 
 abortion, declare that when it is necessary to produce a mis- 
 carriage in order to save life, the act of doing so is excepted 
 from the effect of the statute. 
 
 Negligent Malpractice. — Under the third subdivision of 
 the definition, viz., when by reason of the negligent acts on the 
 part of the physician or surgeon the patient suffers death or un- 
 necessary injurj^, may be placed the most numerous cases of mal- 
 practice, according to the generally accepted meaning of the term. 
 
 Criminal Liability for Negligent Malpractice. — It is 
 manifest that not every degree of negligence which causes 
 death or injury ought to render the physician or surgeon 
 liable to indictment and punishment for a crime. The general 
 theory of the criminal law is based upon the doctrine that in 
 order to constitute a crime there must be either an intent to 
 do the wrong, or such a degree of negligence in the performance 
 of a given act as to supply the place of the intent to do wrong, 
 and require punishment for the protection of society, upon the 
 ground that the carelessness of the defendant is so great as to
 
 NEGLIGENT MALPRACTICE. 77 
 
 make it necessary and proper to punish him, in order to deter 
 others from following his example. 
 
 Doctrine of Leading Case of Com. v. Thompson. — In 
 Com. V. Thompson (6 Mass., 134), Parsons, C. J., observes: 
 " There was no evidence to induce the belief that the prisoner by 
 his treatment intended to kill or injure the deceased and the 
 ground of express malice must fall. It has been said that im- 
 plied malice may be inferred from the rash and presumptuous 
 conduct of the prisoner in administering such violent medi- 
 cines. Before implied malice can be inferred, the judges must 
 be satisfied that the prisoner by his treatment of his patient 
 was wilfully regardless of his social duties, being determined 
 on mischief. ... To constitute manslaughter, the killing 
 must have been the consequence of some unlawful act. Now 
 there is no law which prohibits any man from prescribing for 
 a sick person with his consent ; and it is not a felon}^ if through 
 his ignorance of the qualit}^ of the medicine prescribed, or of 
 the nature of the disease, or of both, the patient, contrary to 
 his expectations, should die. The death of a man killed by 
 voluntarily following a medical prescription cannot be adjudged 
 felony in the party prescribing unless he, however ignorant of 
 medical science in general, had so much knowledge or probable 
 information of the f^tal tendency of the prescription that it may 
 be reasonably presumed by the jury to be an act of wilful rashness 
 at least, and not of honest intention and expectation to cure." 
 
 The Doctrine of the Thompson Case Too Broad. — This 
 lax statement of the law, made by the learned chief justice in 
 this case, has been much doubted and criticised. It ap- 
 pears to be unsound in the length to which it goes in requir- 
 ing, in order to constitute criminal liabilit}', what may be 
 termed excessive gross carelessness or wilful gross carelessness. 
 It apparently runs counter to the prevailing opinions of the 
 English judges, and to the later decisions of the courts in the 
 United States, although it is followed and approved in Rice v. 
 The State, 8 Mo., 561. 
 
 In Rex V. Long (4 Car. & P., 308-310), Park, J., said: "I 
 call it acting wickedly when a man is grossl}" ignorant and yet 
 affects to cure people, or when he is grossly inattentive to their 
 safety." 
 
 So in Rex v. Spiller (5 Car. & P., 353), the Court said : " If
 
 78 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 a person, whether a medical man or not, professes to deal with 
 the life and health of another, he is bound to use competent 
 skill and sufficient attention; and if he causes the death of an- 
 other through gross want of either he will be guilty of man- 
 slaughter." 
 
 Bishop, in his work on Criminal Law, lays down the rule 
 that not every degree of carelessness renders a practitioner 
 liable to criminal prosecution, and that it must be gross, or, as 
 more strongly expressed, " the grossest ignorance or most crim- 
 inal inattention." ' 
 
 Nevertheless he quotes with approval (2 Bishop Crim. Law, 
 264) the remark of Willes, J., that a medical man is taking a 
 leap in the dark if he knew he was using medicines beyond his 
 knowledge; and also the remarks of Bayley, J., in Rex v. Simp- 
 son (1 Lewin, 172), who said in that case: "I am clear that if 
 a person not having a medical education, and in a place where 
 a person of a medical education might be obtained, takes it 
 upon himself to administer medicines which may have an in- 
 jurious effect, and such medicines destroy the life of the person 
 to whom they are administered, it is manslaughter. The party 
 may not mean to cause death, or the medicine may produce 
 beneficent effects, but he has no right to hazard medicine of 
 a dangerous tendency when medical assistance can be obtained. 
 If he does, he does it at his peril." "^ 
 
 Gross Negligence Defined. — In general it may be stated 
 that gross negligence is necessary to constitute criminal liabil- 
 ity, but this may be predicated upon, or inferred from, such 
 want of ordinary care and skill as shows gross ignorance, or 
 such want of attention as indicates wilful disregard of the well- 
 known laws of life and health.^ 
 
 Gross Negligence Resulting in Injury a Misdemecmor. — 
 It has also been held that although death does not but in- 
 
 '1 Bishop Crim. Law, sec. 217, 561; Fairlee ■«. People, 11 111., 1; 
 
 citing Rex ■». Williamson, 3 Car. Holmes v. State, 23 Ala., 17; Rex 
 
 &P., 635. V. Spilling, 2 M. & Rob., 107; Fer- 
 
 ' The same learned and philosoph- guson's Case, 1 Lew., 181; Thomas 
 
 ical text-writer (2 Bishop Crim. v. Winchester. 2 Selden, N. Y. 
 
 Law, sec. 664) compares the Eng- Court of App., 397; Com. ■?). Pierce, 
 
 lish and American cases and de- 138 Mass., 165, and cases cited; 
 
 clares that the difference between Stated). Hahn, 38 Ark., 605; "Wliar- 
 
 them is more apparent than real. ton's Crim. Law, sec. 1015 ; El- 
 
 ^See Rice v. The State, 8 Mo., well on Malpractice, etc., 238, 239.
 
 NEGLIGENT MALPRACTICE. 79 
 
 jury does ensue, as the result of gross negligence or inattention, 
 that constitutes a misdemeanor punishable criminally.' 
 
 In Determining Degree of Negligence Circumstances 
 and Conditions Govern. — It should be noted, however, that 
 the circumstances and conditions attending the act of alleged 
 criminal malpractice should be given much weight. So also 
 should due weight be given to the advancement of knowledge 
 and education in the world in general, and in the medical 
 profession in particular. In an early English case, one of the 
 judges remarked that not as much knowledge and skill could 
 be expected of a surgeon or phj^sician in a sparsely settled 
 country district as in a city, and that he was at a loss to know 
 what degree of knowledge and skill should be required of such 
 a person. But in Gram v. Boener, 5G Ind., 447, Worden, J., 
 said : " It seems to us that physicians or surgeons practising in 
 small towns, or in poorly or sparsely settled country districts, 
 are bound to possess and exercise at least the average degree of 
 skill possessed and exercised by the profession in such localities 
 generall}^. It is not true, as we think, to saj' that if a physician 
 and surgeon has exercised such a degree of skill as is ordinarily 
 exercised in the particular locality in which he practises, that 
 would be sufficient. There might be but few practising in the 
 given locality, all of whom might be quacks, ignorant pretenders 
 to knowledge not possessed by them, •and it would not do to 
 say that because one possessed and exercised as much skill as 
 the other, he could not be chargeable with the want of reasonable 
 care and skill." ^ 
 
 Unlicensed Practitioner Causing Death Guiltij of Man- 
 slaiighter. — Since the adoption by most civilized states and 
 countries of the salutary practice of regulating bj^ statute the 
 practice of medicine and surgery, and forbidding j^ersons not 
 duly licensed from practising, and making it a misdemeanor 
 to violate -any of these statutes, it is clear that any person not 
 having the requisite medical education and a license, who at- 
 tempted to administer drugs and medicines or to perform op- 
 
 '1 Bishop Crim. Law, sec. 558, 131 ; Gates ■». Fleisher, 67 Wis., 28fi ; 
 
 citing Groenvelt's case, 1 Lord Ray- Smothers v. Hauks, 34 Iowa, 286 ; 
 
 mond, 213; Rex v. Long, 4C. &P., Ahnond v. Nugent, 34 Iowa, 300; 
 
 398. Hairev. Reese, 7 Phila. (Pa.), 138; 
 
 ^ See also Kelsey v. Hay, 84 Ind., Nelson v. Harrington, 72 Wis., 591. 
 189 ; Small v. Howard, 128 Mass. ,
 
 80 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 erations, and through -want of ordinary knowledge and skill 
 caused the death of another, would be held guilty of man- 
 slaughter, because he brought about the death while he himself 
 was engaged in a violation of the law. In some states where 
 no discrimination in this respect is made between misdemeanors 
 and felonies, the crime would be murder, punishable by death ; 
 and it has always been the law that an empiric or quack holding 
 himself out as a regular physician is bound to have and exhibit 
 the degree of skill and care which he professes, and will be 
 strictly held to the standard of skill of educated and licensed 
 medical men.' 
 
 As to the legal meaning of the term " ordinary care and 
 skill," and the rules of evidence applicable in cases of malprac- 
 tice, a full discussion will be had below, when considering the 
 subject of civil liability for malpractice. 
 
 Civil Liability for Malpractice. 
 
 Any person holding himself out to be a physician or sur- 
 geon, or anj^ physician or surgeon, who is guilty of malpractice, 
 is liable for damages, to be recovered in a civil action, insti- 
 tuted by the person injured, or by those having a legal right to 
 such person's services. This is so whether the injured person 
 actually employed the defendant to prescribe or treat him, or 
 not. The liability flows out of the relationship, without regard 
 to the element of employment, and it may result from negli- 
 gence in treatment, or in prescribing, or in giving information 
 and instructions to the patient as to how to take care of himself 
 when under treatment. The rules of law applicable to the 
 duties of a physician to his patient are stated and the authorities 
 supporting them cited in Chapter IV. of this work.^ 
 
 Ordinary Care and Skill Only Required. — The leading 
 cases in America on the subject of civil liability for mal- 
 practice are: Leighton v. Sargent, 7 N. H., 460, and Car- 
 penter V. Blake, 60 Barb., 485 (s. c. on appeal, 75 N. Y., 12). 
 In the former case the Court said : "In a science encumbered 
 
 ' Ruddock V. Low, 4 F. & F. , 519 ; Roper, 2 F. & F., 783 ; Carpenter v. 
 
 Musser v. Chase, 29 Ohio St., 577. Blake, 60 Barb., 485, 50 N. Y., 696, 
 
 ^ See particularly Gieselman v. 10 Hun, 358, 75 N. Y. , 12 ; Leighton 
 
 Scott, 25 Ohio St., 86; Lanphier v. v. Sargent, 7 N. H., 460. 
 Phipos, 8 C. & P., 475; Pym v.
 
 CIVIL LIABILITY FOR MALPRACTICE, 81 
 
 with so many sources of error and difficulties, it is obvious 
 what cause we have for proceeding with the utmost caution, 
 and for advancing from step to step with the greatest circum- 
 spection. It is in consideration of those peculiar difficulties 
 that beset and encompass the physician and surgeon, that all 
 enlightened courts have held that but ordinary care and skill 
 shall be required of them, and that mere errors of judgment 
 shall be overlooked, if the general character of treatment has 
 been honest and intelligent, and that the result of the case shall 
 not determine the amount of the responsibility to which he is 
 held; and that when unskilfulness or negligent treatment of 
 his patient is charged to a surgeon, it is not enough to show 
 that he has not treated his patient in that mode or has not used 
 measures which in the opinion of others, though medical men, 
 the case required ; because such evidence tends to prove errors 
 of judgment, for which the defendant is not responsible, as 
 much as it goes to prove a want of reasonable skill and care for 
 which he may be responsible. Alone it is not evidence of the 
 latter, and therefore a party must go further and prove, bj^ 
 other evidence, that the defendant assumed the character and 
 undertook to act as a physician without the education, knowl- 
 edge, and skill which entitled him to act in that capacity." 
 
 In Carpenter v. Blake, upon the last appeal (75 N. Y., 12), 
 it was said that the reasonable ordinary care and diligence 
 which the law requires of physicians and surgeons is that 
 which persons engaged in the same general line of practice 
 have and exercise in like cases. ' 
 
 Story''s Statement of the Rule. — Story in his work on 
 Bailments, p. 433, with his usual felicitous method of state- 
 ment says : " In all cases where skill is required it is to be un- 
 derstood that it means ordinary skill in the business or em- 
 ploj^ment which the bailee undertakes ; for he is not presumed 
 to undertake for extraordinary skill, which belongs to a few 
 men only in his business or emploN^ment, or for extraordinary 
 endowments or acquirements. Reasonable skill constitutes the 
 measure of the engagement in regard to the thing undertaken." 
 
 Occult Influences Should be Considered by Laivyers and 
 
 'Synonymous terms with "rea- 376; "ordinary care and skill," 
 sonable care " are " fair knowledge Heath v. Glisan, 3 Oregon, 64. 
 and skill, " Jones v. Angell, 95 Ind., 
 
 6
 
 82 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 Judges. — In this connection it should be borne in mind by 
 lawyers and judges, that in the case of a physician treating 
 disease, or a surgeon repairing an injury, occult influences fre- 
 quently play a most important part. Professor Elwell in his 
 work on Malpractice, etc., p. 25, lays great stress on this 
 element of uncertainty. He says : " In the case of physicians, 
 surgeons, attorneys, etc., another and important element besides 
 skill enters into the result, and for this reason the degree of 
 responsibility is to a certain extent and in a manner indicated 
 and influenced. This important element is the operation of 
 causes and influences over which the practitioner has but little 
 or no control. They are occult, and no human foresight is able 
 to anticipate them before they have completely deranged and 
 materially interfered with his plans by bringing about a different 
 result than that confidently depended upon." ' 
 
 Change cmd Advancement in Medical Knoivledge also to 
 be Considered. — It should on the other hand be clearly under- 
 stood that the constant change and improvement which are go- 
 ing on in medical and surgical education, in the discovery of 
 new remedies and new methods of treatment, and in the inven- 
 tion of new instruments, tend constantly to elevate the average 
 skill and intelligence of the profession, and with them the stand- 
 ard by which the courts will determine liability for negligence. 
 "What would have been, but a few years ago, fully recognized 
 \)j the courts as ordinary skill in the treatment of disease and the 
 performance of operations, would now be regarded as antiquated 
 and less than ordinary skill, because of the advancement in 
 the knowle(Jge of means which can be devoted to the treatment 
 of disease and injury.* 
 
 We have already seen that what is the degree of skill to be 
 required of one practising in a small town or a country district 
 sparsely inhabited, and what is required in the case of a city 
 practitioner, may differ to some extent with the circumstances. 
 Quacks and pretenders, however, must be judged by the stand- 
 ard of regular practitioners.^ 
 
 ^ See Corsi v. Maretzek, 4 E. D. professing to treat patients as a 
 Smith, 1, quoted at p. 362 of this clairvoyant must be held to the 
 volume. standard of regular practising phy- 
 
 ^ Small'?). Howard, 128 Mass. , 131, sicians in the neighborhood where 
 and cases cited. the clairvoyant operates. Nelson 
 
 ^ Clairvoyancy of course is not v. ' Harrington, 72 Wis. , 591 ; Bib- 
 recognized in the courts as medical ber^. Simpson, 59 Me., 181 ; Musser 
 or surgical practice. And any one v. Chase, 29 Ohio St. , 577.
 
 DEGREE OF CARE AND SKILL. S3 
 
 Degree of Care and Skill a Mixed Question of Law 
 and Fact. — What constitutes reasonable care and skill is a 
 mixed question of law and fact, like any other question of 
 negligence. Where the evidence is undisputed and no conflict- 
 ing inferences can be drawn from the facts presented, it is the 
 duty of the Court to determine whether or not there is sufficient 
 proof of want of ordinary care and skill to be submitted to 
 the jury. Where, however, the evidence is conflicting on that 
 point, or the inferences to be drawn from the facts established 
 might be differently drawn by different men having the same 
 opportunity for observation, and the same circumstances before 
 tbem, it is for the jury to say whether or not the defendant has 
 exercised reasonable care and skill, guided by proper directions 
 from the Court as to the measure of skill required. This in- 
 volves the question as to how far the practitioner is bound to be 
 familiar with the methods, appliances, drugs, and methods of 
 treatment of his profession in general." 
 
 Experimentation Not Permissible. — Experimentation, 
 whether upon charity patients or paj^ patients, is equally pro- 
 hibited by well-settled rules of law. In other words, a depar- 
 ture from known methods of treatment for the purpose of or by 
 way of trjdng unknown remedies, or operations not usually 
 adopted by the profession, if an unfortunate result occurs, 
 renders the defendant liable (McNevins v. Lowe, 40 111., 209). 
 
 Measure op Damages. 
 
 The measure of damages in cases of malpractice may vary 
 with the kind of malpractice. In the case of wilful malpractice, 
 the element of gross negligence justifies punitive or retaliatory 
 damages, in those States where any such damages are allowed. 
 That is, damages which will not only compensate for the inju- 
 ries inflicted, but which will, by pvuiishing the wrong done, 
 tend to repress similar acts in the future. The tendency of the 
 courts and of legal authority of the present time is, however, 
 to limit as often as possible the cases in which punitive dam- 
 ages are allowed, upon the theory that if a grossly negligent act 
 is committed it will require criminal prosecution, and that the 
 
 1 McCandless v. McWha, 22 Pa. St. , 261 ; Carpenter v. Blake, supra : 
 Leighton v. Sargent, supra.
 
 S^l LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 strong arm of the State should be invoked to punish the wrong, 
 rather than to line the pocket of the injured person. 
 
 On the other hand, in cases of malpractice, damages for 
 want of ordinary care and skill are recompensed as in any other 
 cases of negligence. They may include loss of time of the 
 patient, inability to earn his living, such sum as the jury thinks 
 is reasonable to be given as a compensation for the extra pain 
 and suffering, and, where the injury is permanent, such further 
 sum as will indemnify the patient for the injury or deformity 
 which he may suffer on account of the defendant's neglect. 
 Citation of authority upon this question of damages is almost 
 unnecessar5^ ' 
 
 Liabilities of Partners, etc. — It has been held that where 
 two physicians were partners, and one of them committed an 
 act of negligent malpractice, both were liable in a civil court 
 for damages.'' 
 
 But the declarations of the partner who is guilty of the 
 negligent act, made as to the act committed, and in the absence 
 of the other partner, are not admissible as against the other 
 partner. And so also is the rule as to declarations of the 
 partner who committed the act after its commission as to the 
 propriety of the treatment, and opinions expressed by him in 
 reference thereto.' 
 
 It has also been held that one surgeon who recommends the 
 employment of another during his absence from town is not 
 liable for acts committed during his absence." 
 
 Suits for Injuries to Married Women and Minor 
 Children. — When the person injured is a married woman, her 
 husband may sue for loss of services on account of malpractice, 
 and when the injured person is a minor child the parent may 
 sue as in any case of negligence. A third person, such as the 
 husband of a woman injured by malpractice, or the father of 
 minor child so injured, can only recover the value of the ser- 
 vices thereby lost, and in some cases the enhanced expense of 
 medical attention and nursing thereby rendered necessary. 
 
 'Kelley v. Hay, 84 Ind., 189; ^ Hyrne -y. Irwin, 23 S. Car., 226, 
 
 Stone -y. Evans, 32 Minn. , 243; Teft s. c. , 55 Am. Rep., 15; Whittaker 
 
 V. Wilcox, 6Kans., 646; Brookes. v. Collins. 34 Minn., 209. 
 
 Clark, 57 Tex.. 105; Graunis V. » Boor n. Lowrev, 103 Ind., 468. 
 
 Branden, 5 Day (Conn.), 260, s. c, 5 * Hitchcock v. Burgett, 38 Mich., 
 
 Am. Dec, 143 : Wenger v. Calder,78 501. 
 111. , 275 ; Carpenter v. Blake, snpra.
 
 INSPECTION OF THE INJURED PERSON. 85 
 
 Inspection of the Injured Person at the Trial — 
 Before Trial Improper. ^ — In an action in wiiich the injury is 
 to a portion of the body which may be seen, such as the shorten- 
 ing of a limb on account of improper treatment of a fracture, 
 the limb may be exhibited to the jury. 
 
 It has been much discussed whether the defendant in a mal- 
 practice or other negligence case can compel the plaintiff to 
 permit his person to be examined by j^hysicians before trial, to 
 enable the defendant to know the full extent of the injur)- so 
 far as it is perceptible. In the latest cases the examination 
 of plaintiff before trial was not allowed. ' 
 
 In 1877 the Supreme Court of Iowa in the case of Schroder 
 V. C, R. I. & P. R. R. Co., 47 Iowa, 375, held that the court 
 had inherent power and jurisdiction to compel the plaintiff to 
 submit to such an examination. 
 
 This decision has been followed by the courts of several of the 
 western and southern States, while in others the power has been 
 denied. These cases will be found fully collected in Roberts t\ 
 O. & L. C. R. Co. and in U. P. R. R. Co. v. Botsford cited above. 
 
 The ground of the decision of the United States Supreme 
 Court and of the New York Court of Appeals seems to be, that 
 in the absence of legislative provision permitting a court to 
 order such an examination, it has no inherent power to do so, 
 and did not derive any such powers from the common-law 
 courts of England, which never had exercised such powers. 
 
 In some of the cases which denj- the right to comj^el such 
 examination, it is claimed that if such a statute was passed as 
 would confer upon the courts power to compel such an exami- 
 nation, the statute would be unconstitutional, and much is said 
 in those decisions about the sacredness and immunity of the 
 person. It seems difficult, however, to understand why such 
 statutes should be considered as differing in any respect from 
 statutes permitting orders for the examination of witnesses and 
 parties before trial, or for the discovery and inspection of books 
 and papers, and the like, which statutes have been enacted for 
 many years and have never been held to be unconstitutional. 
 Surely an honest suitor having a just claim for damages for 
 
 iSeeU. P. R. R. Co. v. Botsford, Roberts v. O. & L. C. R. Co., 29 
 141 U. S., 350; McQuiggan ?■. D., Hun, 154, aud cases cited. 
 L. & W. R. R. Co., 129 N. Y.. 50;
 
 86 LEGAL STATUS OF PHYSICIANS — BECKER. 
 
 personal injuries would not object to such an examination, be- 
 cause the result would often strengthen his case, while a dis- 
 honest suitor having a false and unmeritorious claim ought 
 to be exposed and have his false claims defeated, in the inter- 
 ests of justice and truth. On the other hand, a suitor who was 
 honestly mistaken in his belief that he had been disfigured or 
 injured by an act of malpractice might often discover his mis- 
 take, and be saved the annoyance and expense of defeat after 
 a trial in open court. 
 
 Some of the most frequent cases of alleged malpractice, 
 brought before the courts, are those in which it is claimed that 
 a fractured limb has been improperly set, with the result that 
 it becomes crooked or shortened ; when the fact is, as is con- 
 clusively shown by Prof. Frank H. Hamilton in a paper pub- 
 lished by him many years ago, and quoted with approval by 
 Professor Elwell, in his work on Malpractice, etc., that the 
 percentage of cases, in certain kinds of fractures, in which per- 
 fect results are obtained by even the most eminent surgeons, 
 is very small. In such cases as these the true state of affairs 
 might often be disclosed by careful inspection prior to the trial. 
 On the whole more good than harm would seem to be the 
 probable outcome of permitting such examinations, in mal- 
 practice cases, if not in all cases of alleged personal injuries. 
 
 Evidence in Malpractice Cases. — The prevailing trial 
 practice in malpractice cases is to prove the condition of the 
 patient prior to the employment of defendant and at the time 
 the treatment in question began, the methods of treatment 
 adopted, and instructions given, and the condition of the patient 
 during and after such treatment, and then to place other phy- 
 sicians on the witness-stand, and put to them hypothetical 
 questions involving the facts as established by the evidence, 
 and calling upon them to state whether the method of treat- 
 ment adopted indicated proper skill and care, or even the usual 
 and recognized methods of the profession.' 
 
 In some States evidence of the general reputation of the de- 
 fendant for skilfulness or the contrary is held admissible. In 
 other States such evidence is held inadmissible (see Vol. XIV., 
 Am. and Eng. Encyclopaedia of Law, p. 83, and cases collected 
 in Note 6) . 
 
 ' Olmstead v. Gere, 100 Pa. St. , 127 ; Carpenter v. Blake, supra.
 
 EVIDENCE — CONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE. 87 
 
 Contributory Negligence. — In conclusion it should be 
 stated that the patient is bound to follow obediently all proper 
 directions given him by his physician or surgeon, as to his 
 diet, mode of life, time of taking and quantity of medicine to 
 be taken, or the care of a diseased or injured member. Any 
 disobedience of such directions which contributes to prevent 
 a recovery will bar him from his right of action for malprac- 
 tice, even though the medical man may have been somewhat 
 negligent. In short, the same rule as to contributory negligence 
 applies in this as, in any other case of negligence. This prin- 
 ciple has been so long and so well settled that citation of author- 
 ity in support of it is unnecessary.
 
 THE LAW OF EVIDEISTOE 
 
 CONCERNING 
 
 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS 
 
 BETWEEN 
 
 PHYSICIAN AND PATIENT. 
 
 BY 
 
 chari.es a. boston, 
 
 CounseUor-at-Laic, of the New York City Bar.
 
 co:^fidei^tial commu^icatiol^s 
 betwee:^ physicia]^ and 
 
 PATIEl^T. 
 
 PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATIONS. 
 
 Confidential communications between physician and 
 patient not infrequently may relate to matters that are the sub- 
 jects of inquiry before judicial tribunals. When these com- 
 munications are by law excluded from disclosure in evidence, 
 they are termed privileged communications. When such a 
 disclosure is forbidden it is upon grounds of public policy/ 
 " because greater mischiefs would probably result from requir- 
 ing or permitting its admission, than from wholly rejecting it." 
 
 COMMON LAW. 
 
 The common law required an inviolable secrecy to be ob- 
 served by attorneys with reference to the communications 
 which they had received from their clients.^ But writers upon 
 the law of evidence state that under the English rule protection 
 from disclosure in evidence in a court of justice was not extended 
 to communications between a medical man and his patient.^ 
 
 Reasons for the Rule. — It does not clearly appear, in any 
 of the cases usually cited as authority, why the distinction is 
 
 ' Greenleaf Ev. , s. 236 ; Taylor ^ The successive efforts made to 
 
 Ev. , s. 908 ; Bouvier's Law Diction- extend protection by judicial rul- 
 
 ary, p. 363 ; Am. and Eng. Enc. of ing to communications between 
 
 Law, vol. 19, p. 122; Code Civ. Pro. physician and patient will appear 
 
 Cal. , s. 1,881; Mills' Ann. Stats, of from a consideration of the cases 
 
 Col., 1891, s. 4,824; Rev. Stats. that are usually cited as authority 
 
 Idaho, 1887, s. 5,958; Gen. Stats. for the English rule: Annesley v. 
 
 Minn., 1891, s. 5,094; Comp. Stats. Earl of Anglesea (1743), 18 How. 
 
 Mont., 1887, s. 650; Gen. Laws Ore., St. Tr., 1,139; Duchess of King- 
 
 1892, s. 712; Comp. Laws Utah. ston's case (1776), 20 How. St. Tr., 
 
 1888, s. 3,877. 355 (cf. p. 572, p. 585, p. 586, p. 
 
 •^TavlorEv.,s. 911; Stephen, Dig. 613); Wilson r-. Rastall (1791), 4 
 
 of Ev.', art. 115; Greenleaf Ev., s. Term R. (Durnford & East), 753: 
 
 237. Rex v. Gibbous (1823), 1 C. & P.,
 
 92 
 
 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 made between legal and medical advisers, but it is apparent 
 that the privilege does not rest upon considerations of honor nor 
 of confidence/ nor even upon the urgency of the situation under 
 which the communication is made ; for disclosures are made to 
 a physician frequently to save life, or to a priest for reasons of 
 eternal import, while those made to an attorney insure at most 
 protection from temporal annoyance. The privilege of attor- 
 neys seems to be founded upon considerations of public policy 
 in the administration of justice in the courts; attorneys are a 
 part of the sj^stem, as are grand jurors, petit jurors, and judges," 
 and even arbitrators ; ^ but physicians are no part of that system, 
 and ■ a disclosure of confidences made to them in no way tends 
 to weaken the system or render it ineffectual, while the compul- 
 
 97 ; Broad v. Pitt (1828), 3 C. & P. , 
 518 ; Greenough v. Gaskell (1833), 1 
 My. & K. , 98. See also Wheeler v. Le 
 Marchant, 50 L. J. Ch., 795 (1880). 
 
 1 Phillips Ev., p. 136; Starkie 
 Ev., p. 40; Wharton Ev., s. 606; 
 Greenleaf Ev., sees. 248, 237, 239; 
 Taylor Ev., s. 916; Stephen, Dig. 
 of Ev., art. 115; Rogers' Expert 
 Testimony, s. 45 ; Reynolds' Theory 
 of Evidence, s. 86. 
 
 It is to be noted that none of the 
 cases which ai'e cited as authority 
 for the common-law rule as usually 
 stated are really precedents to that 
 extent. The cases of the Duchess of 
 Kingston (siqjra) ; Lord William 
 Russel (9 How. St. Tr. , 603) ; Dr. 
 Ratcliff (9 How. St. Tr. , 583) ; Earl 
 Ferrers (19 How. St. Tr. , 886) , and 
 Rex V. Gibbons {siqwa), were all 
 criminal prosecutions ; and in An- 
 nesley v. Anglesea, Wilson v. Ras- 
 tall. Broad v. Pitt, and Greenough 
 V. Gaskell (supra), which were civil 
 causes, the question of the privilege 
 of a medical man was not really in 
 dispute. It is well settled that 
 communications between attorney 
 and client are privileged, and yet 
 Judge Pitt Taylor expresses some 
 doubt whether the protection can- 
 not be removed without the client's 
 consent in cases where the interests 
 of criminal justice require the pro- 
 duction of the evidence (Taylor Ev. , 
 s. 939). This intimation of a dis- 
 tinction between criminal and civil 
 actions, even in the case of attor- 
 neys, suggests the possibility of a 
 
 difference between those two classes 
 of actions in the case of medical 
 men. The cases cited establish au- 
 thoritatively that in criminal pros- 
 ecutions, at common law, confi- 
 dential communications between 
 medical man and patient are not 
 privileged ; but in civil causes, the 
 opinions of the eminent judges 
 seem to be obiter dicta. It is, how- 
 ever, established by other decisions 
 that mere confidential relations do 
 not prevent the disclosure of com- 
 munications. (For the case of hatik- 
 ers, see Loyd v. Freshfield, 2 C. & 
 P. , 335 ; managers, Anderson v. 
 British Bank of Columbia. 45 L. J. 
 Ch., 449; clerks, Lee v. Burrell, 3 
 Camp. , 337 ; Webb v. Smith, 1 C. & 
 P. , 337 ; stewards, Vaillant v. Dode- 
 mead, 2 Atk., 524; Earl of Fal- 
 mouth V. Moss, 11 Price, 455; Pur- 
 suivant of Herald's College, Slade 
 V. Tucker, 49 L. J. Ch., 644.) 
 
 The opinions of so many eminent 
 men, though strictly speaking obiter 
 dicta, together with the uniform 
 statements of text- writers based 
 upon them, leave no room for reason- 
 able doubt tnat independent of stat- 
 ute, in civil as well as criminal 
 causes, communications between 
 medical adviser and patient are not 
 entitled to protection from disclos- 
 ure in evidence. 
 
 'See Duchess of Kingston's case 
 (supra, p. 91, note 3) (cf. ib., pp. 
 573. 585, 586, 613). [253a. 
 
 -Greenleaf Ev., sees. 249, 352, 
 
 3 Greenleaf Ey. s. 249.
 
 THE RULE IN THE UNITED STATES. 93 
 
 sory examination of lawyers would tend to the suppression of 
 the truth in litigation by discouraging confidence between at- 
 torney and client. This, perhaps, can be assigned as the reason 
 for the distinction; a distinction which does not differentiate 
 lawyers from physicians, but agents in the administration of 
 justice from all others.' 
 
 Criticism of the Rule. — Though the privilege of attorneys 
 was adopted to enforce respect for the law as securing the rights 
 of persons entitled to its protection, by establishing inviolable 
 confidence between them and the officer who represents them in 
 their dealings in the law, and though it was not the purpose of 
 the law to enforce sentiment or to elevate one profession above 
 another, the sentimental idea did not suffer neglect for the want 
 of advocates. Justice Buller lamented the narrowness of the 
 rule,'^ and Mr. Best has criticised it as harsh in itself, of ques- 
 tionable policy, and at variance with the practice in France and 
 the statute law in some of the United States of America.' 
 
 THE RULE IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 It is to be assumed, in the absence of statutes varj-ing the 
 rule, and of decisions to the contrary, in the several States of 
 the United States, that in those States which derived their law 
 from England the same rule of evidence obtains as that above 
 enunciated. But many of the legislatures have bj^ statute ex- 
 tended the privilege to communications between physicians and 
 their patients, as well as to other specified confidential commu- 
 nications which it does not fall within the scope of this work to 
 discuss.* 
 
 'See Barnes v. Harris, 7Cush. , a statutory privilege for commiini- 
 
 576 ; Hatton v. Robinson, 4 Pick, cations between physician and pa- 
 
 432. See also historical review of tient, tliat " in 4 Term Eep. , oWO, 
 
 the attorney's privilege and the rea- Buller, J. (to whom no one will at- 
 
 sons for it, by Judge Seldon, at Spe- tribute a disposition to relax the 
 
 cial Term, in Rochester City Bank rulesof evidence) , said it was 'much 
 
 V. Suydam, 5 How. Pr. (N.Y.), 254. to be lamented' that the iuforma- 
 
 ^ Wilson V. Rastall, 4 Term R., tion specified in this section (2 R. 
 
 753. S. , p. 406, s. 73) was not privileged. 
 
 ^ Best, Prin. of Ev. . s. 582. Mr. Phillips expressed the same 
 
 •*The revisers of the New York sentiments in his treatise on Evi- 
 
 Statutes in 1828 in their report (5 dence. p. 104. The ground on which 
 
 N. Y. Stats, at Large, edited bj^ communications to cojf/ise/ are priv- 
 
 John W. Edmonds, 2d ed., p. 726) ileged is the supposed necessity of 
 
 stated as their reason for suggesting a full knowledge of the facts, to ad-
 
 ^4 
 
 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 States and Territories in u'hich there are No Restric- 
 tive Statutes. — The following States and Territories have no 
 statute restricting the nature of the disclosures which a physi- 
 cian may be compelled to make in a court of justice : Alabama, 
 Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, 
 Georgia, Illinois, Kentuck}-, Louisiana, Maine, Marj^land, Mas- 
 sachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jerse}', New 
 Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennes- 
 see, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. ' 
 
 States and Territories in ivliich there are Restrictive 
 Statutes. — The following States and Territories have statutes 
 restricting disclosures by physicians : Arkansas, California, 
 Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Indian Territory, Iowa, Kansas, 
 Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, 
 New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, 
 Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and 
 Wyoming. '^ 
 
 vise correctly, and to , prepare for 
 the proper defence or prosecution of 
 a suit. But surely the necessity of 
 consulting a medical adviser, when 
 life itself may be in jeopardj% is still 
 stronger. And unless such consulta- 
 tions are privileged, men will be in- 
 cidentally punished by being obliged 
 to suffer the consequences of injuries 
 w^ithout relief from the medical art, 
 and without conviction of any of- 
 fence. Besides, in such cases, dur- 
 ing the struggle between legal duty 
 on the one hand and professional 
 honor on the other, the latter, aided 
 by a strong sense of the injustice and 
 inhumanity of the rule, will inmost 
 cases furnish a temptation to the 
 perversion or concealment of truth, 
 too strong for human resistance. In 
 every view that may be taken of 
 the policy, justice or humanity of 
 the rule as it exists, its relaxation 
 seems highly expedient. " 
 
 These or similar reasons have pre- 
 vailed in many States and Territo- 
 ries to bring about a statutory re- 
 striction on disclosures. 
 
 ' The following cases show or tend 
 to show that the English rule is in 
 operation in Connecticut, Maine, 
 Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jer- 
 sey, Texas, and West Virginia : Wil- 
 son v. Town of Granby, 47 Conn., 
 
 59 ; Fayette v. Chesterville, 77 Me. , 
 28 ; Weems v. Weems, 19 Md. , 334 ; 
 Morrissey V. Ingham, 111 Mass., 63; 
 Barber v. Merriam, 11 Allen, 332 ; 
 Castner v. Sliker, 4 Vr. , 95 ; Stea- 
 gald V. State, 3S.W. Rep., 771 ; Jar- 
 rett t'. Jarrett, llW.Va., 584. For 
 the common-law rule in the States 
 where statutes are now in force, see 
 Campau v. North, 39 Mich., 606; 
 Territory v. Corbett, 3 Mont. , 50 ; 
 Pierson r. People, 79 N. Y. , 424 ; 
 Edington v. JEtna L. I. Co. , 77 N. 
 Y. , 564 ; Buffalo Loan Tr. & S. D. 
 Co. V. Knights Templar, etc., 126 
 N. Y., 450. 
 
 2 Dig. Stats. Ark., 1884, s. 2,862; 
 Code Civ. Pro. Cal. , s. 1, 881 as amend- 
 ed Law 1893, c. 217; Mills' Ann. 
 Stats. Col., 1891, sees. 4,824, 4,825; 
 R. S. Ida., 1887, s. 5,958; Myers' 
 Ann. R. S. Ind. , 1888, s. 497 ; Act 
 of May 2d, 1890, U.S. Stats, at Large, 
 c. 182, making the laws of evidence 
 of Arkansas applicable to Indian 
 Territory ; McClain's Ann. Code 
 Iowa, 1888, s. 4, 893 ; Code Civ. Pro. 
 Kan. , s. 323 ; Gen. Stats. Kan. , 1889, 
 s. 4,418; Howell's Ann. Stats. Mich., 
 1882, s. 7,516; Kellev's Gen. Stats. 
 Minn., 1891, s. 5,094; R. S. Mo., 
 1889, s. 8, 925 ; Comp. Stats. Mont. , 
 1887, s. 650 ; Code of Civ. Pro. Neb. , 
 sees. 333, 334; Bailey & Hammond's
 
 THE STATUTES. 95 
 
 The Rule in United States Courts. — In trials at com- 
 mon law in the courts of the United States, the laws of the 
 several States, except where the Constitution, treaties, or statutes 
 of the United States otherwise require or provide, are regarded 
 as rules of decision,' Section 858 of the Revised Statutes of 
 the United States prescribes rules with reference to competency 
 notwithstanding color and interest of witnesses, and in actions 
 by or against executors, administrators, or guardians, and then 
 provides that " in all other respects the laws of the State in which 
 the court is held shall be the rules of decision as to the compe- 
 tency of witnesses in the courts of the United States in trials 
 at common law, and in equity and admiralty." Accordingly 
 it has been held by the Supreme Court of the United States 
 that in an action in the Circuit Court of the United States for 
 the Southern District of New York, on a policy of life insur- 
 ance, the evidence of a phj'sician, inadmissible under Section 
 834 of the New York Code of Civil Procedure, was properly ex- 
 cluded.'' But in criminal prosecutions in United States Courts, 
 the privilege secured by State statutes does not avail.' 
 
 THE STATUTES. 
 
 As the effect of these statutes depends largely upon their 
 language, the construction put upon the law in one State is 
 chiefly serviceable in interpreting that of another State in those 
 particulars where the two are similar. 
 
 Statutory Declarations of Policy. — A comparative view 
 of the several laws shows that in the following States and Ter- 
 ritory there are declarations of policy prefixed to the prohibition 
 
 Gen. Stats. Nev., 1885, s. 3,406; and the date of the i^assage of tho 
 
 Code Civ. Pro. N.Y., sees. 834,836, as earlier of these laws, see note to 
 
 amended by Laws 1893, c. 295; Laws Gartside v. Connecticut Mutual L. 
 
 of N.C.Actof 1885,c. 159; Code Civ. I. Co., 76 Mo., 446. 
 
 Pro. Dak., 1883, s. 499; Smith & ' Rev. Stats. U. S., s. 721. 
 
 Benedict'sR.S. Ohio, 1890. s. 5,241; ^ Conn. Mut. Life Ins. Co. r. 
 
 Stats, of Okl., 1893, s. 4,213; Hill's Union Trust Co., 112 U. S., 250. 
 
 Gen. Laws Ore., 1892, sees. 712, 713; See also Dreier v. Continental L. I. 
 
 Code Civ. Pro. Dak., 1883. s. 499; Co., 24 Fed. Rep., 670; Adrereuo r. 
 
 Code Civ. Pro. Utah, s. 1, 156 ; Comp. Mutual Res. Fund L. I. Co., 34 Fed. 
 
 Laws of Utah, s. 3,877 ; 2 Hill's Ann. Rep., 870. 
 
 Stats. Wash., 1891, s. 1,649 : Sanborn =' Logan v. United States, 144 U. 
 
 & Berryman's Ann. Stats. Wis., S., 263: United States v. Raid, 12 
 
 1889, s. 4,075; R. S. Wyo., 1887, s. How., 361. 
 2, 589. For the chronological order
 
 96 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 of disclosures, that show the reason of the enactment, namely : 
 California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Da- 
 kota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Utah/ The declaration is to 
 the effect that there are particular relations in which it is the 
 policy of the law to encourage confidence and to preserve it in- 
 violate, and that therefore the prohibition of the statute is laid. 
 
 Analysis of the Statutes. 
 
 The common purpose of the statutes is to restrict the rule 
 compelling disclosures so as to protect communications with 
 a physician in his professional capacity; but the limit to 
 which the protection is extended differs in the various States. 
 An analytic comparison of the statutes tends to show how far 
 the interpretation of one is useful in construing another. 
 
 I. Nature of the Exclusion. — In Calif ornia, Idaho, Minne- 
 sota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, 
 and Washington the statutes apply only to testimony in civil 
 actions.'' The other statutes make no distinction between civil 
 and criminal proceedings. 
 
 The active words are of course different in the several stat- 
 utes, but they indicate a purpose to extend a privilege that the 
 person entitled to it may insist upon maintaining, with the sin- 
 gle exception of the law of North Carolina, which provides that 
 the presiding judge of a superior court may compel a disclos- 
 ure, if in his opinion the same is necessary to a proper adminis- 
 tration of justice. 
 
 Some of the statutes show clearly that it is the patient's 
 privilege, and suffer the patient or his representatives to waive 
 it, either expressly or by conduct which the law declares to 
 amount to a waiver.' Others are silent on this subject. 
 
 In California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, 
 Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, 
 South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, it is expressly 
 provided that the patient's consent is necessary before a dis- 
 closure will be permitted. 
 
 ' See references to the several ^ This seems to be the proper con- 
 statutes in note 2 on p. 94. struction of the Kansas and Okla- 
 
 - See Freelf. Market St. Cable Ry. homa statutes, though what seem 
 
 Co., 31 Pac. Rep., 730 (Supr. Ct. to be typographical errors in the 
 
 Cal.) . published laws render it doubtful.
 
 ANALYSIS OF THE STATUTES. 97 
 
 In Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Oregon, if the patient 
 offer himself or a physician or surgeon as a witness, that is to 
 be deemed a consent. 
 
 In Nevada, in anj'' suit or prosecution for malpractice, if the 
 patient or party suing or prosecuting shall require or give con- 
 sent, and any physician or surgeon shall give testimony, then 
 the defendant may call any other physicians or surgeons as wit- 
 nesses without the consent of the patient or party suing or pros- 
 ecuting. 
 
 In Ohio and Wyoming, if the patient voluntarily testify the 
 physician may be compelled to testify on the same subject. 
 
 II. The Witness. — In Indiana, Ohio, and Wyoming the 
 privileged witness is termed a jjhysicianj in the other States 
 and Territories, the privilege extends to s. physician ov surgeon. 
 
 In Arkansas and Indian Territory the privilege is secured to 
 a person authorized to XDractise physic or surgery; in Califor- 
 nia, Montana, and Nevada, to a licensed physician or surgeon; 
 in Colorado, to a physician or surgeon duly authorized to prac- 
 tise his profession under the laivs of the State; in Michigan, 
 New York, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, to a person duly 
 authorized to practise physic or surgery; in Minnesota, Ore- 
 gon, and Washington, to a regidai^ physician or surgeon ; in 
 Iowa and Nebraska, to a practising physician or surgeon ; in 
 the remaining States and Territories, these statutes do not in 
 terms distinguish between licensed and unlicensed practitioners. ' 
 
 In New York, by the amendment of 1893 to Sec. 836 of the 
 Code of Civil Procedure it is provided that in an action for the 
 recovery of damages for a personal injury the testimony of a 
 physician or surgeon attached to any hospital, dispensary, or 
 other charitable institution, as to information which he acquired 
 in attending a patient in a professional capacitj' in such insti- 
 tution, shall be taken before a referee. It does not appear 
 whether this amendment is intended to take away the privilege, 
 or merely to regulate the manner of taking such testimony when 
 it is otherwise admissible.'' 
 
 III. The Evidence. — The character of the communications 
 which are privileged differs under the several statutes. In Ar- 
 
 ' For laws regulating practice in ° Laws N. Y., Act 1893, c. 295. 
 
 the several States and Territories, 
 see infra, p. 137 et seq. 
 
 7
 
 98 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 kansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indian Territory, Michi- 
 gan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, North 
 Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wash- 
 ington, and Wisconsin, they are characterized as information; 
 in Indiana, as matte?' committed; in Iowa and Nebraska, as 
 confidential communications; in Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, and 
 Wyoming, as communications; in Iowa and Nebraska, it is 
 further provided that they beproper/?/ intrusted; and in Kansas 
 and Oklahoma, that they be with reference to a physical or 
 supposed physical disease. 
 
 In Kansas and Oklahoma, any knowledge obtained by a per- 
 sonal examination of a patient is also expressly privileged. 
 
 In Indiana, Ohio, and Wyoming, advice given by the phy- 
 sician is covered by the protection. 
 
 In Arkansas, Indian Territory, and Missouri, the privilege 
 is limited to information acquired from the patient; and in 
 Kansas and Oklahoma, to communications made hy the patient. 
 
 The statutes of Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, In- 
 dian Territory, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mon- 
 tana, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ore- 
 gon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin expressly 
 limit the protection to matter acquired while attending in a 
 professional capacity ; and all of these, save Indiana, as well as 
 Iowa and Nebraska, confine the privilege to information neces- 
 sary to enable the witness to prescribe or act for the patient. 
 
 In Ne"v\j York it is provided that " a physician or surgeon 
 may upon a trial or examination disclose any information as to 
 the mental or physical condition of a patient who is deceased, 
 which he acquired in attending such patient professionally, 
 except confidential communications and such facts as would 
 tend to disgrace the memory of the patient, when the protection 
 has been expressly waived on such trial or examination by the 
 personal representatives of the deceased patient, or if the valid- 
 ity of the last will and testament of such deceased patient is in 
 question, by the executor or executors named in said will, or 
 the surviving husband, widow, or any heir at law, or anj" of the 
 next of kin of such deceased, or any other party in interest." * 
 
 IN. Y. Code Civ. Pro., s. S36, as 1891, c. 381, and modified by Act 
 amended Act 1893, c. 295. A similar 1892, c. 514. 
 exception was introduced by Act
 
 JUDICIAL INTERPRETATION OF THE STATUTES. 'JU 
 
 The notable characteristics of the several statutes which thus 
 far have been pointed out are discernible in the express lan- 
 guage of the acts. In writing or using any treatise or compi- 
 lation on privileged communications between physician and 
 patient, it is to be constantly borne in mind that the privilege 
 is of statutory origin; that the statutes are often dissimilar; 
 and that the value of a judicial interpretation of one law in the 
 construction of another varies with the dissimilarity. 
 
 JUDICIAL INTERPRETATION OF THE STATUTES. 
 
 The judicial decisions which are discussed here are those 
 that deal with the privilege secured b}^ the restrictive laws. 
 The analogy between the privilege of a client with regard to his 
 attorney's disclosures, and that of a patient with regard to the 
 testimony of his physician, is not so complete as to make it es- 
 sential to present here, for the sake of their bearing upon the 
 subject now under consideration, a study of the principles to be 
 deduced from the numerous decisions with reference to attorne3'S 
 as witnesses. The analogous cases of clergymen and priests 
 are also bej'ond the scope of this treatment. 
 
 Rules of Construction. — The restrictions are in derogation 
 of the common law ' and in accordance with the rule of inter- 
 pretation ordinarily adopted should be strictly construed, "^ but 
 the courts have generally looked at the policj' of the enactments, 
 and have construed them so as to preserve inviolably the con- 
 fidence existing between physician and patient, without nar- 
 rowing their effect to a strict interpretation of their language. 
 
 In Indiana, under a former law which protected matters con- 
 fided, it was said that the statute should be given a broader 
 scope than the word confided in a strict sense imports, so as to 
 cover matters learned by observation and examination. ° But, 
 though the statute in terms absolutely prohibits a disclosure, it 
 has been said, in Indiana, that it gives no right to the physi- 
 cian to refuse to testify where the patient waives the privilege, * 
 
 ^ Supra, p. 94, note 1. Beck, 77 Ind., 203. For the con- 
 
 ' Bishop, Written Laws, sees. 119, structiou of particular words and 
 
 155; Potter's Dwarris, Statutes, p. phrases, see infra, p. 115 et seq. 
 
 185; 1 Bouvier's Law Dictionary. •* For waiver of the privilege, see 
 
 "Construction." p. 386. ' infra, p. 106. 
 ^Masonic Mut. Ben. Assn. v.
 
 100 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 and that it creates no absolute incompetency, because to hold 
 otherwise would result in obstructing justice without subserv- 
 ing the purpose of the statute.' In Missouri, there is a dictum 
 that the privilege should be carefully limited to what the stat- 
 ute requires, not so much because it is in derogation of the 
 common law as because it is in exclusion of the best evidence, 
 on the ground of privilege ; ° but in this very case, the real ques- 
 tion was whether the word oral should be construed into the 
 statute so as to exclude from its protection information acquired 
 by inspection and observation, and it was held that no such 
 narrow interpretation was proper. In a later case the narrow- 
 ing dicta of the foregoing opinion were disapproved,^ and sub- 
 sequently the disposition to make a liberal construction was 
 shown by the highest court of the State, although a general rule 
 of interpretation was not announced.^ In New York, the rule 
 that a statute in derogation of the common law is strictly con- 
 strued does not apply to the Code of Civil Procedure.* But 
 before the enactment of this statutory rule " there was a ten- 
 dency to interpret liberally the law prohibiting disclosures.'' 
 In Arkansas the tendency seems to be to construe the law 
 strictly.' The spirit of interpretation will be more fully illus- 
 trated in the discussion of particular cases which follows. 
 
 In New York it was claimed that the protection afforded by 
 the statute is nullified by the provision for the examination of 
 a party before trial,* but it was held that the statutes are con- 
 
 1 Penn Mut. L. I. Co. v. Wiler, N. Y. , 185. Cf . Kendall v. Grey. 
 
 100 Ind. , 92. 2 Hilt. , 300 ; Pearsall v. Elmer, 5 
 
 ^ Lunz V. Mass. Mut. L. I. Co., 8 Redf. , 181. A disposition to con- 
 Mo. App. , 363. strue the statute strictly was dis- 
 
 ^ Kling V. City of Kansas, 27 Mo. closed in the opinion of Earl, J. , in 
 
 App., 231. Edington v. ^tna L. I. Co., 77 N. 
 
 "•Gartside V. Conn. Mut. L. I. Co., Y. , 564, but his personal views were 
 
 76 Mo. , 446 ; said to be overruled disapproved in subsequent cases ; see 
 
 byGrollv. Tower, 85 Mo., 249, in Grattan v. Metro. L. I. Co., 80 N. 
 
 Squires v. City of Chillicothe, 89 Y. , 281 ; Renihan v. Dennin, 103 N. 
 
 Mo., 226; but followed in Thomp- Y., 573; Buffalo Loan, etc., Co. v. 
 
 son V. Ish, 99 Mo. , 160. Knights Templar, etc. , 126 N. Y. , 
 
 * N. Y. Code Civ. Pro. , s. 3, 345. 450. See also Jones v. Brooklyn, 
 
 Disclosures by physicians are re- etc. , Ry. Co. , 3 N. Y. Supp. , 253 ; 
 
 stricted by sees. 834, 836 of said in matter of Darragh, 52 Hun, 591 ; 
 
 Code. Marx v. Manhattan Ry. Co., 56 
 
 ^ Code Civ. Pro., sees. 834, 836, as Hun, 575; Treanor v. Manhattan 
 
 new existing are re-enactments with Ry. Co., 28 Abb. N. C. , 47. 
 
 modifications of 2 R. S. , p. 406, s. 73. « See Collins v. Mack, 31 Ark. , 684. 
 
 ' People V. Stout, 3 Park Cr. Rep. , ^ N. Y. Code of Pro. , s. 390 ; N. Y. 
 
 670 ; Edington v. Mut. L. I. Co., 67 Code of Civ. Pro., s. 870.
 
 CLASSES OF ACTIONS. 101 
 
 sistent and the physician cannot be made to disclose, though 
 his patient may be.' 
 
 Classes of Actions. 
 
 Crhninal Actions and Evidence of Crime in Civil 
 Actions. — The statutes confining the restriction to civil actions 
 have been cited above. ^ In Iowa, in an action for breach of 
 promise to marry, it was said that the privilege does not ex- 
 tend to the protection of advice for the commission of a 
 crime,' In New York the rule was at first embodied in the 
 Revised Statutes of the State,* but upon the adoption of the 
 Code of Civil Procedure it was included therein, ^ and subse- 
 quently the provision of the Revised Statutes was repealed." In 
 that State by law the rules of evidence in civil cases are appli- 
 cable also to criminal cases, except as otherwise expressly pro- 
 vided;'' and the statutes provide no different rule in criminal 
 actions as to this class of evidence. Notwithstanding this fact, 
 however, it has been said by the Court of Appeals, in a case 
 where there was an attempt to screen a murderer by insisting 
 that his victim's physician was not a competent witness as to 
 information acquired by him while attending his patient,"* that 
 the design of the law was to enable the patient to make known his 
 condition to his physician without the danger of disclosing what 
 would annoy his feelings, damage his character, or impair his 
 standing while living, or disgrace his memory when dead, but 
 that it was not intended to protect a murderer rather than to 
 shield his victim; and quoting from the opinion of Talcott, J., 
 in the court below, ^ the Court said : " The purpose for which the 
 aid of the statute is invoked is so utterly foreign to the purpose 
 and object of the act and so diametrically opposed to any intent 
 
 'Edington v. Mut. L. I. Co., 5 4 2R. S., 406, s. 73. 
 
 Hun, 1 ; s. c, 67 N. Y., 185. * Act 1876, c. 448, Code Civ. Pro., 
 
 Under sec. 873, Code Civ. Pro. , sees. 834, 836. 
 as amended by Law 1893, c. 721, the « Act 1877, c. 417, s. 1. 
 
 plaintiff in an action for personal ' 3 R. S., 1029, s. 19. Superseded 
 
 injuries may be compelled to sub- by Code Crim. Pro., s. 392, as 
 
 mit to a physician's inspection. Cf. amended by Act 1892, c. 279, s. 7. 
 
 Packer. Page, 51 Mich., 88. People v. Murphy, 101 N. Y., 126. 
 
 ^ Siqjva, p. 96. People v. Brower, 53 Hun, 217. 
 
 ^ Guptill V. Verback, 58 Iowa, 98. » Pierson r. People, 79 N. Y. , 424 ; 
 
 In this case, however, it was deter- People 7-. Harris, 136 N. Y., 423. 
 mined that it did not appear that a ** Pierson v. People, 18 Hun. 239. 
 
 crime was intended.
 
 102 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 which the legislature can be supposed to have had in enacting 
 it, so contrary to and inconsistent with its spirit, which most 
 clearly intended to protect the patient and not to shield one who 
 is charged with his murder ; that in such a case the statute is 
 not to be so construed as to be used as a weapon of defence to a 
 party so charged instead of a protection to his victim." Ac- 
 cordingly it was held that the evidence was not to be excluded 
 under the statute. But the rule is still applicable to criminal 
 actions. In a later case, where the accused was indicted for 
 abortion, the same court held, that where the patient was living 
 and the disclosure tended to convict her too of crime or to cast 
 discredit and disgrace upon her, the evidence of her physician 
 as to information acquired by him in attendance upon her was 
 inadmissible in the trial of the man charged with the crime.' 
 In a still later case,^ the General Term of the Supreme Court 
 held, where the accused was on trial for murder and he had 
 confided to a physician what he had done, that the physician 
 could not disclose the confidence. The rule deducible from these 
 decisions seems to be that in New York the privilege extends 
 to criminal actions, even though they be trials for murder, and 
 even though the person accused be the patient, but that the 
 statute will be applied only for the protection of the patient, and 
 where it is apparent that no injury can possibly be done to the 
 patient or his memory by the admission of the evidence, and the 
 interests of justice demand the disclosure, for the punishment 
 of a person for an injury done to the patient involving a viola- 
 tion of the criminal law, and the patient is not alive to waive 
 the privilege, that the disclosure is not forbidden. 
 
 In New York efforts have been made to exclude from the 
 operation of the statute other classes of actions, to which it has 
 been urged that the reasons for the enactment do not apply, or 
 in which the mischief alleged to be wrought by its enforcement 
 has been suggested as ground for believing that the legislature 
 could not have intended to include them. Of these, actions for 
 divorce on the ground of adultery are one class ; but it has been 
 held that they constitute no exception.' 
 
 'People V. Murphy, 101 N. Y. , ^Johnson t'. Johnson, 4 Paige, 
 
 126 (1886). 460: s. p., 14 Wend., 636; Hanford 
 
 ■' People V. Brower, 53 Hun, 217 v. Hanford, 3 Edw. Ch. , 468 ; Hunn 
 
 (1889) . See also People v. Stout, 8 v. Hunn. 1 T. & C, 499. 
 
 Park Cr. Rep. , 670. In Indiana, information as to
 
 CLASSES OF ACTIONS. 103 
 
 Testamentary Causes. — In New York it was long sup- 
 posed that the policy of the law excepted probate proceedings ; 
 it was so held by the Surrogate of New York City ; ' and also 
 by the General Term of the Supreme Court/ by which it was 
 stated that the practice had prevailed for a half-century in will 
 cases/ but the Court of Appeals/ has decided that testamen- 
 tary cases constitute no exception to the rule, the judge who 
 delivered the opinion stating that there is no more reason for 
 allowing secret ailments cf a patient to be brought to light in 
 a contest over his will than in any other case, and that if mis- 
 chief be wrought by the law the remedy lies with the legislature 
 and not with the courts. The legislature has since afforded 
 the remedy, ^ but not to the extent of adopting the rule of the 
 earlier cases. In Indiana, in an action to set aside a will, the 
 testimony of the testator's physician has been excluded.* And 
 in Michigan and Missouri it seems that testamentary cases are 
 no exception to the general rule.' 
 
 Lunacy and Habitual Drunkenness. — It has been 
 claimed in New York that inquisitions of lunacy are an excep- 
 tion, and recently it has been held that the alleged lunatic's 
 physician may testify as to his mental condition because no one 
 is better qualified to testify,* but this decision seems to be at 
 
 abortion and criminal intimacy is (Supr. Ct., G. T., 1887). In matter 
 
 protected in an action for criminal of Connor (Sup. Ct., G. T.), 27 N. Y. 
 
 conversation. Harris v. Rupel, 14 St. Rep., 905 (1889) ; Mason v. Wil- 
 
 Ind., 209. In Hewitt v. Prime, 21 liams (Sup. Ct., G. T., 1889), 6N.Y. 
 
 Wend., 77 N. Y. (1839), in an ac- Supp.,479; Van Or man v. Van Or- 
 
 tion for seduction the testimony of man (Sup. Ct., G.T., 1890), 34N.Y. 
 
 a physician that he was asked for St. Rep., 824. See also In matter of 
 
 medicine to produce an abortion Halsey (N. Y. Suit.), 29 N. Y. St. 
 
 was admitted. It was stated that Rep., 533 (1890). Allen v. Pub. 
 
 such testimony is not privileged, Adm., 1 Bradf., 221, had been over- 
 
 but there were other reasons for the ruled in part by Edington v. Mut. 
 
 judgment, and the case seems to be L. I. Co., 67 N. Y., 185 (1876), but 
 
 at variance with later decisions on not on this point, 
 that principle. * Supra, p. 98. 
 
 See also Briggs v. Briggs, 20 "Heuston t\ Simpson, 115 Ind., 62. 
 
 Mich., 34. ■" Fraser r>. Jennison, 42 Mich., 
 
 ' Allen t). Pub. Adm., 1 Bradf., 206. In this case the testimony was 
 
 221 (1850). admitted on the ground that the rep- 
 
 '^ Staunton v. Parker, 19 Hun, 55 resentative could waive the privi- 
 
 (1879) . lege. See Thompson r. Ish, 99 Mo. , 
 
 ^ Citing the fact that no objection 160. 
 was raised in the noted case of Dela- ** In re Benson (Monroe County 
 
 field r. Parish, 25 N. Y., 1. Court), 16 N. Y. Supp., Ill (1891). 
 
 ^Renihan v. Dennin, 103 N. Y. , Some States have statutory provi- 
 
 573 (1886), followed in Loder v. sions for the qualification of physi- 
 
 Whelpley. Ill N. Y. , 239 (1888). In ciaus as examiners in lunacy, e.g.. 
 
 re Hannah, 11 N. Y. St. Rep., 807 Laws of Col., 1893, c. 119, s. 5;
 
 104 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 variance with the principle of the decisions of the Court of 
 Appeals with reference to testamentary cases, and presents no 
 satisfactory reason for a distinction. In a similar case in the 
 Supreme Court, Chambers, it was held that a medical attendant 
 at an asylum could not testify.' It has also been held that a 
 physician cannot make an affidavit as to the appearance and 
 condition of his patient to support a petition for the appoint- 
 ment of a committee for him as an habitual drunkard.'' 
 
 Fraud. — Still another class of actions in which contend- 
 ing principles have been invoked to make an exception in the 
 law of privilege, is actions on life-insurance contracts. The 
 contract of insurance is uberrimcB fidei, and the defence of 
 fraud in the application is frequently interposed to defeat a 
 claim under a policy. Medical testimony would often be the 
 most satisfactory evidence to establish the fraud, and efforts have 
 been made to introduce it under that excuse, but without avail. 
 In the case of Dilleber vs. Home Life Insurance Company, in 
 the Supreme Court of New York at General Term, ^ the question 
 seems to have been directly before the court, and Davis, P. J., 
 dissenting, insisted that the suppression of a physician's testi- 
 mony ought not to be permitted so as to cover up a fraud, but the 
 majority of the court held otherwise ; the case was subsequently 
 overruled, but not on the ground urged b}^ Justice Davis. ^ 
 The number of insurance cases in which the rule has been 
 enforced seems to leave it bej'ond question that it will not be 
 relaxed for the purpose of establishing fraud, ^ although that 
 announcement has not been specifically made. There seems no 
 reason that the rule should be relaxed in that regard when it is 
 not relaxed to establish the crime of the patient ; though the 
 mischief that may be done in such cases is apparent." 
 
 Laws of N. Y., 1874, c. 446, t. 1, 77 Ind., 203; Excelsior Mut. Aid 
 
 art. 1, s. 1. The bearing of these Assn. v. Riddle, 91 Ind., 84; Penn 
 
 provisions upon the statutory priv- Mut. L. I. Co. v. Wiler, 100 Ind., 
 
 ilege has not been made clear. 92 ; ^tna L. I. Co. v. Denning. 123 
 
 iln matter of Baird, 11 N. Y. Ind., 390 ; Lunz v. Mass. Mut. L. I. 
 
 State Rep., 263(1887). Co., 8 Mo. App., 363; Edington u. 
 
 2 In matter of Hoyt, 20 Abb. N. Mut. L.I. Co., 67N.Y., 185; Grattan 
 
 C. (Sup. Ct., G. T., 1887). v. Metrop. L. I. Co., 80 N. Y., 281 ; 
 
 M3 N. Y. W. D., 505 (1880). s. p., 93N. Y., 274 ; Conn. Mut. L. I. 
 
 •*Dilleber v. Home L. L Co., 13 Co. v. Union Tr. Co.. 112 U. S., 250. 
 
 N. Y. W. D., 505 (1881). «See Renihan v. Dennin, 103 N. 
 
 ^ The following cases in which the Y.. 573, dictum to same effect, 
 
 rule has been enfoi-ced have arisen As to whether a physician may 
 
 out of contracts of life insurance : contradict his patient to prevent 
 
 Masonic Mut. Ben. Assn. v. Beck, fraud, see infra, p. Ill et seq.
 
 THE WITNESS. 105 
 
 The Witness. — The statutory provisions as to the profes- 
 sional status of the witness whose testimony is exchided have 
 ah'eady been shown/ The facts which establish the relation 
 of physician and patient will be treated later.* The witness is 
 a member of a profession, but there is very little discussion in 
 the cases as to what constitutes a physician or surgeon.^ The 
 language of the statutes as well as their policy and intent has 
 been said to plainl}" embrace a physician who casuall}" or in any 
 way attends and prescribes for a patient, whether he be a family 
 physician or the usual medical attendant or not.'' The spirit 
 of the acts would protect communications made to any person 
 attending the patient in the accepted capacitj^ of physician or 
 surgeon wherever that might have happened, though the letter 
 would confine it in some instances to duly authorized or duly 
 licensed persons. It does not seem to have been established 
 whether such authority or license must have been granted under 
 the laws of the State where the trial is conducted, nor how the 
 several statutes apply to communications made elsewhere, es- 
 pecially in States or countries where authority or license to prac- 
 tise is not required by law. 
 
 It has been said with reference to the New York law that it 
 is absolutely necessary that the witness should be a duly qual- 
 ified physician ; ^ and it has been held that the words " duly 
 authorized " mean those persons who are not prohibited by the 
 penal code from practising, so that an unlicensed physician may 
 be compelled to disclose confidential communications. " Whether 
 the same rule would be applied with reference to information 
 obtained in another State by a. physician duly authorized to 
 practise there although prohibited from practising in New York, 
 
 ' Supra, p. 97. •* Edington v. Mutual L. I. Co. , 5 
 
 2 Infra, p. 119. Hun, 1. 
 
 3 " Physician : A person wlio has ^ People v. Stout, 3 Park Cr. 
 received the degree of doctor of Rep., 670 (1858). In this case the 
 medicine from an incorporated in- witness was undoubted!}- a duly 
 stitution ; one lawfully engaged in qualified physician under the State 
 the practice of medicine." — Bou- law. 
 
 vier'sLaw Diet., vol. ii., p. 412. « Wiel v. Cowles, 45 Huu, 307 
 
 "Surgeon: One who applies the (1887) (Supreme Ct., Gen. T.) . Sec. 
 
 principles of the healing art to ex- 356, N. Y. Penal Code, which was 
 
 ternal diseases or injuries, or to in- in 0])eration at that finite, was re- 
 
 ternal injuries or malformations. pealed by Act 1887, c. 647, s. 9. but 
 
 requiring manual or instrumental the prohibition of unauthorized 
 
 intervention. One who practises practice is now to be found in Act 
 
 surgery."— Bou vier's Law Diet., 1893, c. 661, s. 140. 
 vol. ii', p. 698, q. v.
 
 106 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATJONS — BOSTON. 
 
 is a question that is suggested as a case within the reason of the 
 law but outside of its letter, and one which does not seem to 
 have been answered. 
 
 In New York, in an action by a physician for compensation 
 for his services, it was held that a person who merely answered 
 for a physician at his office in his absence, and was not himself 
 a physician, is not a witness whose testimony is privileged.' 
 
 In Missouri it has been held that a drug and prescription 
 clerk is not a privileged witness.^ The question arose in the 
 same State, whether a dental surgeon is forbidden to testify 
 under the statute, but its determination was not essential to the 
 judgment and it was left unanswered.^ 
 
 To establish the privilege it is necessary that the person who 
 insists upon it to exclude testimony should show by competent 
 evidence that the witness belongs to the class privileged under 
 the law.^ But where the physician testified that he was a reg- 
 ular practising physician and attended in that capacity, and 
 he was not examined further as to his due authority, it was held 
 that a failure to produce his license could not be urged on ap- 
 peal as reason for compelling him to testify.^ The Court said 
 that if the privilege were the physician's he might, if the objec- 
 tion were taken, be required to prove by the best evidence that 
 he was duly authorized, but as it is the patient's privilege, in the 
 absence of objection to the sufficiency of the proof, the patient 
 is entitled to the benefit of the presumption that the physician 
 had the license which the law requires to entitle him to practise. 
 
 Waiver of the Privilege. 
 
 Who may Waive. — Those States in whicli the law provides 
 for a waiver have been enumerated ; ' in others the courts have 
 determined that the privilege of waiving is implied in the reason 
 for the law. In Indiana it has been held that although the statute 
 contains in terms an absolute prohibition, it creates no absolute 
 incompetency and the privilege may be waived by the person for 
 whose benefit it is made or his legal representative. ' Under the 
 
 1 Kendall v. Gray, 2 Hilt. , 300 (N. = Record v. Village of Saratoga 
 
 Y. Com. PI., Gen. T., 1859). Springs, 46 Hun, 448 (N. Y. Supr. 
 
 » Brown v. Hannibal & St. J. R. Ct. , Gen. T. ) . 
 
 R. Co. , 66 Mo. , 588. e Supra, p. 96. 
 
 ^ Carrington v. St. Louis, 89 Mo. , '' Penn Mut. L. I. Co. v. Wiler, 
 
 208. 100 Ind., 92; Morris v. Morris, 119 
 
 * Infra, p. 128. Ind., 341.
 
 WAIVER OF THE PRIVILEGE. 107 
 
 Michigan law it was claimed that the physician is forbidden to 
 reveal confidences even though he have his patient's consent, 
 but it has been held that the law only creates a privilege on 
 the same footing with other privileged communications, which 
 tlie public has no interest in suppressing when there is no desire 
 for suppression on the part of the person concerned.' In Mis- 
 souri too the patient may waive the privilege." 
 
 The protection vouchsafed by the law is designed for the 
 benefit of the patient, and therefore the physician himself can- 
 not waive it.' The patient can disclose his own physical con- 
 dition if he so desires.^ 
 
 But the physician cannot refuse to testify if the patient 
 waives the privilege.^ 
 
 The patient can waive the privilege during his life." 
 
 As it existed prior to 1891 the New York law provided that 
 the prohibition should operate unless it was expressly waived 
 upon the trial or examination by the patient.' This was inter- 
 preted to mean that the patient himself was the only person who 
 could make a waiver; and that, therefore, the possibility of 
 waiver ceased with the death of the patient, while the privilege 
 of secrecy continued unabated, so that those claiming under the 
 deceased patient could not waive the privilege, nor insist upon 
 
 ' Grand Eapids & Ind. R. R. Co. * Mulhado v. Brooklyn City R. 
 
 V. Martin, 41 Mich., 667; Fraser v. R. Co., .-W N. Y., 370; Heller v. 
 
 Jennison, 43 Mich., 206. Sharon Springs, 28 Hun, 344; 
 
 - Carrington v. St. Louis, 89 Mo., Winner v. Lathrop, 67 Hun, 511. 
 
 208 ; Squires v. City of Chillicothe, ^ SeePenn Mut. L. I. Co. v. Wiler, 
 
 89 Mo., 226 ; Blair v. C. & A. R. R. 100 Ind.. 93 ; Territory v. Corbett, 3 
 
 Co., 89 Mo., 334; s. p., 89 Mo., 383; Mont., 50; Johnson v. Johnson, 14 
 
 Adrereno v. Mut. Res. F. L. I. Co., Wend., 636; Babcock v. People, 15 
 
 34 Fed. Rep., 870; Davenport v. Hun, 347. 
 
 Citv of Hannibal, 18 S. W. Rep., « Barton -y. Allbright, 29 Ind., 488 
 
 1133. Campau v. North, 39 Mich., 606 
 
 ^ The most of the cases in which Territory i\ Corbett, 3 Mont. , 50 
 the rule has been enforced are those Blair t'. Chic. & Alton R. R. Co. , 89 
 in which the physician has actually Mo., 334 ; Johnson v. Johnson, 14 
 testified without raising the objec- Wend. (N. Y.), 636. 
 tion himself, and in which, there- ' N. Y. Code Civ. Pro., s. 836 
 fore, the rule could not be enforced (Act 1876. c. 448) , as amended Act 
 if the physician's waiver were valid, 1877, c. 416, s. 185. Previous to the 
 but the following cases particularly Code of Civil Procedure the pro- 
 are in point : Harris tJ. Rupel, 14 vision for waiver was not in the 
 Ind. , 209 ; Barton v. Allbriglit, 29 statute, 3 R. S. , 406, s. 73. 
 Ind. , 488 ; Storrs v. Scougale, 48 The amendment of 1891 allowed 
 Mich. , 387 ; Lunz v. Mass. Mut. L. an express waiver of information, 
 I. Co., 8 Mo. App., 363; Johnson v. exce])t confidential communications 
 Johnson, 14 Wend., 636; Hanford r. and su(;h facts as would tend to dis- 
 Hanford, 3 Edw. Ch., 468; People grace the memory of tlie patient, by 
 r. Stout, 3 Park Cr. Rep. , 670. his personal representatives, or if
 
 108 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 the testimony of the physician, even though their interests were 
 in jeopardy on account of his silence. ' It seems, however, that 
 a patient can during his hf etime waive the privilege, the waiver 
 to take effect after his death. ^ The express waiver required by 
 the statute may be given by the patient's attorney, because 
 of the nature of the attorney's ageucj in conducting an action 
 for the patient.^ 
 
 None of the other statutes are in the exact terms of the New 
 York statute, but those of California, Colorado, Idaho, Minne- 
 sota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South 
 Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming provide that the 
 testimony shall not be given unless the patient consent; in 
 Iowa, the waiver provided for is that of the person in whose 
 favor the prohibition is made ; and in Nebraska, of the party 
 in whose favor the provision is enacted. 
 
 In Indiana, the privilege extends beyond the death of the 
 patient, and it may be waived bj" the party who inaj' be said to 
 stand in the place of the deceased and whose interests may be 
 affected by the disclosure." 
 
 In Michigan, what the patient may do in his lifetime, those 
 who represent him after his death may also do for the protec- 
 tion of the interests which they claim under him.^ In Missouri 
 the representatives of the patient may waive ; " and where the 
 dispute is between devisees and heirs at law all claiming under 
 a deceased patient, either the devisees or heirs may call the at- 
 tending physician of the testator as a witness regarding infor- 
 mation acquired by him in his professional attendance.' In 
 
 the validity of the last will and tes- ^ See In matter of Freeman, 46 
 
 tament of the patient is in question, Hun, 548 (N. Y. Supr. Ct. , G. T. , 1887) . 
 
 by the executor or executors named See Adrereno i'. Mut. Ees. F. L. 
 
 in said will. Law 1891, c. 381. I. Co. (U. S. C. C. Mich.). 34 Fed. 
 
 The amendment of 1892 added Rep., 870. 
 
 the surviving husband, widow, ^ Alberti v. N. Y. , L. E. & W. R. 
 
 heir at law, any of the next of kin R. Co., 118 N. Y. , 77. 
 
 or any other party in interest, in * Masonic Mut. Ben. Assn. v. 
 
 case the validity of the last will and Beck, 77 Ind. , 203. 
 
 testament of the patient is in ques- * Fraseri'. Jennison,42Mich. , 206. 
 
 tion. Law 1892. c. 514. The pres- « Groll r. Tower, 85 Mo., 249. 
 
 ent law contains the same provi- ''Thompson r. Ish, 99 Mo., 160, 
 
 sions. Act 1893, c. 295. distinguishes the New York statute 
 
 ' Westover v. ^tna L. I. Co. , 99 from the Missouri statute ; but 
 N. Y. , 56; Loder v. Whelpley, 111 seems to misinterpret Heuston v. 
 N. Y. , 239 : Alberti v. N. Y. , L. E. «fe Simpson, 115 Ind. , 62. which does 
 W. R. R. Co., 118 N. Y. , 77. Staun- not hold that representatives can- 
 ton V. Parker, 19 Hun, 55, is thus not waive, but that they can invoke 
 overruled. protection.
 
 WAIVER OF THE PRIVILEGE. 109 
 
 Nevada it has been said that the parents of a seven-year-old 
 infant, may waive for the infant/ 
 
 Objections to the Admission of Privileged Communica- 
 tions; When and by Whom Made. — Having considered who 
 can waive the privilege, it is material to discuss also the ques- 
 tion who may insist upon the enforcement of the law. If the 
 protection were only enforced on the claim of privilege by the 
 patient, the very object of the statutes would be defeated in 
 the large majority of instances because of the absence of the 
 patient and every one interested in his behalf to assert his right. 
 It rests, therefore, with any party to raise the objection and as- 
 sert the prohibition. But it seems that the physician himself, 
 unless a party, cannot make the objection." It seems to have been 
 thought in some of the cases that the right to insist upon the en- 
 forcement of the law is coupled with an interest derived from the 
 patient. This idea started from the language used in the early 
 cases enforcing the privilege at the instance of those claiming 
 under deceased patients;^ and it led to some confusion where 
 the right of representatives to waive the privilege was denied ; 
 but it seems to be clear that the right to object differs from the 
 right to waive in that the latter is necessarily and logically de- 
 pendent upon the relation between the patient and his representa- 
 tive, while the former is obviously suggested as the best method 
 of enforcing the law. In Indiana it has been said that the 
 statute gives to the representative of a deceased patient the right 
 to object ; ' but that this is not by reason of the relationship 
 appears from another case in the same State, where on an applica- 
 tion for anew trial the Court voluntarily refused to grant one 
 for newly discovered evidence disclosed to it by a physician's 
 affidavit, on the ground that if the patient should object in the 
 new trial the evidence would be excluded.^ In this State it has 
 been held that the widow of the patient cannot object to the 
 
 ' State V. Depoister, 25 Pac. Rep., I. Co., 67 N. Y., 185; see Westover 
 
 1000. V. ^tna L. I. Co., 99 N. Y., 56. 
 
 -Johnson v. Johnson, 14 "Wond., Breisenmeister v. Supr. Lod^e, 
 
 636; Babcock v. People, 15 Hun, etc.,45N. W. Rep., 977 (Supr. Ct. 
 
 347; Valensin v. Valeusin, 14 Pac. Mich., 1890). 
 
 Rep., 87 (Supr. Ct. Cal., 1887) ; cf. •« Penn Mut. L. I. Co. r. Wiler. 
 
 In re Hannah, 11 N. Y. St. Rep., 100 Ind., 92. 
 807. 5 Harris v. Rupel, 14 Ind. , 209. 
 
 ^ Penn Mut. L. I. Co. f. Wiler, See also Carthage T. Co. r. Andrews., 
 
 100 Ind., 92; Allen r. Pub. Adm., 1 N. E. Rep., 364. 
 1 Bradf . , 221 ; Edington v. Mut. L.
 
 110 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 disclosure, if his administrator with the will annexed waives 
 the privilege.' 
 
 In Michigan it has been said that the physician cannot avail 
 himself of the statute for his own benefit ; but that was in a 
 case where the communication was not really of the privileged 
 class.'' In New York, in proceedings to which a physician was 
 a party an examination of his books of accoun':; before trial has 
 been refused on the ground of privilege, and for the same reason 
 a motion to direct a physician to turn his books of account 
 over to a receiver has been denied.^ 
 
 In Montana it has been said that when the patient consents 
 no one else can object to the reception of the physician's testi- 
 mony.* 
 
 In New York it has been said that the benefits of the law 
 are to be dispensed alike to those familiar with and those igno- 
 rant of its existence and applicability, and it is therefore no 
 reason to refuse its enforcement, that the patient did not know 
 that his communication was privileged." 
 
 But, as in other cases of the receipt of improper evidence, it 
 would seem that the objection should be made at the time it is 
 offered, and if the objection is not then made, it will not avail 
 to raise it later or on appeal. " It should not be prematurely made. ' 
 In New York where in pursuance of a special feature of practice 
 in probate proceedings," certain witnesses are regarded as the 
 surrogate's witnesses though produced at the instance of the con- 
 testant, and the contestant, after giving notice that the evidence 
 of physicians as such witnesses was material, refused to exam- 
 ine them, and the surrogate required the proponent to suggest a 
 line of examination, it was held that it did not lie with the con- 
 testant to object to the physicians', testimony as privileged, 
 because she had lost her right to object by giving notice that 
 the evidence of those witnesses on these points was material.^ 
 
 Objection cannot be raised in the progress of an examination 
 
 ' Morris tJ. Morris, 119 Ind., 341. Breisenmeister v. Supreme Lodge, 
 
 " Scrippsv. Foster, 41 Mich., 743. etc., 45 N. W. Eep., 977 (Supr. Ct. 
 
 3 Mason v. Libbey, 2 Abb. N. C, Mich., 1890). 
 137; Mott V. Consumers' Ice Co., 2 ' Valensin v. Valensin, 14 Pac. 
 
 Abb. N. C, 143. Rep., 87 (Supr. Ct. Cal., 1887). 
 
 ^ Territory v. Corbett, 3 Mont., 50. » N. Y. Code Civ. Pro., s. 2,618. 
 
 5 People V. Stout, 3 Park Cr. « Hoyt v. Hoyt, 9 N. Y. St. Rep. , 
 
 Rep. , 670 (N. Y. , Oy. and Ter. , 1858). 731 (N. Y. Supr. Ct. , G. T. ) , affirmed 
 
 « Johnsons. Johnson, 14 Wend., 112 N. Y., 493. 
 636 (overruling s. c. , 4 Paige, 460) ;
 
 WAIVER OF THE PRIVILEGE. Ill 
 
 after the forbidden testimony has been in part received without 
 objection; for that would unjustl}' enable a party to open 
 the door and get in all he desired and then to close it to the dis- 
 advantage of his adversary; when the door is once properly 
 opened the examination may be continued until it is complete, 
 despite the objection of the party at whose instance it was 
 begun.' 
 
 In Indiana, where there was no objection, it was held that 
 the evidence should not be withdrawn from the consideration 
 of the jury or its weight diminished by comments on its value 
 as matter of law.^ 
 
 But when such evidence has already been admitted in the 
 face of objection, it is not necessary for the party to object again, 
 as nothing is waived by conforming with a rule already- laid 
 down.^ Where it is apparent that no harm is done to the ob- 
 jecting party by an improper ruling on the receipt of privileged 
 communications, no weight will be given to an exception to 
 such ruling.^ 
 
 What Constitutes a Waiver of the Privilege. — The stat- 
 utory provisions as to what constitutes a waiver have been set 
 forth above. ^ In California it has been held that cross-exami- 
 nation of the physician by the patient, calling for privileged 
 matter, is a waiver of privilege." In Indiana it has been held 
 that consent to disclosure cannot be inferred from the patient's 
 simply giving the name of his family physician in applying for 
 a policy of insurance on his life, and that a waiver in such an 
 application should be evidenced by a stipulation too plain to be 
 misunderstood.' And a physician's statements of the cause of 
 his patient's death, furnished to an insurance companj^ in pur- 
 suance of a stipulation of a policj" that satisfactory proof of 
 death shall be submitted to the company, are not rendered ad- 
 missible by that stipulation.* 
 
 It has also been held that consent to the evidence of one phy- 
 sician is no consent that another physician may divulge confi- 
 
 1 Hoytv. Hovt, 9 N. Y. St. Rep., sValensin v. Valensin, 14 Pac. 
 
 731 (N. Y. Sup'r. Ct., G. T.). Rep.. 87 (Supr. Ct. Cal., 1887). 
 
 ' Vau Valkenburg v. Van Valken- '' Masonic Mut. Ben. Assn. v. 
 
 burp:, 90 Ind. , 433. Beck, 77 Ind. . 208. 
 
 ' Dilleber v. Home L. I. Co., 69 « Dreier v. Continental L. I. Co., 
 
 N. Y., 256. 24 Fed. Rep.. 670; cf. Breiseumeister 
 
 ••Loderv. Whelpley, 111 N. Y. , 29. v. Supr. Lodge, etc. , 45 N. W. Rep., 
 
 * Supra, p. 96. 977 (Supr. Ct. Mich. , 1890) .
 
 112 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 dential communications ; ' and that the physician cannot testify 
 that he found no evidence of injury on the examination of his 
 patient, in order to contradict her;'^ the patient had already 
 testified as to her condition and what the physician had done, 
 but not as to anything said to her by her physician; she had 
 expressly declined to testify concerning- communications except 
 as to his prescription for her injury, and without asking him 
 to disprove her assertions the trial Court permitted him to say 
 that he had found no evidence of injury; this was held to be 
 error. It has also been held that the taking of a physician's 
 deposition and filing it, for the purpose of breaking the force of 
 his testimony in a deposition taken by the opposite party, is 
 no consent in itself to the reading of the other party's depo- 
 sition." But when, in an action against a phj^sician for mal- 
 practice, the patient testifies as to the manner of treatment, the 
 physician is then at liberty to introduce the testimony of him- 
 self or another physician as to the facts thus put in issue by 
 the patient/ 
 
 In Iowa it has been held that the testimony of a patient re- 
 garding the condition of his health is not a waiver of privilege, 
 so as to allow his opponent to introduce the testimony of his 
 physician to contradict him.^ 
 
 In Michigan a physician has been allowed to contradict his 
 patient as to the time when her trouble commenced, but on the 
 ground that it had not been shown that the information was 
 necessary to enable him to prescribe." But it has been held that 
 waiver as to one physician is not waiver as to another regarding 
 a different time.^ 
 
 In Missouri, the calling of a physician by the patient as a 
 witness to testify as to information acquired while attending, is 
 a waiver.® But offering one physician as a witness is not a 
 waiver of the privilege with reference to another.^ An appli- 
 cant for insurance maj^, by an express waiver in his application, 
 
 ' Penn Mut. L. I. Co. v. Wiler, « Campau v. North, 39 Mich. , 606. 
 
 100 Ind. , 93. ' Dolton v. Albion, 24 N. W. Rep. , 
 
 2 Williams v. Johnson, 113 Ind. , 373. 786. 
 
 ^Mtna L. I. Co. V. Denning, 133 ^ Qj^j-j-jugton v. St. Louis, 89 Mo., 
 
 Ind. , 390. 308 ; Squires v. Chillicothe, 89 Mo. , 
 
 *Lane v. Boicourt, 37 N. E. Rep., 336: Thompson v. Ish, 99 Mo., 160. 
 
 1111. niellor V. Mo. Pac. Ry. Co., 14 
 
 ^McConnell v. City of Osage, 45 S. W. Rep., 758; 16 S. W. Rep., 
 
 N. W. Rep., 550. 849.
 
 WAIVER OF THE PRIVILEGE. 113 
 
 make an efficient waiver, binding upon any one claiming under 
 the contract of insurance. ' 
 
 In Nevada a waiver has been implied from the testimony of 
 the patient and her mother, where the patient was an infant 
 seven years of age." And it was said that the parents of such 
 an infant may make the waiver. 
 
 In New York it has been held that reference to a family 
 physician when answering questions on an application for in- 
 surance, is not a waiver ; '' nor is the presence of a third person 
 in aid of the patient ; ' nor is the bringing of an action for 
 damages for an injury ; ' nor is the examination of the physi- 
 cian in a former trial by the opposing party ; " but where the ban 
 of secrecy is once removed in an action and the information 
 once lawfully made public, at the instance of the patient, it 
 cannot be restored, and the disclosure may then be compelled in 
 any subsequent action ; ' it would seem, too, that a physician 
 who becomes a witness to his patient's last will and testament 
 at the patient's request is then subject to a thorough examina- 
 tion on all points involving thepatient's testamentary capacity.' 
 
 Where the patient testified herself and called an attending 
 physician to prove her physical condition, this was not a con- 
 sent to the examination of another attending physician, and it 
 was said that the opposite party by tactics on cross-examina- 
 
 ' Adrereno v. Mut. Res. F. L. I. in People v. Schuyler, 106 N. Y., 
 
 Co. . 34 Fed. Rep. , 870. 298. 
 
 - State V. Depoister, 25 Pac. Rep., * See In re Freeman, 46 Hun, 458, 
 
 1000; but see dissenting opinion of in which a will was admitted to pro- 
 
 Bigelow, J. ; see also McKinnev v. bate on the concurrence of Learned, 
 
 Grand St. R. R. Co., 104 N. Y., 353. J., who held that the relation of 
 
 ^ Edington i\ Mut. L. I. Co., 5 physician and surgeon was not es- 
 
 Hun, 1 (reversed in part by Eding- tablished, and Landon, J. , who held 
 
 ton V. Mut. L. I. Co., 67 N. Y., 185, that the request to sign constituted 
 
 but affirmed on this point). a waiver ; Williams, J., dissenting, 
 
 * Calien r. Continental L. I. Co. , on the ground that the relation was 
 41 N. Y. Super. , 296 (overrviled on established in the case, and the 
 another point but affirmed on this waiver could not be assumed with- 
 in 69 N. Y., 300). out proof of the patient's mental 
 
 ■* Jones V. Brooklyn, B. & W. E. capacity' to comprehend the waiver; 
 
 Ry. Co., 3 N. Y. Supp. , 253. that it was not proper to assume 
 
 ^ Grattan v. Metrop. L. I. Co., 92 testator's competency to waive in 
 
 N. Y. , 274. order to enable the witness to testify 
 
 ' McKinney v. Grand St. R. R. that the ]iatient was competent to 
 
 Co. , 104 N. Y. , 352 ; see criticism of make a will. 
 
 this case in Breisenmeister v. Supr. On the analogous case of an at- 
 
 Lodge, 45 N. W. Rep., 977 (Supr. torney as witness to a will, see Blnt- 
 
 Ct. of Mich., 1890). 'See also Mason ter of Coleman, 111 N. Y., 220 : and 
 
 1'. Libbey, 2Abb. N. C, 137;seeun- N. Y. Code Civ. Pro., s. 836, as 
 
 answered queries on similar points amended Act 1893, c. 295.
 
 114 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 tion could not compel the patient to abandon a privilege which 
 she refused to waive.' Fish, J., in delivering the opinion of 
 the Court in the last-mentioned case, said of the operation of 
 the statute, that it allows the patient to use the testimony 
 of the attending physician if he thinks his evidence will bene- 
 fit his case, and to object and exclude it in case he thinks it 
 will not benefit him ; he may call to his aid the testimony of 
 any one whose views he approves and exclude that of another 
 whose testimony might tend to controvert that given with the 
 consent of the patient ; that in this case the excluded witness 
 was the best witness and could tell nothing else than the patient 
 had disclosed if she had told the truth and it would relate solely 
 to what she and the other physician had described, but that the 
 Court could not consider whether the statute tended to promote 
 the cause of justice, and he distinguished McKinyiey v. Grand 
 Street Railroad Company,'^ on the ground that there the con- 
 sent had been that the same phj^sician should disclose what 
 he knew, while here the waiver of the excluded physician's testi- 
 mony had been constantly withheld. 
 
 A decision which seems to be at variance with Record i\ 
 Village of Saratoga Sjjrings is Treanor v. Manliattan Rail- 
 ivay Company ^'^ where it was said that the patient cannot pro- 
 mulgate and uncover his maladies and infirmities in court and 
 keep his physician under obligations to silence, and that he can- 
 not, to mulct another in damages, inflame a jury with a false or 
 exaggerated stor}- of his injuries and sufferings and preclude 
 the phj^sician from making a truthful statement of the case. 
 
 But where the patient testifies as to what passed between 
 him and his physician, the phj-^sician maj' testify on the same 
 subject, as a waiver is inferred from the circumstances ; for the 
 reason, that the patient, having gone into the privileged domain 
 to get evidence on his own behalf, cannot prevent the other party 
 from assailing such evidence by the onXj testimony available, 
 and the rule is no longer applicable when the patient himself 
 pretends to give the circumstances of the privileged interview.* 
 
 ^ Record v. Village of Saratoga ^ Supra, p. 113, note 7. 
 Springs, 46 Hun, 448 (Supr. Ct. , ^ 28 Abb. N. C. , 37 (N. Y. Com. 
 
 Gen. T., N. Y.). See also Hope u. PL, Gen. T., 1891). 
 Trov and Lansingburg R. R. Co. , 40 ^ Marx v. Manhattan Rv. Co. , 56 
 
 Hun, 438 : Jones v. B. , B. & W. Hun, 575 (N. Y. Supr. Ct. , Gen. 
 
 E. R. R. Co., 3N. Y. Supp., 253. T.).
 
 THE EVIDENCE EXCLUDED. 115 
 
 The requirement that a physician jEile with a board of health a 
 certificate of the cause of death does not abrogate the privilege 
 in a judicial proceeding. ' 
 
 The Evidence Excluded. 
 
 ^'Information.^'' — In Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, 
 Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, 
 North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, 
 Washington, and Wisconsin the privileged matter is character- 
 ized as information.'' 
 
 In Arkansas it seems that the information must be a confi- 
 dential communication J ^ biit in the other States where it has 
 been necessary to construe the word it has received a broader 
 interpretation. 
 
 In Michigan information is not confined to confidential 
 communications made by the patient, but includes whatever in 
 order to enable a physician to prescribe was disclosed to any of 
 his senses and which in any way was brought to his knowledge 
 for that purpose;^ it covers a letter written to a physician," 
 and matters observed by him ; ® but it does not include infor- 
 mation acquired by a third person; for instance, the time when 
 a physician saw his patient may be disclosed by her mother ; ' 
 and the fact of treatment or non-treatment is not information; " 
 nor are the facts that the physician was the patient's famil}' phy- 
 sician, and that he attended him professionally; nor are state- 
 ments of the dates of such attendance and the number of such 
 visits ; " nor the facts that the phj'-sician has been called upon 
 to examine and prescribe for a person and that his patient had 
 told him that she would want him to testify for her in a law- 
 suit." 
 
 In Missouri the statute protects information received from 
 
 ' Buffalo L. & T. Co. v. Masonic 206 ; Breisenmeister v. Supr. Lodge, 
 
 Mut. Aid Assn. , 126 N. Y. , 450. etc., 45 N. W. Rep., 977 (Supr. 
 
 2 Supra, p. 98. Ct. Mich., 1890). 
 
 » Collins V. Mack, 31 Ark., 684. ' Dalman v. Koning,54 Mich.,32L 
 
 The main point of this decision was * Brown v. Mut. L. I. Co. , 05 
 
 that the information was not neces- Mich. , 306. 
 
 sary ; see irifra. p. 124. * Breisenmeister v. Supr. Lodge, 
 
 ■* Briggs V. Briggs, 20 Mich., 34. etc., 45 N. W. Rep., 977. 
 
 6 Ihid. '° Cooley V. Foltz, 48 N. W. Rep.. 
 
 ^Fraser v. Jennison, 42 Mich., 176.
 
 116 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 the patient; but this is not confined to oral communications, 
 and includes knowledge gained by inspection of the patient's 
 person.' In Lunz v. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance 
 Company protection was said not to extend to information of 
 this sort apparent on casual inspection, which any one might 
 make, nor to symptoms which are obvious before the patient sub- 
 mits himself to any examination, such as an inflamed face, a 
 bloodshot eye, alcoholic fumes, or delirium ; nor to facts so su- 
 perficial that in regard to them no confidence could have been 
 reposed. But this distinction between hidden and patent facts 
 is disapproved in Kling v. City of Kansas,'^ and the state- 
 ment is made that the law does not rest on the confidence im- 
 posed. Knowledge or communications concerning the cause of 
 a patient's condition and the extent of his injuries have also 
 been held to be included in the term information, because the 
 disclosure of these matters involved the indirect disclosure of 
 the condition ; ^ but it was said that the physician may testify 
 as to knowledge acquired independent of communications from 
 the patient and of examination or inspection made by the wit- 
 ness for the purpose of treatment.^ As divulging privileged 
 information, a physician has not been allowed to answer what 
 his patient's hurts were, why he left a hospital, or whether he 
 required longer treatment ; ^ and it has also been held that a 
 physician cannot give his opinion as to the mental condition of 
 his patient based upon privileged knowledge. ° 
 
 In New York information comprehends all knowledge ac- 
 quired by the physician by communication, observation, or in- 
 spection ; ^ it has been said to extend to all facts which neces- 
 sarily come to the knowledge of the physician in a given 
 professional case ; ^ and it includes as well the opinion of the 
 physician based upon his knowledge as the knowledge itself.* 
 
 1 Lunz V. Mass. Mut. L. I. Co. , 8 •* Ibid. 
 
 Mo. App., .363; Gartside r. Conn. ^ Corbett v. St. L., I. M. &S. Ry. 
 
 Mut. L. I. Co., 76 Mo., 446 (said to Co., 26 Mo. App., 631. 
 
 be overruled by 85 Mo., 249 ; see 89 « Thompson v. Ish, 99 Mo., 160. 
 
 Mo. , 226, but followed in Tlioinpson ' People v. Stout, 3 Park Cr. Rep. , 
 
 V. Ish, 99 Mo., 160). For an argu- 670. 
 
 ment on the distinction between * Edington v. Mut. L. I. Co. , 5 
 
 information and communications, Hun, 1 ; s. p. , 67 N. Y. . 185 ; Grattan 
 
 see brief of respondent's counsel in v. Met. L. I. Co., 80 N. Y. , 281. 
 
 Gartside v. Conn. JMut. L. I. Co. '^ Grattan v. Met. L. I. Co. , 80 N. 
 
 '' 27 Mo. App. , 231 (1887) . Y. , 281 ; Van Orman v. Van Orman, 
 
 3 Streeter v. City of Breckenridge, 34 N. Y. St. Rep. . 824 (Supr. Ct. , G. 
 
 23 Mo. App. , 244. T. ) ; Wilcox v. Wilcox, 46 Hun, 32.
 
 THE EVIDENCE EXCLUDED, 117 
 
 The physician cannot disclose the nature of his patient's dis- 
 ease, whether he learned it by observation or examination or 
 from what his patient told him ; ' nor can he testify as to what 
 he told his patient. ' In Edington v. ^tna Life Insurance 
 Company^ it was said b}^ Judge Earl that the statute was 
 aimed at confidential communications and secret ailments, and 
 that it did not extend to matters superficially apparent, such as 
 a fever, a fractured leg or skull, or raving mania apparent to 
 all;^ but this view was disapproved expressly in the later case 
 of Renihan v. Dennin. ^ 
 
 The privileged information has been said to include knowl- 
 edge acquired through the statements of others surrounding the 
 patient/ But it would seem that the fact that a third person 
 was present during a physician's visit may be shown b}- the 
 physician, as well as what passed between the patient and the 
 third person, if it was such information as a layman would have 
 gathered/ The information from the third person regarding 
 the patient is protected even though the patient be absent ;" but 
 not if the third person does not employ the physician, and the in- 
 formation thus acquired is not necessary to enable the physician 
 to act in a professional capacity/ It is suggested in one case, 
 but not determined, that it would be improper for a physician 
 to state the value of the services of a nurse in attendance upon 
 his patient, as that would involve a consideration of the con- 
 dition of his patient; '" but it has been held that a physician can 
 testify to the fact of a nurse's services/* 
 
 But it is information regarding the patient that is privileged, 
 and therefore a physician may disclose what his patient told 
 him about another, even though the subject of inquirj^ be the 
 attitude of the patient toward the other ; '^ and likewise the 
 physician may disclose what he told his patient about a third 
 
 ' Sloan V. N. Y. C. R. R. Co.. 45 L. I. Co., 5 Hun, 1 ; see s. c, 67 
 
 N. Y. , 125 ; Dilleber v. Home L. I. N. Y. , 185. 
 
 Co., 69 N. Y., 256. 'Per Smith, J., in Steele r. Ward, 
 
 2 Cahen x\ Continental L. I. Co. , 30 Hun, 555. 
 
 69 N. Y. , 300. « People v. Brower, 53 Hun, 217. 
 
 3 77 N. Y. , 564. » People v. Harris, 136 N. Y., 423. 
 •» See also Staunton v. Parker, 19 '" Burlev v. Barnhard, 9 N. Y. St. 
 
 Hun, 55. Rep., 587'(Supr. Ct., G. T., 1887). 
 
 5 103 N. Y., 573 ; see also Grattan " Pandjiria r. MoQuillen, 37 N. Y. 
 
 V. Met. L. I. Co., 80 N. Y., 281. St. Rep., 002 (Supr. Ct., G. T., 1891). 
 
 « Grattan v. Nat. L. I. Co. of '^ Hoyt f. Hoyt, 9 N. Y. St. Rep., 
 
 U. S., 15 Hun, 74; Edington r. Mut. 731 (Supr. Ct, G. T., 1887).
 
 118 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 person ; ' so also the physician may testify as to family events 
 in no way connected with physical complaints.^ It has been 
 held, too, that admissions made by a patient to his physician, 
 tending to show contributory negligence on the part of the pa- 
 tient, at a time when the communication could not well have 
 been made to enable the physician to prescribe, namely, on the 
 physician's third and last visit, may be proven by the physi- 
 cian/ 
 
 The physician may properly testify that he did attend as 
 physician,^ and that the patient was sick, and he can state 
 when and how often he attended him, ^ and whether his knowl- 
 edge was acquired while in professional attendance, ° but it is 
 open to the Court to determine from the evidence whether it 
 was so acquired.' 
 
 ''^Matter Committed.^'' — In Indiana the protection covers 
 matter committed. It would seem that the use of the word 
 committed implies confidence and that the protected matter is 
 only confidential communications; but an earlier statute in that 
 State applied to "matters confided," and it was held to cover 
 matters learned b}' observation or examination, or by commu- 
 nication from the patient, whether learned under an injunction 
 of secrecy, express or implied, or not ; * and it has been held 
 that the present law forbids the disclosure of matters learned in 
 a sick-room, no matter how the knowledge may have been ac- 
 quired.^ 
 
 " Confidential Communications." — The laws of Iowa and 
 Nebraska protect confidential communications properly in- 
 trusted. The construction put upon the word confided in In- 
 diana has been shown. In Iowa it has been said that a confi- 
 dential inquiry for advice to facilitate the commission of a crime 
 or the infraction of law, is not properly intrusted and is not 
 privileged;'" but where the advice is sought for a purpose 
 
 ' Hoyt V. Hoyt, ibid. ^ In matter of Darragh, 15 N. Y. 
 
 - In matter of Boury, 8 N. Y. St. St. Rep., 452 (N. Y. Sm-r.). 
 
 Rep., 809 (Supr. Ct.. G. T., 1889). ' In matter of Darragh, 52 Hun, 
 
 3 Brown v. R. W. & O. R. R. Co., 591 (Supr. Ct., G. T.), see infra, p. 
 
 45 Hun, 439. 128. 
 
 ■* Numirich v. Supr. Lodge K. & L. * Masonic Mut. Ben. Assn. v. 
 
 of H. . 3 N. Y. Supp. , 552 (Trial Beck, 77 Ind. , 203. 
 
 Term, City Ct. of N. Y., 1889) ; Pat- « Heuston v. Simpson, 115 Ind., 
 
 ten V. U. L. & A. Ins. Assn., 133 62: Penna. Co. v. Marion, 28 N. 
 
 N. Y., 450. E. Rep., 973. 
 
 5 Patten v. United L. & A. Ins. '° Guptill v. Verback, 58 Iowa, 98. 
 Assn., 133 N. Y., 450.
 
 THE EVIDENCE EXCLUDED. 119 
 
 which maj'" or may not be lawful, the presumption is that it is 
 lawful, and the communication is privileged.' It has been said 
 that whether or not a physician treated a person for a particular 
 disease, is not a confidential communication.^ 
 
 The word confidential is not narrowly construed, for a phy- 
 sician has been prevented from disclosing whether his patient 
 said that a car was in motion when he was injured, because the 
 injury would be more severe if in motion ; ^ and the fact that 
 the physician's pai-tner was present does not remove the seal of 
 secrecy, or permit the partner to testify.^ 
 
 " Communications.^'' — In Ohio and Wyoming commit ni ca- 
 tions are -privileged ; and in Kansas and Oklahoma communi- 
 cations with reference to a physical or supposed physical disease 
 and any knowledge obtained by a personal examination of a 
 patient. It does not appear whether a narrower construction 
 would be given to the term communications than to the term 
 information; but it would seem not, if a person deprived of 
 speech is to be protected,^ or if the term communications is 
 not to be construed as meaning oral communications. 
 
 ''From the Patient; by the Patient." — The former quali- 
 fying terms are used in the statutes of Arkansas, Indian Terri- 
 tory, and. Missouri ; the latter in the statutes of Kansas and 
 Oklahoma. The liberal interpretation put upon this term in 
 the Missouri law has already been shown." The law of the 
 Indian Territorj?^ is adopted from Arkansas.' The statute is 
 stricth^ construed in Arkansas,' but this term does not seem 
 to have received interpretation. 
 
 " Advice."— The laws of Indiana, Ohio, and Wyoming ex- 
 pressly cover the physician's advice. In New York it is in- 
 competent for the physician to disclose what he told his patient ; " 
 but advice to a patient concerning a third person is not privi- 
 leged.'" 
 
 The Relation of Physician and P«f?enf.— Under each of the 
 
 ' Guptill V. Verback, 58 Iowa, 98. in brief for respondent. Gartside v. 
 
 -'McConnell v. City of Osage, 45 Conn. Mut. L. I. Co., 76 Mo., 446. 
 N. W. Rep., 550. ^ Supra, p. 115. 
 
 3 Raymond v. Burlington, C. R. & ■" Act of Congress, May 2d, 1890, 
 N. Ry. Co., 65 Iowa, 152. c. 182. 
 
 4 ihid. " Collins V. Mack, 31 Ark.. 684. 
 
 ^ See argument in Edington v. ^ Cahen v. Continental L. I- |~"o.. 
 
 Mut. L. I. Co., 67 N. Y., 185. See 69 N. Y., 300: see Grattan v. Met. 
 
 argument for difference between L. I. Co., 24 Hun. 43. 
 information and communications '" Hoyt r. Hoyt, 112 N. Y., 49d.
 
 120 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 statutes, the relation of physician and patient must have existed 
 at the time the information was acquired. In those cases where 
 the relation is established by contract and is recognized by both 
 physician and patient as existing, no difficulty arises in deter- 
 mining that it does exist. It is in those cases where some one 
 of these elements is lacking that the difficulties are met. In 
 California it has been held that the relation exists where a phy- 
 sician attends and prescribes for a person, notwithstanding he 
 was employed by another, who seeks to disclose the evidence.* 
 In Michigan, where the physician was employed by direction of 
 the prosecuting attorney to examine the defendant in jail, and 
 so notified the defendant at the outset of the examination, and 
 he submitted voluntarily to a personal examination, and there 
 was no intention to prescribe or to act as the defendant's phy- 
 sician, it was held that the relation did not exist, and that the 
 physician could testify as to the defendant's physical condition." 
 
 In one New York case it has been said that the relation is 
 one of contract, and that the test is whether the physician would 
 be chargeable with malpractice or negligence for failure to ad- 
 vise or prescribe in case the alleged patient were in urgent need 
 of it at the time.^ But the decisions of the Court of Appeals 
 extend the privilege to cases where this test would lead to a 
 different conclusion.^ 
 
 Where the physician to a county jail was called in to attend 
 a prisoner and examined him, though there was no prescription 
 at the time, but it appeared that the doctor told the prisoner 
 what he should prescribe, and subsequently two phj^sicians 
 came to see the prisoner at the instance of the coroner and ex- 
 amined him as they would have examined one of their patients, 
 though they did not prescribe and had no conversation about a 
 prescription, it was held that the prisoner had, under the circum- 
 stances, reason to suppose that the relation of physician and pa- 
 tient did exist between him and all three of the physicians, and 
 that their testimony as to what they learned on such visits 
 should have been excluded ; and the rule is thus stated : when- 
 ever the patient has reason to suppose that the relation exists 
 and does in fact and truth so suppose, in a case where the phy- 
 
 ' Freel v. Market St. Cable Ry. Freeman, 46 Hun, 458 (Supr. Ct. , 
 
 Co., 31 Pac. Rep., 730. Gen. T., 1887). 
 
 - People V. Glover, 71 Mich., 303. ^ Renihan v. Dennin, 103 N. Y., 
 
 ^ Per Learned, J. , In matter of 573 ; and cases in notes following.
 
 THE EVIDENCE EXCLUDED. 121 
 
 sician attends under circumstances calculated to induce the 
 opinion that his visit is of a professional nature, and the visit 
 is so regarded and acted upon by the person attended, the 
 relation of physician and patient contemplated by the statute 
 may fairly be said to exist/ 
 
 But the fact that it is the duty of a physician to prescribe 
 for a person in case of need, does not constitute the relation, 
 though the position of the physician gives him the opportunity 
 to observe such person ; so, therefore, a jail physician was not 
 precluded from testifying as to what he had observed of a pris- 
 oner, where it did not appear that he Jiad ever attended the 
 latter in a professional capacity or had ever been called on to 
 attend him/ 
 
 It would seem, however, that where it is the duty of a phy- 
 sician to attend a person in a professional capacity or to acquire 
 knowledge concerning him in such capacity, he cannot dis- 
 close information actually acquired in the performance of his 
 duty. It has been said that a medical attendant at an in- 
 sane asylum cannot testify as to the mental condition of an in- 
 mate ; ' and that a physician employed in a hospital to notice 
 and enter in its records the arrival and condition of the patients 
 coming in, cannot testify as to information so acquired.^ 
 
 It is immaterial that another person employs the phj^sician 
 to examine the patient, and to report to the employer, and that 
 the person examined does not appear to desire any knowledge 
 as to his condition; if the examination is made as a professional 
 act, the relation of physician and patient is established between 
 the physician and the person examined, even though it be the 
 only interview.^ 
 
 And in a case where the public prosecutor sent a physician 
 to a person for the purpose of making a professional examina- 
 tion, so as to obtain evidence against another person charged 
 with crime, and the person examined accepted the services of 
 
 1 People V. Stout, 3 Park Cr. ^ In matter of Baird. 11 N. Y. St. 
 Rep., 670 (N. Y. Oy. andTer., 1858) ; Rep., 263 (N. Y. Supr. Ct.. Cham- 
 see Grossman r.Siijneme Lodge, etc. , bers, 1887, per Donohue, J.). 
 6 N. Y. Supp., 821 (Gen. T. Supr. * See 28 Abb. N. C. 55. note. 
 Ct. , 1889), visiting- physician at a ^ Grattan v. Met. L. I. Co.. 24 
 hospital attending out of curiosity Hun, 43 (Supr. Ct., Gen. T., 1881) ; 
 with regular plivsician. 92 N. Y., 274. 
 
 •^People V. S^lnlvler, 106 N. Y., 
 298, affirming 43 Hun, 88.
 
 122 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 the physician in a professional character, it was held that h& 
 could not testify as to the results of his examination.' 
 
 But where the district attorney sent a physician to jail to 
 make an examination of a prisoner's mental and physical con- 
 dition, and he made such examination, and it did not appear 
 that he prescribed for or treated the prisoner or that the prisoner 
 accepted his services, the opinion of the physician as to his 
 mental condition was admitted. "^ 
 
 Where the defendant employed a physician to examine the 
 plaintiff, and he went as coming from the defendant for that 
 purpose, and examined i;he plaintiff in the presence of his attend- 
 ing physician, but not as the plaintiff's physician and not for 
 the purpose of prescribing, the relation of physician and patient 
 was not established.'' Where a physician examined the plain- 
 tiff at the instance of the plaintiff's physician, but it was not 
 shown that he was requested or expected to treat or prescribe 
 or to advise in respect to either, or that he did either, it was 
 held that the relation was not established;'' but a physician 
 consulted by the patient's regular physician for the purpose of 
 advice concerning his treatment is a physician contemplated by 
 the statute ; ^ as is also the partner of a physician who is pres- 
 ent during a conference with the patient or who overhears such 
 a conference." Attendance at the patient's house is not con- 
 templated as essential by the law, and it makes no difference 
 where the examination is conducted.'' But where the physi- 
 cian was also a county clerk and the alleged patient was an at- 
 torney, and the consultation took place in the clerk's office and 
 consisted of an examination of an eruption on the skin, which 
 was made gratuitously and without a prescription being made 
 or asked for, the relation was held not to have been established, 
 notwithstanding that the clerk made use of his knowledge and 
 learning as a physician in forming his opinion, and that it was 
 
 1 People V. Murphy, 101 N. Y., R. Co., 57 Hun, 76 (Supr. Ct., Gen. 
 126. T., 1890). 
 
 2 People V. Kemmler, 119 N. Y., ^ Reuihan v. Dennin. 103 N. Y., 
 580; People V. Sliney, 187 N. Y., 573; Jones -y. B., B. & W. E. Ry. 
 570. Co., 3N. Y. Supp., 258. 
 
 ^ Heath v. Broadway & S. A. Ry. ^ ^^tna L. I. Co. v. Deming, 123 
 
 Co., 8 N. Y. Supp., 863 (Super. Ct., Ind., 390 ; Raymond v. B., C. R. & 
 
 Gen. T., 1890). N. Ry. Co., 65 Iowa, 153. 
 
 * Henry t). N. Y., L. E. & W. R. ■ Grattan v. Metr. L. I. Co., 24 
 
 Hun, 48 (Supr. Ct., Gen. T., 1881).
 
 THE EVIDENCE EXCLUDED. 123 
 
 in confidence that he possessed medical skill that the person re- 
 quested the examination.' 
 
 It does not follow that the relation once established continues 
 always ; the secrecy growing out of the relationship, as to knowl- 
 edge then acquired, always continues unless properly waived; 
 and the physician will not be allowed to testify in regard to 
 matter Avhich is partly the result of such information, though an- 
 other part may have been acquired independent of the relation ; ^ 
 but where it is clear that the matter desired is independent of 
 the relation of physician and patient, such evidence is admissi- 
 ble if otherwise competent.^ , 
 
 '■' Professional Capacity.'' — The States in which the statutes 
 limit the privilege to information acquired in a professional ca- 
 pacity have been enumerated." As to what constitutes a pro- 
 fessional capacity, the discussion of the facts that establish the 
 relation of physician and patient, and of the information neces- 
 sary to enable a physician to prescribe or a surgeon to act, makes 
 it unnecessary to discuss at length the meaning of this phrase. 
 The decision in Lunz v. Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance 
 Companij ^ would make it appear that in Missouri information 
 apparent on a casual inspection which any one might make is 
 not received in a professional capacity, but this idea is disap- 
 proved in the later case of Kling v. City of Kansas." Infor- 
 mation acquired by the physician b}' observing the patient on 
 the street anterior to his employment as a physician is not re- 
 ceived by him in a professional capacity.' 
 
 In New York, where the physician had not seen the patient 
 before or since his interview for the purpose of treatment, and 
 he was asked what his opinion was, based on a general sight of 
 the man before the examination, it was held that the physician 
 could not properly answer, as all the information upon which 
 
 'Edingtont). ^tna L. I. Co., 13 ham v. Gott, 3 N. Y. Supp., 518 
 
 Hiin, 543 (Supr. Ct., Gen. T., 1878), (Supr. Ct., Gen. T., 1889). 
 
 affirmed 77 N. Y., 564. The broad =* Stowell v. American Co-op. 
 
 expressions of this latter case were Assn., 23 N. Y. St. Rep., 706 (Supr. 
 
 disapproved in Renihan v. Dennin, Ct., Gen. T., 1889). 
 
 103 N. Y., 573, but it does not appear ■* Supra, p. 98. 
 
 that this point was not properly de- * 8 Mo. App., 363. 
 
 cided. «27Mo. App., 231. 
 
 2 In matter of Darragh, 52 Hun, ' (rartside v. Conn. Mut. L. I. Co., 
 
 591 (Supr. Ct., Gen. T., 1889), 15 N. 76 Mo., 446: see also Burlev v. 
 
 Y. St. Rep., 452 (N.Y. Surr.) : Brig- Barnhard. 9 N. Y. St. Rep., 587 (N. 
 
 Y. Supr. Ct., Gen. T.).
 
 124 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 the opinion would be based must have been acquired in a pro- 
 fessional capacity ; ' but in another case a physician was per- 
 mitted to express his opinion as to the mental condition of a 
 patient whom he had seen at various times when not in attend- 
 ance, excluding from his mind any knowledge or information 
 obtained while acting as her medical attendant and confining 
 his answer to such knowledge and information as he had ob- 
 tained by seeing her when not his patient.^ It has been said 
 that where information is not such as is obtained on sight by any 
 person, but by removing clothing and by percussion and listen- 
 ing to the action of the lungs, these are professional acts and 
 the information may be considered as obtained professionally.* 
 It has been said that information received in a professional 
 capacity involves a decision, though it may be negative ; and 
 that signing as witness to a will is not a professional act.^ 
 
 Matter Necessar^y to Enable a Physician to Prescribe or 
 a Surgeon to Act. — A list of those States whose laws limit the 
 privilege to matter necessary to enable the witness to prescribe 
 or act for the patient is to be found in another place. ^ 
 
 In Arkansas, where six hours after deliver}", the patient 
 stated to her physician who attended at accouchement, that she 
 had never been engaged to marry and never had promised to 
 marry, the statements were held not to be necessary to enable 
 the physician to act.'' 
 
 In Iowa, a physician who had treated a patient for injuries 
 was not allowed to testify whether his patient told him that the 
 car on which he was injured was in motion at the time, because 
 as the injury would be likely to be more severe if the car was in 
 motion, that information was necessary to enable the physician 
 io prescribe.' 
 
 In Michigan, a phj^sician was allowed to contradict his pa- 
 tient as to when her trouble commenced, in the absence of evi- 
 dence that such information was necessary to enable him to act.® 
 Where a physician was asked whether he treated a person for 
 
 'Grattan v. Metr. L. I. Co., 92 * Per Learned, J., In matter of 
 
 N. Y., 274. Freeman, 46 Hun, 458. 
 
 2 Fisher v. Fisher, 129 N. Y., ^ Supra, ]). ^?<. 
 
 654. « Collins v. Mack, 31 Ark., 684. 
 
 ^Grattan v. Metr. L. I. Co., 'Raymond v. B.. C. R. & Nor. 
 
 34 Hun, 43 (Supr. Ct., Gen. T., Rv. Co., 65 Iowa, 152. 
 
 1881) . '» Campau v. North, 39 Mich., 606.
 
 THE EVIDENCE EXCLUDED. 125 
 
 typhoid fever, and he answered that she was not so diseased, 
 it was held that this information was not necessary to enable 
 him to act.' And the same was held to be true where a phy- 
 sician examined a prisoner at the jail and testified that he was 
 diseased, the prisoner having been notified at the time of the 
 examination that it was made by direction of the prosecuting 
 attorney and there being no intention to prescribe or act for the 
 prisoner. "^ But it has been stated that all disclosures by a pa- 
 tient to a phj^sician respecting ailments are privileged whether 
 necessary to enable the physician to prescribe or not.^ 
 
 In Minnesota, a physician was allowed to disclose statements 
 as to suffering made by his patient, but not for the purpose of 
 enabling him to prescribe or act.^ 
 
 In Missouri, it has been said that information as to the way 
 in which an injury was inflicted is of the greatest necessit}^ for 
 successful treatment ; and that it is information which physi- 
 cians universally demand and receive.^ In another case, with 
 reference to the cause of a patient's condition, it was said that 
 while knowledge of the cause may not be necessary, the disclos- 
 ure of the cause cannot be made without a disclosure of the 
 condition, and that as a medical person cannot tell indirectly 
 what he is forbidden to tell directly, the physician's evidence of 
 the cause is inadmissible.'' In another case it was said that 
 any information, necessarily coming to a physician in order to 
 treat his patient, is to be regarded as necessary information 
 though unimportant, and that the test is how it was acquired, not 
 whether it could have been acquired in a different way, and 
 therefore it was incompetent for a physician to testify that his 
 patient was drunk when he treated him.' 
 
 In New York, in an earlj'^ case,* where a man consulted a 
 physician with reference to committing an abortion and told 
 him that a certain woman was pregnant by him, this admission 
 was said not to be essential to enable him to prescribe, even if 
 
 ' Brown 1). Metr. L. I. Co., 65 ^ Streeter ■?;. City of Breckenridge, 
 
 Mich., 306. 23 Mo. App., 244. 
 
 2 People -y. Glover, 71 Mich., 303. ' Kling v. City of Kansas, 27 Mo. 
 
 ^ Breisennieister r. Supr. Lodge, App., 231. 
 
 etc., 45 N. W. Rep., 977 (Supr. Ct. « Hewitt v. Prime, 21 Wend.. 77 
 
 Mich., 1890). (N. Y. Supr. Ct. of Judic. 1839). 
 
 •* Jacobs V. Cross, 19 Minn., 523. See Edinp:ton v. Mut. L. I. Co., 67 
 
 5 Norton v. City of Moberly, 18 N. Y., 185. 
 Mo. App., 457.
 
 126 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 the relation of physician and patient were considered established ; 
 but this seems to be at variance with the later case of People v. 
 Brower,^ where the accused consulted a physician with refer- 
 ence to the treatment of a woman on whom he had attempted to 
 commit an abortion, and admitted that he had done so, and the 
 physician was not permitted to disclose it. A broader view 
 is now taken of the word necessary. It has been held by the 
 Court of Appeals that a physician could not testify that his 
 patient had a venereal disease while under his care as a physi- 
 cian, the presumption being that he learned it for the purpose 
 of prescribing;^ and again, that it is assumed from the rela- 
 tionship that the information would not have been imparted ex- 
 cept for the purpose of aiding the physician to prescribe." But 
 this presumption does not attach to information regarding a pa- 
 tient, communicated by a third person." 
 
 Where a person went to a physician to call for medicine, 
 and it appeared that he was not consulting for himself and was 
 not representing any one else who needed or desired medical 
 assistance, the physician was allowed to testify as to a conversa- 
 tion which took place at that time.^ 
 
 In the case of Edington v. ^tna Life Insurance Company," 
 it was said that before the exclusion, the facts on which it is 
 justified must appear in some way, and the Court must know 
 somewhat of the circumstances ; from the opinion it is easy to 
 infer that it is only confidential communications and informa- 
 tion as to secret ailments which may be regarded as necessary 
 within the statute ; but this view was overruled in Grattan v. 
 Metropolitan Life Insurance Company,'' andthere it was dis- 
 tinctly stated that it is enough that the witness acquired the 
 information in his character as physician and in the due and 
 proper exercise of his calling, and that it is not incumbent on 
 the person objecting, to show by formal proof that the informa- 
 tion was necessary to enable the witness to prescribe. In this 
 case the examination of the witness was as to the cause of his 
 
 ' 53 Hun, 217 (Supr. Ct., Gen.T., * People v. Harris, 136 N. Y., 
 
 1889) . 423. 
 
 ^ Sloan V. N. Y. C. R. R. Co., 45 ^ Babcock v. People, 15 Hun, 347 ; 
 
 N. Y., 125. see also People v. Harris, supra. 
 
 3 Edington v. Mut. L. I. Co.. 67 « 77 N. Y., 564; see also s. p., 17 
 
 N. Y., 185. See also People v. W. D., 566. 
 
 Stout, 3 Park Cr. Rep., 670 (N. Y. ' 80 N. Y., 281. 
 Oy. andTer.. 1858).
 
 THE EVIDENCE EXCLUDED. 127 
 
 patient's death, and the argument urged upon the attention of 
 the Court was that information regarding the cause of death 
 could not be necessary to enable the physician to prescribe, as 
 the utility of the prescription ceased with the death and before 
 the cause was determined ; but the Court held that the privilege 
 attached, because, although the death was the result of the cause, 
 the facts constituting the cause were learned while the physician 
 was attending the living patient in a professional capacity and 
 from the symptoms manifested at that time. 
 
 In consonance with the decision in Grattanv. Metropolitan 
 Life Insurance Company,^ it has been held that a phj-sician 
 who amputated a patient's leg could not testify as to its condi- 
 tion at the time it was amputated." 
 
 The fact that the physician does not prescribe does not de- 
 feat the privilege ; if the information is acquired in the course 
 of professional employment the statute operates, for the decision 
 that neither advice nor medicine is needed is a professional act 
 within the spirit of the law.^ Medicus optimns, medicanien- 
 tum minimum, is the maxim used in another case to illustrate 
 this point. " 
 
 But it cannot be predicated as matter of law that a physician 
 cannot exclude from his consideration facts learned or opinions 
 formed while attending as physician ; therefore he can testify 
 as to his opinion on hypothetical facts which might be deemed 
 to relate to another person as well as the patient ; and where 
 the physician testified that he could so form an opinion, his 
 opinion of such assumptions was held to be admissible in evi- 
 dence as expert testimony.^ 
 
 But it is not all information which will be presumed to have 
 been necessary to enable the physician to act; it seems that 
 where the knowledge is such that it is evidently immaterial to 
 the physician's decision, it will be admitted. Such a case is 
 that of Hoijt V. Hoyt,' where the testimonj^ of physicians was 
 admitted to show the attitude of their patient toward his daugh- 
 
 ' 80 N. Y., 281. ' People v. Sclmyler, 43 Hun. 88, 
 
 '•'Jones V. Brooklyn, Bath and affirmed 106 N. Y.,' 298. 
 
 West End Rv. Co., 3N.Y. Supp., 253 « 9 N. Y. St. Rep., 731 (Supr. Ct.. 
 
 (City Ct. of Brooklyn, Gen. T., 1888). Gen. T.), affirmed 112 N. Y., 493. 
 
 ^ Grattan v. Metr. L. I. Co., 24 Although this point was discussed, 
 
 Hun, 43 (Supr. Ct.. Gen. T., 1881). the case was really decided on the 
 
 ■* In matter of Freeman, 46 Hun, ground that the ohjector had lost 
 
 458. her right to object if she ever had it.
 
 128 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 ter and their advice to him concerning her, the evidence being 
 for the purpose of showing the testator's opinion and not th& 
 physicians'. It has also been held that a statement made by a 
 patient on the physician's last visit as to what occurrred at the 
 time the patient was injured, tending to show contributory neg- 
 ligence, was not necessary information.' And a physician's 
 evidence of the declaration of his patient as to making a will 
 and the doctor's advice on that subject have been admitted.^ 
 
 THE PROVINCE OF THE COURT IN DEALING WITH THE 
 PRIVILEGE. 
 
 All questions of the competency of evidence are solved hy 
 the Court and not by the jury.^ The facts establishing the 
 privilege are presented to the Court for its consideration. In 
 Iowa it has been held that a fair trial demands that it should 
 not be made to appear to the jury in an action that the patient 
 is reluctant to waive his privilege, and that therefore the sub- 
 ject-matter of waiver has no place in the taking of testimony 
 except when introduced by the party permitted to make it, and 
 the Court should not allow the patient to be asked to answer 
 under oath whether he is willing to waive his privilege.^ 
 
 Whether it is the duty of the Court to enforce the privilege 
 where it is apparent and the patient is not present to object, is 
 a question that seems to be variously regarded. In Indiana a 
 court has refused a new trial for newly discovered evidence of 
 the privileged sort, on the ground that if objection were made 
 on the new trial it would be rejected.^ But where the evidence 
 of a physician to contradict another physician, who was witness 
 to a will, was received without objection, it was said that it 
 should not be withdrawn by the Court from the consideration 
 of the jury or its value commented on as matter of law.* 
 
 In Michigan, it has been said that a commissioner, whose 
 ordinary duty is to take all evidence offered, should refuse to 
 take this privileged evidence ; and that it should be stricken out 
 
 1 Brown v. R. W. & O. R. R. Co., •* McConnell v. City of Osage, 45 
 45 Hun, 439 (Supr. Ct., Gen. T.). N. W. Rep., 550. 
 
 2 In matter of O'Neil, 26 N. Y. ^ Harris v. Rnpel, 14Ind., 209. 
 St. Rep., 342 (N. Y. Surr., 1889) . « Van Valkenberg v. Van Valken- 
 
 3 Taylor, Ev., s. 2; Greenleaf, berg, 90 Ind., 433. 
 Ev., s. 2.
 
 THE PROVINCE OF THE COURT. 129 
 
 without motion bj^ the judge when returned by the commissioner, 
 and that the physician should not be allowed to violate the priv- 
 ilege. ' It has also been held that an order for the compulsory 
 physical examination of a person by a physician for the purpose 
 of testifying should not be granted, and that evidence so obtained 
 should be stricken out, but on the ground that it was a violation 
 of personal liberty, rather than of statutory privilege.^ 
 
 But in New York it has been held that where a person vol- 
 untarily in an action exhibits an injured part as evidence, the 
 adverse party is entitled to follow it up by a personal or profes- 
 sional inspection of the injured part.' 
 
 In Missouri, it has been said that the physician should be 
 told that he is not at liberty to testify as to ])rivileged informa- 
 tion.^ 
 
 In New York, in an early case in chancery, the chancellor 
 said that a master was wrong in supposing there was legal evi- 
 dence before him, where a phj^sician had given evidence privi- 
 leged under the statute ; ^ but this decision was reversed on ap- 
 peal, the Court of Errors saying that as no objection was made 
 before the master by a partj", the evidence was competent and 
 legal." This question seems to have been settled in New York 
 by the decision in Hoyt v. Hoy f, '' tliEit the law does not prohibit 
 the examination of a physician but it prohibits the evidence be- 
 ing received in the face of objection, so that if no objection is 
 made by a party it is not the province of the Court to reject the 
 evidence. 
 
 Where it appears that privileged information was improperly 
 admitted, it is not ground for reversal on appeal if it is appar- 
 ent that the appellant was not injured by its reception.* 
 
 Where the Court is not empowered to reject the evidence of 
 
 ' Storrs V. Scougale, 48 Mich., ■» Lunz D. Mass. Mut. L. I. Co., 8 
 
 387; see also Dolton v. Albion, 24 Mo. App., 363. 
 
 N. W. Rep.. 786. ^ Jolmson v. Johnson, 4 Paige, 460 
 
 -Page V. Page, 41 Mich., 88; see (Chancery, 1834) ; see also Hanford 
 
 also McQuigan v. D. & L. R. R. Co., v. Hanford, 3 Edw. Ch., 468 (Vice 
 
 129 N. Y., 50; Roberts v. Ogdens- Chan., 1841). 
 
 burgh, etc., Ry. Co., 29 Hun, 158; « 14 Wend., 636 (Ct. of Errors. 
 
 McSwyny v. Broadway & 8. A. Ry. 1835) . 
 
 Co., 7 N. Y. Supp., 459; and cf. ' 112 N. Y., 493. 
 
 N. Y. Code Civ. Pro., s. 873, as -* Edingtoij v. yEtua L. I. Co.. 17 
 
 amended Act 1893, c. 723. W. D., 1883 (N. Y. Supr. Ct., Gen. 
 
 ■^Winner v. Lathrop, 67 Hun, T.) ; Hoyt v. Hoyt, 9 N. Y. St. 
 
 511. Rep., 731 (Supr. Ct., Gen. T.), af- 
 firmed 112 N. Y., 493. 
 9
 
 130 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 its own motion, the objection upon which it can reject is the 
 objection of a party to the suit, and doubtless of the patient, 
 but not of the physician.' But because of the privilege, it has 
 been held that a phj^sician will not be ordered to turn over his 
 books of account to a receiver appointed in proceedings supple- 
 mentary to an execution on a judgment against him.^ Nor 
 will examination of his books of account before trial be com- 
 pelled/ 
 
 It is the province of the courts, however, to enforce the law 
 and not to legislate b}^ grafting exceptions upon it." They have 
 refused therefore to except, by judicial decision, from the opera- 
 tion of the law, criminal proceedings, testamentary causes, evi- 
 dence' of crime in civil actions, cases of lunacy and habitual 
 drunkenness and fraud, ^ in all of which it was urged in argu- 
 ment without effect that the administration of justice was im- 
 peded by the privilege; but where the spirit of the law was 
 violated by an enforcement of its letter and the privilege made 
 a cloak to shield the murderer of the patient, it was held to be 
 inapplicable." The courts have also refused hj mere judicial 
 decision to limit the privilege to the life of the patient.' 
 
 THE EFFECT OF ENFORCING THE PRIVILEGE. 
 
 The courts are not warranted in admitting incompetent evi- 
 dence in order to prevent the failure of justice by the exclusion 
 of the privileged testimony. A letter written by a physician is 
 inadmissible as evidence of the privileged facts which it states ;* 
 and a certificate of the cause of death, required by law to be 
 signed by the physician and filed, is not admissible to prove 
 the cause of death in an action in which the physician cannot 
 testify.^ 
 
 The making of the objection does not raise a presumption 
 
 '^ Johnson v. Jobnson, 14 Wend., Y., 573; Record'?;. Village of Sara- 
 
 636; Babcock v. People, 15 Hun, toga Springs. 46 Hun, 448 ; Lodert). 
 
 347; Valensin v. Valensin, 14 Pac. Whelpley, 111 N. Y., 239. 
 
 Eep.,87 (Supr. Ct. Cal., 1887). ^ Siqjra, p. 101 et seq. 
 
 2 Kelly V. Levy, 8 N. Y. Supp., ^ Supra, p. 101 et seq. 
 
 849 (G. T. N. Y. City Ct., 1890). ' Sujira, p. 10>7. 
 
 ^Mott ■». Consumers' Ice Co., 3 ^ Grattan -y. Nat. L. I. Co. of U. 
 
 Abb. N. C, 143 (N. Y. Com. PL, S., 15 Hun, 74. 
 
 Sp. T., 1877). s Buffalo L. T. & S. D. Co. v. 
 
 ^Edington v. Mut. L. I. Co., 5 Knights T. & M. M. Aid Assn., 126 
 
 Hun, 1 ; Renihan v. Dennin, 103 N. N. Y., 450.
 
 THE EFFECT OF ENFORCING THE PRIVILEGE, 131 
 
 against the person making it.' In Iowa it has been held that 
 the patient should not be interrogated under oath as to whether 
 or not he will waive his privilege, for the jur}^ ought not to be 
 prejudiced against him by any show of reluctance/ In Michi- 
 gan, however, it has been held that a patient's failure to pro- 
 duce his physician as a witness is a legitimate fact for the 
 jury to consider.^ 
 
 THE CHARACTER AND "WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE TO 
 SUSTAIN THE OBJECTION. 
 
 Where the objection is made, the burden of proof to estab- 
 lish the grounds of privilege is upon the person objecting." 
 In Missouri it has been said that the statement of the physician, 
 that he cannot separate his impressions received in his relation 
 of physician from those received at other times, is not in itself 
 sufficient to justify the exclusion of his evidence ; that the facts 
 themselves must appear to the Court, and it might be developed 
 on proper cross-examination that discrimination could be made. ^ 
 
 But it would seem that because of the necessarily delicate 
 nature of the inquiry, to avoid disclosing what the statute for- 
 bids, the burden is overcome with slight evidence, and infer- 
 ences and presumptions are freely indulged in aid of the privi- 
 lege; for instance, where the physician was not permitted to 
 answer whether he did converse with his patient about an in- 
 jury, or whether he made an examination with reference to it, 
 it was urged that the objection was prematurely made, but it 
 was held that the fact that the patient consulted a physician on 
 the occasion to which the inquiry related, when considered with 
 the nature of the questions, justified the exclusion in the absence 
 of other proof. ° But the physician may testify that he did 
 
 lEdin^ton v. Mtna L. I. Co., 13 Rep., 706 (N. Y. Supr. Ct., Gen. 
 
 Huu, 543 ; see Grattau v. Nat. L. I. T.) ; Henry v. N. Y., L. E. & W. R. 
 
 Co. of U. S., 15 Hun, 74. R. Co., 57 Hun, 76 (N. Y. Supr. Ct., 
 
 nicConnell v. City of Osage, 45 Gen. T.) ; Edington v. MirwL L. I. 
 
 N. W. Rep., 550. Co., 77 N. Y., 564; Gartside v. 
 
 ^Cooley V. Foltz, 48 N. W. Rep., Conn. Mut. L. I. Co., 8 Mo. App.. 
 
 176. 592. 
 
 •i People V. Schuyler, 43 Hun, 88 * Gartside i). Conn. Mut. L. I. Co., 
 
 (N.Y. Supr. Ct., Gen. T.), affirmed 8 Mo. App., 592. 
 
 106 N. Y., 298 ; Stowelly. American « Feeny v. Long Island R. R. Co., 
 
 Co-operative Assn., 23 N. Y. St. 116N. Y., 375.
 
 132 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 attend his patient as physician ; ' and he may answer the ques- 
 tion whether the information was necessary to enable him to 
 act in his professional capacity ; ' for while his testimony on 
 that point is not conclusive, and the Court uses its own judg- 
 ment in reaching a determination, his testimony is competent 
 evidence. ^ He may also testify that a person was ill and was 
 his patient, that he attended as physician, and he can state when 
 he attended and how many times.* 
 
 It has been said that where the evidence justifies the con- 
 clusion that information regarding the patient is acquired 
 while attending in a professional capacitj^, it is not essential to 
 shoW by formal proof that the information was necessary.^ 
 
 THE RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF THE PHYSICIAN WITH REF- 
 ERENCE TO THE PRIVILEGE. 
 
 The privilege established by law is a rule of evidence, and 
 not a regulation of a physician's general conduct outside of a 
 proceeding in which rules of evidence are applicable.' The 
 courts have, however, not hesitated to intimate that it is a phy- 
 sician's duty to observe the same secrecy in his general walk 
 and conversation. ' 
 
 The physician maj'' testify as an expert on hypothetical ques- 
 tions submitted to him regarding facts which might be equally 
 true of any other person than his patient, and excluding from 
 his consideration privileged knowledge.* And he may also 
 testify as to matters which came to his knowledge before or 
 after or independent of his employment as physician,^ or which 
 were immaterial to his acting in a professional capacity, and as 
 
 » Numirich v. Supr. Lodge K. & « Buffalo L. T. & S. D. Co. v. K. 
 
 L. of H., 3 N. Y. Supp., 553 (Trial T. & Mas. 3Iut. Aid Assn., 126 N. 
 
 Term, City Ct. of N. Y., 1889) ; see Y., 450. 
 
 also supra, p. 115. '' Harris v. Rupel, 14 Ind., 209; 
 
 ^ Herrington v. Winn, 60 Hun, Sullings v. Shakespeare, 46 Mich., 
 
 235 (Supr. Ct., Gen. T., 1891). 408; Storrs v. Scougale, 48 Mich., 
 
 3 In matter of Halsey, 29 N. Y. 387 ; Buffalo, etc., Co. v. Knights T. 
 St. Rep., 533 (N. Y. Surr., 1890) ; & Mas. Mut. Aid Assn., 126 N. Y., 
 of. Matter of Darragh, 52 Hun, 591. 450. 
 
 4 Patten v. United L. & A. Ins. » Corvell v. Stone, 62 Ind.. 307; 
 Assn., 133 N. Y., 450. People ^t;. Schuyler. 43 Hun, 88, af- 
 
 5 Brigham v. Gott, 3 N. Y. Supp., firmed 106 N. Y., 298. 
 518 (Supr. Ct., Gen. T., 1889); ^ Supra, -p. 123. 
 supra, p. 124.
 
 THE RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF THE PHYSICIAN. 133 
 
 to which his patient could have had no reasonable ground for 
 believing that they were necessarily disclosed in order that the 
 physician might so act.' It is the patient's privilege and not 
 the physician's; and, therefore, the physician is not absolutely 
 incompetent as a witness, and has no right to refuse to testify." 
 But where he is a party he may object and then he will not be 
 forced to disclose his patient's confidence.^ 
 
 In Indiana it has been held that where the patient testifies 
 in an action against his physician for malpractice the phj'sician 
 is then at liberty to testify or to introduce any other witness to 
 testify concerning the matters in controversy.^ 
 
 In Michigan, a physician who was plaintiff in a libel suit 
 was not permitted to insist upon the privilege to prevent the 
 disclosure of his maltreatment of his patient or what other 
 physicians had discovered with regard to it by visits to his 
 patients. ' 
 
 The measure of the physician's exemption and liability in 
 testifying is the language of the statute, and not his idea of his 
 dutj^ to his patient or the patient's injunctions of confidence or 
 secrecy." 
 
 In some of the States there are statutory provisions entitling 
 physicians to sue for compensation for their professional ser- 
 vices.' The statutes regarding privileged communications are 
 to be construed together with these. There seems to be no 
 reason whj- a physician's right of action for his services and 
 medicines should not survive the prohibition of his evidence; 
 but it would seem that he cannot as a witness in such an action 
 testify regarding privileged matter. But he can prove it by 
 other witnesses.' 
 
 ' Supra, p. 119. « Grattant). Metr. L. I. Co.. SO N. 
 
 ''Penn Mut. L. I. Co. v. Wiler, Y., 281. 
 
 100 Ind., 92. Valeosint). Valensin, '' See p. 137, this volume, for tlie 
 
 14 Pac. Rep., 87 (Supr. Ct. Cal., medical laws of the several States 
 
 1887) ; cf. In re Hannah, UN. Y. and Territories ; for history of pliy- 
 
 St. Rep., 807. sician's right of action for services. 
 
 ^ Mason v. Libbey. 2 Abb. N. C, see Graham v. Gautier, 21 Tex., 
 
 137; Mott V. Consumers' Ice Co., 2 117; see Wood v. Munson. 70 Hun. 
 
 Abb. N. C, 143. 468. In Georgia and Alabama a 
 
 ^Lane"?). Boicourt, 27 N. E. Rep., physician's books are evidence in 
 
 1111; see also Winner v. Lathrop, such actions. Code Ala., 18SG, s. 
 
 67 Hun, 511 (N. Y. Supr. Ct., G. T.) . 2,777 ; Code Ga., 1882, s. 3,777. 
 
 " Scripps v. Foster, 41 Mich., 742. * Kendall v. Grey, 2 Hilt., 300.
 
 134 CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS — BOSTON. 
 
 THE RESULT OF THE LEGISLATION. 
 
 It is doubtless due to considerations of public policy that the 
 statutes changing the common-law rule have been enacted;' but 
 they have not proved an unalloyed benefit, and some of their 
 features have brought about conditions which in some cases have 
 embarrassed the administration of justice. The law in New York 
 ma}^ be taken for illustration ; it formerly cut off the safest means 
 of ascertaining the mental condition and competency of a testa- 
 tor ; ^ it now precludes a physician from disclosing the condition 
 of his patient who is a lunatic or habitual drunkard/ though it 
 be the most satisfactory evidence ; it shuts out much testimony 
 tending to show fraud in insurance cases ;* it precludes a phy- 
 sician from stating the cause of his patient's death, ^ though there 
 is no longer any secrecy connected with it, for the law makes it 
 the duty of the phj^sician to make, for filing with the local board 
 of health, a certificate of the probable cause of the death of a 
 patient.^ It has been the subject of much adverse criticism,' 
 but all such considerations are properh' to be addressed to the 
 legislature and not to the courts. It seems to be the most far- 
 reaching in its exclusion, and though it has been the longest in 
 existence, was modified at the legislative sessions of 1891, 1892, 
 and 1893, a fact which tends to show that there was sound 
 reason in the criticisms. 
 
 ' Kling V. City of Kansas, 27 Mo. certificates of the fact of birth for 
 
 App., 23i ; Pierson ■«. People, 79 N. registration (Act 1893, c. 661, sees. 
 
 Y., 424. 22, 31), and to certifj^ the existence 
 
 '^ Suj)ra, p. 103. Matter of Cole- of contagious and infectious dis- 
 
 man, 111 N. Y., 220. eases (*., s. 24). 
 
 3 Siqjra, p. 103. '' See suggestions on the policy of 
 
 * Siqwa, p. 104. the New York law in Conn. Mut. 
 
 ^ Supra, p. 127. L. I. Co. v. Union Tr. Co., 112 U. 
 
 « Laws of N. Y., Act 1893, c. 661, S., 250 ; Pearsall v. Elmer, 5 Redf., 
 
 sees. 23, 31. In New York physi- 181 ; and contra, Edington v. Mut- 
 
 cians are also required to attest L. I. Co., 5 Hun, 1.
 
 A SYNOPSIS OF THE LAWS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SEVERAL STATES AND TERRITORIES OF THE UNITED STATES OF 
 
 AMERICA, AND OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, AND 
 
 OF THE NORTH AMERICAN PROVINCES OF GREAT 
 
 BRITAIN, REGULATING THE PRACTICE 
 
 OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY, 
 
 PEEPARED FROM THE LATEST STATUTES. 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM A. POSTE, 
 
 Late First Deputy Attorne y-General of the State of Neiv York, 
 
 AND 
 
 CHARLES A. BOSTON, Esq., 
 
 of the Neto York City Bar.
 
 SYNOPSIS OF THE EXISTIE^G STATUTES 
 
 WHICH REGULATE 
 
 THE ACaUIREMENT OF THE RIGHT TO PRACTISE MEDI- 
 CINE AND SURGERY IN THE UNITED STATES, GREAT 
 BRITAIN AND IRELAND, AND THE CANADIAN PROV- 
 INCES. 
 
 [Note. — This synopsis is designed to contain especially those 
 provisions of the statutes which regulate the right to practise 
 medicine and surgery. It is not intended to include provisions 
 regulating apothecaries, druggists, chemists, and dentists, or 
 the sale of drugs, medicines, and poisons ; nor provisions for the 
 organization and procedure of boards of medical examiners, ex- 
 cept so far as they regulate the requirements demanded from 
 applicants for permission to practise ; nor provisions with refer- 
 ence to the duties of clerks or registrars in the preparation and 
 safe-keeping of records in their care; nor those defining the 
 duties of members of boards, and punishing the misconduct of 
 such members; nor those prescribing qualifications for appoint- 
 ment to the public medical service ; nor former laws not now 
 applicable to candidates; nor regulations of the form of cer- 
 tificates or licenses, where the issuing of them is committed to 
 some public functionary or body ; nor provisions with reference 
 to the powers and disabilities of local institutions to confer 
 diplomas or degrees, nor with reference to medical students ex- 
 cept as candidates for admission to practise. In the synopsis 
 words of the masculine gender are uniformly used except when 
 the law by its terms makes a distinction between men and 
 women, in which case the distinction is indicated.] 
 
 Alabama. 
 
 Qualification. — The board of censors of the Medical As- 
 sociation of the State of Alabama and the board of censors of the 
 county medical societies in affiliation with the said association 
 are boards of medical examiners (Code 1887, s. 1,301). In the 
 absence of such board of medical examiners in any county, the 
 
 137
 
 138 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 county commissioners may establish a board of from three to 
 seven physicians of good standing, resident in the county, 
 whose autliority shall terminate whenever a board is organized 
 in accordance with the constitution of and in affiliation with 
 said association {ib., s. 1,296). Where the board of examiners 
 is constituted as provided in sec. 1,296, it must issue a license 
 to practise medicine in an}^ one or more of its branches in the 
 county, if on examination the applicant is found duly qualified, 
 and is of good moral character {ib., s. 1,297). 
 
 In a county having only the medical board provided for in 
 sec. 1,296, a regular graduate of a medical college in the United 
 States, having a diploma, is entitled to practise medicine with- 
 out a license, upon recording his diploma in the office of the 
 judge of probate of the county {ib., s. 1,298). 
 
 A license issued by the last-mentioned board must be re- 
 corded in the office of the judge of probate of the county {ib., 
 s. 1,299). The license or diploma, after record, is evidence of 
 authority ; if the original be lost, a certified copy of the record 
 is sufficient evidence {ib., s. 1,300). Without a certificate of 
 qualification from the board provided for in sec. 1,301, except as 
 above provided, no person can lawfully practise medicine in 
 any of its branches or departments as a profession or means of 
 livelihood {ib., s. 1,302). The standard of qualification, method 
 or system, and subjects of examination are prescribed by the 
 medical association of the State {ib., s. 1,303). 
 
 The board of medical examiners, on application, must ex- 
 amine an applicant for a certificate of qualification as a practi- 
 tioner of medicine, and if he be found qualified, and of good 
 moral character must issue a certificate {ib., s. 1,304). 
 
 Physicians having a license as above before the organization 
 in a county of a board, are on application thereto entitled to a 
 certificate without examination and to be registered as licensed 
 practitioners of medicine {ib., s. 1,305). 
 
 The certificate is a license throughout the State. It must 
 be recorded in the office of the judge of probate of the county 
 in which the person resides at the time of issue. Upon record- 
 ing it, the judge must indorse a certificate of record and sign 
 it and affix the seal of the court {ib., s. 1,306). Such certificate, 
 or, if lost, a certified copj^ of the record, is evidence {ib., s. 
 1,307).
 
 ALABAMA — ARIZONA. 139 
 
 Penalty. — A contract for the services of a physician or 
 surgeon is void unless he has authority to practise ; proof of 
 authority is not required at trial except on two days' notice (^6., 
 s. 1,318). 
 
 Practising medicine or surgery without a certificate is a mis- 
 demeanor under a penalty of a fine of from $25 to $100. This 
 provision is not applicable to physicians practising medicine 
 in Alabama in 1890, who are graduates of a respectable medi- 
 cal college and have complied with the law by having their 
 diplomas recorded by the judge of probate in the county where 
 they practise ; nor to a phj^sician who has practised in the State 
 for the past five years (Act 1890-91, c. 376) ; nor to women 
 practising midwifery (Code 1887, s. 1,308). 
 
 Fees. — The statutory fees are as follows: 
 
 To judge of probate, for record of diploma, or license or 
 certificate, $1 {ib., s. 1,298, 1,299, 1,306). 
 
 To board of medical examiners, for examination, actual ex- 
 penses {ib., s. 1,304). 
 
 Arizona, 
 
 Qualification. — It is unlawful for any person to practise 
 medicine, surgery, or other obstetrics unless he have a diploma 
 regularly issued by a medical college lawfully organized under 
 the laws of the State wherein it is located, or a license issued 
 and authorized by a board of medical examiners under and by 
 virtue of the laws of any State or Territory. The diploma must 
 state that the person named is qualified to practise medicine and 
 surgery in all of its departments (Penal Code, 1887, s, 617, as 
 amended Act of April 11th, 1893). 
 
 A diploma granted for moneyed consideration or other arti- 
 cle of value alone, or revoked or cancelled by the college by 
 which it was issued or by act of the legislature, is not a sufii- 
 cient qualification {ib., s. 618). 
 
 Every practitioner of medicine, surgery, or obstetrics must 
 register in the county recorder's office his name, residence, and 
 place of birth, and present his diploma or license, and the county 
 recorder must make a copy of it under the record of his name, 
 residence, and place of birth. The person registering must sub- 
 scribe and verify an affidavit in writing, annexed to the copy
 
 140 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 US transcribed, that he is the identical person named in the 
 diploma {ib., s. G19, as amended by Act of April 11th, 1893). 
 
 Definition, Exception. — Any person is regarded as prac- 
 tising medicine who professes publicly to be a physician or ha- 
 bitually prescribes for the sick, or appends to his name " M.D.," 
 but the act does not prohibit gratuitous services in cases of 
 emergency ; nor apply to lawfully commissioned surgeons and 
 assistant surgeons of the United States armj- and those who 
 w ere commissioned and mustered into the United States service 
 in the great rebellion, or physicians or surgeons who have been 
 in active practice for ten years and at least three years in the 
 Territory", nor prevent practice and receiving pay in localities 
 fifteen miles or more from the residence or office of a regular 
 phj'sician {ib.,s. 620). 
 
 Offence. — Violation of the act is a misdemeanor {ib., s. 
 621). 
 
 Fees. — To the county recorder, for registration, 85 {ib.,s. 
 619). 
 
 Arkansas. ' 
 
 Qualification. — It is unlawful for any one to engage in the 
 practice of medicine and surger}', or either, as a calling except 
 as provided in the statute (Act April 14th, 1893, s. 1). 
 
 A person engaging in the practice of medicine or surgery 
 must be of good moral character, twenty-one years of age, and 
 a graduate of some reputable college of medicine and surgery 
 that requires for graduation not less than two courses of lec- 
 tures, each in a different year {ib., s. 2). 
 
 Before engaging in practice, such person must exhibit his 
 diploma to some county clerk of the State and have it recorded. 
 The clerk must give him a certificate of record, which may be 
 attached to the diploma {ib., s. 3). 
 
 In all cases of doubt as to the reputability of a college, it is 
 the duty of the cierk of the county court, when a diploma is 
 offered for record, to make inquiry of the Secretary of the State 
 where the said college exists as to its reputability and require- 
 ments for graduation, and if the said clerk shall find that the 
 said college does not conform to the requirements of this article, 
 he shall not receive the diploma and the holder shall not be 
 allowed to practise in the State. The aggrieved applicant may
 
 ARKANSAS— CALIFORNIA. 141 
 
 apply to the State board of medical examiners, whose decision 
 shall govern the clerk in his action {ib., s. 4). 
 
 If after recording any diploma it shall come to the knowl- 
 edge of the clerk making the record, or any other judicial or 
 executive officer of the State, that the record was obtained by 
 fraud or misrepresentation, it shall be his duty to institute 
 before the said court of record proceedings to have such record 
 reversed, and the holder of the diploma shall be judged guilty 
 of a misdemeanor {ib., s. 5). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not affect the standing of any 
 one practising at the time of its passage by virtue of a license 
 under the then existing law, nor any one then legally engaged 
 in the practice of medicine and surgery, nor does it prevent 
 midwives from practising their calling or any one else from 
 giving such simple domestic remedies as they are in the habit 
 of using (ib., s. 6). 
 
 Examinations. — The constituted State board of medical ex- 
 aminers is authorized to examine persons having no diploma 
 from a medical college, and if found qualified to practise med- 
 icine and surgery issue a certificate entitling the holder to 
 practise in this State {ib., s. 7). 
 
 Systems, Definition. — No discrimination of schools of 
 medicine is allowed. Any person who prescribes or administers 
 medicine except as provided in sec. 6 is deemed a physician 
 {ib., s. 8). 
 
 Penalty. — The violation of this act is a misdemeanor pun- 
 ishable with a fine of from $25 to $100. Each day of practice 
 is a separate offence {ib., s. 9). 
 
 Date. — The act took effect ninety days after its passage {ib., 
 s. 10). 
 
 Fees. — To the county clerk, for recording, $1.50. 
 
 For certificate of record the county clerk is not allowed to 
 charge a fee {ib., s. 3). 
 
 California. 
 
 Qualification. — Every person practising medicine or sur- 
 gery in any of its departments must present his diploma to the 
 board of examiners with affidavits. If the board finds all facts 
 required to be stated in the affidavit to be true, it issues a
 
 143 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 certificate conclusive in any part of the State (Act 1877-78, c. 
 576; amending Act 1875-70, c. 518). 
 
 The secretary of the board receives applications. The board 
 issues certificates to all who furnish satisfactory proof of hav- 
 ing received diplomas or licenses from legally chartered medi- 
 cal institutions in good standing (Act 1875-76, c. 518, s. 3). 
 
 The medical society of the State, the eclectic medical society 
 of the State, and the State homoeopathic medical society each 
 appoint annually a board of seven examiners who must be regu- 
 lar graduates (Act 1877-78, c. 576; amending Act 1875-76, c. 
 518). 
 
 The board examines diplomas as to genuineness. The affi- 
 davit accompanying the diploma must state that the applicant 
 is its lawful possessor, and the person therein named ; that the 
 diploma was procured in the regular course of medical instruc- 
 tion and without fraud or misrepresentation of any kind, and 
 that the medical institution granting it had, at the time of 
 granting the same, a full corps of medical instructors, and was 
 at said time a legally incorporated institution, actually and in 
 good faith engaged in the business of medical education, and 
 in good standing as a medical institution, and that the appli- 
 cant had complied with all the requirements of said institution. 
 The affidavit may be taken before any person authorized to 
 administer oaths, and must be attested under the hand and 
 official seal of the officer, if he have a seal. The board may 
 hear such further testimony as they deem proper to hear as to 
 the verification of the diploma or the identity of the person, or 
 the manner in which the diploma was procured, and if it ap- 
 pears that any fact stated in the affidavit is untrue, the appli- 
 cation is rejected. No board entertains an application rejected 
 by another; a rejected application cannot be renewed for at 
 least one year {ib., s. 4, as amended by Act 1877-78, c. 918) ; no 
 certificates are granted except to persons presenting diplomas 
 or licenses from legally chartered medical institutions in good 
 standing (ib., s. 5). 
 
 Certificates must be recorded in the county of residence and 
 the record indorsed thereon. A person removing to another 
 county to practise must procure an indorsement to that effect 
 on his certificate from the county clerk, and must record the 
 certificate in the county to which he removes {ib., s. 6).
 
 CALIFORNIA. 143 
 
 The board refuses certificates to individuals guilty of un- 
 professional conduct. The applicant is given an opportunity to 
 be heard, by citation ; the attendance of witnesses may be com- 
 pelled by subpoena ; witnesses may be examined at the hearing 
 by either side, and either side may examine medical experts as 
 to whether such conduct is unprofessional ; if it appears to the 
 satisfaction of the board that the applicant is guilty of the 
 unprofessional conduct set out in the citation, no certificate 
 can be granted. No application is refused for unprofessional 
 conduct more than one year before the application. If the 
 holder of a certificate is guilty of unprofessional conduct, the 
 certificate must be revoked by board granting it; no revoca- 
 tion is valid without similar proceedings to the foregoing (?'6., 
 s. 10). 
 
 Definition. — Any person is regarded as practising medicine 
 who professes publicly to be a physician, or habitually pre- 
 scribes for the sick, or appends to his name " M.D." 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not prohibit gratuitous services 
 in cases of emergency; nor apply to lawfully commissioned 
 surgeons of the United States army or navy practising their 
 profession {ib., s. 11, as amended 1877-78, c. 576). 
 
 Itinerant Venders. — A license of $100 a month is exacted 
 from itinerant venders of drugs, nostrums, ointments, or ap- 
 pliances for treatment of disease, and from persons publicly pro- 
 fessing to cure or treat disease, injury, or deformity by any 
 medicine, drug, or drugs, nostrum, manipulation, or other ex- 
 pedient (Act 1877-78, c. 576, amending Act 1875-76, c. 518, 
 s. 12). 
 
 Penalty. — The penalty for violation of the act is a fine of 
 from $50 to $500, or imprisonment in the county jail from 30 
 to 365 days, or both, for each and every offence. Filing or at- 
 tempting to file the diploma or certificate of another, or a 
 forged afiidavit of identification, is a felony, punishable the 
 same as forgery (ib., s. 13; Act 1877-78, c. 918, s. 7). 
 
 Former Practitioners. — Holders of certificates theretofore 
 granted by the board of examiners existing by the appointment 
 of the California State Medical Society of Homoeopatbic Prac- 
 titioners are excused b}^ the Act 1877-78, c. 918, s. 7, from ob' 
 taining new certificates. 
 
 Rejected Applicant. — A certificate issued bj^ one board
 
 144 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 to an applicant rejected by another within a 3"ear is null and 
 void (/6., s. 9). 
 
 Fees. — To secretary of board, for examining genuine di- 
 ploma, $5. 
 
 If diploma fraudulent or property of another, $20 (Act 
 1877-78, c. 576, s. 3; amending Act 1875-76, c. 518, s. 4). 
 
 To county clerk, for recording certificate, usual recording 
 fees (Act 1875-76, c. 518, s. 6). 
 
 Colorado. 
 
 Board of Examiners. — The State board of medical ex- 
 aminers is composed of nine practising phj^sicians of known 
 ability and integrity, graduates of medical schools of undoubted 
 respectability, six of the regular school, two of the homoeo- 
 pathic, and one of the eclectic school or system, appointed by the 
 governor (Mills' "Annotated Statutes" 1891, s. 3,547). 
 
 Qualification. — Every person practising medicine must 
 possess the required qualifications. If a graduate in medicine, 
 he must present his diploma to the State board of medical ex- 
 aminers for verification, or furnish other evidence conclusive of 
 his being a graduate of a legally chartered medical school in 
 good standing. The board issues its certificate, and such diploma 
 or evidence and certificate are conclusive. If not a graduate of 
 a legally chartered medical school in good standing, the person 
 must present himself before the board for examination. AIL 
 persons who have made the practice of medicine and surgery 
 their profession or business continuously for ten years, and 
 can furnish satisfactory evidence thereof to the State medi- 
 cal examiners, shall receive a license to continue (z6., s. 
 3,550). 
 
 Examinations of persons not graduates are made by the 
 State board, wholly or partly in writing, in anatomy, physiol- 
 ogy, chemistry, pathology, surgerj', obstetrics, and practice of 
 medicine (exclusive of materia medica -and therapeutics) (ib., 
 s. 8,553). 
 
 The Jiolder of a certificate should have it recorded in the 
 office of the clerk of the county in which he resides, and the 
 record indorsed thereon, and on removing to another county to 
 practise should procure an indorsement to that effect on the cer-
 
 COLORADO — CONNECTICUT. 145 
 
 tificate from the county clerk, and record this certificate in the 
 county to which he removes {ib., s. 3,554). 
 
 The board may refuse certificates to persons convicted of 
 conduct of criminal nature ; and may revoke certificates for like 
 cause {ib., s. 3,356). 
 
 Definition. — Professing publicly to be a physician and 
 prescribe for the sick, or attaching to name "M.D.," or "sur- 
 geon" or " doctor" in a medical sense, is regarded as practising 
 medicine. Gratuitous services in case of emergency are not 
 prohibited {ib., s. 3,557). 
 
 Penalty. — The penalty for violation of the act is a fine of 
 from $50 to $300, or imprisonment in the county jail from ten 
 days to thirty days, or fine and imprisonment for each offence ; 
 filing or attempting to file the diploma or certificate of another, 
 or false or forged evidence, is a felony punishable the same as 
 forgery {ib., s. 3,558). 
 
 System of Medicine. — Certificates are issued without prej- 
 udice, partialitj', or discrimination as to schools or systems of 
 practice or medicine, including the electropathic school {ib., s. 
 3,561). 
 
 Pees. — To treasurer of board b}^ graduates and practitioners 
 of ten years' standing, $5. By candidates for examination, 
 $10 {ib., s. 3,552). 
 
 To county clerk, for recording certificate, $1 {ib., s. 3,554). 
 
 Connecticut. 
 
 Qualification, Exceptions. — After October 1st, 1893, 
 no person shall for comi^ensation, gain, or reward, received or 
 expected, treat, operate, or prescribe for any injury, deformity, 
 ailment, or disease, actual or imaginarj', of another person, nor 
 practise surgery or midwifery unless or until he has obtained 
 a certificate of registration, and then only in the kind or branch 
 of practice stated in the certificate, but the act does not apply 
 to dentists practising dentistry only, nor to any person in the 
 employ of the United States Government while acting in the 
 scope of his employment, nor to medical or surgical assistance 
 in cases of sudden emergency, nor to any person residing out 
 of the State who shall be employed to come into the State to 
 assist or consult with any physician or surgeon who has been 
 10
 
 146 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 registered in conformity with the act, nor to any physician or 
 surgeon then actually residing out of the State who shall be 
 employed to come into the State to treat, operate, or prescribe 
 for any injury, deformity, ailment, or disease from which any 
 person is suffering at the time when such non-resident phy- 
 sician or surgeon is so employed, nor to an 3^ actual resident of 
 this State recommending by advertisement or otherwise the 
 use of proper remedies sold under trade-marks issued by the 
 United States Government, nor to any chiropodist or clair- 
 voyant not using in his practice any drugs, medicines, or 
 poisons, nor to any person practising the massage method or 
 Swedish movement cure, sun cure, mind cure, magnetic heal- 
 ing, or Christian science, nor to any other person who does not 
 use or prescribe in his treatment of mankind drugs, poisons, 
 medicine, chemicals, or nostrums (Act 1898, c. 148, s. 1). 
 
 Anj^ resident of the State who, at the time of the passage of 
 the act, was or previously had been actually engaged in the 
 State in the practice of medicine, surgery, midwiferj^, or any 
 alleged practice of healing, may, before October 1st, 1893, file 
 with the State board of health duplicate statements subscribed 
 and sworn to by him upon blanks furnished by said board, 
 giving his name, age, and place of birth and present residence, 
 stating whether he is a graduate of any medical college or not, 
 and of what college, and the date of graduation, and if practis- 
 ing under a license from any of the medical societies of the 
 State, which society and the date of such license and the length 
 of time he has been engaged in practice in the State, and also 
 elsewhere, and whether in general practice or in a special 
 branch of medicine or surgery, and what branch. On receipt of 
 such statements, the board shall issue a certificate of registra- 
 tion which shall state the kind or branch of practice in which 
 he is engaged {ih., s. 2). 
 
 Any person who shall, subsequent to October 1st, 1893, file 
 with said board such duplicated statements, showing that he is 
 a graduate of a medical college recognized as reputable by any 
 chartered medical society of the State, shall receive a certificate 
 of registration which shall state the kind or branch of practice 
 in which the person named therein is engaged or is to be en- 
 gaged {ih.^ s. 3). 
 
 Any person residing in any town in another State which
 
 CONNECTICUT. 147 
 
 town adjoins the boundary line of Connecticut, who was actu- 
 ally engaged in such town, at the time of the passage of the act, 
 in the practice of medicine, surgery, or midwifery, or any 
 branch of practice, may before October 1st, 1893, obtain from 
 the said board a like certificate on filing such duplicated state- 
 ments also showing that he is entitled to such certificate under 
 this section (ib., s. 4). 
 
 Except as above provided, no person shall after October 1st, 
 1893, obtain a certificate of registration until he has passed a 
 satisfactory examination before a committee appointed by said 
 board, nor until he has filed with the said board duplicate cer- 
 tificates as aforesaid, signed by a majority of one of said exam- 
 ining commissioners, stating that they have found him qualified 
 to practise either medicine, surgery, or midwifery, and any 
 person filing said certificates shall receive from said board a 
 certificate of registration (ib., s. 5). 
 
 The State board of health, in January, 1894, is to appoint 
 three examining commissions, each of five physicians nomi- 
 nated respectively by the Connecticut Medical Society, the Con- 
 necticut Homoeopathic Medical Society, and the Connecticut 
 Eclectic Medical Association, and recommended by the said 
 societies respectively as persons competent to serve upon the 
 said examining commissions. Appointments are to be made 
 thereafter from time to time by similar nominations (ib., s. 6 
 and 7). 
 
 The State board of health shall designate when and where 
 the commissions shall hold examinations, but shall call a meet- 
 ing of a commission within thirty days after the receipt of an 
 application for examination. Applicants shall be examined in 
 anatomy, physiology, medical chemistry, obstetrics, hj-giene, 
 surgery, pathology, diagnosis, and therapeutics, including prac- 
 tice and materia medica. Each commission shall frame its 
 own questions and conduct its examinations in writing, and 
 both questions and answers shall be placed on file with the 
 board. Each applicant may choose by which of the commis- 
 sions he will be examined. 
 
 After rejection by any examining commission, the appli- 
 cant shall not be eligible to examination by another commission 
 until after the expiration of twelve months (ib., s. 8). 
 
 On the receipt of duplicate statements, the board shall trans-
 
 148 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 mit one of them with a duplicate certificate of registration to 
 the town clerk of the town where the person filing the state- 
 ment resides, and if he does not reside in the State to the town 
 clerk of the town in the State nearest to his place of residence, 
 and said clerk shall record the same and return them to the 
 person who filed them with the board (^6., s. 9). 
 
 The secretary of each medical society shall file with the sec- 
 retary of the State board of health a list of medical colleges or 
 institutions recognized as legal and reputable by his society or 
 all of such secretaries may agree upon a single list, and such 
 list may be corrected from time to time {ib., s. 10). 
 
 Penalty. — The violation of sec. 10 shall be a misdemeanor, 
 punishable with a fine of from $100 to $300 for the first offence, 
 and for each subsequent offence by a fine of from $200 to $500 
 or imprisonment in the county jail for from thirty to ninety 
 days, or both {ib., s. 11); swearing falsely to a statement is 
 perjury {ib., s. 12). 
 
 Fees. — To the State board of health, on filing statements or 
 certificates, $2 {ib., s. 2, 3, 4, 5). 
 
 To examining commission, before examination, their ex- 
 penses not exceeding $10 {ib., s. 8). 
 
 To the town clerk, by State board of health out of the 
 amount paid to it, for recording, 25 cents {ib., s. 9). 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Qualification. — It is unlawful to practise medicine or 
 surgery without a license (Laws 1887, vol. 18, c. 35, s. 1, as 
 amended by Laws 1889, vol. 18, c. 548). 
 
 The medical board of examiners for the State must grant 
 a license to any person applying therefor who shall produce a 
 diploma from a respectable medical college, or shall, upon full 
 and impartial examination, be found qualified for such practice 
 (Rev. Stats., c. 47, s. 3). The board consists of as many fel- 
 lows of the Medical Society of Delaware as the society deems 
 proper {ib., s. 3). 
 
 The clerk of the peace of a county, on presentation of a 
 license issued by the board of examiners of the Homoeopathic 
 Medical Society of Delaware State and Peninsula, under its 
 corporate seal, signed by its president and countersigned by its
 
 DELAWARE — DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. U9 
 
 secretary, or of the license provided by sec. 3, c. 47, of the 
 Revised Statutes, or on the affidavit of a person that he or she 
 has practised medicine or surgery for eight years continuously 
 in the State, and upon such person registering his name, the 
 date of his graduation and college (if a graduate), and his place 
 of intended residence, must issue a license {ib., s. 2). 
 
 A person opening a transient office or assigning a transient 
 office by printed or written advertisement, must comply with 
 the foregoing provisions and pay special license fee for a license 
 good only for one year (Laws 1887, vol. 18, c. 35, s. 5). 
 
 Penalty. — The violation of this law is a misdemeanor 
 punishable by a fine of from $100 to S300 {ib., s. 7). 
 
 Exceptions. — The present law exempts those who complied 
 with the Act of April 19th, 1883, and also regular practitioners 
 of another State in consultation with a lawful practitioner of 
 medicine and surgery of this State {ib., s. 4, 6). 
 
 Fees. — To clerk of the peace, for issuing license to practise, 
 $10.50 (Laws 1887, vol. 18, c. 35, s. 4). For issuing annual 
 license for revenue of the State, $10.50 (Laws, vol. 13, c. 117, 
 as aniended, vol. 14, c. 16). 
 
 To secretary of board, for license, $10 (Rev. Stats., c. 47, s. 
 5). 
 
 A license fee to practise medicine, for the revenue of the 
 State, is also required {ib., s. 8; vol. 13, c. 117, as amended, 
 vol. 14, Laws, c. 16). 
 
 District of Columbia. 
 
 Registration. — It is the duty of every physician, ac- 
 coucheur, and midwife practising medicine, or doing business, 
 to register at the office of the board of health, giving full name, 
 residence, and place of business, and in case of removal from 
 one place to another in the District to make a change in the 
 register (Regulation of Board of Health, August 28th, 1874, s. 
 8, legalized by resolution of Congress, No. 25, s. 2, April 24th, 
 1880). 
 
 Violation. — The violation of the foregoing provision is 
 punishable by a fine of from $25 to $200 forevery offence {ib., 
 s. 9). 
 
 Qualification. — All physicians required to register must
 
 150 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 do SO upon a license from some chartered medical society or upon 
 a diploma from some medical school or institution {ih., s. 11 
 [First]). 
 
 Florida. 
 
 Boards of Examiners. — The governor appoints a board of 
 medical examiners for each judicial circuit, and a board of 
 homopopathic examiners for the State (Rev. Stats., 1802, s. 
 801). 
 
 The circuit board is composed of three practising physicians 
 of known ability, graduates in good standing of a medical col- 
 lege, recognized by the American Medical Association, residents 
 of the circuit; the homoeopathic board is composed of three 
 practising homoeopathic physicians of known ability, graduates 
 in good standing of a medical college recognized by the Amer- 
 ican Institute of Homoeopathy (/&., s. 802). 
 
 Qualification. — It is the duty of the board of examiners 
 to examine thoroughly every applicant, upon the production 
 of a medical diploma from a recognized college, upon anatomy, 
 physiology, surgery, gynaecology, therapeutics, obstetrics, and 
 chemistry, but no preference is given to any school of medicine ; 
 and it is the duty of the board of homoeopathic medical ex- 
 aminers to examine thoroughly every applicant, upon the pro- 
 duction of his diploma from a college recognized by the Amer- 
 ican Institute of Homoeopathy, on anatomy, physiology, sur- 
 gery, gynaecology, materia medica, therapeutics, obstetrics, and 
 chemistry, but no preference is given to any school of medi- 
 cine (Rev. Stats., 1892, s. 806). 
 
 When the board is satisfied as to the qualifications of the 
 applicant, they grant a certificate which entitles him to prac- 
 tise medicine in any county, when recorded {ih., s. 807). 
 Any two members of the board may grant a certificate. Any 
 member vasij grant a temporary certificate, upon examination, 
 until the next regular meeting, at which time the temporary 
 certificate ceases to be of effect (^Z)., s. 808). Before he shall 
 be entitled to practise, the certificate must be recorded in the 
 office of the clerk of the circuit court of the county in which he 
 may reside or sojourn ; and the clerk must certif}' thereon, 
 under official seal, the fact and date of the record, and return 
 the certificate {ih.., s. 809).
 
 FLORIDA — GEORGIA. 151 
 
 A practitioner engaged in the practice of medicine in any 
 department prior to May 31st, 1889, upon the production of a 
 diploma from a medical college recognized by the American 
 Medical Association, is granted a certificate, without further 
 examination and without charge (ib., s. 811). 
 
 Exceptions. — This act is not applicable to persons who have 
 complied with prior laws, nor to females practising mid- 
 wifery, strictly as such. No other person shall practise med- 
 icine in any of its branches or departments, without having 
 obtained and recorded a certificate (^6., s. 812). 
 
 Penalty. — Practising as a phj-sician without a certificate 
 is punishable by imprisonment not exceeding six months, or a 
 fine not exceeding $200 (^6., s. 2,6G9). 
 
 Fees. — To clerk, legal fee for recording {ib., s. 809). 
 
 To board, $10 from each applicant whether certificate 
 granted or not {ib., s. 810). 
 
 Georgia. 
 
 The Code of 1882, s. 1,409 (a) as amended by chap. 413, 
 Laws 1882-83, provides that — 
 
 Qualification. — No person is to practise medicine, unless 
 he was theretofore legally authorized, or is hereafter authorized 
 by a diploma from an incorporated medical college, medical 
 school or university, or has after attending one or more full 
 terms at a regularly chartered medical college, been in active 
 practice of medicine since the year 18G6, or was by law author- 
 ized to practise medicine in 1866, and by compliance with the 
 statute. 
 
 Definition. — To " practise medicine" means to suggest, 
 recommend, prescribe, or direct, for the use of any person, any 
 drug, medicine, appliance, apparatus, or other agency, whether 
 material or not material, for the cure, relief, or palliation of 
 any ailment or disease of mind or body, or for the cure or relief 
 of any wound, fracture, or other bodily injury, or any deform- 
 ity, after having received or with the intent of receiving there- 
 for, either directly or indirectly, any bonus, gift, or compensation 
 {ib.,s. 1,409 [?;]). 
 
 Registration. — Every person now lawfully engaged in 
 practice must register on or before December 1st, 1881 ; every
 
 152 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 person hereafter duly qualified shall, before commencing to 
 practise, register in the office of the clerk of the superior court 
 of the county wherein he resides and is practising, or intends to 
 practise, his name, residence, and place of birth, together with 
 his authority ; he shall subscribe or verify, by oath or affirma- 
 tion, before a person duly qualified to administer oaths under 
 the laws of this State, an affidavit containing such facts, and 
 whether such authority is by diploma or license, and the date 
 of the same, and by whom granted, which shall be exhibited 
 to the county clerk, before the applicant is allowed to register, 
 and which, if wilfully false, is punishable as false swearing 
 {ih., s. 1,409 [c]). 
 
 Removal. — A registered physician changing his residence 
 from county to county must register in the clerk's office of 
 the county to which he removes and wherein he intends to 
 reside and to practise medicine {ib., s. 1,409 [d]). 
 
 Penalty. — The violation of this law or practising, or offer- 
 ing to practise, without lawful authority, or under cover of a 
 diploma or license illegally obtained, is a misdemeanor, punish- 
 able by a fine of from $100 to $500, or imprisonment from thirty 
 to ninety days, or both {ib., s. 1,409 [e]). 
 
 Exceptions. — Commissioned medical officers of the United 
 States army or navj-, or United States marine hospital service, 
 and women practising only midwifery, are not affected {ih., s. 
 1,409 [/]). 
 
 Medical Boards. — All medical boards are abolished, and 
 only the qualifications of practitioners of medicine set forth 
 above are required {ih., s. 1,409 [g']). 
 
 Fees. — To county clerk, fifty cents for each registration 
 {ib., s. 1,409 [c]). 
 
 Tax. — On practitioners of physic, $5 per annum {ib., s. 
 809). 
 
 Idaho. 
 
 Qualification. — No person can lawfully practise medicine 
 or surgery who has not received a medical education, and a di- 
 ploma from a regularly chartered medical school, having a bona 
 fide existence when the diploma was granted (Rev. Stats., 188T, 
 s. 1,298). 
 
 A physician or surgeon must file for record with the county
 
 IDAHO — ILLINOIS. 153 
 
 recorder of the county in which he is about to practise, or where 
 he practises, a copy of his diploma, at the same time exhibiting 
 the original, or a certificate from the dean of a medical school 
 certifying to his graduation (ib., s. 1,298 [a]). 
 
 When filing the cop}^ required, he must be identified as the 
 l^erson named in the papers, by the affidavit of two citizens of 
 the county, or by his affidavit taken before a notary public or 
 commissioner of deeds for this State ; and the affidavit is filed 
 in the office of the county recorder {ib., s. 1,298 [b]). 
 
 Penalty. — Practising without complying with the act is a 
 misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of from $50 to $500, or im- 
 prisonment in a county jail from thirty days to six months, or 
 both fine and imprisonment for each offence. 
 
 Filing or attempting to file as his own the diploma or cer- 
 tificate of graduation of another, or a forged affidavit of identi- 
 fication, is a felony; subject to fine and imprisonment {ib., s. 
 1,298 [c]; ib., s. 6,312). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act is not applicable to a person in an 
 emergency prescribing or giving advice in medicine or surgery, 
 in a township where no physician resides within convenient 
 distance, nor to those who have practised medicine or surger}- 
 in this State for ten years preceding the passage of this act, nor 
 to persons prescribing in their own families, nor to midwifery 
 in places where no physician resides within convenient distance 
 {ib., s. 1,298 [e] ; as amended by Act of February 7th, 1889). 
 
 Fees. — No special fees are enumerated in the statute. The 
 county recorder's fees for services are prescribed in Rev. 
 Stats., 1887, s. 2,128. 
 
 Illinois. 
 
 Qualification. — No person can lawfully practise medicine 
 in any of its departments unless he possesses the qualifications 
 required* If a graduate in medicine, he must present his di- 
 ploma to the State Board of Health for verification as to its 
 genuineness. If the diploma is found genuine, and from a legally 
 chartered medical institution in good standing, and if the person 
 named therein be the person claiming and presenting the same, 
 the board must issue a certificate conclusive as to his riglit to 
 practise medicine. If not a graduate, the person must present
 
 154 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 himself before the said board and submit to examination, and 
 if the examination is satisfactory the board must issue certifi- 
 cate (Laws 1887, p. 225, s. 1). 
 
 The verification of a diploma consists in the affidavit of the 
 holder and applicant that he is the person therein named. The 
 affidavit may be taken before any person authorized to admin- 
 ister oaths, and attested under the hand and official seal of such 
 officer (if he have a seal). Swearing falsely is perjury. Grad- 
 uates may present their diplomas and affidavits by letter or 
 proxy (^6., s. 3). 
 
 All examinations of persons not graduates or licentiates are 
 made by the board ; and certificates authorize their possessor to 
 practise medicine and surgery (/&., s. 4). 
 
 The certificate must be recorded in the office of the clerk of 
 the county in which the holder resides within three months 
 from its date, and the date of recording indorsed. Until 
 recorded, the holder cannot lawfully exercise the rights and 
 privileges conferred. A person removing to another county to 
 practise must record his certificate in the county to which he 
 removes (f6,, s. 5). 
 
 Examinations may be wholly or partly in writing and shall 
 be of elementary and practical character, but sufficiently strict 
 to test the qualifications of the candidate as a practitioner {ib., 
 s. 8). 
 
 The board may refuse to issue a certificate to a person guilty 
 of unprofessional or dishonorable conduct, and may revoke for 
 like causes. The applicant in case of a refusal or revocation 
 may appeal to the governor and his decision will be final {ib., 
 s. 9). 
 
 Definition. — " Practising medicine" is defined as treating, 
 operating on, or prescribing for any physical ailment of another. 
 The act does not prohibit services in case of emergency, nor the 
 domestic administration of family remedies, and does not apply 
 to commissioned surgeons of the United States army, navj", or 
 marine hospital service in the discharge of official duty {ib., 
 s. 10). 
 
 Itinerant Vender. — An itinerant vender of drug, nostrum, 
 ointment, or appliance intended for treatment of disease or 
 injury, or professing by writing, printing, or other method to 
 cure or treat disease or deformity by drug, nostrum, manipula-
 
 ILLINOIS — INDIANA. 155 
 
 tion, or other expedient, must pay a license fee of $100 per month 
 into the treasury of the board. The board may issue such 
 license. Selling without a license is punishable by fine of from 
 $100 to $200 for each offence. The board may for cause refuse 
 a license {ib., s. 11). 
 
 Penalty. — Practising medicine or surgery without a cer- 
 tificate is punishable by a forfeiture of $100 for the first offence, 
 and $200 for each subsequent offence ; filing or attempting to 
 file as his own the certificate of another, or a forged affidavit 
 of identification, is a felony, punishable as forgery. 
 
 Exceptions. — The act saves for six months after its passage 
 the right of persons who have practised continuously for ten 
 years in the State prior to its passage, to receive a certificate 
 under former act. But all persons holding a certificate on 
 account of ten years' practice are subject to all requirements and 
 discipline of this act in regard to their future conduct; all 
 persons not having applied for or received certificates within 
 said six months, and all persons whose applications have for 
 the causes named been rejected, or their certificates revoked, 
 shall, if they practise medicine, be deemed guilty of practising 
 in violation of law {ib., s. 12). 
 
 Penalty. — On conviction of the offence mentioned in the 
 act, the court must, as a part of the judgment, order the 
 defendant to be committed to the county jail until the fine and 
 costs are paid {ib., s. 13). 
 
 Fees. — To the secretary of the board, for each certificate to 
 a graduate or licentiate, $5 {ib., s. 2). 
 
 For graduates or licentiates in midwifery, $2 {ib., s. 2). 
 
 To county clerk, usual fees for making record. 
 
 To treasury of board, for examination of non-graduates: 
 $20, in medicine and surgery; $10, in midwifery only. 
 
 If the applicant fails to pass, the fees are returned. If he 
 passes, a certificate issues without further charge {ib., s. 7). 
 
 Indiana. 
 
 Qualification. — It is unlawful to practise medicine, sur- 
 gery, or obstetrics without a license (Act April 11th, 1885, 
 s.l). 
 
 The license is procured from the clerk of the circuit court of
 
 156 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 the county where the person resides or desires to locate to prac- 
 tise ; it authorizes him to practise anywhere within the State ; 
 the applicant must file with the clerk his affidavit stating that 
 he has regularly graduated in some reputable medical college, 
 and must exhibit to the clerk the diploma held by him, his 
 affidavit, and the affidavit of two reputable freeholders or house- 
 holders of the county stating that the applicant has resided and 
 practised medicine, surgerj^, and obstetrics in the State contin- 
 uously for ten years immediately preceding the date of taking- 
 effect of this act, stating particularly the locality or localities 
 in which he has practised during the said period, and the date 
 and length of time in each locality ; or his affidavit and the 
 affidavit of two reputable freeholders or householders of the 
 county, stating that he has resided and practised medicine, 
 surgery, and obstetrics in the State continuously for three 
 years immediately preceding the taking effect of this act, and 
 stating particularly the localities in which he practised during 
 the said period, and the date and length of time in each locality, 
 and that he, prior to said date, attended one full course of 
 lectures in some reputable medical college. The clerk must 
 record the license and the name of the college in which the 
 applicant graduated, and the date of his diploma {ib., s. 2, as 
 amended by Act March 9th, 1891). 
 
 A license issued to a person who has not complied with the 
 requirements of sec. 2, or one procured by anj' false affidavit, is 
 void (Act April 11, 1885, s. 3). 
 
 Penalty. — Practising medicine, surgery, or obstetrics with- 
 out a license is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of from 
 $10 to $200 {ib., s. 4). 
 
 No cause of action lies in favor of any person as a physician, 
 surgeon, or obstetrician who has not prior to the service pro- 
 cured a license; and money paid or property paid for such 
 services to a person not so licensed, or the value thereof, may 
 be recovered back {ib., s. 5). 
 
 Exemptions. — Women practising obstetrics are exempted 
 from the provisions of the act {ib., s. 4). 
 
 Fees. — To clerk, for license, $1.50 (Act April 11th, 1885, as 
 amended Act March 9th, 1891). 
 
 Registration. — It is the duty of all physicians and ac- 
 coucheurs to register their name and post-office address with
 
 INDIANA — IOWA. 157' 
 
 * 
 
 the clerk of the circuit court of the county in which they reside 
 (Act 1881, p. 37, s. 10). 
 
 Fees. — To the clerk, for registration, 10 cents (ib., s. 11). 
 
 Iowa. 
 
 Qualification. — Every person practising medicine, sur- 
 gery, or obstetrics, in any of their departments, if a graduate in 
 medicine, must present his diploma to the State board of ex- 
 aminers for verification as to its genuineness. If the diploma 
 is found genuine, and is by a medical school legally organized 
 and of good standing, which the board determines, and if the 
 person presenting be the person to whom it was originally 
 granted, then the board must issue a certificate signed by not 
 less than five phj^sicians thereof, representing one or more phy- 
 sicians of the schools on the board (sic), and such certificate is 
 conclusive. If not a graduate, a person practising medicine 
 or surgery, unless in continuous practice in this State for not 
 less than five years, of which he must present to the board sat- 
 isfactory evidence in the form of affidavits, must appear be- 
 fore the board for examination. All examinations are in writ- 
 ing; all examination papers with the reports and action of 
 examiners are preserved as records of the board for five years. 
 The subjects of examination are anatomy, physiology, general 
 chemistry, pathology, therapeutics, and the principles and 
 practice of medicine, surgery, and obstetrics. Each applicant, 
 upon receiving from the secretary of the board an order for 
 examination, receives also a confidential number, which he 
 must place upon his examination papers so that, when the papers 
 are passed upon, the examiners may not know by what ap- 
 plicant they were prepared. Upon each day of examination 
 all candidates are given the same set or sets of questions. 
 The examination papers are marked on a scale of 100. The ap- 
 plicant must attain an average determined by the board ; if 
 such examination is satisf actor}'' to at least five physicians 
 of the board, representing the different schools of medicine on 
 the board, the board must issue a certificate, which entitles the 
 lawful holder to all the rights and privileges in the act provided 
 (Laws 1886, c. 101, s. 1). 
 
 The board receives applications through its secretary. Five
 
 158 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 physicians of the board may act as an examining board in the 
 absence of the full board ; provided that one or more members 
 of the different schools of medicine , represented in the State 
 board of health shall also be represented in the board of exam- 
 iners {lb., s. 2). 
 
 The affidavit of the applicant and holder of a diploma that he 
 is the person therein named, and is the lawful possessor there- 
 of, is necessary to verify the same, with such other testimony 
 as the board may require. Diplomas and accompanying affi- 
 davits may be presented in person or by proxy. If a diploma 
 is found genuine and in possession of the person to whom it 
 was issued, the board, on payment of the fee to its secretary, 
 must issue a certificate. If a diploma is found fraudulent or 
 not lawfully in possession of the holder or owner, the person 
 presenting it, or holding or claiming possession, is guilty of a 
 misdemeanor, punishable with a fine of from $20 to $100 {ib., 
 s. 3). 
 
 The certificate must be recorded in the office of the county 
 recorder in the county wherein the holder resides, within sixty 
 days after its date. Should he remove from one count}' to an- 
 other to practise medicine, surgery, or obstetrics, his certificate 
 must be recorded in the count}^ to which he removes. The 
 recorder must indorse upon the certificate the date of record 
 (ib., s. 4). 
 
 Any one failing to pass is entitled to a second examination 
 within twelve months without a fee ; any applicant for exam- 
 ination, by notice in writing to the secretary of the board, is 
 entitled to examination within three months from the time of 
 notice, and the failure to give such opportunity entitles such 
 applicant to practise without a certificate until the next regular 
 meeting of the board. The board may issue certificates to 
 persons who, upon application, present a certificate of having 
 passed a satisfactory examination before any other State board 
 of medical examiners, upon the payment of the fee provided in 
 sec. 3 (ib., s. 6, as amended c. 66, Laws 1888, 22 Gen. As- 
 sembly). 
 
 The board may refuse a certificate to a person who has been 
 convicted of felony committed in the practice of his profession, 
 or in connection therewith; or may revoke for like cause, or 
 for palpable evidence of incompetency, and such refusal or
 
 IOWA. 159 
 
 revocation prohibits such person from practising medicine, sur- 
 gery, or obstetrics, and can onl}' be made with the affirmative 
 vote of at least five physicians of the State board, in which must 
 be inchided one or more members of the different schools of 
 medicine represented in the said board; the standing of a 
 legallj" chartered medical college from which a diploma may be 
 presented must not be questioned except by a like vote {ib., 
 s. 7). 
 
 Definition, Exceptions. — Any person is deemed practis- 
 ing medicine, surger}-, or obstetrics, or to be a physician, who 
 publicly professes to be a physician, surgeon, or obstetrician, and 
 assumes the duties, or who makes a practice of prescribing, or 
 prescribing and furnishing medicine for the sick, or who pub- 
 licly professes to cure or heal by any means whatsoever ; but the 
 act does not prohibit students of medicine, surgery, or obstetrics 
 from prescribing under the supervision of preceptors or gratui- 
 tous services in case of emergency ; nor does it appl}' to women 
 at the time of its passage engaged in the practice of midwifery, 
 nor does it prevent advertising, selling, or prescribing natural 
 mineral waters flowing from wells or springs, nor does it apply 
 to surgeons of the United States army, navy, or marine hospital 
 service, nor to physicians defined therein who have been in prac- 
 tice in this State for five consecutive years, three years of which 
 must have been in one locality, provided such physician shall 
 furnish the State board with satisfactory evidence of such prac- 
 tice and shall procure a proper certificate, nor to registered 
 pharmacists filling prescriptions, nor does it interfere with the 
 sale of patent or proprietary medicines in the regular course 
 of trade {ib., s. 8). 
 
 Penalty. — A person practising medicine or surgery with- 
 out complying with the act, and not embraced in the exceptions, 
 or after being prohibited as provided in sec, 7, is guilty of a 
 misdemeanor punishable with a fine of from $50 to $100, or 
 imprisonment in the county jail from ten to thirtj^ days {ib., 
 s. 9). 
 
 Filing or attempting to file as one's own the diploma of 
 another, or the certificate of another, or a dijjloma or certificate 
 with the true name erased and the claimant's name inserted, 
 or a forged affidavit of identification, is forgery {ib., s. 10). 
 
 Fees. — To count)^ recorder, 50 cents {ib., s. 4).
 
 IGO SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 To State board, for certificate to holder of diploma, $^ {ib., 
 s. 3). 
 
 To secretary of State board, in advance, by candidate for ex- 
 amination, $10 (lb., s.. 0). 
 
 By practitioner for five years, $2 {ib., s. 8). 
 
 Kansas. 
 
 Qualification. — it is unlawful for a person who has not 
 attended two full courses of instruction and graduated in some 
 respectable school of medicine, either of the United States or of 
 some foreign countrj', or who cannot produce a certificate of 
 qualification from some State or county medical society, and is. 
 not a person of good moral character, to practise medicine in 
 any of its departments for reward or compensation, for any sick 
 person ; provided in all cases when any person has been con- 
 tinuously engaged in practice of medicine for ten years or more, 
 he shall be considered to have complied with the provisions of 
 the act (Gen. Stats., 1889, s. 2,450). 
 
 Penalty, — Practising or attempting to practise medicine 
 in any of its departments or performing or attempting to per- 
 form any surgical operation in violation of the foregoing is 
 punishable with a fine of from $50 to $100; and a second viola- 
 tion, in addition to a fine, is punishable with imprisonment in 
 the county jail for thirty days ; and in no case wherein the act 
 is violated shall the violator receive a compensation for services 
 rendered {ib., s. 2,451). 
 
 Kentucky. 
 
 Qualification. — It is unlawful for any person to practise 
 medicine in any of its branches who has not exhibited and 
 registered in the county clerk's office, in the county in which 
 he resides, his authority to practise, with his age, address, place 
 of birth, and the school or system of medicine to which he pro- 
 poses to belong. The person registering must subscribe and 
 verify bj^'oath before such clerk an aflSdavit containing such 
 facts, which, if wilfully false, subjects the affiant to punish- 
 ment for perjury (Act 1893, April 10th, s. 2).
 
 KANSAS — KENTUCKY. 161 
 
 Authority to practise shall be a certificate from the State 
 board of health issued to any reputable physician who is prac- 
 tising, or who desires to begin to practise, who possesses a 
 diploma from a reputable medical college legally chartered 
 under the laws of this State, or a diploma from a reputable and 
 legally chartered medical college of some other State or countrj'-, 
 indorsed as such by said board, or satisfactory evidence from 
 the applicant that he was reputably and honorablj^ engaged in 
 the practice of medicine in the State prior to February 23d, 
 18G4, Applicants may present their credentials by mail or 
 proxy [ib., s. 3). 
 
 Nothing in the law authorizes any itinerant doctor to regis- 
 ter or practise medicine {ib., s. 4). 
 
 The board may refuse a certificate to any individual guilty 
 of grossly unprofessional conduct of a character likely to de- 
 ceive or defraud the public, and may, after due notice and hear- 
 ing, revoke such certificates for like cause. In cases of refusal 
 or revocation the applicant may appeal to the governor, whose 
 decision affirming or overruling the decision of the board shall 
 be final {ib., s. 5). 
 
 Systems, Exceptions. — The law does not discriminate 
 against any peculiar school or system of medicine, nor pro- 
 hibit women from practising midwifery, nor prohibit gratui- 
 tous services m case of emergency, nor apply to commissioned 
 surgeons in the United States army, navy, or marine hospital 
 service, nor to a legally qualified physician of another State 
 called to see a particular case or family, but who does not open 
 an office or appoint a place in the State to meet patients or re- 
 ceive calls {ib., s. 6). 
 
 Penalty. — Anj^ person living in this State or coming into 
 this State who shall practise medicine or attempt to practise 
 medicine in any of its branches, or perform or attempt to per- 
 form any surgical operation for or upon any person for reward 
 or compensation in violation of this law, shall be punished 
 with a fine of $50, and on each subsequent conviction by a 
 fine of $100 and imprisonment for thirty days, or either, or 
 both ; and in no case where any provision of this law has been 
 violated shall the violator be entitled to receive compensation 
 for services rendered. To open an office for such purpose or 
 to announce to the public in any other way a readiness to 
 11
 
 162 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 practise medicine in any county shall be to engage in the 
 practice of medicine {ib., s. 8). 
 
 Fees. — To the county clerk, for all services required, 50 
 cents {ib., s. 1). 
 
 Louisiana. 
 
 Constitutional Provision. — The general assembly must 
 provide for the interest of State medicine in all its departments, 
 and for the protection of the people from unqualified practi- 
 tioners of medicine (Const. 1879, Art. 178). 
 
 Qualification. — No person is allowed to practise medicine 
 or surgery as a means of livelihood in any of its departnients, 
 without first making aflBdavit before a judge, justice of the peace, 
 clerk of district court, or notary public in the parish wherein he 
 resides, of his having received the degree of doctor of medicine 
 from a regularly incorporated medical institution of respectable 
 standing, in America or in Europe, and designating its name and 
 locality, and the date of his diploma ; the degree is manifested 
 by the diploma, and the respectable standing of the institution 
 is evidenced by the indorsement or certificate of the State board 
 of health, written on the face of the diploma, and signed by its 
 secretary ; the affidavit must contain the full name of the per- 
 son making the same, the date and place of his birth, and the 
 names of the places where he may have previously practised 
 medicine or surgery ; a record of the diplomas certified must be 
 presented by the State board of health, and copies thereof, cer- 
 tified by the secretary, are received in evidence. The State 
 board of health is required to certify the diploma of any medi- 
 cal institution of credit and respectability without regard to its 
 sj^stem of therapeutics and whether the same be regular, homoe- 
 opathic, or eclectic (Act 1882, No. 31, s. 1). 
 
 The affidavit required by sec. 1 must be recorded in the 
 office of the clerk of the district court of the parish ; the clerk 
 must certify the recordation by indorsement on the original 
 affidavit, which the affiant must transmit to the State board of 
 health; a copy of the original affidavit, dul}^ certified by the 
 clerk of the court, is admissible in evidence {ib., s. 2). 
 
 Exceptions. — The provisions of the act do not apply to 
 female practitioners of midwifery as such, nor to persons who 
 had been practising medicine or surgery in the State without
 
 LOUISIANA. 103 
 
 diplomas for five years prior to the passage of the act, nor to 
 persons who had been practising medicine or surgery from a 
 regularly incorporated medical institution of reputable standing 
 in America or in Europe, for ten years prior to the passage of 
 the act, provided such a practitioner make affidavit before a 
 judge, justice of the psace, notary public, or the clerk of the court 
 of the parish wherein he resides, setting forth the full name of 
 the affiant, the date and place of his birth, the date of his di- 
 ploma, if he have any, the name and locality of the institution 
 by which it was made, the date and place where ho began the 
 practice of medicine in Louisiana, and the names of the places 
 where he may have previously practised medicine or surgerj 
 such affidavit must be transmitted or delivered to the State 
 board of health, and entitles the affiant to be placed on the list 
 of registered physicians or surgeons. The State board of health 
 must preserve said affidavits, and a copy signed by the secretary 
 is received in evidence by the courts. To make a false affidavit 
 is perjur}^ {ih., s. 3). 
 
 Evidence. — A copy of the affidavit recorded by the clerk 
 of the district court, certified by him, is prima facie evidence 
 that the person making the affidavit is a duly registered phj-si- 
 cian or surgeon, and a certified copy of the original affidavit 
 filed with the State board of health, or a certificate emanating 
 from the said board, that the name of the person mentioned in 
 the certificate is on the list of registered physicians and sur- 
 geons, is conclusive evidence {ih., s. 4). 
 
 It is the duty of the State board of health to publish annually 
 in the official journal of the State, and if there is none, in one 
 of the daily newspapers published in New Orleans, a list of the 
 registered physicians and surgeons, and their places of resi- 
 dence, and such published list is evidence in the courts that the 
 person is duly registered. The board is required to strike from 
 said list the names of persons convicted of any infamous crimes 
 by any court of this State or of the United States, or of any 
 State of the United States, whether prior or posterior to regis- 
 tration; and is empowered to strike from the list persons who 
 die after registration {ih., s. 5). 
 
 Civil Penalty. — A practitioner of medicine or surgery fail- 
 ing to comply with this act shall not be exempt from military 
 or jury duty, nor be permitted to collect fees for services rendered,
 
 164 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 nor be allowed to testify as a medical or surgical expert in legal 
 or State medicine, in any court, nor to execute any certificate as 
 surgeon or physician, nor to hold any medical office, nor to be 
 recognized by the State, or any parish, or municipal corporation, 
 as a phj^sician or surgeon, nor entitled to enjoy any of the 
 privileges, rights, or exemptions granted to physicians and sur- 
 geons by the laws of this State; and shall forfeit SlOO for 
 each violation, to be recovered in a civil action in the name of 
 and for the benefit of the Charity Hospital at New Orleans, and 
 in addition shall be subject to criminal prosecution (ib., s. 6). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act is not applicable to practitioners of 
 medicine or surgery residing and practising in other States, 
 who may be summoned in special instances to attend patients 
 in the State of Louisiana by any registered physician {ib., s. 7). 
 
 Penalty. — Whoever shall practise or offer to practise med- 
 icine or surgery, for pay, without complying with the foregoing 
 act, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable hj a fine of not less 
 than $50 or imprisonment for not more than three months, or 
 both, at the discretion of the court (Act 1886, No. 55, s. 1). 
 
 No criminal prosecution shall bar the imposition of a fine 
 by civil process, nor shall the imposition of such fine bar crim- 
 inal prosecution {ib., s. 2). 
 
 Exceptions. — This act is not applicable to practitioners of 
 medicine or surgery residing and practising in other States, 
 who may be summoned in special instances to attend patients 
 in the State by any registered phj^sician {ib., s. 3). 
 
 Fees. — To board of health, for every diploma certified, 50 
 cents {ib., s. 1). 
 
 To officer before whom affidavit is made, 50 cents {ib., s. 
 2, 3). 
 
 Recording same, 81 {ib., s. 2). 
 
 To clerk of court, for copy of original affidavit, 50 cents 
 {ib., s. 2). 
 
 To State board of health, for copy of original affidavit, 50 
 cents {ib., s. 3). 
 
 Maine. 
 
 Qualification, Penalty. — No person who has not received 
 a medical degree at a public medical institution in the United 
 States, or a license from the Maine Medical Association, shall
 
 MAINE — MARYLAND. 165 
 
 recover compensation for medical or surgical services, unless 
 previous to such service he had obtained a certificate of good 
 moral character from the municipal officers of the town where 
 he then resided (Rev. Stats., 1883, c. 13, s. 9). 
 
 Maryland. 
 
 Qualification. — By the Act of 1892, c. 296, s. 1, 39, it is 
 provided that every person not now practising medicine and 
 surgery, who shall hereafter begin to practise medicine and 
 surgery in any of its departments, shall possess the qualifications 
 required by the act. 
 
 There are two boards of examiners, representing the medical 
 and chirurgical faculty of the State and the State Homa?opathic 
 Medical Societ}" respectively ; each consists of seven members, 
 appointed respectively by those societies, physicians actually en- 
 gaged in the practice of medicine, and of recognized abilit}' and 
 honor; but no physician having a pecuniary interest in the 
 trade of pharmacy can be appointed {ib., s. 2). 
 
 Suitable provisions must be made by each examining board 
 to prepare a schedule of written examination upon anatomy, 
 physiology, chemistry, surgery, practice of medicine, materia 
 medica and therapeutics, obstetrics, gyngecology, pathologj'', 
 medical jurisprudence and hygiene ; the same standard of ex- 
 cellence is required from all candidates; in therapeutics and 
 practice, the questions must be in harmony with the tenets of 
 the school selected by the candidate ; and the standard of ac- 
 quirements therein is established by each board itself. The 
 examination must be fundamental in character and such as can 
 be answered in common by all schools of practice (ib., s. 1, 42). 
 
 Application for license is made in writing to the president 
 of either board of medical examiners which the applicant may 
 elect, with satisfactory proof that the applicant is more than 
 twenty-one years of age, is of good moral character, has ob- 
 tained a competent common-school education, and has either 
 received a diploma conferring the degree of Doctor of Medicine 
 from some legally incorporated medical college in the United 
 States, or a diploma or license conferring the full right to prac- 
 tise all the branches of medicine and surger}' in some foreign 
 country, and has also both studied medicine three years and
 
 166 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 attended three courses of lectures in different years in some 
 legally incorporated medical college or colleges prior to the 
 granting of the diploma or foreign license ; two courses of med- 
 ical lectures both begun or completed within the same calendar 
 3"ear do not satisfy the requirement; this condition is not ap- 
 plicable to students who shall be in their second year in a med- 
 ical college, nor to physicians practising at the time of the 
 passage of the act. Such proof is made, if required, upon aflB- 
 davit, upon making the application and proof and paj^ment of 
 the fee. The president of the board, if satisfied, must direct 
 the secretary to issue an order for examination, and when the 
 applicant shall have passed an examination as to proficiency 
 satisfactory to the board, the president must grant a license to 
 practise medicine and surgery {ib., s. 1, 43). 
 
 All of the examinations are conducted so that the name, 
 school of graduation, and preparatory training of the applicant 
 shall not be made known to the board till his examination 
 papers have been graded. ' An applicant receiving a majoritj^ 
 of the votes of the board is considered to have passed a satis- 
 factory examination and is entitled to a license {ib., s. 1, 44). 
 
 The board must refuse a license to an applicant radically 
 deficient in any essential branch. In case of a failure, the can- 
 didate must have the privilege, after the expiration of one year 
 from his rejection, of another examination by the board to 
 which his application was first made {ib., s, 1, 46). 
 
 A license, or a certified copy, must be filed with the clerk 
 6t the circuit court of the county or city in which the licensee 
 may practise ; the number of the book and page containing the 
 recorded copy must be noted in the body of license. 
 
 Evidence. — The records have the same weight as evidence 
 that is given to the record of conveyances of land {ib., s. 1, 48). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not apply to commissioned 
 surgeons of the United States army, navy, or marine hospital 
 service, to physicians or surgeons in actual consultation from 
 other States, nor to persons temporarily practising under the 
 supervision of an actual medical preceptor, nor to a midwife or 
 person who may render gratuitous services in case of emergency 
 {ib., s. 1, 49, 51). 
 
 Penalty. — Practising, or attempting to practise, without 
 a license is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of from $50
 
 MARYLAND — MICHIGAN. 1(37 
 
 to $200 for each offence, with confinement in jail, in default of 
 payment, till fine and costs are paid ; a person so practising is 
 debarred from recovering compensation (^6,, s. 1, 50). 
 
 Fees. — To secretary of board, before examination, $10 {ib.y 
 s. 1, 45). 
 
 To clerk of court, for registration, $1 {ib., s. 1, 48). 
 
 Massachusetts. 
 In Massachusetts there is no statute upon this subject. 
 
 Michigan. 
 
 Qualification. — It is unlawful to practise medicine or 
 surgery or any branch except dentistry, without the prescribed 
 qualifications and registration in the office of the county clerk 
 (Laws 1883, c. 167, s. 1). 
 
 A person who was practising when the law took effect, and 
 had been practising continuously for at least five years prior 
 thereto in the State, is deemed qualified to practise medicine 
 after registration (ib., s. 2, as amended 1887, c. 268). 
 
 A graduate of a legally authorized medical college in the 
 State, or any of the United States, or any other countr}^, is 
 deemed qualified to practise medicine and surgery in all de- 
 partments after registration. A student or undergraduate is 
 not prohibited from practising with and under the immediate 
 supervision of a person legally qualified to practise medicine 
 and surgery (ib.). 
 
 A person qualified registers by filing with the county clerk 
 of the count}'" where he practises, or intends to practise, a sworn 
 statement setting forth, if actually engaged in practice, the 
 length of time he has been engaged in such continuous practice ; 
 if a graduate of a medical college, the name and location of the 
 same, when he graduated and how long he attended the same, 
 and the school of medicine to which he belongs; if a student or 
 undergraduate, how long he has been engaged in the study of 
 medicine and where, and if he has attended a medical college, 
 its name and location and the length of his attendance, and 
 when, and the name and residence of the physician inuler 
 whose instruction he is practising, or intends to practise. The 
 statement is to be recorded by the clerk (ib.).
 
 168 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 Penalty. — No person practising medicine, surgery, or mid- 
 wifery can collect pay for professional services unless at the 
 time of rendering such services he was duly qualified and reg- 
 istered {ih., s. 4). 
 
 Advertising, or holding out to the public, as authorized to 
 practise medicine or surger}-, when not authorized, is a misde- 
 meanor punishable with a fine of from $5 to $50 for each offence 
 {ih., s. 7). 
 
 Fees. — To county clerk, for recording statement, 50 cents 
 {ih., s. 2). 
 
 Minnesota. 
 
 Board of Examiners. — The governor appoints a board of 
 medical examiners of nine members, no one of whom can be 
 a member of a college or university having a medical depart- 
 ment, and two of whom must be homoeopathic physicians (Act 
 1887, c. 9, s. 1). 
 
 Qualification. — Persons commencing the practice of med- 
 icine and surgery in any of its branches must apply to the board 
 for a license, and at the time and place designated by the board, 
 or at a regular meeting, submit to an examination in anatomy, 
 physiology, chemistry, histology, materia medica, therapeutics, 
 preventive medicines, practice of medicine, surgery, obstetrics, 
 diseases of women and children, of the nervous system, of the 
 eye and ear, medical jurisprudence, and such other branches as 
 the board deems advisable, and present evidence of having at- 
 tended three courses of lectures of at least six months each ; the 
 examination must be scientific and practical, but of sufficient 
 severity to test the candidate's fitness to practise medicine and 
 surgery. When desired, the examination may be conducted in 
 the presence of the dean of any medical school or the president 
 of any medical society of this State. After examination, the 
 board must grant, with the consent of at least seven members, 
 a license to practise medicine and surgery, which may be refused 
 or revoked for unprofessional, dishonorable, or immoral con- 
 duct; and in case of refusal or revocation, the applicant may 
 appeal to the governor {ih., s. 3). 
 
 The license must be recorded with the clerk of the district 
 court in the county in Avhich the licensee resides ; if he moves 
 into another county he must procure a certified copy of his
 
 MINNESOTA — MISSISSIPPI. 109 
 
 license from the said clerk and file it with the clerk of the dis- 
 trict court in the latter county {ib., s. 4). 
 
 Penalty. — To practise without a license is a misdemeanor, 
 punishable by a fine of from $50 to $100, or imprisonment in 
 county jail from ten to ninety days, or both. Appending " M. D. " 
 or " M.B." to name, or prescribing, directing, or recommending 
 for use any drug or medicine or other agency for the treatment, 
 care, or relief of any wound, fracture, or bodily injury, infirm- 
 ity, or disease, is regarded as practising medicine. 
 
 Exceptions. — The act is not applicable to dentists {ib., s. 
 6), nor to commissioned surgeons of the United States army or 
 navy, nor to physicians or surgeons in actual consultation from 
 other States or Territories, nor to actual medical students prac- 
 tising medicine under the direct supervision of a preceptor 
 {ib., s. 5). 
 
 All persons licensed under the Act of 1883, c. 125, are re- 
 garded as licensed under this act {ib., s. 7). 
 
 Fees. — To treasurer of board, for examination, $10. 
 
 Mississippi. 
 
 Qualification. — A practitioner of medicine must obtain 
 a license from the State board of health (Code 1892, s. 3,243). 
 
 Application is made in writing; and an examination is 
 made in anatomy, chemistry, obstetrics, materia medica, phys- 
 iology, pathology, surgery, and hygiene, and if the applicant 
 is found b}?^ the board to possess sufficient learning in those 
 branches, and of good moral character, the board issues a license 
 to practise medicine, signed by each member who approves 
 {ib., s. 3,244). 
 
 The application must state the applicant's full name, place 
 of residence, and post-office address, nativity and age, time 
 spent in medical studies, name and post-office address of the 
 preceptor under whom his medical studies were pursued, the 
 courses of medical lectures attended, the name of medical 
 schools attended ; if a graduate of n medical college, the name 
 thereof; the time spent in a hospital, the time spent in the 
 practice of medicine, if an 5% the school or s^^stem of practice 
 chosen, and references as to his personal character {ib., s. 
 3,245).
 
 170 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 Examinations are to be conducted at the capital on the first 
 Tuesday in April and October annually, and continue until all 
 applicants are examined and the examinations are approved or 
 disapproved; they are upon written questions and answers, and 
 no distinction can be made between applicants because of differ- 
 ent systems or schools of practice. 
 
 The license must be filed in the office of the clerk of the 
 circuit court of the county in which the licensee resides, within 
 sixty days from the date of its issue ; otherwise it becomes void. 
 The clerk must record the same with his certificate of filing and 
 deliver the original to the licensee. When the licensee changes 
 the county of his residence and usual practice, he must file the 
 original or a certified copy of license, or record, in the office of 
 said clerk in the county into which he shall move and practise 
 within sixty days of the time of his removal, to be there re- 
 corded (^&., s. 3,249). 
 
 The board may issue a duplicate in place of a lost license 
 {ib., s. 3,250). 
 
 The secretary of the board may issue a temporary license 
 which shall be valid until the next succeeding meeting of 
 board, such license to show its date of issue, otherwise to be 
 void ; it must be recorded as a permanent license is required 
 to be ; only one temporary license shall ever be issued to the 
 same person, and it shall always be made to an individual and 
 not to a partnership (ib., s. 3,251). 
 
 Physicians practising by virtue of a license under prior laws 
 are not required to obtain a license under this law and may 
 continue in practice under their licenses, but they must comply 
 with the requirements of this law with reference to recording 
 {lb., s. 3,252). 
 
 Penalty. — To practise without an examination and a license 
 is punishable with a fine of from $20 to $200, or to imprison- 
 ment in the county jail not to exceed thirty days {ib., s. 1,258). 
 
 Exceptions. — Females engaged in the practice of mid- 
 wifery need no license for that emploj'ment (ib., s. 3,253). 
 
 Non-Residents. — Licensed physicians residing without the 
 State, and whose practice extends into it, may obtain a license 
 without examination by presenting an application in the form 
 prescribed ; whereupon the secretary of the board must issue 
 a license in the name of the board and the license must be re-
 
 MISSISSIPPI— MISSOURI. 171 
 
 corded as hereinbefore provided, in each county in which the 
 licensee shall practise {ih., s. 3,254). 
 
 Fees. — To board, before examination, $10. 
 
 To secretary, before examination, 25 cents {ih.^ s. 3,247). 
 
 To secretary, for temporary license, 25 cents (^7)., s. 3,251). 
 
 To secretary, for license to non-resident, 25 cents {ib., s. 
 3,245). 
 
 To the clerk of the court, for recording, his legal fees {ih., 
 s. 3,249). 
 
 Missouri. 
 
 Qualification. — Every person practising medicine and 
 surgery, in any of their departments, must possess the quali- 
 fications required. If a graduate of medicine, he must present 
 his diploma to the State board of health for verification as to 
 its genuineness. If the diploma is found to be genuine, and 
 the person named therein to be the person claiming and pre- 
 senting the same, the board must issue a certificate which 
 is conclusive of the right to practise. If not a graduate, he 
 must submit to such examination as the board shall require, 
 and if the examination is satisfactory to the examiners tlie 
 board must issue its certificate in accordance with the facts, 
 and the holder shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges 
 herein mentioned (Rev. Stats., 1889, s. 6,871). 
 
 The board must issue certificates to all who furnish satis- 
 factory proof of having received a diploma or license from a 
 legally chartered medical institution in good standing, of what- 
 ever school or system of medicine, and shall not make any 
 discrimination against the holders of genuine licenses or di- 
 plomas under any school or system of medicine {ih., s. ri,872). 
 
 The verification of a diploma consists in the aflSdavit of the 
 holder and applicant that he is the lawful possessor of the same, 
 and the person therein named; the affidavit may be taken 
 before any person authorized to administer oaths, and shall be 
 attested under the hand and official seal of such officer, if he 
 have a seal. Graduates may present their diplomas and affi- 
 davits by letter or proxj^ {ih., s. 6,873). 
 
 All examinations are made directlj^ by the board, and the 
 certificates authorize the possessor to practise medicine and 
 surgery in the State {ib., s. 6,874).
 
 173 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AXD BOSTON. 
 
 The certificate must be recorded in the office of the county 
 clerk of the county in which the holder resides and the record 
 must be indorsed thereon ; a person moving to another county 
 to practise must procure an indorsement to that ejffect on the 
 certificate from the said clerk, and have the certificate recorded 
 in the office of the clerk of the county to which he removes 
 {lb., s. 6,875). 
 
 Examinations may be made wholly or partly in writing and 
 must be of an elementary and practical character, but suffi- 
 ciently strict to test the qualifications of the candidate as a 
 practitioner {lb., s. G,877). 
 
 The board may refuse a certificate to an individual guilty 
 of unprofessional or dishonorable conduct, and may revoke a 
 certificate for like causes after giving the accused an opportu- 
 nity to be heard {lb., s. 6,878). 
 
 Definition, Exception. — A person is regarded as practis- 
 ing medicine who professes publicly to be a physician and to 
 prescribe for the sick, or who appends to his name "M.D.," 
 but students are not prohibited from prescribing under the 
 supervision of a preceptor, and gratuitous services may be ren- 
 dered in case of emergencj", and the act does not apply to 
 commissioned surgeons of the United States army or navy or 
 marine hospital service {ib, s. 6,879). 
 
 Itinerant Venders. — Every itinerant vender of any drug, 
 nostrum, ointment, or appliance intended for the treatment of 
 disease or injury, or who publicly professes to cure or treat 
 disease, injury, or deformity by any drug, nostrum, manipula- 
 tion, or other expedient, must pay a license fee of $100 per 
 month; the violation of this section is a misdemeanor, punish- 
 able with a fine not exceeding 8500 or imprisonment in the 
 county jail not to exceed six months, or both {ib., s. 6,880). 
 
 Penalty. — The violation of the provisions of this act is a 
 misdemeanor punishable with a fine of from $50 to $500, or im- 
 prisonment in the county jail for from thirtj' to three hundred 
 and sixty-five daj^s, or both, for each offence ; filing or attempt- 
 ing to file the certificate of another, or a forged affidavit or 
 identification, is a felony punishable as forgery in the second 
 degree, but the provisions of this article do not apply to persons 
 who had been practising five years in the State prior to 1883 
 (ib., s. 6,881).
 
 MISSOURI — MONTANA. 173 
 
 Fees. — To the secretary of the board, for examining a 
 genuine diploma, SI. 
 
 If fraudulent or not owned by the possessor, 820 (ib., s. 
 6,873). 
 
 To the clerk, for recording, the usual fees {ib., s. 6,875). 
 
 Montana. 
 
 Board of Examiners.— The governor, with the advice 
 and consent of the council, appoints seven learned, skilled, and 
 capable physicians who have been residents for not less than 
 two 3"ears, no more than two from the same county, to con- 
 stitute the board of examiners (Act of February 28tli, 1889, 
 
 s. 1). 
 
 Meetings of the board for examination are required to be 
 held at the capital and such other central points as the board 
 may select, on the first Tuesday of April and October in each 
 year, and at other times as the board may determine. The 
 board must keep a record of all applicants for a certificate, with 
 their age, time spent in the study of medicine, name, and the 
 location of all institutions granting to applicants degrees or 
 certificates of lectures in medicine or surgery, and whether the 
 applicant was rejected or received a certificate, and the register 
 is prima facie evidence of matters therein recorded {ib., s. 2). 
 
 Qualification. — Every person wishing to practise med- 
 icine or surger}'^ in an}' of their departments shall do so only 
 upon complj'ing with the requisites of this act. If a graduate 
 in medicine, he must present his diploma to the board for veri- 
 fication as to its genuineness. If it be found genuine and 
 issued by a medical school legally organized and in good 
 standing, whose teachers are graduates of a legally organized 
 school, which fact the board determines, and if the person 
 presenting and claiming the diploma be the person to whom it 
 was originally granted, the board must issue its certificate, 
 which shall be conclusive of the holder's right to practise. 
 Any person coming to the State may present his diploma to any 
 member of the board, who maj'" issue a certificate good till the 
 board's next regular meeting. If not a graduate, the person 
 must present himself to the board for such examination as may 
 be required, unless he shall have been in continuous practice
 
 174 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 in the State for not less than ten years, of which fact he must 
 present satisfactory evidence in the form of affidavits to the 
 board {ib., s. 3). 
 
 All persons entitled to practise under the ten-year provision 
 and all persons commencing the practice of medicine and sur- 
 gery in any of its branches shall apply to the board for a certifi- 
 cate, and at the time and place designated by the board, or at the 
 regular meeting, be examined in anatomy, physiology, chemis- 
 try, histology, materia medica, therapeutics, preventive medi- 
 cines, practice of medicine, surger}^, obstetrics, diseases of 
 women and children, diseases of the nervous system, diseases 
 of the eye and ear, medical jurisprudence, and such other 
 branches as the board may deem advisable, and present evidence 
 of having practised the required term of ten years, or of having 
 attended three courses of lectures of at least four months each ; 
 the examination must be both scientific and practical, and of 
 sufficient thoroughness and severity to test the candidate's fit- 
 ness to practise medicine and surgery. The examination may 
 be held in the presence of the dean of any medical school or of 
 the president of any medical society of the State. After the 
 examination, the board must grant to a candidate who is found 
 qualified, a certificate to practise medicine and surgery. The 
 board may refuse or revoke a certificate for unprofessional, 
 dishonorable, or immoral conduct, or maj" refuse a certificate to 
 any one who may publiclj^ profess to cure or treat diseases, in- 
 juries, or deformities in such manner as to deceive the public. 
 In cases of refusal or revocation, the aggrieved ap^Dlicant may 
 appeal to the district court of the county of his application 
 {ih., s. 4). 
 
 Certificates must be recorded within sixty days after their 
 date in the office of the county recorder in the county where the 
 holder resides ; or in case of removal certificates must be re- 
 corded in the county to which the holder removes. The county 
 recorder must indorse on the certificate the date of its record 
 {ih., s. 5). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not apply to midwives of skill 
 and experience attending cases of confinement, nor to com- 
 missioned surgeons of the United States army or navy in the 
 discharge of their official duties, nor to physicians or surgeons 
 in actual consultation from other States and Territories, nor to
 
 MONTANA — NEBRASKA. 175 
 
 students practising medicine under the direct supervision of a 
 preceptor, nor to gratuitous services in cases of emergency {ib., 
 s. 6). 
 
 Penalty. — Violation of the act is a misdemeanor, punish- 
 able with a fine of from $100 to $500, or imprisonment in the 
 county jail from thirty to ninety days, or both. 
 
 Definition. — Any person is regarded as practising within 
 the meaning of the act who appends "M.D." or ''M.B." to his 
 name, for a fee prescribes medicine, operates in surgery, attends 
 in obstetrics, or recommends for the use of any sick person the 
 use of any drug or medicine or other agency of treatment, cure, 
 or relief of any wound, fracture, or bodily injury or disease, as 
 a physician or surgeon (ib., s. 7). 
 
 Be-examination. — Any one failing to pass the examina- 
 tion is entitled to a second examination within six months 
 without fee {ib., s. 8). 
 
 Fees. — To the treasurer of the board, for examination, $15 
 (i&., s. 4). 
 
 To the secretary of the board, for examination, in advance, 
 $15 (ib., s. 8). 
 
 To the county recorder, for recording, the usual fee (ib., 
 s. 5). 
 
 To the count}^ attorney, for prosecuting a violation, to bi- 
 charged as costs, $5 [ib., s. 7). 
 
 Nebraska. 
 
 Qualification. — It is unlawful for any person to practise 
 medicine, surgery, or obstetrics, or any of their branches, with- 
 out having obtained and registered a certificate. No person 
 is entitled to a certificate unless he be a graduate of a legally 
 chartered medical school or college in good standing. The 
 qualifications are determined by the State board of health. The 
 act does not prevent physicians residing in other States from 
 visiting patients in consultation with resident physicians who 
 have complied (Act of 1891, c. 35, s. 7). 
 
 A medical school is defined as a medical school or college 
 which requires a previous examination for admission to its 
 courses of study, and which requires for granting the degree of 
 "M.D." attendance on at least three courses of lectures of six
 
 176 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 luouths each, no two of said courses to be held within one 
 year, and having a full faculty of professors in anatomy, phys- 
 iology, chemistry, toxicology, pathology, hygiene, materia 
 medica, therapeutics, obstetrics, gynaecology, p^^^^^c^pZe (sic) 
 and practice of medicine and surgery, and clinical instruction 
 in the last two named. But the three-year clause does not 
 apply to degrees granted prior to Julj^ 1891 {ib., s. 8). 
 
 A person intending to practise medicine, surgery, or obstet- 
 rics must present his diploma to the said board, with his affi- 
 davit that he is the lawful possessor of the same and has at- 
 tended the full course of study required for the degree of 
 "M.D.," and that he is the person therein named. Such affi- 
 davit may be taken before any person authorized to administer 
 oaths, and it shall be attested under the hand and official seal 
 of the official, if he have a seal. False swearing is perjury 
 {ib., s. 9). 
 
 If investigation of the diploma and affidavit proves the 
 applicant entitled to practise, the board issues its certificate, 
 which must be filed in the office of the county clerk of the 
 county where he resides, or intends to practise {ib., s. 10). 
 
 The act gave physicians entitled to practise at the time of 
 its enactment six months in which to comply with its provi- 
 sions with reference to them {ib., s. 11). 
 
 The secretaries of the board may issue certificates, without 
 a vote of the board, when the proof upon which certificates are 
 granted may have been on file in its office for ten days without 
 a vote of the board, when no protest has been filed, and if, in 
 their opinion, the proof complies with the act {ib., s. 12). 
 
 When the holder of a certificate removes to another county, 
 he must file and record it in the office of the county clerk in the 
 county to which he removes {ib., s. 13). 
 
 The board may refuse certificates to persons guilty of un- 
 professional or dishonorable conduct, and may revoke for like 
 causes provided they give the person an opportunity to be heard 
 {ib., s. 14). 
 
 Penalty. — No person is entitled to receive any sum of 
 money for medical, surgical, or obstetrical service unless he shall 
 have complied with the act {ib., s. 15). 
 
 Violation of the act is a misdemeanor, punishable with a 
 fine of from $50 to $300 and costs of prosecution, and a person
 
 NEBRASKA — NEVADA, 177 
 
 convicted shall stand committed till the fine and costs are paid 
 (lb., s. 16). 
 
 Definition, Exceptions. — To operate on, profess to heal, 
 prescribe for, or otherwise treat any physical or mental ailment 
 of another, is to practise medicine under this act. But it does 
 not prohibit gratuitous services in cases of emergency, nor 
 apply to commissioned surgeons in the United States army or 
 navy, nor to nurses in their legal occupation, nor to the admin- 
 istration of ordinary household remedies {ib., s. 17). 
 
 Itinerant Vender. — To be an itinerant vender of any drug, 
 nostrum, ointment, or appliance for the treatment of disease or 
 injury, or for such an one to publicly profess to cure or to treat 
 disease or injury or deformity by any drug, nostrum, manip- 
 ulation, or other expedient, is a misdemeanor punishable with 
 a fine of from $50 to $100, or imprisonment in the county jail 
 from thirty days to three months, or both, for each ollPence 
 (ib., s. 18). 
 
 Fees. — To the secretaries of the board of health, for certifi- 
 cate at time of application, $5. 
 
 To the secretaries of the board of health, for taking testi- 
 mony, same fees as a notary public is allowed for same ser- 
 vice (ib., s. 19). 
 
 To county clerk, for recording, usual register's fees for re- 
 cording (lb., s. 10). 
 
 Nevada. 
 
 Qualification. — No person can lawfully practise medicine 
 or surgery who has not received a medical education and a 
 diploma from some regularly chartered medical school having 
 a bona fide existence when the diploma was granted (Act of 
 1875, c. 4r3, s. 1). 
 
 A copy of the diploma must be filed for record Avith the 
 county recorder of the county in which the person practises, 
 and at the same time the original, or a certificate from the 
 dean of the medical school of which he is a graduate, certif j4ng 
 to his graduation, nmst be exhibited {ib., s. 2). 
 
 The person filing a copy of a diploma or a certificate of 
 
 graduation must be identified as the person named therein, by 
 
 the affidavit of two citizens of the count}', or his fiffidavit taken 
 
 before a notary public or commissioner of deeds for this State, 
 
 12
 
 178 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 which affidavit must be filed in the office of the county recorder 
 (^■^)., s. 3). 
 
 Penalty. — Practising without complying with this act is a 
 misdemeanor punishable with a fine of from $50 to $500, or 
 imprisonment in the county jail from thirty days to six months, 
 or both, for each offence. Filing a diploma or a certificate of 
 another or a forged affidavit of identification is a felony (i6., 
 S.4). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not apply to a person who in an 
 emergency may prescribe or give advice in medicine or surgery 
 in a township where no physician resides, or when no physi- 
 cian or surgeon resides within convenient distance, nor to those 
 who had practised medicine or surgery in the State for ten 
 years next preceding the passage of the act, nor to persons pre- 
 scribing in their own family {ib., s. 6). 
 
 New Jersey. 
 
 Board of Examiners. — The State board of medical ex- 
 aminers, appointed hj the governor, consists of nine members, 
 persons of recognized professional ability and honor, five of the 
 old school, three of the homoeopathic, and one of the eclectic, 
 among whom can be no member of any college or university 
 having a medical department (Act 1890, c. 190, s. 1). 
 
 The board must hold meetings for examination at the capital 
 on the second Thursday of January", April, July, and October 
 of each year and at such other times as they deem expedient ; 
 they shall keep a register of all applicants for examination, 
 showing the name, age, and last place of residence of each can- 
 didate, the time he has spent in medical study in or out of a 
 medical school, the names and locations of all medical schools 
 which have granted the said applicant any degree or certificate 
 of attendance upon lectures in medicine, and whether the appli- 
 cant has been rejected or licensed, and it shall he prima facie 
 evidence of all matters contained therein {ih., s. 2). 
 
 Qualification. — All persons commencing the practice of 
 medicine or surgery in anj- of its branches must apply to the 
 board for a license. Applicants are divided into three classes : 
 
 1. Persons graduated from a legally chartered medical school 
 not less than five years before the application.
 
 NEW JERSEY. 170 
 
 2. All other persons graduated from legally chartered med- 
 ical schools. 
 
 3. Medical students taking a regular course of medical in- 
 struction. 
 
 Applicants of the first class are examined in materia medica, 
 therapeutics, obstetrics, gynaecology, practice of medicine, sur- 
 gery, and surgical anatomy; those of the second and third 
 classes are examined in anatomy, physiology, chemistr}-, ma- 
 teria medica, therapeutics, histology, pathology, hygiene, prac- 
 tice of medicine, surger}^, obstetrics, gynaecology, diseases of 
 the eye and ear, medical jurisprudence, and such other branches 
 as the board may deem advisable ; questions for applicants of 
 the first and second classes are the same in the branches com- 
 mon to both. The board after January 1st, 1892, cannot license 
 applicants of the second or third classes without satisfactory 
 proof that the applicant has studied medicine and surgery three 
 years, is of good moral character, and over twenty-one years of 
 age ; applicants of the third class, after they shall have studied 
 medicine and surgery at least two years, can be examined in 
 anatomj^, physiology, chemistry, histology, pathology, materia 
 medica, and therapeutics ; if the examination is satisfactory^ to 
 all the members of the board, it may issue a certificate that the 
 applicant has passed a final examination in these branches, and 
 such certificate, if presented by the applicant when he shall 
 make application for a license to practise, shall be accepted by 
 the said board in lieu of examination in those branches. All 
 examinations shall be both scientific and practical, but of suffi- 
 cient severity to test the candidate's fitness to practise medicine 
 and surger}' (?'&., s. 3). 
 
 All examinations shall be in writing; the questions and 
 answers, except in materia medica and therapeutics, must be 
 such as can be answered in common by all schools of practice, 
 and if the applicant intends to practise homoeopathy or eclec- 
 ticism, the member or members of the said board of those 
 schools shall examine the said applicant in materia medica and 
 therapeutics ; if the examination is satisf actorj^, the board shall 
 issue a license entitling the applicant to practise medicine. A 
 license shall not be issued unless the applicant passes an exam- 
 ination satisfactory to all members of the board ; the examina- 
 tion papers kept on file by the secretary of the board are prima
 
 180 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 facie evidence of all matters therein contained ; on refusal of 
 the board to issue a license for failure on examination, the 
 applicant may appeal to the governor, who may appoint a med- 
 ical commission of review of three members, one from each 
 school of medicine, who shall examine the examination papers 
 of the applicant and from them determine whether a license 
 should be issued, and their decision shall be final ; if the said 
 committee by unanimous vote reverse the determinatioii of the 
 board, the board shall issue a license ; the expenses of the ap- 
 peal are borne by the applicant {ih., s. 4). 
 
 The board may, by unanimous vote, refuse or revoke a 
 license for chronic and permanent inebriety, the practice of 
 criminal abortion, conviction of a crime involving moral turpi- 
 tude, or for publicly advertising special ability to treat or cure 
 disease which, in the opinion of the said board, it is impossible 
 to cure. 
 
 In complaints for violating this section, the accused shall be 
 furnished with a copy of the complaint and giA'en a hearing 
 before the said board in person or by attorney {ib., s. 5). 
 
 A person receiving a license must file it, or a certified copy 
 thereof, with the clerk of the county in which he resides ; and 
 in case of removal into another county he must procure from 
 the said clerk a certified copy of the said license, and file it with 
 the clerk in the countj^ to which he shall remove (*7>., s. 6). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not appl}^ to commissioned sur- 
 geons of the United States army, navy, or marine hospital ser- 
 vice, or to regularly licensed phj'-sicians or surgeons in actual 
 consultation from other States or Territories, or to regularly 
 licensed physicians or surgeons actually called from other 
 States or Territories to attend cases in this State, or to any one 
 while actually serving as a member of the resident medical 
 staff of anj- legally incorporated hospital or asylum in this 
 State, or to any person claiming the right to practise in this 
 State who has been practising therein since before July 4th, 
 1890, provided the said right or title was obtained upon a di- 
 ploma of which the holder and applicant was lawfully possessed 
 and it was issued by a legally chartered medical institution 
 in good standing {ih., s. 7, as amended Act 1892, c. 212). 
 
 Definition. — Any person is regarded as practising medicine 
 or surgery who appends "M.D." or "M.B." to his name, or pre-
 
 NEW JERSEY — NEW MEXICO- 181 
 
 scribes for the use of anj- person any drug or medicine or odior 
 agency for the treatment, cure, or relief of any bodily injury, 
 infirmity, or disease {ih., s. 8). 
 
 Penalty. — Commencing the practice of medicine or surgery 
 without a license or contrary to the act is a misdemeanor pun- 
 ishable by a fine of from 650 to $100, or imprisonment in the 
 county jail from ten to ninety days, or both {ib., s. 0). 
 
 Fees. — To the treasurer of the board, for examination, for 
 applicant of first and second class, $15. 
 
 To the treasurer of the board, for examination, for applicant 
 of third class, $20 (?'6., s. 4). 
 
 To the county clerk, for registering license, 50 cents {ih., 
 s. 6). 
 
 New Hampshire. 
 In New Hampshire there is no statute on this subject. 
 
 New Mexico. 
 
 Board of Examiners. — The board of medical examiners 
 is composed of seven practising physicians of known abilitj" and 
 integrity, graduates of some medical school, college, or uni- 
 versity duly established under and by virtue of the laws of the 
 country in which it is situated, four allopathic members, three 
 homoeopathic members, and one eclectic member (Compiled 
 Laws 1884, s. 2,553). 
 
 Qualification. — Applications for certificates and exami- 
 nations are made to the board through their secretary (?'6., s. 
 2,555). 
 
 The board must examine diplomas as to their genuineness; 
 the verification consists in an affidavit of the holder and appli- 
 cant that he is the lawful possessor of the diploma and the 
 person therein named ; the affidavit may be taken before any 
 person authorized to administer oaths, and shall be attested 
 under his hand and official seal if he have a seal. Graduates 
 may present their diplomas and affidavits by letter or by proxy 
 (^&., s. 2,556). 
 
 Examinations of persons not graduates or licentiates must 
 be made by the board, and certificates by a majority of the board
 
 182 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 authorize the possessor to practise medicine and surgery {ib., 
 s. 2,557). 
 
 The certificate must be recorded in the county clerk's office 
 in every county in which the holder practises or attempts to 
 practise medicine or surgery {ib., s. 2,558). 
 
 When a certificate is filed, the clerk must record it and at- 
 tach his certificate thereto, showing the date of filing and re- 
 cording and the number of the book and the page of the 
 record {ib., s. 2,559). 
 
 Examinations of persons not graduates must be made by 
 the board and may be wholly or partly in writing, in anatomy, 
 physiology, chemistry, pathology, surgery, obstetrics, and the 
 practice of medicine (exclusive of materia medica and thera- 
 peutics) {ib., s. 2,561). 
 
 The board may refuse or revoke a certificate to an individ- 
 ual guilt}^ of unprofessional or dishonorable conduct {ib., s. 
 2,562). 
 
 Definition, Exceptions. — Practising medicine is defined 
 as professing publicly to be a physician and prescribing for the 
 sick or appending to a name the letters "M.D." The act does 
 not prohibit students from prescribing under the supervision 
 of a preceptor, nor prevent women from practising midwifery, 
 nor prohibit gratuitous services in cases of emergency', nor apph- 
 to commissioned surgeons or acting surgeons of the United 
 States army or navy {ib., s. 2,563). 
 
 Penalty. — Practising medicine or surgery without com- 
 plying with the act is punishable with a fine of from 650 to 
 $500 for each offence; and filing a diploma or a certificate 
 of another, or a forged affidavit of identification, is a felony 
 punishable the same as forgery. 
 
 Exception. — The provisions of the act do not apply to those 
 who have been practising medicine ten years in the Territory 
 {ib., s. 2,564, Act passed 1882). 
 
 Professional Conduct.— The code of ethics of the United 
 States Medical Association is the standard, and the rule of de- 
 cision, concerning professional conduct {ib., s. 2,565). 
 
 Penalty. — Persons unlawfully collecting or receiving fees 
 or compensation for services as phj^sicians or surgeons in viola- 
 tion of this act, are liable to the partj^ paying it for double 
 the amount thereof {ib., s. 2,568).
 
 NEW MEXICO — NEW YORK. 183 
 
 Fees. — To the secretary of the board, from each graduate or 
 licentiate if the diploma is genuine, $5. 
 
 To the secretary of the board, from each graduate or 
 licentiate if the diploma is fraudulent or not owned by the pos- 
 sessor, $20 {ib., s. 2,556). 
 
 To clerk of the county, for filing and recording certificate, 
 the usual fees (ib., s. 2,559). 
 
 To the secretary of the board, for examination, in advance, 
 $10 {ib., s. 3,561). 
 
 New York. 
 
 Prohibition. — No person can lawfully practise medicine 
 unless registered and legally authorized prior to September 
 1st, 1891, or unless licensed by the regents of the University 
 of the State of New York and registered as required by the 
 present law; nor can any person lawfully practise medicine 
 who has ever been convicted of a felony by any court, or whose 
 authority to practise is suspended or revoked by the regents on 
 the recommendation of a State board (Laws of 1893, c. 661, s. 
 140). 
 
 Boards of Examiners. — There are three separate State 
 boards of medical examiners of seven members each, represent- 
 ing respectively the Medical Society of the State, the Homoeo- 
 pathic Medical Society of the State, and the Eclectic Medical 
 Society of the State. 
 
 The regents appoint examiners from lists of nominees fur- 
 nished by the said societies. Each nominee before his appoint- 
 ment is required to furnish to the regents proof that he has 
 received the degree of doctor of medicine from some registered 
 medical school, and has legally practised medicine in this State 
 for at least five years. If no nominees are legally before them, 
 the regents may appoint from the members in good standing of 
 such societies without restriction (ib., s. 141). 
 
 At any meeting of the boards of examiners a majority con- 
 stitute a quorum, but questions prepared by the boards may be 
 grouped and edited, or answer papers of candidates may be 
 examined and marked, by committees duly authorized by the 
 boards and by the regents (ib., s. 144). 
 
 Qualification. — The regents are required to admit to ex-
 
 184 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 amination any candidate who pays a fee of $25, and submits 
 satisfactory evidence, verified by oath, if required, that he — 
 
 (1) Is more than twenty-one years of age; (2) is of good 
 moral character ; (3) has the general education required in all 
 cases after August 1st, 1895, preliminary to receiving the 
 degree of bachelor or doctor of medicine in this State ; (4) has 
 studied medicine not less than three full years, including three 
 satisfactory courses in three different academic years in a med- 
 ical school registered as maintaining at the time a satisfactory 
 standard; (5) has either received the degree of bachelor or 
 doctor of medicine from some registered medical school or a 
 diploma or license conferring the full right to practise medicine 
 in some foreign country. 
 
 The degree of bachelor or doctor of medicine shall not be 
 conferred in the State before the candidate has filed with the 
 institution conferring it the certificates of the regents that 
 three years before the date of his degree, or before or during his 
 first year of • medical studies in the State, he had either grad- 
 uated from a registered college or satisfactorily completed not 
 less than a three years' academic course in a registered academy- 
 or high school ; or had a preliminary education considered and 
 accepted by the regents as fully equivalent ; or had passed a 
 regents' examination in arithmetic, elementary English, geog- 
 raphy, spelling. United States history, English composition, and 
 physics. Students who had matriculated in a New York med- 
 ical school before June 5th, 1890, are exempt from this pre- 
 liminary education requirement provided that the degree be 
 conferred before August 1st, 1895. 
 
 The regents may in their discretion accept as equivalent for 
 anj" part of the third and fourth requirements evidence of five 
 or more years' reputable practice of medicine, provided such 
 substitution be specified in the license {ib., s. 145). 
 
 Each board is required to submit to the regents as required 
 lists of suitable questions for a thorough examination in anat- 
 omy, physiology, and hygiene, chemistry, surgery, obstetrics, 
 pathology and diagnosis and therapeutics, including practice 
 and materia medica. From these lists the regents are required 
 to prepare question papers for all these subjects, which at any 
 examination are required to be the same for all candidates, 
 except that in therapeutics, practice, and materia medica all
 
 NEW YORK. 185 
 
 questions submitted to any candidate shall be chosen from those 
 prepared by the board selected by that candidate, and shall be 
 in harmony with the tenets of that school as determined by its 
 State board of medical examiners {ib., s. 140). 
 
 Examinations for a license are required to be given in at 
 Jeast four convenient places in this State at least four times 
 annualh" in accordance with the regents' rules, and exclusively 
 in writing and in English. Each examination is conducted by 
 a regents' examiner who shall not be one of the medical exam- 
 iners. At the close of each examination the regents' examiner 
 in charge is required to deliver the question and answer papers 
 to the board selected by each candidate, or its duly authorized 
 committee, and such board, without unnecessary dela}", is re- 
 quired to examine and mark the answers and transmit to the 
 regents an official report stating the standing of each candidate 
 in each branch, his general average, and whether the board 
 recommends that a license be granted. Such report must in- 
 clude the questions and answers and is filed in the public records 
 of the university. If the candidate fails on a first examination, 
 he may, after not less than six months' further stud}", have a 
 second examination without fee. If the failure is from illness 
 or other cause satisfactor}^ to the regents they may waive the 
 requirement of six months' study {ib., s. 147). 
 
 On receiving from a State board an official report that the 
 applicant has successfully passed the examinations and is recom- 
 mended for license, the regents are required to issue to him, if 
 in their judgment he is duly qualified therefor, a license to 
 practise medicine. The contents and execution of the license 
 are regulated in detail by the act. 
 
 Applicants examined and licensed by other State examining 
 boards registered by the regents as maintaining standards not 
 lower than those provided by this article, and applicants who 
 matriculated in a New York State medical school before June 
 5th, 1890, and who shall have received the degree of "M.D." 
 from a registered medical school before August 1st, 1895, may, 
 without further examination, on the payment of ten dollars to 
 the regents, and on submitting such evidence as they may re- 
 quire, receive from them an indorsement of their license or 
 diploma conferring all the rights and privileges of a regents' 
 license issued after an examination.
 
 186 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON, 
 
 If any person whose registration is not legal because of 
 some error, misunderstanding, or unintentional omission shall 
 submit satisfactory proof that he had all the requirements pro- 
 vided by law at the time of his imperfect registration, and was 
 entitled to be legally registered, he may, on the unanimous 
 recommendation of a State board of medical examiners, receive 
 from the regents under seal a certificate of the facts, which may 
 be registered by any countj^ clerk and shall make valid the 
 previous imperfect registration. 
 
 Before any license is issued, it must be numbered and re- 
 corded in a book in the regents' office, and its number noted in 
 the license. This record in all legal proceedings has the same 
 weight as evidence that is given to a record of conveyances of 
 land {ih., s. 148). 
 
 Every license to practise medicine is required, before the 
 licensee begins to practise, to be registered in the county clerk's 
 office, where such practice is to be carried on, with his name, 
 residence, place and date of birth, and the source, number, and 
 date of his license. Before registering, each licensee is re- 
 quired to file an affidavit of the above facts, and that he is the 
 person named in the license, and had, before receiving the same» 
 complied Avith all the requisites as to attendance, terms, and 
 amount of study and examinations required by law and the 
 rules of the university as preliminary to the conferment thereof ; 
 that no money was paid for such license except the regular fees 
 paid by all applicants therefor ; that no fraud, misrepresenta- 
 tion, or mistake in any material regard was employed by any 
 one or occurred in order that such license should be conferred. 
 
 Every license, or if lost a copy, legally certified so as to be 
 admitted as evidence, or a duly attested transcript of the record 
 of its conferment, shall before registration be exhibited to the 
 county clerk, who, only in case it was issued or indorsed as a 
 license under seal by the regents, shall indorse or stamp on 
 it the date and his name preceded by the words, " Registered 
 
 as authority to practise medicine in the clerk's office, 
 
 Count}'." The clerk is required thereupon to give to every 
 physician so registered a transcript of the entries in the register 
 with a certificate under seal that he has filed the prescribed 
 affidavit {ih., s. 149). 
 
 A practising physician having registered a lawful authority
 
 NEW YORK. 187 
 
 to practise medicine in one countj^ and removing such practice, 
 or a part thereof, to another county, or regularly engaged in 
 practice or opening an office in another county, must show or 
 send by registered mail to the clerk of such other county his 
 certificate* of registration. If such certificate clearly shows 
 that the original registration was of an authority issued under 
 seal by the regents, or if the certificate itself is indorsed by the 
 regents as entitled to registration, the clerk is required there- 
 upon to register the applicant in the latter county, and to stamp 
 or indorse on such certificate the date, and his name preceded 
 
 by the words, " Registered also in County, " and return 
 
 the certificate to the applicant {ib., s. 150). 
 
 Every unrevoked certificate and indorsement of registration 
 is presumptive evidence that the person named is legally regis- 
 tered. No person can register any authority to practise medi- 
 cine unless issued or indorsed as a license by the regents. No such 
 registration is valid unless the authority registered constituted 
 at the time of registration a license under the laws of the State 
 then in force. No diploma or license conferred on a person not 
 actually in attendance at the lectures, institution, and examina- 
 tions of the school conferring the same, or not possessed, at the 
 time of its conferment, of the requirements then demanded of 
 medical students in this State as a condition of their being 
 licensed, and no registration not in accordance with this article, 
 shall be lawful authority to practise, nor shall the degree of 
 doctor of medicine be conferred causa honoris or ad eundiim, 
 nor if previously conferred shall it be a qualification for prac- 
 tice {lb., s. 151). 
 
 Exceptions. — The law does not affect commissioned medical 
 officers serving in the United States army, navy, or marine hos- 
 pital service while so commissioned ; or anj^ one while actually 
 serving on the resident medical staff of any legally incorporated 
 hospital; or any legally registered dentist exclusivel}' engaged 
 in the practice of dentistry ; or any manufacturer of artificial 
 ej^es, limbs, or orthopaedic instruments or trusses in fitting such 
 instruments on persons in need thereof ; or any lawfully qualified 
 physician in other States or countries meeting legally registered 
 physicians in this State in consultation ; or any physician resid- 
 ing on a border of a neighboring State and duly authorized 
 under the laws thereof to practise medicine therein whose prac-^
 
 188 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 tice extends into this State, and who does not open an office or 
 appoint a place to meet patients or receive calls within this 
 State ; or any physician duly registered in one county called to 
 attond isolated cases in another county, but not residing or 
 habitually practising therein (ib., s. 152). 
 
 Penalty. — A person practising without lawful registration 
 or in violation of this article forfeits to the county $50, for each 
 violation and for every day of unlawful practice. To practise 
 under a false or assumed name or falsely personate another 
 practitioner of like or different name is a felony. The violation 
 of the other provisions of the act, or buying, selling, or fraudu- 
 lently obtaining a medical diploma, license, record, or registra- 
 tion, or aiding or abetting such buying, selling, or fraudulently 
 obtaining, or practising medicine under cover of a diploma or 
 license illegally obtained, or signed and issued unlawfulh' or 
 under fraudulent representation or misstatement of fact in a 
 material regard, or after conviction of a felony attempting to 
 practise medicine, or appending "M.D." to the name or assum- 
 ing to advertise the title of doctor in such manner as to conve}^ 
 the impression that one is a legal practitioner of medicine or anj- 
 of its branches without having legally received the medical 
 degree, is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of not less than 
 $250, or imprisonment for six months for the first offence, and 
 for subsequent offences with a fine of not less than $500 or im- 
 prisonment for not less than one year, or both fine and im- 
 prisonment {ib., s. 159). 
 
 Definitions. — As used in the article, university means the 
 University of the State of New York. Medical school means 
 any medical school, college, or department of a university 
 registered b}' the regents as maintaining a proper medical 
 standard and as legally incorporated. Medicine means medi- 
 cine and surgery; physician means physician and surgeon {ib., 
 •definitions). 
 
 Fees. — To regents, for examination, $25 {ib., s. 145). 
 
 To regents, for license without examination under sec. 148, 
 $10 {ib., s. 148). 
 
 To county clerk, for registering affidavit and certificate, $1 
 {ib., s. 149). 
 
 To county clerk, for registration in an additional county, 25 
 •cents {ib., s. 150).
 
 NEW YORK— NORTH CAROLINA. 189 
 
 North Carolina. 
 
 Qualification. — No person can lawfully practise medicine 
 or surgery, or any of the branches thereof, nor in any case 
 prescribe for the cure of disease for a fee or reward unless he 
 shall have been first licensed (Code 1883, s. 3,122, as amended 
 Act of 1885, c. 117, s. 1). 
 
 The board of medical examiners of the State consists of reg- 
 ularly graduated physicians appointed by the medical society of 
 the State {ib., s. 3,123, 3,12G). 
 
 The board must examine all applicants for a license to prac- 
 tise medicine or surgery, or any of the branches thereof, on 
 anatomy, physiology, surgery, pathology, medical hygiene, 
 chemistry, pharmac}^, materia medica, therapeutics, obstetrics, 
 and the practice of medicine, and grant to a competent appli- 
 cant a license or diploma authorizing him to practise medicine 
 and surgery or any of the branches thereof {ib., s. 3,124). 
 
 Where he has not been refused a license hj the board, two 
 members of the board ma}^ grant a temporary license to any 
 applicant to continue in force no longer than the next regular 
 meeting of the board {ib., s. 3,125, as amended Act of 1889, c. 
 181, s. 3). 
 
 The board of examiners must assemble when and where the 
 medical society assembles, which society must assemble at least 
 once a year ; the board must remain in session from day to day 
 till all applicants during the first five days after its meeting- 
 have been examined and disposed of {ib., s. 3,127). 
 
 Penalty, Exceptions. — A person practising without ob- 
 taining a license from the board shall not be entitled to sue for 
 or recover any medical bill for services; -and a person who has 
 begun the practice of medicine or surgery in the Stats for a fee 
 or reward since February 23d, 1885, without first obtaining 
 such a license, shall in addition be guilty of a misdemeanor and 
 punishable with a fine of from $25 to $100, or imprisonment at 
 the discretion of the court for each offence ; but the act does not 
 apply to women pursuing the avocation of midwife, nor to any 
 reputable physician or surgeon residing in a neighboring State, 
 coming into this State for consultation with a registered phy- 
 sician resident therein, except a physician residing in a neigh-
 
 190 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS— POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 boring State regularly practising in this State, nor does it apply 
 to physicians who have a diploma from a regular medical college 
 priorto January 1st, 1880 {ib., s. 3, 133, as amended Act of 1885, 
 c. 117, s. 2; Act of 1885, c. 261, s. 1; Act or 1889, c. 181, s. 1). 
 
 The board may rescind a license upon satisfactory proof 
 that a licensee has been guilty of grossly immoral conduct {ih., 
 s. 3,133). 
 
 Qualification. — Every person practising medicine or sur- 
 gery in the State was required before January 1st, 1892, to ap- 
 pear personally before the clerk of the superior court of the 
 county where he resided or practised, for registration, and all 
 persons beginning to practise are likewise to appear and register 
 within thirty days after obtaining a license (Act of 1889, c. 181, 
 s. 3, as amended Act of 1891, c. 90). 
 
 Any person applying for registration must produce and 
 exhibit before the clerk a license from the board of medical 
 examiners, or make oath that he was practising medicine or 
 surgery in this State prior to March 7th, 1885, and thereupon 
 the clerk shall register the date, with the name and residence 
 of the applicant, and shall issue a certificate of registration. 
 The certificate entitles the recipient to practise in any county 
 in the State, but if he removes his residence to another county 
 he must exhibit his certificate to the clerk of such county and 
 be registered. Persons having a temporary license are not 
 entitled to register but may practise so long as the license is in 
 force (Act of 1889, c. 181, s. 4, as amended Act of 1891, c. 420). 
 
 Penalty, Exceptions. — To practise without registration 
 and a certificate is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of 
 from $25 to $100 or imprisonment for each offence, but this act 
 does not apply to women pursuing the avocation of midwife 
 nor to reputable physicians or surgeons residing in a neigh- 
 boring State coming into the State for consultation with a 
 registered physician of this State (Act of 1889, c. 181, s. 5). 
 
 License Fee. — A license of $10 for each county in which he 
 carries on business is exacted from every (itinerant?) medical 
 practitioner, one-half for the use of the county and one-half for 
 the use of the State; but a State license may be obtained from 
 the State treasurer for $30 good for twelve months, and he is 
 then exempt from the portion of above tax due the State (Act 
 1891, c. 323).
 
 NORTH CAROLINA — NORTH DAKOTA. 191 
 
 Fees. — To the secretary of the board, before issuing a 
 license or diploma, 610. 
 
 To the secretary of the board, for temporary license, $5 
 (Code, 3,130). 
 
 To clerk of the court, for registration and certificate, 25 
 cents. 
 
 To clerk of the countj^, for registration on removal, no fee 
 (Act 1889, c. 181, s. 4). 
 
 North Dakota. 
 
 Board of Examiners. — The governor appoints a State 
 board of examiners of nine members, eight of whom are practis- 
 ing physicians in good standing ; no member of any college or 
 university having a medical department shall be appointed. 
 Two members shall be homoeopathic physicians and one a 
 lawyer (Act 1890, c. 93, s. 1). 
 
 The board must hold meetings for examination at such place 
 or places as it may designate on the first Tuesday of January, 
 April, July, and October of each year, and such other meetings 
 as it may appoint and must keep a record of its proceedings 
 with a register of every applicant for a license with his or her 
 age, the time spent in the study of medicine, and the name and 
 location of all institutions granting to such applicant a degree 
 or a certificate of lectures in medicine or surgery, and whether 
 the applicant was rejected or licensed ; and said books and reg- 
 ister shall be jjrinia facie evidence of all matters therein re- 
 corded (ib., s. 2). 
 
 Qualification. — All persons hereafter commencing the 
 practice of medicine, surgery, and obstetrics in any of its 
 branches shall apply to the board for a license, and at the time 
 and place designated by the board, or at its regular meeting, 
 be examined in anatom}'', physiology, chemistry, histology, 
 materia medica, therapeutics, preventive medicines, practice of 
 medicine, surgery, obstetrics, diseases of women and children, 
 of the nervous system, of the eye and ear, medical jurisprudence, 
 and such other branches as the board shall deem advisable, and 
 produce evidence of having attended three courses of lectures of 
 at least six months each ; the examination must be both practical 
 and scientific, but of sufficient severity to test the candidate's
 
 192 SYNOPSIS OP LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 fitness to practise medicine, surgery, and obstetrics. When 
 desired, the said examination may be conducted in the presence of 
 the dean of any medical school or the president of any medical 
 society of the State. After examination the board must grant 
 a license to practise medicine, surgery, and obstetrics ; seven 
 members must consent. The board may revoke or refuse a 
 license for unprofessional, dishonorable, or immoral conduct, 
 chronic or persistent inebriet.y, the practice of criminal abortion, 
 or for publicly advertising special ability to treat or cure 
 diseases which, in the opinion of the board, it is impossible 
 to cure. In complaints for violating the provisions of this 
 section, the accused shall be furnished with a copy of the com- 
 plaint, and given a hearing before the board in person or by at- 
 torney. Appeal lies from refusal or revocation to the appoint- 
 ing power (^6., s. 3). 
 
 The person receiving a license must file it, or a certified 
 copy, with the register of deeds where he resides. On removal 
 into another county he must procure from said register a cer- 
 tified copy of his license and file it with the register of deeds in. 
 the county to which he shall remove {ih., s. 4). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not apply to commissioned sur- 
 geons of the United States army or navy, to physicians or sur- 
 geons in actual consultation from other States or Territories, or 
 to actual medical students practising medicine under the direct 
 supervision of a preceptor {ih., s. 5). 
 
 Penalty. — Practising without a license or contrary to the 
 act is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of from $50 to 
 $200, or imprisonment in a county jail from ten to sixty days, 
 or both. 
 
 Definition. — Any person is regarded as practising who ap- 
 pends the letters "M.D." or "M.B." to his name, or who for 
 a fee prescribes, directs, or recommends for the use of any 
 person any drug or medicine or other agency for the treatment, 
 cure, or relief of any wound, fracture or bodily injury, infirmity, 
 or disease {ih., s. 6). 
 
 Former Law. — The former law is repealed only so far as it 
 is inconsistent with the foregoing act {ih., s. 7). 
 
 The former law prohibited persons from practising medicine 
 in any of its branches unless graduates of a medical college or 
 unless thej" were shown by examination to be qualified and had
 
 NORTH DAKOTA — OHIO. 193 
 
 been actually engaged in practising for at least ten years (Com- 
 piled Laws of Dakota, s. 205). 
 
 Fee.*— To the treasurer of the board, for examination, S20 
 (Act 1890, c. 93, s. 3). 
 
 Ohio. 
 
 Qualification. — No person who is not a graduate of a 
 reputable school of medicine in the United States or a foreign 
 country, or who cannot produce a certificate of qualification 
 from a State or county medical society and is not a person of 
 good moral character, can lawfully practise or attempt to 
 practise medicine in any of its departments or prescribe medi- 
 cine for reward or compensation ; except a person who has been 
 continuously engaged in the practice of medicine for ten years 
 or more. The law allowed persons in continuous practice for 
 five years or more, two years to comply with its provisions. In 
 case a person is a graduate of a school of medicine in any State 
 or foreign countrj' in which any condition or restriction is im- 
 posed by law upon the practice of medicine by graduates of med- 
 ical schools in Ohio, he is subject to the same restrictions or con- 
 ditions. A person violating this section is not entitled to any 
 compensation for services (Smith & Benedict's Revised Statutes 
 of 1890, s. 4,403). 
 
 Penalty. — Whoever prescribes or practises or attempts 
 to practise medicine in any of its departments, or performs or 
 attempts to perform a surgical operation without having attended 
 two full courses of instruction and graduated at a school of 
 medicine either in this or a foreign country, or who cannot 
 produce a certificate of qualification from a State or county med- 
 ical society, except a person who has been continuous^ en- 
 gaged in the practice of medicine for ten years or more, is pun- 
 ishable with a fine of from $50 to $100 and for a subsequent 
 offence with imprisonment for thirtj^' days. Persons in con- 
 tinuous practice for five years or more were allowed two years 
 to comply with this act (^6., s. 6,992). 
 
 Oklahoma. 
 
 Qualification. — No person can lawfully practise medicine 
 in any department unless he be a graduate of a medical college, 
 or unless upon examination before a board composed of the 
 13
 
 194 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 superintendent of public health and two other phj'sicians to be 
 selected by the territorial board of health, he be found proficient 
 in the practice of medicine and surgery, and shall be found 
 upon proof to have been actually engaged in the practice of 
 medicine not less than five years. No person shall practise 
 medicine unless he be of good moral character, and is not an 
 habitual drunkard. 
 
 A person possessing these qualifications shall, on presenta- 
 tion of his diploma, or proof thereof by affidavit if it be lost or 
 destroyed, and the affidavit of two reputable citizens from the 
 county where he resides that the applicant possesses the quali- 
 fications of a physician, as prescribed herein, to the superin- 
 tendent of public health, receive from him a license, which shall 
 be recorded in the office of the register of deeds in the county 
 where such physician resides. 
 
 Offence. — To practise without complying with this law, 
 or to violate any of its provisions, is a misdemeanor. 
 
 Definition. — A person is regarded as practising medicine 
 who professes publicly to be a ph^-sician and to prescribe for 
 the sick, or who appends to his name M.D. 
 
 Exceptions. — The law does not prohibit students from pre- 
 scribing under the supervision of preceptors, nor prohibit gra- 
 tuitous services in case of emergency, nor apply to commis- 
 sioned surgeons in the United States army and navy. 
 
 Cancellation of License. — The district court has power 
 on complaint of a member of the territorial board of health, or 
 the county board of health where he resides, to cancel any 
 license issued to a person to practise medicine, where such 
 license was fraudulently obtained, or where the person to whom 
 it was issued has been guilty of violating any provision of this act. 
 
 Fee.^ — To superintendent of board of health, for license, 82 
 (Comp. Stats., 1893, s. 352). 
 
 Oregon. 
 
 Qualification. — Every person practising medicine and 
 surgery in any of their departments must possess the qualifica- 
 tions required by the act. If a graduate of medicine he must 
 present his diploma to the board of examiners for verification 
 as to its genuineness. If found genuine and the person named
 
 OKLAHOMA— OREGON. 195 
 
 therein be the person claiming and presenting the same, the 
 board issues its certificate, which is conchisive. If not a 
 graduate, he must submit to an examination as the board shall 
 require, and if the examination be satisfactory the board issues 
 its certificate, and the lawful holder is entitled to all the rights 
 and privileges mentioned in the act (Act February 28th, 1889, 
 s. 1). 
 
 The governor appoints three persons from among the most 
 competent phj'siciaus of the State, residents of the State for 
 seven years and of at least five years' practical experience in 
 their profession, to be the board of examiners {ib., s. 2). 
 
 The board must issue certificates to all who furnish satisfac- 
 tory proof of having received a diploma or license from a 
 legally chartered medical institution in good standing of what- 
 ever school of medicine, and they are not permitted to make 
 discrimination against holders of a general license or diploma 
 under anj^ school or system of medicine in good standing {ib., 
 s. 3, as amended February 21st, 1891). 
 
 The verification of a diploma consists in an affidavit of the 
 holder and applicant that he is the person therein named, taken 
 before any person authorized to administer oaths, attested 
 under the hand and official seal of the official, if he have a seal; 
 graduates may present their diplomas and affidavits by letter or 
 proxy. The act allows persons taking advantage of section 13 
 ninety days after its passage in which to procure a certificate 
 {ib., s. 4, as amended February 21st, 1891). 
 
 All examinations of persons not graduates or licentiates 
 must be made directly by the board, and certificates authorize 
 the person named to practise medicine and surgery {ib., s. 5). 
 
 The holder of a certificate must have it recorded in the office 
 of the county clerk of the county in which he resides, and the 
 record must be indorsed thereon. On removal to another county 
 to practise he must procure an indorsement to that effect on the 
 certificate from the clerk, and have the certificate recorded in 
 the office of the clerk of the county to which he removes {ib., 
 s. 6). 
 
 The examinations may be wholly or partly in writing and 
 must be of an elementarj- and practical character, but suffi- 
 ciently strict to test the qualifications of the candidate as a 
 practitioner {ib., s. 8).
 
 196 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 The board may refuse a certificate to an individual guilty of 
 unprofessional or dishonorable conduct, and may revoke for 
 like causes, after giving the accused an opportunity to be heard 
 in his defence before the board {ib., s. 9). 
 
 Definition, Exceptions. — An}- person is regarded as prac- 
 tising medicine who professes publicly to be a physician and to 
 prescribe for the sick, or appends to his name the letters 
 " M.D. ;" but the act does not prohibit students from prescribing 
 under the supervision of a preceptor, nor gratuitous services in 
 cases of emergency, nor does it apply to commissioned surgeons 
 of the United States army, navy, and marine hospital service 
 {ib., s. 10). 
 
 Itinerant Vender. — Any itinerant vender of any drug, 
 nostrum, medicine, ointment, or appliance of any kind intended 
 for the treatment of disease or injury, who shall publicly profess 
 to cure or treat diseases, injuries, deformities, or ailments by 
 any drug, nostrum, medicine, or other appliance, shall pay a 
 license to the Secretary of the State of 8100 per month. 
 
 Violation of this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a 
 fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment in a county jail for 
 not more than six months, or both. Such licenses to any firm 
 or company do not permit the transaction of business in differ- 
 ent places at the same time {ib., s. 11, as amended February 
 21st, 1891). 
 
 Penalty. — Practising medicine or surgery without com- 
 plying with the act is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of 
 from $50 to $500 or imprisonment in a county jail from thirt}' 
 days to three hundred and sixty-five days, or both, for each 
 offence. Filing or attempting to file as his own the certificate 
 of another, or a forged affidavit or identification, is a felony 
 punishable the same as forgery in the second degree {ib., s. 12). 
 
 Former Practitioners. — Persons practising in the State 
 at the time of the passage of the act were allowed sixty days 
 afterward to register {ib., s. 13). 
 
 Fees. — To the secretary of the board, for examining a genu- 
 ine diploma, $1. 
 
 To the secretary- of the board, for examining a fraudulent 
 diploma, or a diploma not owned b}^ the possessor, $20 {ib., s. 4). 
 
 To the county clerk, for recording certificate, usual fee {ib.y 
 s. 6).
 
 OREGON — PENNSYLVANIA. 197 
 
 To board of examiners, for examination, $10 {ib., s. 8). 
 
 To the Secretarj^ of the State, from itinerant vender, for 
 license, $100 per month {ib., s. 11, as amended February 21st, 
 1891). 
 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 [Present Law. — The following is the law at present in 
 effect ; for the new law which goes into effect hereafter, see 
 below.] 
 
 Qualification. — The standard of a practitioner of medi- 
 cine, surgery, or obstetrics consists of a good moral character, 
 a thorough elementary education, a comprehensive knowledge 
 of human anatomy, human physiology, pathology, chemistry, 
 materia medica, obstetrics, and practice of medicine and sur- 
 gery and public hygiene (Act March 24th, 1877, s. 1). 
 
 It is unlawful for any person to announce himself as a prac- 
 titioner of medicine, surgery-, or obstetrics, or to practise as such, 
 who has not received in a regular manner a diploma from a 
 chartered medical school, duly authorized to confer upon its 
 alumni the degree of doctor of medicine. The act does not 
 apply to a resident practitioner who has been in continuous 
 practice in the commonwealth for not less than five years prior 
 to its passage {ib., s. 2). 
 
 Before any person can lawfully engage in the practice of 
 medicine, surgery, or obstetrics, or who has not a diploma as 
 provided in sec. 2, he must make an affidavit under oath, or 
 affirm before the prothonotary of the county in which he in- 
 tends to practise, setting forth the time of continuous practice 
 and the place or places where such practice was pursued in 
 the commonwealth, and it shall be entered of record {ib., s. 3). 
 
 Transient Practitioner. — Any person attempting to 
 practise medicine or surgery for a valuable consideration by 
 opening a transient office within the commonwealth, or by 
 handbill or other form of written or printed advertisement, 
 assigning such transient office or other place to persons seeking 
 medical or surgical advice, or prescribing or itinerating from 
 place to place or from house to house and proposing to cure 
 any person sick or afflicted, by the use of any medicine, means, 
 or agency whatsoever, for a valuable consideration, shall before 
 being allowed to practise in this manner appear before the clerk
 
 198 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 of the court of quarter sessions of the county where he desires 
 to practise and furnish satisfactory evidence to such clerk that 
 this act has been complied with, and shall take out a license for 
 one year and pay $50 therefor {ib., s. 4). 
 
 Penalty. — To violate this act is a misdemeanor punishable 
 with a fine of from $200 to $400 for each offence (ib., s. 5). 
 
 Qualification. — Every person who shall practise medicine 
 or surgery, or any of their branches, for gain, or shall receive 
 or accept for his services any fee or reward directly or indirectly, 
 shall be a graduate of a legally chartered medical college or uni- 
 versity having authority to confer the degree of doctor of 
 medicine (except as provided in sec. 5) , and shall present to the 
 prothonotary of the county in which he resides or sojourns his 
 medical diploma as well as a true copy of the same, includ- 
 ing any indorsements thereon, and make affidavit before him 
 that the diploma and indorsements are genuine ; thereupon the 
 prothonotary shall enter in the register the name in full of 
 the practitioner, his place of nativity, place of residence, the 
 name of the college or university that has conferred the degree 
 of doctor of medicine, the year when it was conferred, and in 
 like manner any other degree or degrees that the .practitioner 
 may desire to place on record ; to all of which the practitioner 
 shall make affidavit before the prothonotar}- and the prothono- 
 tary shall place the copy of the diploma and indorsements on 
 file (Act June 8th, 1881, s. 2). 
 
 Any person whose medical diploma has been destroyed or 
 lost shall present to the prothonotar}^ of the county in which he 
 resides or sojourns a duly certified copy of his diploma, but if 
 the same is not obtainable a statement of this fact, with the 
 names of the professors whose lectures he attended and the 
 branches of study upon which each professor lectured, to all of 
 which the practitioner shall make affidavit before the prothono- 
 tarj^ ; after which the practitioner shall be allowed to register 
 and the prothonotary shall place such certificate or statement 
 on file {ib., s. 3). 
 
 Any person desiring to commence the practice of medicine 
 or surger}', having a medical diploma issued by any college, 
 university, society, or association in another State or foreign 
 country, shall lay the same before the faculty of one of the 
 medical colleges or universities of this commonwealth for in-
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 199 
 
 spection, and the faculty being satisfied as to the qualifications 
 of the applicant and the genuineness of the diploma shall direct 
 the dean of the facult}' to indorse the same, after which such per- 
 son shall be allowed to register as required by sec. 2 {ib., s. 4). 
 
 The act extends the privilege of continuing to practise to 
 those who have been in the continuous practice of medicine or 
 surgery in the commonwealth since 1871, but such a person 
 must make aSidavit to a written statement of the facts before 
 the prothonotary of the county in which he resides ; and the 
 prothonotary shall enter in the register the name in full of the 
 jiractitioner, his place of nativit}', place of residence, the time 
 of continuous practice in the commonwealth, and the place or 
 places where such practice was pursued, to all of which the 
 practitioner shall make affidavit, and the prothonotary shall 
 place the certificate or statement on file in his office {ih., s. 5). 
 
 Penalty. — Presenting to the faculty of an institution for 
 indorsement or to the prothonotary a diploma which has been 
 obtained by fraud, or in whole or in part a forgery, or making 
 an affidavit to a false statement, or practising without conform- 
 ing with the act, or otherwise violating or neglecting to comply 
 with the act, is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of 6100 
 or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one 3'ear, 
 or both, for each offence {ib., s. 7). 
 
 Exception. — The act does not prevent any physician or 
 surgeon, legally qualified to practise medicine or surgery in the 
 State where he resides, from practising in the commonwealth, 
 but a person opening an office or appointing a place to meet 
 patients or receive calls is a sojourner and must conform to its 
 requirements {ib., s. 8). 
 
 Fees. — To the prothonotary, for affidavit of continuous prac- 
 tice, $2 (Act March 24th, 1877, s. 3). 
 
 To count}' treasurer, for transient license, $50. 
 
 To clerk of the court of quarter sessions, for issuing tran- 
 sient license, $5 {ib., s. 4). 
 
 To the prothonotary, for registration, $1 (Act June 8th, 
 1881, s. 6). 
 
 [New Law. — The following law has been enacted whose 
 practical application does not begin until March 1st, 1894 :] 
 
 Medical Council. — The law provides for a medical council 
 of the State (Act of May 18th, 1893, s. 1).
 
 :;iOO SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 The council is to supervise the examinations conducted by 
 the State boards of medical examiners for licenses to practise 
 medicine and surgery, and issue licenses to applicants who shall 
 have presented satisfactory and properly certified copies of 
 licenses from the State boards of medical examiners or State 
 boards of health of other States, or who shall have successfully 
 passed the examination of one of the State boards established by 
 this act {lb., s. 5). 
 
 Medical Boards. — From and after March 1st, 1894, there 
 are to be three separate boards of medical examiners, one repre- 
 senting the medical society of the State, one representing the 
 homoeopathdc medical society pf the State, and one representing 
 the eclectic medical society of the State. Each board is to consist 
 of seven members appointed by the governor from the full lists 
 of the members of the said medical societies, and is to be com- 
 posed exclusiveh^ of members of the same medical society. 
 Each appointee must be a registered physician in good stand- 
 ing, and shall have practised medicine or surgery under the laws 
 of the State for not less than ten years prior to his appointment. 
 
 The governor is to fill vacancies and ma}' remove a member 
 for continual neglect of duties or on the recommendation of the 
 medical society with which he may be in aflfiliation, for unpro- 
 fessional or dishonorable conduct {ih., s. 6). 
 
 Examinations. — For the purpose of examining applicants 
 each board is to hold two or more stated or special meetings in 
 each year after due public notice. A majority constitutes a 
 quorum, but the examination may be conducted by a committee 
 of one or more members authorized by the board {ih., s. 9). 
 
 The boards not less than one week prior to each examination 
 must submit to the council questions for thorough examination 
 in anatomy, physiology, hygiene, chemistry, surgery, obstetrics, 
 pathologj-^, diagnosis, therapeutics, practice of medicine, and 
 materia medica ; and the council must select therefrom the ques- 
 tions for each examination, and such questions for each exam- 
 ination shall be the same for all candidates, except that in the 
 departments of therapeutics, practice of medicine, and materia 
 medica the questions shall be in harmony with the teachings 
 of the school selected by the candidate {ih., s. 10). 
 
 The examinations are to be in writing under rules pre- 
 scribed b}- the council. After an examination the board must
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 201 
 
 act on it without unnecessary delay and transmit to the council 
 an official report of its action stating the examination average 
 of each candidate in each branch, the general average, and the 
 result, and whether successful or unsuccessful. The report 
 must embrace all the examination papers, questions, and an- 
 swers, which shall be kept for reference and inspection for not 
 less than five years (^7>., s. 11). 
 
 Qualification. — The council must forthwith issue to each 
 applicant returned as having successfully passed said examina- 
 tion, and adjudged by the council to be duly qualified, a license 
 to practise medicine and surgery. The council must require the 
 same standard of qualifications from all candidates except in 
 therapeutics, practice of medicine, and materia medica, in which 
 the standard shall be determined by the boards respectively. 
 Before the license is issued, it must be recorded in a book in 
 the office of the council, and the number of the book and page 
 containing the record noted on the face of the license; the 
 records shall have the same weight as evidence as that given to 
 conveyance of land (ib., s. 12). 
 
 On and after July 1st, 1894, any person not theretofore 
 authorized to practise medicine and surgery in the State may 
 deliver to the secretar}^ of the council a written application for 
 a license with satisfactory proof that the applicant is more than 
 twenty-one years of age, is of good moral character, has ob- 
 tained a competent common-school education, and has received 
 a diploma conferring the degree of medicine from some legally 
 incorporated medical college of the United States, or a diploma 
 or license conferring the full right to practise all the branches 
 of medicine and surgery in some foreign country. Applicants 
 who have received their degree in medicine after July 1st, 1894, 
 must have pursued the study of medicine for at least three 
 years, including three regular courses of lectures in different 
 years in some legally incorporated medical college or colleges 
 prior to the granting of said diploma or foreign license. Such 
 proof shall be made, if required, upon affidavit, and if the coun- 
 cil is satisfied with the same it shall issue to the applicant an 
 order for examination before such one of the boards of exami- 
 ners as the applicant may select. In case of failure at the exam- 
 ination the candidate, after the expiration of six months and 
 within two j^ears, shall have the privilege of a second exami-
 
 202 SYNOPSIS OP LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 nation by the same board without additional fee. Applicants 
 examined and licensed by State boards of medical examiners or 
 State boards of health of other States, on filing in the office of 
 the medical council a copy of said license certified by the affi- 
 davit of the president and secretary of such board, showing 
 also that the standard of acquirements adopted by said board is 
 substantially the same as is provided by sees. 11, 12, and 13 of 
 this act, shall without further examination receive a license 
 conferring on the holder all the rights and privileges provided 
 by sees. 14 and 15 (ib., s. 13). 
 
 From and after March 1st, 1894, no person shall enter upon 
 the practice of medicine or surgery unless he has complied with 
 this act and shall have exhibited to the prothonotary of the 
 court of common pleas of the county in which he desires to 
 practise a license duly granted, which shall entitle him to be 
 duly registered in the office of such prothonotar3\ 
 
 Penalty. — Violating the provisions of this act shall be a 
 misdemeanor punishable with a fine of not more than $500 for 
 each offence {tb., s. 14). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not interfere with or punish 
 commissioned medical officers serving in the army or navy of the 
 United States, or its marine hospital service, while so com- 
 missioned, or medical examiners of relief departments of railroad 
 companies, while so employed, or any one while actually serv- 
 ing as a member of the resident medical staff of any legally in- 
 corporated hospital, or any legally qualified and registered dentist 
 exclusively engaged in the practice of dentistry, nor interfere* 
 with or prevent the dispensing and sale of medicine or med- 
 ical appliances by apothecaries [or] pharmacists, nor interfere 
 with the manufacture of artificial eyes, limbs, or orthopsedical 
 instruments or trusses of any kind for (sic) fitting such instru- 
 ments on persons in need thereof, or any lawfully qualified phy- 
 sicians and surgeons residing in other States or countries meet- 
 ing registered physicians of this State in consultation, or any 
 physician or surgeon residing on the border of a neighboring 
 State and duly authorized under the laws thereof to practise 
 medicine and surger}^ therein, whose practice extends into the 
 limits of this State, provided such practitioner shall not open 
 an office or appoint a place to meet patients or receive calls 
 within the limits of Pennsylvania, or physicians duly registered
 
 PENNSYLVANIA — RHODE ISLAND — SOUTH CAROLINA. 203^ 
 
 in one county of this State called to attend cases in another, 
 but not residing or ojDening an office therein. 
 
 The act does not prohibit the practice of medicine and sur- 
 gery by any practitioner who shall have been duly registered 
 before March 1st, 1894, according to the Act of June 8th, 1881, 
 and one such registration shall be sufficient warrant to practise 
 medicine and surgery in any county {ih., s. 15). 
 
 Former Laws. — All acts or parts of acts inconsistent with 
 this are repealed («6., s. 17). 
 
 Fees. — To the secretary of the council, upon application for 
 a license, $25. 
 
 To the secretary of the county, upon application for a 
 license by licensees in other States, $15 (i6., s. 1.3). 
 
 To the prothonotary, upon exhibition of a license, for reg- 
 istry, $1 {ih., s. 14). 
 
 Rhode Island. 
 
 Registration. — Every physician must cause his name and 
 residence to be recorded in the town clerk's office of the town 
 where he resides (Public Statutes, 1882, c. 85, s. 12). 
 
 Penalty. — Wilful neglect or refusal to perform this duty is 
 punishable with a fine not exceeding $20 {ih., s. 11). 
 
 South Carolina. 
 
 Qualification. — All physicians engaging in the practice 
 of ^nedicine or surgery, before doing so, must submit their di- 
 plomas to a board consisting of three reputable physicians in 
 each county. The board is appointed by the governor on the rec- 
 ommendation of the medical societies of the counties, and 
 where no medical society exists, upon the recommendation of 
 the senator and members of the House of Representatives for 
 such counties (Act of 1890, c. 454, s. 1). 
 
 The said board must examine said diploma, when submitted, 
 and if the holder is a hona fide holder, and if the college issu- 
 ing said diploma is a reputable medical college, and if he also 
 submits a certificate of good moral character, the board must 
 certify to the fact, and upon such certificate the diploma shall 
 be registered by the clerk of the court of the county in which 
 the applicant resides (/&., s. 2).
 
 204 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 Exception. — The act does not apply to physicians and sur- 
 geons ah-eady registered under former laws {ib., s. 4). 
 
 South Dakota, 
 
 Prohibition. — It is unlawful for any person to practise 
 medicine, surgery, or obstetrics in any of their dejoartments 
 without having received a license to practise medicine from 
 the board of health, and having it recorded in the office of the 
 register of deeds in the county where such person resides (Act 
 February 16th, 1893, s. 1). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not affect those in the lawful 
 practice of medicine, surger}', or obstetrics in this State at the 
 time of its passage {ib., s. 2). 
 
 Nor does it prohibit students from prescribing under the 
 supervision of a preceptor, nor prohibit gratuitous services in 
 case of emergency, nor apply to commissioned surgeons in the 
 United States army and navj- {ib., s. 3). 
 
 Penalty. — Violation of the act or practising without the 
 license is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of from 825 to 
 $100 or imprisonment in the county jail not more than thirty 
 days or both {ib., s. 4). 
 
 Qualification. — The State board of health is constituted 
 a board of public examiners ex-officio to examine and license 
 phj^sicians to practise medicine. Any person who is a 
 graduate of a lawful medical college, who has attended three 
 full courses of medical lectures of six months each, no ^wo 
 full courses within the same year, and who is of good moral 
 character, and is not an habitual drunkard, shall, upon proof of 
 such facts to the superintendent of the State board of health, 
 as the board shall require, receive from said superintendent a 
 license; which shall be recorded as above. The requirement 
 of three courses of lectures does not apply to those who had 
 graduated prior to the passage of the act {ib., s. 5). 
 
 Cancellation of License.— The State board of health, 
 upon complaint made to it on oath by one responsible person, 
 has power to cancel any license that may have been fraudulently 
 obtained or when the person to whom such license was issued 
 is an habitual drunkard, or is guilty of immoral practices or 
 gross unprofessional conduct. Such license shall not be can-
 
 SOUTH DAKOTA — TENNESSEE. 205 
 
 celled except after a hearing before such board of health, at 
 which a majority of such board shall be present, and of which 
 the person holding the license to be cancelled shall have had 
 at least ten days' notice, and only upon due proof of the facts 
 stated in the complaint. An appeal may be taken to the circuit 
 court of the county in which the person whose license is can- 
 celled lives by any person aggrieved, in the same manner as 
 now provided by law in case of appeal from the decisions of the 
 county commissioners (ib., s. 6). 
 
 Fee. — To the superintendent of the State board of health, 
 for a license, $5 {ib., s. 5). 
 
 Tennessee. 
 
 QUAUPICATION. — No person can lawfully practise medicine 
 in any of its departments, except dentistry, unless he possesses 
 the qualifications required by the act. If a graduate in med- 
 icine, he must present his diploma to the State board of med- 
 ical examiners for verification as to its genuineness. If found 
 genuine and from a legally chartered allopathic, homoeopathic, 
 or eclectic medical college in good standing with the school of 
 medicine in which said college is classed, of which the State 
 board of medical examiners shall be the judge, and the person 
 named therein be the person claiming and presenting it, the 
 board must issue a certificate to that effect, conclusive as to the 
 rights of the lawful holder to practise medicine (Act of 1889, c. 
 178, s. 1). 
 
 ^Persons in actual practice at the time of the passage of the 
 act were allowed till July 1st, 1891, to comply with the pro- 
 visions of the act respecting them (ib., s. 2, as amended Act 
 1891, c. 109, s. 1). 
 
 A person wishing to enter upon the practice of medicine 
 must present to the board of medical examiners a diploma from 
 some medical college in good standing as provided by sec. 1, or 
 shall present himself to the said board for examination upon 
 anatomy, physiology, chemistry, pathology, surgery, obstetrics, 
 and therapeutics. If the diploma be found genuine, or if the 
 applicant for examination be found worthy and competent, the 
 board shall issue a certificate which shall entitle the lawful 
 holder to all the privileges of this act {ib., s. 3, as amended 
 Act 1891, c. 109, s. 2).
 
 20G SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 The governor appoints six graduate physicians as a State 
 board of medical examiners ; the three schools allopathic, homoe- 
 opathic, and eclectic must be represented on the board ; five con- 
 stitute a quorum and a majority of those present are necessary 
 to reject an applicant, but such rejection shall not bar a re- 
 examination after the lapse of three months; provided the mem- 
 bers representing each school shall have the right to examine 
 all applicants of that school, and the board shall issue the cer- 
 tificate to applicants who are recommended by the member or 
 members of the board who belong to said school after such 
 examination (i7)., s. 4). 
 
 To prevent delay and inconvenience two members of the 
 board may grant a temporary license to any applicant if the 
 applicant has not been refused a license by the board within 
 six months, which shall be in force till the next regular meeting 
 of the board {ib., s. 5). 
 
 The members of the board shall not be members of the State 
 board of health, nor any medical faculty {ib., s. 6). 
 
 The regular meeting of the board shall be once in each year 
 at such time and place as the board may decide, but the presi- 
 dent of the board may call a special meeting when demanded 
 bj'' public necessity {ib., s. 7). 
 
 Every person holding a certificate must have it recorded in 
 the office of the county court clerk where he resides, and the 
 date of record must be indorsed thereon. Until such record is 
 made the holder shall not exercise any of the rights and privi- 
 leges conferred. A person removing to another county to. prac- 
 tise shall record his certificate in like manner in the county to 
 which he removes. Practitioners may go from one county 
 to another on professional business, without being required to 
 register, if they have done so in the county in which they reside 
 {ib., s, 9). 
 
 Itinerant Physician or Vender. ^ — It is unlawful for an 
 itinerant physician or vender of any drug, nostrum, ointment, 
 or appliance of any kind intended for the treatment of disease 
 or injury to sell or apply the same, or by writing, printing, or 
 other method to profess to cure or treat disease or deformity by 
 any drug, nostrum, manipulation, or other expedient. 
 
 A violation of this section is punishable with a fine of 
 $100 to $400, but this section does not apply to merchants
 
 TENNESSEE — TEXAS. 207 
 
 and druggists, and this act does not apply to veterinary sur- 
 geons and stock doctors {ib., s. 13, as amended Act 1891, c. 
 109, s. 3). 
 
 Penalty, Exception. — To practise medicine or surgery 
 without a certificate is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine 
 of from $10 to $25. 
 
 To file or attempt to file as his own the diploma or certificate 
 of another or a forged affidavit of identification is a felony 
 punishable same as forgery. The act does not apply to women 
 who pursue the avocation of midwife {ib., s. 1-4, as amended 
 Act 1891, c. 109, s. 4). 
 
 Fees. — To the county court clerk, for recording certificate, 
 the usual fee {ib., s. 9). 
 
 To the board of examiners, for issuing a certificate, $1, 
 
 To the board of examiners, for examination of non-grad- 
 uate, $10. 
 
 If applicant fails to pass a satisfactory examination, and no 
 certificate or license is issued to him, $5 only is retained. 
 
 For a certificate of temporarj' license, $1, which is to be 
 credited to the applicant when he applies for a permanent 
 license (?7>., s. 12, as amended Act 1891, c. 109, s. 2). 
 
 Texas. 
 
 Constitutional Provision. — The legislature may pass 
 laws prescribing the qualifications of practitioners of medicine, 
 but no preference shall ever be given by law to any schools of 
 medicine (Const. 1876, art. xiv., s. 31 in part). 
 
 Boards of Examiners. — A board of medical examiners for 
 each judicial district is appointed by the judge of the district 
 court (R. S., art. 3,025). 
 
 Each board is composed of not less than three practising 
 physicians of known ability, graduates of some medical college 
 recognized by the American Medical Association, residents of 
 the district from which they are appointed {ib., art. 3,026). 
 
 The boards are required to meet regularly semi-annually at 
 some central point in their districts to conduct examinations 
 and grant certificates, and after at least one month's public 
 notice of the time and place of meeting by publication in at 
 least one newspaper published in the district {ib., art. 3,629).
 
 208 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 Qualification. — The board is required to examine thor- 
 oughl}' all applicants for a certificate of qualification to practise 
 medicine in any of its branches or departments, whether fur- 
 nished with medical diplomas or not, upon anatomy, physi- 
 ology, pathological anatomy and pathology, surgery, obstetrics, 
 and chemistry ; but no preference shall be given to any school 
 of medicine (ib., art. 3,632). 
 
 When the board is satisfied as to the qualifications of an 
 applicant, they are required to grant a certificate, which en- 
 titles him to practise medicine in any county when it has been 
 recorded (ib., art. 3,633). 
 
 Any two members of the board may grant a certificate, and 
 any member may grant a temporary certificate upon examina- 
 tion, which shall be in force until the next regular meeting of 
 the board (ib., art. 3,634). 
 
 The certificate must, before the person to whom it was 
 granted is entitled to practise, be recorded in the office of the 
 clerk of the district court of the county in which such prac- 
 titioner resides or sojourns, and when recorded the clerk 
 shall certify thereon under his official seal the fact and date of 
 record, and shall return the certificate to its owner {ib., art. 
 3,635). 
 
 Exceptions. — This title does not apply to those who have 
 already qualified under the act of May 16th, 187^, nor to those 
 regularly engaged in the general practice of medicine in the 
 State in any branch or department for five consecutive years 
 prior to January 1st, 1875, nor to females who follow the 
 practice of midwifery strictly as such {ib., art. 3,637). 
 
 Penalty. — No person except those named in art. 3,637 can 
 lawfully practise medicine in any of its branches or departments 
 without having first obtained and recorded a certificate of quali- 
 fication as above provided. A person so offending shall be 
 punished as provided in the Penal Code {ib., art. 3,638). 
 
 If any person shall practise for pay or as a regular practi- 
 tioner medicine in any of its branches or departments, or offer 
 or attempt to practise medicine without first having obtained a 
 certificate of professional qualification from some authorized 
 board of medical examiners, or without having a diploma from 
 some actual medical college chartered by the legislature of the 
 State, or its authority, in which the same is situated, he shall
 
 TEXAS — UTAH. 209 
 
 be punished by a fine of not less than $50, nor more than $500 
 (Penal Code, art. 30(!). 
 
 Each patient visited or prescribed for, or each day's offer to 
 practise constitutes a separate offence {ib., art. 397). 
 
 If any person shall engage in the practice of medicine in any 
 of its branches or departments for pay or as a registered practi- 
 tioner, without having first filed for record, with the clerk of the 
 district court of the county in which he resides or sojourns, a 
 certificate from some authorized board of medical examiners or 
 a diploma from some actual medical college, he shall be pun- 
 ished as prescribed in art. 390 (ib., art. 398). 
 
 Fees. — To the clerk of the district court, for recording 
 certificate, $1 (R. S., art. 3,035). 
 
 To the board of examiners, for examination, $15, whether 
 certificate is granted or not (R. S., art. 3,636). 
 
 Utah. 
 
 Board of Examiners. — The governor appoints by and 
 with the advice and consent of the council a board of seven 
 medical examiners from the various recognized schools of 
 medicine ; appointees are required to be graduates of a legally 
 chartered medical college in good standing (Act 1892, c. 72, 
 s. 1). 
 
 Qualification. — The board has power to issue certificates 
 to all who furnish satisfactory proof of having received degrees 
 or licenses from a chartered medical college in good and 
 legal standing, and pass examinations before said board (ib., 
 s. 2). 
 
 Graduates of respectable medical colleges at the time of the 
 passage of the act engaged in actual practice in the Territory 
 shall be licensed on presenting their degree to the board, and 
 producing satisfactory evidence of identit)^ (i6., s. 4). 
 
 Every person holding a certificate from said board must 
 
 have it recorded in the office of the recorder of the county in 
 
 which he resides within three months from its date, and the 
 
 date of record must be indorsed thereon. Until the certificate 
 
 is recorded, the holder shall not exercise any of the privileges 
 
 conferred. A person removing to another county to practise 
 
 must record his certificate in like manner in the county to 
 
 which he removes {ib., s. 5). 
 u
 
 210 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 Examinations shall be wholly or partly in writing {ib., s. 7). 
 
 The board may refuse to issue certificates to individuals 
 guilty of unprofessional or dishonorable conduct, the nature of 
 which shall be stated in writing, and it may revoke certificates 
 for like causes to be stated in writing {ib., s. 8). 
 
 Definition. — Any person is regarded as practising medicine 
 who treats, operates upon, or prescribes for any physical ailment 
 of another for a fee, or who holds himself out by means of signs, 
 cards, advertisements, or otherwise ns a phj^sician or surgeon. 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not prohibit service in case of 
 emergency or the administration of family remedies, and does 
 not apply to commissioned surgeons of the United States army 
 in discharge of their official duties, or to visiting physicians in 
 actual consultation {ib., s. 9). 
 
 Offence. — Practising medicine or surgery without a cer- 
 tificate or contrary to this act is a misdemeanor {ib., s. 10). 
 
 Persons not graduates who had practised continuously for 
 ten years in the Territory prior to the taking effect of the act 
 were allowed six months in which to comply with its provisions 
 concerning them. Practising without complying with these 
 provisions, and practising after rejection of an application or 
 the revocation of certificate, is a violation of the law {ib., s. 11). 
 
 Obstetricians. — Persons practising obstetrics were re- 
 quired within three months after the passage of the act to apply 
 to the board for a certificate, and after passing a proper exami- 
 nation were entitled to one. 
 
 Practising obstetrics without first obtaining a license or 
 contrary to this act is a misdemeanor ; provided all persons who 
 furnish to said board satisfactory evidence by affidavit or other- 
 wise of having practised obstetrics previous to the passage of 
 the act, shall receive a license without an examination. This 
 section does not apply to phj'sicians holding certificates nor 
 prohibit services in cases of emergency, nor apply to persons 
 practising obstetrics in communities where there are no licensed 
 practitioners {ib., s. 12). 
 
 Board Meetings. — The board is required to meet at the 
 territorial capital on the first Monday of Januarj^, March, June, 
 and September of each year at 10 a.m., and such other times 
 as the president of the board shall deem necessary {ib., s. 13). 
 
 Colleges. — "Respectable medical colleges" include col-
 
 UTAH — VERMONT. 211 
 
 leges in legal standing of any recognized school of medicine 
 (//>., s. 15). 
 
 Fees. — To the treasurer of the board of examiners, for ex- 
 amination and certificate, $25 (z7>., s. 3). 
 
 To the treasurer of the board of examiners, for license to a 
 graduate, $5 {ib., s. 4). 
 
 The secretary of the board is required to enter without fee, 
 on the register to be kept by him, the names of all persons to 
 whom licenses are issued as physicians and surgeons {ib. , s. 4) . 
 
 To the county recorder, for recording, his usual fees (ib., 
 s. 5). 
 
 To the treasurer of the board of examiners, upon examina- 
 tion for license to practise obstetrics, $10. 
 
 To the treasurer of the board of examiners, upon license to 
 practise obstetrics without examination, $1 {ib., s. 12). 
 
 Vermont. 
 
 Qualification. — The medical societies organized under a 
 charter from the General Assembly at each annual session 
 elect a board of censors of three members, who may examine 
 and license practitioners of medicine, surgery, and midwifery 
 (Revised Laws, 1880, s. 3,908). 
 
 A practitioner of medicine, surgery, or midwifery who by 
 sign or advertisement offers his services to the public as a prac- 
 titioner of medicine, surgery, or midwifery, or who by such 
 sign or advertisement assumes the title of doctor, shall obtain a 
 certificate from one of such medical societies, either from a 
 county, district, or State society {ib., s. 3,909). 
 
 A person not a resident of the State who has not received a 
 diploma from a chartered medical college must obtain a certifi- 
 cate from a board of censors before he shall be permitted to 
 practise the medical art in the State {ib., s. 3,910). 
 
 Each board of censors must issue certificates without fee to 
 physicians and surgeons who furnish evidence by diploma from 
 a medical college or university, or bj' a certificate of examina- 
 tion by an authorized board, which satisfies said censors that 
 the person presenting such credentials has been, after due ex- 
 amination, deemed qualified to practise the branch mentioned 
 in such diploma or certificate {ib., s. 3,911).
 
 212 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 The censors in their discretion shall notify the practitioner 
 of medicine, surgerj^, or midwifery of this chapter, and require 
 such persons to comply therewith within thirty days after noti- 
 fication or such further time as is allowed by the censors not 
 exceeding ninetj^ days [ib., s. 3,912). 
 
 The certificate must set forth the branches of the medical 
 art in which the person is qualified to practise (I'fo., s. 3,913). 
 
 The certificate must be recorded in the clerk's office of the 
 county in which the holder resides, or, if not a resident of the 
 State, in the county in which he obtained his certificate {ib.^ 
 s. 3,914). 
 
 A certificate issued by a board of censors is valid through- 
 out the State after being duly recorded. The censors may 
 revoke or annul a certificate if in their judgment the holder has 
 obtained it fraudulently or has forfeited his right to public con- 
 fidence by the conviction of crime (^7>, s. 3,915). 
 
 Penalty, — To practise medicine, surgery, or midwifery in 
 the State, or sign a certificate of death for burial or removal 
 unless authorized by a certificate issued and recorded, is pun- 
 ishable with a fine of from $50 to $200 for the first offence, and 
 for subsequent offences with a fine of from $200 to $500, re- 
 coverable by an action of debt for the use of any person who 
 sues or by indictment («'&., s. 3,916). 
 
 No person practising either of the branches of medicine, 
 surgery, or midwifery is permitted to enforce in the courts the 
 collection of a fee or compensation for services rendered or 
 medicine or material furnished in the practice of any of the 
 branches for which he has not a certificate {ib., s. 3,917). 
 
 Exceptions. — The law does not apply to the practice of 
 dentistry, nor to the practice of midwifery by women in the 
 town or locality in which they reside, nor to practitioners of 
 medicine who resided and practised medicine in the State for 
 five years previous to November 28th, 1876 {ib., s. 3,918). 
 
 Virginia. 
 
 Board of Examiners. — There is a State board of medical 
 examiners consisting of three members from each congressional 
 district and two from the State at large, and five homoeopathic 
 physicians from the State at large (Code 1887, s. 1,744).
 
 VERMONT — VIRGINIA. 213 
 
 The board is composed of men learned in medicine and sur- 
 gery appointed by the governor from a list of names recom- 
 mended by the Medical Society of Virginia, together with five 
 homoeopathic physicians nominated to him by the Hahnemann 
 Medical Society of the Old Dominion. The recommendations 
 are required to be by votes of a majority present at some meet- 
 ing of such society ; but if the governor considers any person 
 so recommended unsuitable he may decline to appoint him, in 
 which case such society shall within ninety days after notifica- 
 tion make another recommendation, and if the society fail to 
 make a recommendation the governor is required to appoint 
 such board in whole or in part without regard to such recom- 
 mendation. If any examiner cease to reside in the district for 
 which he was appointed his office is deemed vacant {ih., s. 
 1,745). 
 
 The regular meetings of the board are required to be held at 
 least once a year, and at such times and places as the board 
 may prescribe, and special meetings may be held on the call of 
 the president and any five members (^7)., s. 1,746). 
 
 Qualification. — The board at any of its meetings must 
 examine all persons making application to them who desire to 
 practise medicine or surgery ; when an applicant shall have 
 passed an examination satisfactory as to proficiency before the 
 board in session the president must grant a certificate to that 
 effect. If any applicant fail to pass a satisfactory examination 
 before the board he shall not be permitted to stand a further 
 examination within the next three months, nor shall he be re- 
 quired again to pay the fees prescribed, but no applicant shall 
 be rejected on his examination on account of his adherence 
 to any particular school of medicine or system of practice, nor 
 on account of his views as to the method of treatment and the 
 cure of disease. 
 
 When, in the opinion of the president of the board, the 
 applicant has been prevented by good cause from appearing 
 before the board, he shall appoint a committee of three mem- 
 bers who shall examine the applicant and may grant a certifi- 
 cate having the same effect as though granted bj^ a full board, 
 until the applicant have an opportunity to appear before the 
 board, when, if he fail to appear for examination, the president 
 shall have the authority to revoke said certificate; or in any
 
 214 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 case the president shall have authority, at his discretion, to 
 grant a special permit to any applicant to practise medicine 
 until he shall have an opportunity to appear before the board in 
 session for examination, revokable at the discretion of the pres- 
 ident. The board has in its discretion authority to accept in 
 lieu of examination a certificate from a medical board of any 
 other State, showing that the applicant has passed a satisfac- 
 tory examination as to his proficienc}', and obtained a license 
 from said board to practise medicine and surgery in said State 
 (lb., s. 1,747, as amended Act 1892, c. 70). 
 
 A person obtaining a certificate from the president of the 
 board must cause it to be recorded in the clerk's office of the 
 county or the corporation court, of the count}^ or corporation 
 in which he resides, or, if he resides in the city of Richmond, 
 in the clerk's office of the chancery court of the said city (?6. , 
 s. 1,749). 
 
 No person who shall have commenced the practice of medi- 
 cine or surgery since January 1st, 1885, or who shall hereafter 
 commence the practice of the same, shall practise as a physician 
 or surgeon for compensation without having obtained a certifi- 
 cate and caused it to be recorded. 
 
 Penalty. — The violation of this act is punishable with a 
 fine of from $50 to $500 for each ofi^ence, and the violator is 
 debarred from receiving compensation for services rendered as 
 a physician or surgeon ; a person assessed with a license tax as 
 a physician or surgeon by any commissiouer of revenue prior to 
 July 1st, 1892, shall be taken as having commenced the prac- 
 tice of medicine or surgery prior to that date; but an}- person 
 who shall not have been so assessed shall be taken as not hav- 
 ing commenced such practice prior to that date {ib., s. 1,750, 
 as amended Act 1892, c. 70). 
 
 Non-Residents. — A physician or surgeon residing in an 
 adjoining State within ten miles of the boundary line of this 
 State, is entitled to stand the examination and receive a cer- 
 tificate, and the certificate must be recorded in that county in 
 the State nearest to his place of residence, and such certificate 
 and recordation shall make it lawful for him to practise med- 
 icine and surgery in this State (ib., s. 1,751). 
 
 Exceptions. — This chapter does not affect practitioners of 
 dentistry, nor include physicians or surgeons residing in other
 
 VIRGINIA — WASHINGTON. 215 
 
 States called into consultation in a special case with a physician 
 or surgeon residing in this State, nor does it affect in any 
 way the laws in reference-to the license tax {ib., s. 1,752) nor 
 does it apply to midwives (ib., s. 1,753). 
 
 Fees. — To the board of examiners, before examination, $5 
 {ib., s. 1,747, as amended Act 1892, c. 70). 
 
 To the clerk of the court, for recording, same fee as for re- 
 cording a deed {ib., s. 1,749). 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Examining Board. — The governor is required to appoint 
 a State medical examining board of nine members, learned and 
 skilled in the practice and theory of medicine and surgery (Act 
 March 28th, 1890, s. 1). 
 
 The said board is required to hold meetings for examination 
 on the first Tuesday of January and July in each year, alter- 
 nately in western and eastern Washington at such places as 
 the board may designate. The board may call special meetings 
 when, in the opinion of a majority of the board, they are nec- 
 essary. The board is required to keep a record of all applicants 
 for a license, with their ages, the time spent in the study and 
 practice of medicine and surgery, and the name and location of 
 all institutions granting to such applicants degrees or certifi- 
 cates of lectures in medicine or surgery, and whether such 
 applicant was rejected or licensed; and said register is prz'wia 
 facie evidence of all matters therein recorded {ib., s. 2). 
 
 Qualification. — Every person desiring to commence the 
 practice of medicine or surgery, or either of them, in any of 
 their or its branches, must make a written application to the 
 board for a license, supported by an affidavit of the applicant, 
 setting forth the actual time spent in the study of medicine 
 and surgery, and when ; whether such study was in an institu- 
 tion of learning and, if so, its name and location ; if not in such 
 institution, where and under whose tutorship such study was 
 prosecuted, the time engaged in the actual practice, if at all, 
 of medicine and surgery or either, and where, and the age of 
 the applicant at the time of the application, such application 
 and affidavit to be filed and preserved of record in the office 
 of the secretary of the board. At the time and place designated
 
 216 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 by the board or at a regular meeting of the board, applicants 
 must be examined in anatomy, physiology, chemistry, histology, 
 materia medica, therapeutics, preventive medicines, the practice 
 of medicine, surgery, obstetrics, diseases of women and children, 
 of the nervous system, of the eye and ear, medical jurisprudence, 
 and such other branches as the board deem advisable. The ex- 
 amination must be both scientific and practical, and of suflficient 
 severity to test the candidate's fitness to practise medicine and 
 surgery, by written or printed, or partly written and partly 
 printed, questions and answers, and the same are required to be 
 filed and preserved of record in the said secretary's office. 
 After the examination, if it be satisfactory, the board shall 
 grant a license, by the consent of not less than five members, 
 except as hereinafter provided. 
 
 Refusal or Revocation. — The board may refuse or re- 
 voke a license for unprofessional or dishonorable conduct, sub- 
 ject to the right of appeal {ib., s. 3). 
 
 " Unprofessional or dishonorable conduct" means : procuring 
 or aiding or abetting in procuring a criminal abortion ; or em- 
 ploying what are popularly known as cappers or steerers; or 
 obtaining any fee on the assurance that a manifestly incurable 
 disease can be permanently cured; or wilfully betraying a 
 professional secret; or advertisements of medical business in 
 which untruthful and improbable statements are made; or ad- 
 vertising any medicine or means whereby the monthly periods 
 of women can be regulated, or the menses re-established if sup- 
 pressed; or the conviction of any offence involving moral turpi- 
 tude; or habitual intemperance {ib., s. 4). 
 
 In case of a refusal or a revocation of a license, the board is 
 required to file a brief and concise statement of the grounds and 
 reasons thereof in the office of its secretarj^, which, with the 
 decision of the board in writing, shall remain of record in said 
 office. Before a license can be revoked for unprofessional or 
 dishonorable conduct, a complaint of some person under oath 
 must be filed in the office of the secretary of the board, charging 
 the acts of unprofessional or dishonorable conduct and the facts 
 complained against the accused in ordinary and concise lan- 
 guage, and at least ten days prior to the hearing the board shall 
 cause to be served upon the accused a written notice and a copy 
 of such complaint containing a statement of the time and place
 
 WASHINGTON. 217 
 
 of the hearing. The accused ma}^ appear at the hearing and de- 
 fend in person or by counsel, and may have the sworn testimony 
 of witnesses taken and present other evidence in his behalf, and 
 the board may receive arguments of counsel {ib., s. 5). 
 
 In case of refusal or revocation of a license by the board, 
 there is a right of appeal within thirty days after the 
 filing of the decree in the office of the secretary, to the superior 
 court in and for the county in which was held the last general 
 meeting of the board prior to the refusal of the license, in case 
 of refusal; and to the superior court in and for the county in 
 which the hearing was had upon which such license was re- 
 voked, in case of revocation. The person desiring to appeal 
 must serve or cause to be served on the said secretary a written 
 notice of appeal containing a statement of its grounds, and 
 must file in the said secretary's office an appeal bond with a 
 good and sufficient surety to be approved by the Secretarj^ of 
 the State of Washington, conditioned for the speedy prosecution 
 of such appeal and the payment of such costs as may be adjudi- 
 cated against him upon such appeal. Said secretary must 
 within ten days after service of said notice and filing, and the 
 approval of the said appeal bond, transmit to the clerk of the 
 court to which the appeal is taken a certified cop}-, under the 
 seal of the board, of the decision and the grounds, in case of 
 refusal, and in addition a certified copy under said seal of the 
 complaint, in the case of revocation, with the bond and notice of 
 appeal. The clerk must thereupon docket such appeal causes 
 and they stand for trial in all respects as ordinary civil 
 actions, and like proceedings are had thereon. On appeal the 
 cause is tried de novo. Either party may appeal from a 
 judgment of the superior court to the supreme court in like 
 manner as in civil actions within sixt}^ days after the rendition 
 and entry of such judgment. If the judgment be in favor of 
 the party appealing from the decision of the board, and the 
 examining board does not appeal within sixty days, in that 
 case at the end of sixty daj^s the board shall immediatel}' issue 
 to the successful party the usual license, and in addition rein- 
 state upon its records the name of such successful applicant, 
 in case of revocation. In case of appeal to the supreme court 
 by the board, no such license shall be issued nor reinstatement 
 required until the final determination of the cause. In case
 
 218 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS— POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 the final decision of the supreme court be against the board, 
 then the said court shall make such order as may be necessary 
 and the board shall act accordingly. No appeal bond can be 
 required of the board, nor any costs adjudged or taxed against 
 the same {ib., s. 6). 
 
 Filing Authority. — The person receiving a license must 
 file it, or a copy, with the county clerk of the county where he 
 resides, and the county clerk is required to file said certificate 
 or copy and enter a memorandum thereof, giving its date and 
 the name of the person to whom it was issued, and the date of 
 filing, and on notice to him of a change of location or the death 
 of a person licensed or of revocation, the county clerk is required 
 to enter a memorandum of said fact at the appropriate place in 
 the record. In case of removal into another county, the person 
 licensed must procure from the county clerk a certified copy of 
 the said license, and file it with the county clerk of the county to 
 which he shall remove, with like effect as an original license 
 {ib., s. 7). 
 
 Penalty, Definition. — To practise medicine or surgery 
 without a license or contrary to this chapter is a misdemeanor 
 punishable with a fine of from $50 to $100, or imprisonment in 
 a county jail from ten to ninety days, or both. Any person is 
 regarded as practising who appends the letters ''M.D." or 
 "M.B." to his name, or for a fee prescribes, directs, or recom- 
 mends for the use of any person any drug or medicine or agency 
 for the treatment, care, or relief of anj^ wound, fracture, or 
 bodily injury, infirmity, or disease ; but the chapter does not 
 apply to dentists. 
 
 Regulations. — The board has authority to prescribe and 
 establish all needful rules and regulations to carry this chapter 
 into effect {ib., s. 9). 
 
 Former Practitioner. — All persons licensed under sec. 
 2,289 of the laws of Washington Territory, 1881, or having 
 complied with its provisions, are to be taken and considered as 
 licensed under this act, and the secretary of the board is re- 
 quired to enter the names of such persons upon the register kept 
 by him, as licensed physicians and surgeons on their written ap- 
 plication {ib., s. 10). 
 
 Fee. — To the treasurer of the board, for examination, 
 {ib., s. 3).
 
 WEST VIRGINIA. 219 
 
 West Virginia. 
 
 Qualification. — The following persons and no others are 
 permitted to practise medicine : 
 
 1. Graduates of a reputable medical college in the school of 
 medicine to which the person desiring to practise belongs. 
 Such person must present his diploma to the State board of 
 health, or the two members thereof in his congressional district, 
 and if it be found to be genuine and was issued by such med- 
 ical college as hereinafter mentioned, and the person presenting 
 it be the graduate therein named, the board or said two mem- 
 bers, as the case may be, must issue and deliver to him a cer- 
 tificate to that effect, and such diploma and certificate shall 
 entitle the person named in the diploma to practise medicine in 
 all its departments. 
 
 2. Persons not graduates in medicine who had practised 
 medicine in this State under a certificate issued by the State 
 board of health prior to the passage of the act are authorized to 
 practise medicine in all its departments. 
 
 3. A person not a graduate of medicine and who has not 
 practised medicine in this State under a certificate must be 
 examined by the State board of health, or the two members 
 thereof in the congressional district where he resides, or if he 
 resides out of the State by the two members in the congressional 
 district nearest to his place of residence, who, together with a 
 member of the local board of health who is a physician, if 
 there be such a member of the local board of health of the 
 county in which the examination is held, shall examine him ; 
 and if upon a full examination they find him qualified to prac- 
 tise medicine in all its departments, they, or a majority of them, 
 shall grant him a certificate to that effect, and thereafter he 
 shall have the right to practise medicine in the State to the 
 same extent as if he had the diploma and certificate above 
 mentioned. The members of the State board of health in each 
 congressional district must, by publication in some newspaper 
 printed in the county in which their meeting is to be held, or 
 if no such paper is printed therein, in some newspaper of gen- 
 eral circulation in such district, give at least twenty-one days' 
 notice of the time and place of their meeting for the examina-
 
 220 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 tion of applicants for permission to practise medicine, published 
 at least once a week for three consecutive weeks before the day 
 of such meeting. 
 
 This section does not apply to a physician or surgeon called 
 from another State to treat a particular case or to perform a 
 particular surgical operation in the State, or who does not 
 otherwise practise in the State (Code of W. Va., 1891, c. 150, 
 s. 9). 
 
 Every person holding a certificate must have it recorded 
 in the office of the secretary of the State board of health, and 
 the secretary is required to indorse on said certificate the fact 
 of such recordation and deliver the same to the person named 
 therein or his order. 
 
 The State board of health may refuse certificates to indi* 
 viduals guilty of malpractice or dishonorable conduct, and may 
 revoke certificates for like causes ; such revocation being after 
 due notice and trial by the said board, with right of appeal to 
 the circuit court of the county in which such individual resides ; 
 but no such refusal or revocation shall be made by reason of his 
 belonging to or practising in any particular school or system of 
 medicine {ib., s. 10). 
 
 The examination fee is not retained if a certificate is refused, 
 but the applicant may again, at any time within a j'ear after 
 refusal, be examined without an additional fee, and if a cer- 
 tificate be again refused he may, as often as he sees fit, on 
 payment of the fee, be examined until he obtains a certificate 
 {ib., s. 11). 
 
 Examinations may be wholly or partly in writing, and shall 
 be of an elementary and practical character, embracing the gen- 
 eral subjects of anatomy, physiology, chemistry, materia 
 medica, pathology, pathological anatomj^ surgery, and obstet- 
 rics, but sufficientl}^ strict to test the qualificatioas of the can- 
 didate as a practitioner of medicine, surgerj", and obstetrics. 
 The chapter does not apply to females practising midwifery 
 (ib., s. 12). 
 
 Definition, Exceptions. — Any person is regarded as 
 practising medicine who professes publicly to be a physician, 
 and to prescribe for the sick, or who appends to his name 
 "M.D." This act also applies to apothecaries and pharmacists 
 who prescribe for the sick. It does not apply to commissioned
 
 WEST VIRGINIA. 221 
 
 officers of the United States army and navy and marine hos- 
 pital service {ib., s. 13). 
 
 Itinerant Physician or Vender. — Any itinerant physi- 
 cian or itinerant vender of any drug, nostrum, ointment, or 
 aj^pliance of any kind intended for the treatment of disease or 
 injury, or who shall by writing or printing or in any other 
 method publicly profess to cure or treat diseases, injuries, or 
 deformities by any drug, nostrum, manipulation, or other ex- 
 pedient, shall before doing so pay to the sheriff of every county 
 in which he desires to practise a special tax of $50 for each 
 month or fraction of a month ho shall so practise in such 
 county, and take his receipt in duplicate therefor. He shall 
 present said receipts to the clerk of the county court of such 
 county, who shall file and preserve one of them in his office and 
 indorse on the other, "A duplicate of this receipt has been 
 filed in my office," and sign the same. For such a person to 
 practise or attempt to practise in any county without having 
 jjaid such tax and filed such receipt and obtained such indorse- 
 ment, or to practise or attempt to practise for a longer time 
 than that for which he has paid a tax, is a misdemeanor pun- 
 ishable with a fine of from $100 to $500. Any person who 
 shall travel from place to place and by writing, printing, or 
 otherwise publicly profess to cure or treat diseases, injuries, or 
 deformities is deemed an itinerant physician subject to the 
 taxes, fines, and penalties of this section (ib., s. 14). 
 
 Penalty. — To practise or attempt to practise medicine, 
 surgery, or obstetrics without compljang with sec. 9 is a mis- 
 demeanor punishable, for every offence, with a fine of from 
 $50 to $500 or imprisonment in a county jail from one month to 
 twelve months, or both. To file or attempt to file as his own a 
 diploma or certificate of another, or a false or forged affidavit 
 of identity, or wilfully swear falsely to any question propounded 
 to him on examination or to any affidavit required to be made 
 and filed, is punishable with confinement in the penitentiary 
 from one to three years or imprisonment in a county jail from 
 six to twelve months, and a fine of from $100 to $500 (ib., 
 s. 15). 
 
 Fee. — To the State board of health, or its examining 
 members, for examination, $10 (ib., s. 11).
 
 222 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 Prohibition. — No person practising physic or surgery, or 
 both, shall have the right to collect in any action in any court 
 fees or compensation for the performance of any medical or 
 surgical service, or to testify in a professional capacity as a 
 physician or surgeon, unless he shall have received a diploma 
 from some incorporated medical society or college or shall be a 
 member of the State or some county medical society legally 
 organized in this State ; provided that in all criminal actions the 
 court may in its discretion and in the furtherance of justice 
 receive the testimony of any physician or surgeon without re- 
 quiring proof of the incorporation of the medical society or 
 college from which he graduated (R. S., 1878, s. 1,436, as 
 amended c. 131, 1887). 
 
 No person practising physic or surgery, or both, prohibited 
 by the above section from testifying in a professional capacity 
 as a physician or surgeon, shall assume the title of doctor, phy- 
 sician, or surgeon by means of any abbreviation or by the use 
 of any other word or words, letters of the alphabet of the Eng- 
 lish or any other language, or any device of whatsoever kind, 
 printed, written, or painted, or exhibited in any advertisement, 
 circular, handbill, letter, or other instrument, nor on any card, 
 sign, door, or place whatsoever. 
 
 Penalty, Exceptions. — A violation of this act is a mis- 
 demeanor punishable with a fine of from 825 to $100, or im- 
 prisonment in a county jail from ten days to sixty days for 
 each offence (s. 1, c. 256, 1881, as amended c. 40, 1882). 
 
 On complaint in writing under oath before any magistrate 
 or justice of the peace .charging the commission of an offence 
 against tlie provisions of this act in his county, it is the duty of 
 the district attorney to prosecute the offender, and in all such 
 prosecutions the burden of proof shall be upon the defendant to 
 establish his right to use such title under the provisions of this 
 act (ib., s. 2). 
 
 Any person prohibited by sec. 1 from assuming the title of 
 doctor, physician, or surgeon who shall practise or pretend to 
 practise physic or surgery, or both, is not exempted from any, 
 but is liable to all, of the legal penalties and liabilities ot mal-
 
 WISCONSIN — WYOMING. 223 
 
 practice, and ignorance shall be no excuse for a failure to per- 
 form or for neglect or unskilfully performing or attempting to 
 perform any of the duties required by law of practising physi- 
 cians or surgeons. The act does not prevent students from 
 practising under the direction of a qualified preceptor, nor 
 women from practising midwifery, nor veterinarians from 
 practising in their special department {ib., s. 3). 
 
 Wyoming. 
 
 Qualification. — No person can lawfully practise medicine, 
 surgery, or obstetrics who has not received a medical education 
 and diploma from some regularly chartered medical school hav- 
 ing a bona fide existence when the diploma was granted (R. S., 
 1887, s. 1,925). 
 
 Every physician, surgeon, or obstetrician must file for 
 record with the register of deeds of the county in which he is 
 about to practise or where he practises, a copy of his diploma, 
 exhibiting the original, or a certificate from the dean of the 
 medical school of which he is a graduate certifying to his grad- 
 uation {ib., s. 1,926). 
 
 When filing a copy of his diploma or certificate of gradua- 
 tion, he must be identified as the person named in the paper 
 about to be filed by the affidavit of two citizens of the county, 
 or his affidavit taken before a notary public or commissioner of 
 deeds for the State, which affidavit must be filed in the office 
 of the register of deeds {ib., s. 1,927). 
 
 Penalty. — To practise without complying with this chapter 
 is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of from $50 to $500 or 
 imprisonment in a county jail from thirty days to six months, 
 or both, for each offence. To file or attempt to file as his own 
 a diploma or certificate of another, or a forged affidavit of iden- 
 tification, is a felony subject to a fine and imprisonment in the 
 penitentiary {ib., s. 1,928). 
 
 It is the duty of the police, sheriff, or constable to arrest all 
 persons practising medicine, surgery, or obstetrics without 
 complying with these provisions {ib., s. 1,929). 
 
 Exceptions. — This chapter does not apply to persons in 
 emergency prescribing or giving advice in medicine, surgery, 
 or obstetrics in a section of country where no physician, sur-
 
 224 SYNOPSIS OP LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 geon, or obstetrician resides, or where no physician, surgeon, 
 or obstetrician resides within a convenient distance, nor to 
 persons prescribing in their own families, nor to persons claim- 
 ing to practise medicine, surgery, or obstetrics in any section 
 of the State where no physician or surgeon having a diploma 
 or a certificate resides {ib., s. 1,930). 
 
 Evidence. — On the trial of persons charged with the vio- 
 lation of this chapter it shall be sufficient for the prosecution 
 to show that defendant has practised medicine, surgery, or ob- 
 stetrics within the county where the indictment is found at any 
 time since the passage of the act (1876), and the defendant 
 shall not after proof be entitled to acquittal until he show& 
 by the testimony of some competent witness upon oath that 
 the defendant has received a medical education, and a genuine- 
 diploma from some regularly chartered medical school ; provided 
 that the defendant may show such facts by depositions taken in 
 the same manner as depositions in civil cases {ib., s. 1,931). 
 
 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 
 
 Medical Acts. — The Act 21 and 22 Victoria, c. 90, and the- 
 amendments thereof and additions thereto, are generally spoken 
 of as the Medical Acts. 
 
 Medical Councils. — There is a general council of medical 
 education and registration of the United Kingdom, with branch 
 councils for England, Scotland, and Ireland (21 and 22 Vict., 
 1858, c. 90, s. 3, 6). 
 
 Members of the general council are chosen as provided in 49 
 and 50 Vict., c. 48, s. 7; those representing the medical cor- 
 porations must be qualified to register under this act (21 and 22 
 Vict., c. 90, s. 7). 
 
 The general council appoints a registrar for England, and 
 the branch councils for Scotland and Ireland appoint respectively 
 a registrar for Scotland and Ireland {ib., s. 10, 11). 
 
 Registrar. — It is the duty of the registrars to keep their 
 registers correct, and to erase the names of all registered persons 
 who shall have died, and from time to time to make the necessary 
 alterations in the addresses or qualifications of persons registered. 
 It is lawful for the registrar to write a letter to any registered
 
 GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 225 
 
 person, addressed to him according to his address on the regis- 
 ter, to inquire whether he has ceased to practise or has changed 
 his residence, and if no answer be returned within six months 
 from the time of sending the letter, it is lawful to erase the 
 name of such person from the register, but it may be restored 
 by direction of the general council {ib., s. 14). 
 
 Qualification. — Persons possessed of one or more of the 
 qualifications described in Schedule A, on the payment of a fee 
 not exceeding £5, are entitled to register on the production to 
 the registrar of the branch council for England, Scotland, or 
 Ireland the document conferring or evidencing the qualification 
 in respect whereof he seeks to be registered, or upon transmitting 
 by post to such registrar information of his name and address, 
 and evidence of his qualifications and of the time or times at 
 which they were obtained. The several colleges and bodies men- 
 tioned in Schedule A may transmit from time to time to the 
 registrar, under their respective seals, lists of the persons who 
 by grant of such colleges and bodies respectively, are for the time 
 being entitled to register, stating the qualifications and resi- 
 dences of such persons, and it shall be lawful for the registrar on 
 the payment of the said fee to enter in the register the persons 
 mentioned in such lists with their qualifications and places of 
 residences as therein stated without other application {ib., s. 15). 
 
 The general council is required to make orders for regulat- 
 ing the registers from time to time {ib., s. 16). 
 
 Persons actually practising medicine in England before 
 August 1st, 1815, were entitled to register under the act {ib., 
 s. 17). 
 
 Any two or more of the colleges and bodies in the United 
 Kingdom mentioned in Schedule A may, with the sanction and 
 under the direction of the general council, unite or co-oper- 
 ate in conducting the examinations required for qualifications 
 to be registered {ib., s. 19, 37 and 38 Vict., c. 34). 
 
 The privy council ma}' suspend the right of registration in 
 respect of qualifications granted by any college or body {ib., 
 s. 21). 
 
 After such revocation, no person shall be entitled to register 
 in respect to any qualification granted by such college before 
 revocation {ib., s. 22). 
 
 The privy council may issue an injunction directing any 
 
 15
 
 22(3 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 body entitled to grant qualifications to desist from imposing 
 upon any candidate for examination an obligation to adopt or 
 refrain from adopting the practice of any particular theory of 
 medicine or surgery as a test or condition of admitting him to 
 examination or granting him a certificate ; and in the event of 
 their not complying, may order that such body cease to have the 
 power of conferring a right to be registered so long as they 
 shall continue such practice (ib., s. 23). 
 
 Where any person entitled to be registered applies to the 
 registrar of any branch council for that purpose, such registrar 
 is required forthwith to enter in a local register the name and 
 place of residence, and the qualifications in respect of which 
 the person is so entitled and the date of registration ; and in 
 case of the branch council for Scotland or Ireland, to send to 
 the registrar of the general council a copy of the entry, and 
 the registrar of the general council is required to cause the 
 same to be entered in the general register ; and such registrar 
 is required to cause all entries made in the local register for 
 England to be entered in the general register {ib., s. 25). 
 
 No qualification is entered on the register, on the first regis- 
 tration or by way of addition to a regular name, unless the reg- 
 istrar be satisfied by proper evidence that the person claiming 
 it is entitled to it. Any appeal from the decision of the regis- 
 trar may be decided by the general council or by the council for 
 England, Scotland, or Ireland, as the case may be. Any entry 
 proved to the satisfaction of such general council or branch 
 council to have been fraudulent^ or incorrectly made may be 
 erased from the register b}' an order in writing of such general 
 council or branch council {ib., s. 26). 
 
 Medical Register. — The registrar of the general council 
 is required to cause to be printed, published, and sold under 
 the direction of such council, everj^ yeai'j. a correct register of 
 the names with the respective residences and medical titles, 
 diplomas, and qualifications conferred by any corporation or 
 university or by a doctorate of the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
 with the dates thereof, of all persons appearing on the general 
 register as existing on January 1st in every j^ear. Such register 
 is called the Medical Register, and a copy of the Medical 
 Register for the time being is evidence that the persons therein 
 specified are registered according to the act, and the absence of
 
 GEE AT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 227 
 
 the name of any person from such copy is evidence, until the 
 contrary be made to appear, that such person is not so registered ; 
 provided, that in the case of any person whose name does not 
 appear in such copy, a certified copy under the hand of the reg- 
 istrar of the general council or a branch council of the entry of 
 the name of such person on the general or local register shall 
 be evidence that such person is so registered {ib., s. 27). 
 
 If any college or body exercise any power it possess of strik- 
 ing off from its list the name of any one of its members, it shall 
 signify his name to the general council and the said council 
 may, if they see fit, direct the registrar to erase from the regis- 
 ter the qualification derived from such college or body in respect 
 of which such member was registered, and the registrar shall 
 note the same therein, but the name of no person shall be erased 
 from the register on the ground of his having adopted any 
 theory of medicine or surgery (ib., s. 28). 
 
 If any registered medical practitioner shall be convicted in 
 England or Ireland of any felony or misdemeanor, or in Scot- 
 land of any crime or offence, or shall be after due inquiry 
 judged by the general council to have been guilty of infamous 
 conduct in any professional respect, the general council may, 
 if they see fit, direct the registrar to erase the name of such 
 medical practitioner from the register {ib., s. 29). 
 
 Every person registered who may have obtained any higher 
 degree or other qualification is entitled to have it inserted in 
 the register in substitution for or in addition to his qualification 
 previously registered, on the payment of such fee as the council 
 may appoint {ib., s. 30). 
 
 Compensation. — No person is entitled to receive for any 
 medical or surgical advice, or attendance, or for the perform- 
 ance of any operation or for any medicine which he shall have 
 both prescribed and supplied, unless he prove upon the trial 
 that he is registered under this act {ib., s. 32, as amended 23 
 and 24 Vict., c. 7, s. 3). 
 
 Definition. — The words "legally qualified medical practi- 
 tioner" or "duly qualified medical practitioner," or any words 
 implying a person recognized by law as a medical practitioner 
 or member of the medical profession in any act of Parliament, 
 mean a person registered under this act {ib., s. 34, as amended 
 23 and 24 Vict., c. 7, s. 3).
 
 228 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 Exemptions. — If they so desire, registered persons are 
 exempt from serving on juries, and in all corporation, par- 
 ish, ward, hundred, and town offices, and in the militia (ib., 
 
 s. 35). 
 
 Disqualifications. — No unregistered person is permitted 
 to hold any appointment as a physician, surgeon, or other 
 medical officer in the military or naval service, or in emigrant 
 or other vessels, or in any hospital, infirmary, dispensary, or 
 lying-in hospital, not supported wholly by voluntary contribu- 
 tions, or in any lunatic asylum, jail, penitentiary, house of 
 correction or of industry, parochial or union workhouse or 
 poorhouse, parish union, or other public established body or in- 
 stitution, or to any friendly or other society for affording mutual 
 relief in sickness, infirmity, or old age, or as a medical officer 
 of health {ib., s. 36, as amended 23 and 24 Vict., c. 7, s. 3). 
 
 No certificate required by any act from any phj^sician or 
 surgeon licentiate in medicine and surgery, or other medical 
 practitioner, is valid unless the signer be registered under this 
 act (ib., s. 37, as amended 23 and 24 Vict., c. 7, s. 3). 
 
 Penalty. — Wilfully procuring or attempting to procure 
 one's seK to be registered by making or producing or causing to 
 be made or produced an)- false or fraudulent representation or 
 declaration, or aiding or abetting therein, is a misdemeanor in 
 England and Ireland, and in Scotland a crime or offence, pun- 
 ishable by fine or imprisonment. The imprisonment cannot 
 exceed twelve months {ib., s. 39). 
 
 Wilfully and falsely pretending to be or taking or using the 
 name or title of phj-sician, doctor of medicine, licentiate in 
 medicine and surger}-, bachelor of medicine, surgeon, general 
 practitioner, or apothecary, or any name, title, addition, or de- 
 scription implying registration under this act, or recognition 
 by law as a physician or surgeon or licentiate in medicine 
 and surgery, or practitioner in medicine, or apothecary, is pun- 
 ishable on summary conviction by a penalty not exceeding £20 
 {ib., s. 40, 41). 
 
 Deceased Physicians. — Every registrar of deaths in the 
 United Kingdom, on receiving notice of the death of any medi- 
 cal practitioner, is required to transmit to the registrar of the 
 general council and the registrar of the branch council a certifi- 
 cate of such death with the time and place, and on the receipt
 
 GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 229 
 
 of such certificate the medical registrar is required to erase the 
 name of the deceased from the register {ib., s. 45). 
 
 Exceptions. — The general council was by the act em- 
 powered by special order to dispense with such provisions of 
 this act or such part of any regulations made by its authority 
 as to them should seem fit, in favor of persons at the time of its 
 passage practising medicine or surgery in any part of Her Maj- 
 esty's dominions other than Great Britain and Ireland by virtue 
 of any of the qualifications in Schedule A, and in favor of persons 
 practising medicine or surgery within the United Kingdom on 
 foreign or colonial diplomas or degrees before the passage of 
 this act, and in favor of any persons who had held appointments 
 as surgeons or assistant surgeons in the army, navy, or militia, 
 or in the service of the East India Company, or who were act- 
 ing as surgeons in the public service, or in the service of any 
 charitable institution, and in favor of medical students who 
 commenced their professional studies before its passage {ib., 
 s. 46). 
 
 The qualifications specified in Schedule A are as follows : 
 
 1. Fellow, member (inserted 22 Vict., c. 21, s. 4), licenti- 
 ate, or extra licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of 
 London (this is declared by 23 and 24 Vict., c. 06, s. 1, to de- 
 note the corporation of " The President and College or Com- 
 monalty of the Faculty of Physics in London"). (The act 
 makes provision for a new charter with change of name to "The 
 Royal College of Physicians of England," or retention of old 
 name: ib., s. 47, as amended 23 and 24 Vict., c. 66, s. 2.) 
 
 2. Fellow, member (inserted 22 Vict., c. 21, s. 4), or 
 licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. 
 (The act makes provision for the granting of a new charter to 
 the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, whereby its 
 name is to be changed to " The Royal College of Physicians of 
 Scotland," or its old name may be retained: ib., s. 49, as 
 amended 23 and 24 Vict., c. 66, s. 2.) 
 
 3. Fellow or licentiate of the King's and Queen's College of 
 Physicians of Ireland. (The act makes provision for the grant- 
 ing of a new charter to this college, whereby its name is to be 
 changed to " The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland , " or 
 its old name may be retained: ib., s. 51, as amended 23 and 24 
 Vict., c. m, s. 2.)
 
 230 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 4. Fellow or member or licentiate in midwifery of the Royal 
 College of Surgeons of England. 
 
 5. Fellow or licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons of 
 Edinburgh (see G, below). 
 
 G. Fellow or licentiate of the Faculty of Physicians and 
 Surgeons of Glasgow. (The act makes provision for the possible 
 amalgamation of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh 
 with the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, in 
 which case the united corporation is to be named " The Royal 
 College of Surgeons of Scotland:" ih., s. 50.) 
 
 7. Fellow or licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons in 
 Ireland. 
 
 8. Licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries, London. 
 
 9. Licentiate of the Apothecaries' Hall, Dublin. 
 
 10. Doctor or bachelor or licentiate of medicine, or master 
 in surgery of any university of the United Kingdom ; or doctor 
 of medicine, by doctorate granted prior to the passage of the 
 act by the Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 
 11. Doctor of medicine of any foreign or colonial university 
 or college, practising as a phj^sician in the United Kingdom 
 before October 1st, 1858, who shall produce certificates to the 
 satisfaction of the council, of his having taken his degree of 
 doctor of medicine after a regular examination, or who shall 
 satisfy the council under sec. 46 (amended 22 Vict., c. 21, s. 5) 
 of this act, that there is sufficient reason for admitting him to 
 be registered. 
 
 Nothing in the above act shall prevent any person, not a 
 British subject, who shall have obtained from any foreign uni- 
 versity a degree or diploma of doctor in medicine, and who 
 shall have passed the regular examinations entitling him to 
 practise medicine in his own country, from being and acting as 
 the resident physician or medical officer of any hospital estab- 
 lished exclusively for the relief of foreigners in sickness ; pro- 
 vided always such person is engaged in no medical practice 
 except as such resident physician or medical officer (22 Vict., 
 c. 21, s. 6). 
 
 The following qualification was added by 23 and 24 Vict., 
 c. 7, s. 1: 
 
 A diploma or license in surgery granted by any university 
 in Ireland legally authorized to grant the same.
 
 GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 231 
 
 The act 39 and 40 Vict., c. 40, in sec. 3, provides that all 
 persons who have obtained from any university of the United 
 Kingdom legally authorized to confer the same, the degree of 
 bachelor in surgery, shall be permitted to register the same as 
 a qualification under 21 and 22 Vict., c. 90. 
 
 The diploma of a member of the King's and Queen's Col- 
 lege of Physicians in Ireland, and the degree of Master in Ob- 
 stetrics of anj^ university in the United Kingdom are added to 
 the qualifications in Schedule A of the Medical Act of 1858 
 (49 and 50 Vict., c. 48, s. 20). 
 
 The change of name of any of the corporations named in 21 
 and 22 Vict., c. 90, is not to alter or afi^ect the qualifications 
 constituted by the act (23 and 24 Vict., c. G6, s. 3). 
 
 Revocation of License.— The Society of Apothecaries may 
 strike off from the list of licentiates of said society the name of 
 any person who shall be convicted in England or Ireland of any 
 felony or misdemeanor, or in Scotland of any crime or offence, 
 or who shall, after due inquiry, be judged by the general council 
 to have been guilty of infamous conduct in any professional 
 respect, and the said society shall forthwith signify to the gen- 
 eral council the name of the licentiate so stricken off (37 and 38 
 Vict., c. 34, s. 4). 
 
 Women. — The Society of Apothecaries is not relieved from 
 any existing obligation, nor deprived of any right, to admit 
 women to the examinations required for certificates to practise 
 as apothecaries, or to enter the lists of licentiates of said society, 
 any women who shall have satisfactorily passed such examina- 
 tions, and fulfilled the other general conditions imposed upon 
 persons seeking to obtain from the said society a qualification to 
 be registered under 21 and 22 Vict., c. 90 {ih., s. 5). 
 
 The act 39 and 40 Vict., c. 41, extends the powers of every 
 body entitled under 21 and 22 Vict., c. 90, to grant qualifica- 
 tions for registration so that it may grant any qualification for 
 registration granted by such bodj- without distinction of sex — 
 but nothing in this act is compulsory. 
 
 The Medical Act of 1886 (49 and 50 Vict., c. 48) modified 
 the foregoing acts as follows : 
 
 Examination. — A person cannot lawfull}" be registered 
 under the medical acts in respect of any qualification referred 
 to in any of those acts unless he has passed such qualifying ex-
 
 232 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 amiiiation in medicine, surgery, and midwifery as is in this 
 act mentioned (49 and 50 Vict., c. 48, s. 2). 
 
 A qualifying examination shall be an examination in medi- 
 cine, surgery, and midwifery held for the purpose of granting 
 a diploma or diplomas conferring the right of registration under 
 the medical acts, by any of the following bodies : 
 
 (a) Any university in the United Kingdom, or any medical 
 corporation legally qualified at the time of the passage of this 
 act to grant such diploma or diplomas in respect of medicine 
 or surgery ; or 
 
 (b) Any combination of two or more inedical corporations 
 in the same part of the United Kingdom, who may agree to 
 hold a joint examination in medicine, surgery, and midwifery, 
 and of whom one at least is capable of granting such diploma 
 as aforesaid in respect of medicine, and one at least is capable 
 of granting such diploma in respect of surgery ; or 
 
 (c) Any combination of any such university as aforesaid 
 with any other such university or universities, or of any such 
 university or universities with a medical corporation or cor- 
 porations ; the bodies forming such combination being in the 
 same part of the United Kingdom {ib., s. 3 [1]). 
 
 The standard of proficiency at said examinations shall be 
 such as suffices to guarantee the possession of knowledge and 
 skill requisite for the efficient practice of medicine, surgery, 
 and midwifery. It is the duty of the general council to secure 
 the maintenance of such standard of proficiency, and it may 
 appoint such number of inspectors as it may determine who 
 shall attend at all or any of the said examinations {ib., s. 3 [2]). 
 
 The inspectors are not to interfere with the conduct of any 
 examination, but to report to the general council their opinion 
 as to the sufficiency or insufficiency of every examination which 
 they attend, and such other matters in relation thereto as the 
 general council may require {ib., s. 3 [3]). 
 
 If it appears to the general council that the standard of pro- 
 ficiencj'^ in medicine, surgery, and midwifery, or in any of those 
 subjects or any branch thereof required at such examinations 
 by any such body, is insufficient, the privy council, on a report 
 from the general council after considering such report, and any 
 objection thereto by any body to which it relates, may by order 
 declare that the examination of such body or bodies shall not
 
 GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 233 
 
 be deemed a qualifying examination for registration, and Her 
 Majesty, with the advice of the privy council, may revoke such 
 order if upon further report from the general council, or any 
 body to which it relates, it seems to her expedient {ih.^ s. 
 4 [1]). 
 
 During the continuance of such order, the examinations held 
 hj the body or bodies to which it relates shall not be deemed 
 qualifying examinations, and a diploma granted to a person 
 passing such examinations shall not entitle such person to 
 registration {ib., s. 4 [2]). 
 
 If a medical corporation represent to the general council 
 that it is unable to enter into a combination for holding a qual- 
 ifying examination, and the general council is satisfied that the 
 said corporation has used its best endeavor to do so on reason- 
 able terms, the general council may on the application of such 
 corporation appoint any number of examiners to assist at the 
 examinations for granting a diploma conferring on the holder 
 the right of registration {ih.^ s. 5 [1]). 
 
 It is the duty of the said assistant examiners to secure at 
 the said examinations the maintenance of such standard of 
 IDroficiency in medicine, surgery, and midwifery as is required 
 from candidates at qualifying examinations, and any exami- 
 nation held subject to this section shall be deemed a qualifying 
 examination {ih., s. 5 [2]). 
 
 Practitioner's Rights. — A registered medical practitioner 
 shall be entitled to practise medicine, surgery, and midwifery 
 in the United Kingdom, and subject to any local law, in any 
 other part of Her Majestj^'s dominions, and to recover in due 
 course of law in respect of such practice, any expenses or 
 charges in respect of medicaments or other appliances, or any 
 fees to which he may be entitled, unless he is a fellow of a 
 college of physicians, .the fellows of which are prohibited by by- 
 law from recovering at law their expenses, charges or fees, in 
 which case such prohibitory by-law, so long as it is in force, 
 may be pleaded in bar of any legal proceeding instituted by such 
 fellow for recovery of expenses, charges, or fees {ih., s. 6). 
 
 Members of General Council. — The constituent members 
 of the general council are designated by this act in sec. 7. 
 
 Members of the general council representing the registered 
 medical profession must themselves be registered medical prac-
 
 234: SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 titioners, and members of the branch council for the part of the 
 United Kiugxlom in which they are elected {ib., s. 8). 
 
 Colonial and Foreign Practitioners. — When a per- 
 son shows to the satisfaction of the registrar of the general 
 council that he holds some recognized colonial medical diploma 
 or diplomas granted to him in a British possession to which this 
 act applies, and that he is of good character, and is by law 
 entitled to practise medicine, surger}^, and midwifery in such 
 British possession, he shall on application to the said registrar, 
 and on the paj^ment of such fee not exceeding £5, as the general 
 council may determine, be entitled without examination in the 
 United Kingdom to be registered as a colonial practitioner in 
 the medical register ; provided he proves to the satisfaction of 
 the registrar : 
 
 (1) That the said diploma or diplomas was or were granted 
 to him at a time when he was not domiciled in the United 
 Kingdom, or in the course of a period of not less than five years 
 during the whole of which he resided outside of the United 
 Kingdom; or 
 
 (2) That he was practising medicine or surgery or a branch 
 of medicine or surgery in the United Kingdom on the pre- 
 scribed day, and that he has continued practising the same 
 either in the United Kingdom or elsewhere for not less than 
 ten years immediately preceding the prescribed day {ib., s. 
 11). 
 
 When a person shows to the satisfaction of the registrar of 
 the general council that he holds some recognized foreign med- 
 ical diploma or diplomas granted in a foreign country, to which 
 this act applies, and that he is of good character, and is by law 
 entitled to practise medicine, surgery, and midwifery in such 
 foreign country, he shall on application to said registrar, and 
 on payment of such fee, not exceeding £5, as the general coun- 
 cil may determine, be entitled without examination in the 
 United Kingdom to be registered as a foreign practitioner in 
 the medical register; provided he proves to the satisfaction of 
 the registrar : 
 
 (1) That he is not a British subject; or 
 
 (2) That, being a British subject, the said diploma or 
 diplomas was or were granted to him at a time when he was 
 not domiciled in the United Kingdom or in the course of a
 
 GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 235 
 
 period of not less than five years, during the whole of which 
 he resided out of the United Kingdom ; or 
 
 (3) That, being a British subject, he was practising medi- 
 cine or surgery, or a branch of medicine or surgery in the 
 United Kingdom on the prescribed day, and that he has con- 
 tinued practisiug the same in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, 
 for not less than ten years immediately preceding the said pre- 
 scribed day (?'&., s. 12). 
 
 The medical diploma granted in a British possession or for- 
 eign country to which this act applies, which is to be deemed 
 requisite, shall be such a diploma as ma}^ be recognized by the 
 general council as furnishing a sufficient guarantee of the pos- 
 session of the requisite knowledge and skill for the efficient 
 practice of medicine, surgery, and midwifery. 
 
 When the general council have refused to recognize any 
 such diploma, the privy council may, on appeal, after commu- 
 nicating with the general council, order the general council to 
 recognize such diploma. 
 
 If the refusal of the registration of a colonial or foreign 
 practitioner be on any other ground, the registrar of the gen- 
 eral council shall, if required, state in writing the reason for 
 the refusal, and the person refused may appeal to the privy 
 council, which, after communicating with the general council, 
 maj^ dismiss the appeal or order the general council to enter the 
 name of the applicant on the register. 
 
 A person may be registered both as a colonial and foreign 
 practitioner (z6., s. 13). 
 
 The medical register shall contain separate lists of the names 
 and addresses of colonial and foreign practitioners, and the 
 provisions of 21 and 22 Vict., c. 90, relating to persons regis- 
 tered and to the medical register, and to offences, shall applj^ in 
 the case of colonial and foreign practitioners registered under 
 this act so far as may be (ib., s. 14). 
 
 Any registered practitioner on the list of colonial or foreign 
 practitioners who is in possession of or obtains any recognized 
 colonial or foreign medical diploma granted in a British pos- 
 session or foreign country to which this act applies may cause 
 a description of such diploma to be added to his name in the 
 medical register {ib., s. 15). 
 
 An}' registered medical practitioner on the medical register
 
 236 SYNOPSIS OP LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON, 
 
 by virtue of English, Scotch, or Irish quahfications, and in 
 possession of a foreign degree in medicine, may cause a descrip- 
 tion of such foreign degree to be added to his name as an addi- 
 tional title in the medical register, provided he satisfy the 
 general council that he obtained such degree after a proper 
 examination and prior to the passage of this act {ib., s. 16). 
 
 Her Majesty may from time to time, by order in the coun- 
 cil, declare that this act be deemec\ to apply to any British pos- 
 session or foreign country which in the opinion of Her Majesty 
 affords the registered medical practitioners of the United 
 Kingdom such privileges of practice in the said British pos- 
 sessions or foreign countries as to Her Majesty may seem just; 
 and on and after the day named in such order such British 
 possession or foreign country shall be deemed to be a British 
 possession or foreign country to which this act applies. Her 
 Majesty may also renew or revoke any such order, and upon 
 such revocation such possession or foreign country shall cease 
 to be a possession or country to which this act applies without 
 prejudice to the right of any person whose name has already 
 been entered on the register {ib., s. 17). 
 
 Nothing in the Medical Act of 1858 shall prevent a person 
 holding a medical diploma, entitling him to practise medicine 
 or surgery in a British possession to which this act applies, 
 from holding an appointment as a medical officer in any vessel 
 registered in that possession {ib., s. 18). 
 
 Default of General Council. — In default of the gen- 
 eral council to perform any duty, the privy council may notify 
 their opinion to the general council, and on the failure of the 
 general council to comply with any direction of the privy 
 council, the privy council may themselves give effect to such 
 direction, and for that purpose exercise any power vested in 
 the general council, and of their own motion do anything which 
 they are authorized to do in pursuance of a report or suggestion 
 from the general council {ib., s. 19). 
 
 Sanitary Science. — Every registered medical practitioner 
 to whom a diploma for proficiency in sanitarj" science, public 
 health or state medicine has after special examination been 
 granted, by any college or facultj^ of physicians or surgeons or 
 university in the United Kingdom, or by anj- such bodies act- 
 ing in combination, shall, if such diploma appear to the privy
 
 GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 237 
 
 council or general council to deserve recognition in the medical 
 register, be entitled on the payment of such fee as the general 
 council may appoint, to have such diploma entered in the said 
 register in addition to any other diploma or diplomas in respect 
 of which he is registered {ib., s. 21), 
 
 Evidence. — Any act of the privy council shall be suffi- 
 ciently signified by an instrument signed by the clerk of the 
 council, and every order and act signified by an instrument 
 purporting to be signed by the clerk of the council shall be 
 deemed to have been dulj" made and done by the privj- council, 
 and every instrument so signed shall be received in evidence 
 without proof of the authority or signature of the clerk of the 
 council or other proof (^7>., s. 22). 
 
 The following copies of any orders made in pursuance of 
 medical acts or this act shall be evidence : 
 
 (1) Any cop3" purporting to be printed by the Queen's 
 printer, or by any other printer in pursuance of an authority 
 given by the general council, 
 
 (2) Any copy of an order certified to be a true copy by the 
 registrar of the general council, or by any other person ap- 
 pointed by the general council, either in addition to or in exclu- 
 sion of the registrar, to certify such orders (i6., s. 23). 
 
 Rights Unaffected. — This act does not vary the rights of 
 persons practising as registered medical practitioners on the 
 day preceding the day when it goes into effect {ih., s. 24). 
 
 In consequence of the repeal of any enactment repealed by 
 this act, no person legally entitled to practise as a medical prac- 
 titioner in any colony or part of Her Majesty's dominions other 
 than the United Kingdom shall cease to be so entitled if he 
 would have been entitled if no such repeal had taken place 
 {ih., s. 25). 
 
 Definitions. — In the act the word diploma means any 
 diploma, degree, fellowship, membership, license, authority to 
 practise, letters, testimonial, certificate or other status or 
 document granted by any university, corporation, college, or 
 other bod}^ or by any departments of or person acting under 
 the authority of the government of an}' countr}^ or place within 
 or without Her Majesty's dominion (/6., s. 27), 
 
 Fees. — The fees are to be determined by the general council 
 within the limits set by the various sections authorizing fees.
 
 238 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 British Columbia. 
 
 Medical Council. — There is a body styled "The Medical 
 Council of British Columbia, " composed of seven members who 
 are registered medical practitioners elected by the votes of 
 registered medical practitioners (Cons. Acts 1888, c. 81, s. 2, 
 3, 4, 5). 
 
 No person can lawfully vote at such election unless his fees 
 to the council have been paid ; and no person is eligible to elec- 
 tion unless qualified to vote at such election {ib., s. 1-1). 
 
 A register of such qualified voters is required to be prepared 
 by the registrar of the council and no person is entitled to vote 
 whose name is not on the register ; it is the duty of the regis- 
 trar to examine into the written complaint of any medical prac- 
 titioner as to the improper omission or insertion of any name 
 in the list ; and appeal from his decision lies to a judge of the 
 supreme court in a summary way, whose decision shall be final, 
 and no unregistered person may vote {ib., s. 16, 17). 
 
 Register. — The council is required to appoint a registrar 
 and to cause a register to be kept by him of the names of all 
 persons who have complied with this act and with the rules and 
 regulations made by the council respecting the qualifications of 
 practitioners of medicine or surgery, and those persons only 
 whose names are inscribed in the said register, are deemed 
 qualified and licensed to practise medicine or surgery except 
 as hereinafter provided (i5., s. 26). 
 
 The registrar is required to keep his register correct, and to 
 make the necessary alterations in the addresses and qualifica- 
 tions of registered persons (ib., s. 27). 
 
 Qualification. — Every person at the passage of the act 
 (1886) registered under the medical ordinance of 1867 is entitled 
 to be registered under this act {ib., s. 28). 
 
 The council is required to admit upon the .register any per- 
 son who shall procure from any college or school of medicine 
 and surgery requiring a three-years' course of stud}^, a diploma 
 of qualification, provided he furnish to the council satisfactory 
 evidence of identity and pass before the members thereof a sat- 
 isfactory examination touching his fitness and capability to 
 practise as a physician and surgeon {ib., s. 29).
 
 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 339 
 
 The council is required to admit upon the register every 
 person mentioned in -tO and 50 Vict., c. 48, of the Acts of Par- 
 liament of the United Kingdom, duly registered under the im- 
 perial Medical Act, prior to and inclusive of June 30th, 188.7, 
 upon complying with the orders, regulations or by-laws of the 
 council and giving due proof of such registration, and that the 
 person applying for registration has not lost the benefit of same 
 by reason of misconduct or otherwise, and upon payment of the 
 fees fixed by the council, not to exceed one hundred dollars 
 (Act 1893, c. 27, s. 2). 
 
 Duties of Council.— The council is required to make 
 orders, regulations, or by-laws for regulating the register and 
 the fees to be paid for registration, and to make rules and 
 regulations for the guidance of examiners, and may prescribe 
 the subjects and modes of examination, and make all such 
 rules and regulations in respect of examinations not contrary 
 to this act as they deem expedient and necessary (Cons. Acts 
 1888, c. 81, s. 31). 
 
 Forfeiture of Right. — Any registered practitioner con- 
 victed of any felony thereby forfeits his right to registration 
 and by direction of the council his name is required to be erased 
 from the register, or in case a person known to have been con- 
 victed of felony presents himself for registration, the registrar 
 has power to refuse such registration {ih., s. 32). 
 
 Rights of Registered Practitioner. — Every person 
 registered under the act is entitled to practise medicine and 
 surgery, including midwifery, or an}^ of them as the case may 
 be, in British Columbia, and to demand and receive in any 
 court of the province, with full costs of the suit, reasonable 
 charges for professional aid, advice, and visits, and the costs 
 of any medical or surgical appliances rendered or supplied by 
 him to his patient {ih., s. 33). 
 
 Evidence. — The registrar of the council, under the direction 
 of the council, is required to publish a correct register of the 
 names and residences with the medical titles, diplomas, and 
 qualifications conferred by any college or body, of all persons 
 appearing on the register at the date of publication. Said register 
 is called " The British Columbia Medical Register. " A copy 
 of such register for the time being, purporting to be so printed 
 and published, shall be prima facie evidence that the persons
 
 240 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON, 
 
 therein specified are registered according to the provisions of 
 this act ; and, subject to sub. sec. 2 of this section, the absence 
 of the name of any person from such copy shall be prnma facie 
 evidence that such person is not registered according to this 
 act {lb., s. 34). 
 
 In the case of a person whose name does not appear in such 
 copy, a certified copy under the hand of the registrar of the 
 entry of the name of such person on the register shall be evi- 
 dence that such person i« registered under this act (ib., s. 34, 
 sub. s. 2). 
 
 Homoeopathic Physicians. — Any homoeopathic physician 
 holding a diploma of qualification from any authorized school 
 or college requiring a three-years' course of stud}" may be regis- 
 tered, and shall not be bound to pass the examination required 
 by sec. 29, but in lieu thereof, shall pass before the council, or 
 such of them as may be appointed for that purpose, a satisfactory 
 examination in anatomy, physiology, j^athology, chemistry, ob- 
 stetrics, and surgerj" (ib., s. 35, as amended. Act 1890, c. 30, s. 2). 
 
 Neglect to Register. — Those entitled to register and 
 neglecting to do so are not entitled to any of the rights and 
 privileges conferred by registration and are liable to all penalties 
 against unqualified or unregistered practitioners (ib., s. 37). 
 
 Fraudulent Registration. — If a person procures or 
 causes to be procured his registration by means of any false or 
 fraudulent representation or declaration, the registrar may, on 
 receipt of sufficient evidence to that effect, report the matter to 
 the council and, on the written order of the president, attested 
 by the seal of the council, erase the name of such person from the 
 register and make known the fact and the cause thereof in the 
 British Columbia Gazette, and after such notice has appeared 
 such person shall cease to be a registered practitioner, and to 
 enjoy any of the privileges conferred by registration, without 
 the express sanction of the council {ib., s. 39). 
 
 To wilfully procure or attempt to procure registration by 
 false representations or declarations is punishable by a penalty 
 not exceeding $100. To knowingly aid or assist therein is pun- 
 ishable with a penalty of from $20 to $50 for each offence {ib., 
 s. 40). 
 
 Unlawful Practices. —It is not lawful for any person 
 not registered to practise medicine or surgery for hire, gain.
 
 BRITISH COLUMBIA. 241 
 
 or hope of reward. To so practise or profess to practise, or 
 advertise to give advice in medicine or surgery, is punishable 
 with a penalty of from $25 to $100 {ib., s. 41). 
 
 For a person to wilfully or falsely pretend to be a phj'sician, 
 doctor, or medical, surgical, or general practitioner, or assume 
 any title, address, or description other than he actually possesses 
 and is legall}' entitled to, is punishable by a penalty of from $10 
 to $50 {ib., s. 12). 
 
 A person not registered who takes or uses any name, title, 
 addition, or description implying or calculated to lead people to 
 infer that he is registered or recognized b}' law as a physician, 
 surgeon, or licentiate in medicine or surgery is punishable with 
 a penalty of from $25 to $100 {ib., s. 43). 
 
 Costs may be awarded in addition to the penalty against an 
 offender, and on default of payment he may be committed to 
 the common jail for one month unless the costs are sooner 
 paid {ib., s. 47). 
 
 Unregistered Persons. — No one but a person registered 
 under this act is entitled to receive any charge for an}- medical 
 or surgical advice or attendance or the performance of any opera- 
 tion or for any medicine that he may have prescribed {ib., s. 44). 
 
 Appointments as medical officers, physicians, or surgeons in 
 any branch of the public service, or in ^ hospital or a charitable 
 institution not supported wholly by voluntary contribution, are 
 conferred on registered persons only {ib., s. 45). 
 
 No certificate required from any physician or surgeon or 
 medical practitioner is valid unless the signer is registered {ib., 
 s. 46). 
 
 Evidence. — In a prosecution, the burden of proving regis- 
 tration is upon the person charged {ib., s. 48). 
 
 Registration may be proved by the production of a printed 
 or other copy of the register certified under the hand of the 
 registrar of the council for the time being, and any certificate 
 on such copy purporting to be signed by any person as registrar 
 is prima facie evidence that he is registrar without further 
 proof {ib., s. 49). 
 
 Limitations. — Prosecutions under the act must be com- 
 menced within six months from the date of the offence {ib., s. 50). 
 
 Stay. — The council may stay proceedings in prosecutions 
 {ib.,s. 51). 
 
 16
 
 242 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 Prosecutor. — Any person may be prosecutor or complain- 
 ant under the act (^6., s. 52). 
 
 Fees. — To the registrar, for registration under this act, such 
 sum as may from time to time be fixed by the council by reso- 
 lutions or by-law, but not exceeding $100 {ib., s. 36, as amended, 
 Act 1893, c. 27, s. 1). 
 
 To the medical council, on or before March 1st, annually, 
 $10, or such other sum as may from time to time be fixed by 
 the council {ih., s. 53, as amended, Act 1890, c. 30, s. 3). 
 
 For registration, by persons registered under Act 1893, c. 
 27, s. 2, a fee fixed by the council not to exceed $100 (Act 1893, 
 c. 27, s. 2). 
 
 Manitoba. 
 
 College of Physicians and Surgeons.— The medical 
 profession is incorporated as " The College of Physicians and 
 Surgeons of Manitoba" (Rev. Stat, of Man., 1891, c. 98, s. 2). 
 
 All persons lawfully registered under previous acts or the 
 present act are members of the said college {ib., s. 3, 4). 
 
 Council. — There is constituted by law a council of the said 
 college composed of representatives selected as provided in the 
 act, each of whom must be a practitioner licensed under this 
 act {ib., s. 5 to 8). 
 
 No member of the college who is in arrears for his annual 
 fees or any part thereof is entitled to vote at the election for 
 members of the council or be eligible for election as a member 
 thereof {ib., s. 15), 
 
 Register. — The council is required to appoint a registrar 
 and to cause a register to be kept in which shall be entered the 
 name of everj^ person registered under this act or under the 
 Consolidated Statutes of Manitoba, chap. 9, and the acts amend- 
 ing the same, and of all persons who comply with this act, and 
 the rules and regulations made by the council respecting the 
 qualifications of practitioners of medicine, surgery, and mid- 
 wifery. Only those whose names are inscribed in the book are 
 deemed qualified and licensed to practise medicine, surgery, or 
 midwifery {ib., s. 17, 24, 25). 
 
 Qualification. — All persons duly registered under exist- 
 ing laws when the revised statutes took effect are deemed regis- 
 tered under the present law {ib., s. 27).
 
 MANITOBA. 243 
 
 The registrar was required immediately upon his appoint- 
 ment to register the name of every person registered under pre- 
 vious acts {ib., s. 28). 
 
 Every person who possesses one or more of the following 
 qualifications shall, upon the payment of the fee, to be fixed for 
 each particular class by by-law of the council, be entitled to be 
 registered on the production to the registrar of the document 
 proving such qualification : 
 
 1. Persons entitled to be registered at the time of the coming 
 into force of the revised statutes. 
 
 2. Any member of any incorporated college of phj^sicians 
 and surgeons of any province of the Dominion of Canada, or any 
 member of any other incorporated body of medical men in 
 Canada, exercising powers similar to those conferred by this 
 act on the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, 
 where, by the laws of the province under which the said 
 incorporated body exists, similar rights to register and to prac- 
 tise medicine are granted to the persons incorporated under 
 this act. 
 
 3. Every person mentioned in chap. 48 of Act 49 and 50 
 Vict, of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. 
 
 4. Every graduate in medicine upon examination of the 
 University of Manitoba. 
 
 5. Every person who produces to the registrar the certificate 
 under the corporate seal of the University of Manitoba herein- 
 after provided for (ib., s. 29). 
 
 The registrar is required to keep his register correct, and to 
 make from time to time the necessary alterations in the ad- 
 dresses or qualifications of the persons registered {ib., s. 30). 
 
 Every person registered who obtains a higher degree or 
 other qualification is entitled to have it inserted in the register 
 in substitution of or in addition to the qualification previously 
 registered, on the payment of such fees as the council may ap- 
 point {ib., s. 34). 
 
 No qualification is entitled to be entered on the register 
 unless the registrar be satisfied bj" proper evidence that the 
 person claiming it is entitled thereto. Appeal lies from the 
 registrar's decision to the council {ib., s. 35). 
 
 The registrar, if dissatisfied with the evidence adduced, 
 may, subject to appeal to the council, refuse registration until
 
 244 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 proper evidence is furnished, duly attested by oath or affirma- 
 tion before a judge of any county court {ib., s. 30). 
 
 Fraudulent Registration. — Any entry proved to the 
 satisfaction of the council to have been fraudulently or incor- 
 rectly made may be erased from the register by order in writ- 
 ing of the council {ib., s. 38). 
 
 If a person procures or causes to be procured his regis- 
 tration by false or fraudulent representations or declarations, 
 the registrar may, on the receipt of sufficient evidence of 
 the falsity or fraudulent character, represent the matter to the 
 council, and may on the written order of the president, attested 
 by the seal of the college, erase his name from the register, 
 and cause notice of the fact and cause to be published in the 
 Manitoba Gazette, and after such notice has appeared such 
 person shall cease to be a member of the College of Physicians 
 and Surgeons, and to enjoj^ any privilege enjoyed or conferred 
 by registration at any further time without the express sanction 
 of the council (ib., s. 39). 
 
 Forfeiture of Rights. — An}- registered medical practi- 
 tioner convicted of felony or misdemeanor before or after the 
 passage of the act or his registration forfeits his right to regis- 
 tration, and by direction of the council his name shall be 
 erased. If a person known to have been convicted of felony 
 or misdemeanor presents himself for registration, the registrar 
 may refuse registration. If any person registered be judged, 
 after due inquiry' by the council, to have been guilty of in- 
 famous or unprofessional conduct in any respect, the council 
 may direct the registrar to erase his name {ib., s. 40). 
 
 The council may, and upon the application of any three 
 registered medical practitioners shall, cause inquiry to be made 
 into the case of a person liable to have his name erased from 
 the register, and on proof of such conviction or such infamous 
 or unprofessional conduct shall cause his name to be erased ; but 
 no erasure shall be made on account of his adopting or refrain- 
 ing from adopting the practice of any particular theor}- of med- 
 icine or surgery, nor on account of conviction for a political 
 offence out of Her Majesty's dominions, nor on account of the 
 conviction which ought not in the opinion of the council or 
 committee disqualify him from the practice of medicine or 
 surgery {ib., s. 41).
 
 MANITOBA. . 245 
 
 The council may order to be paid, out of funds at their dis- 
 posal, such costs as to them may seem just, to any person against 
 whom any complaint has been made which, when fully deter- 
 mined, is found to have been frivolous and vexatious (^6., s. 42). 
 
 An entry erased by order of the council shall not be again 
 entered except by order of the council or a judge or court of 
 competent jurisdiction {ib., s. 43). 
 
 If the council think fit, they may direct the registrar to restore 
 any entry erased, without a fee, or on payment of a fee not ex- 
 ceeding the registration fee, as the council may fix {ib., s. 44), 
 
 The council is authorized to ascertain the facts of any case 
 for the exercise of its powers of erasing and restoring by com- 
 mittee {ib., s. 45). 
 
 The act provides in detail for proceedings before such com- 
 mittee {ib., s. 46 to 50). 
 
 No action shall be brought against the council or committee 
 for anything done bona fide under the act. Appeal from the 
 decision to erase lies to any judge of the court of Queen's Bench 
 for Manitoba, and such judge may make such order as to resto- 
 ration or confirmation of erasure or for further inquiry, and as 
 to costs, as to him may seem right {ib., s. 51). 
 
 Evidence. — In a trial under this act the burden of proof 
 as to registration is on the person charged {ib., s. 53). 
 
 The production of a certificate that the person named is duly 
 registered, certified under the hand of the registrar, is sufficient 
 evidence of registration, and his signature in the capacity of 
 registrar is prima /oc/e evidence that he is registrar without 
 proof of signature or that he is registrar {ib., s. 54). 
 
 The registrar is required to print and publish from time to 
 time under the direction of the council a correct register of the 
 names and residences, with medical titles, diplomas, and qualifi- 
 cations conferred by any college or body, with the date thereof, 
 of all persons appearing on the register as existing on the day 
 of publication {ib., s. 55). The register is called "The Man- 
 itoba Medical Register ;" a copy thereof for the time being pur- 
 porting to be so printed and published is prima facie evidence 
 that the persons specified are registered {ib., s. 56). 
 
 In the case of any person whose name does not appear in 
 such copy, a certified copy under the hand of the registrar of 
 the council of the entry of the name of such person on the reg-
 
 246 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 ister is evidence that such person is registered {ib., s. 57). The 
 absence of the name of any person from such copy is prima 
 facie evidence that he is not registered {ib., s. 58). 
 
 Practitioner's Eights. — Every person registered is en- 
 titled according to his qualifications to practise medicine, 
 surgery, or midwifery, or any of them as the case may be, and 
 to demand and recover full costs of suit, reasonable charges 
 for professional aid, advice, and visits, and the cost of any med- 
 icine or other medical appliances rendered or supplied by him 
 to his patient {ib., s. 59). 
 
 Neglect to Register. — A person neglecting to register is 
 not entitled to the rights and privileges conferred, and is liable 
 to all penalties against unqualified or unregistered practition- 
 ers {ib., s. 60). 
 
 Unregistered Persons. — It is not lawful for any person 
 not registered to practise medicine, surgerj^ or midwifery for 
 hire, gain, or hope of reward {ib., s. 61). 
 
 No person is entitled to receive any charge for medical or 
 surgical advice or attendance, or the performance of any oper- 
 ation, or for any medicine which he may have prescribed or 
 supplied, unless he be registered, but this provision does not 
 extend to the sale of any drug or medicine by a licensed chem- 
 ist or druggist {ib., s. 62). 
 
 No person can be appointed as a medical ofiicer, physician, 
 or surgeon in the public service, or in any hospital or other 
 charitable institution not supported wholly by voluntary con- 
 tribution, unless he be registered {ib., s. 63). 
 
 No certificate required from any physician or surgeon or 
 medical practitioner is valid unless the signer be registered 
 {ib., s. 64). 
 
 Definition. — The expression "legally qualified medical 
 practitioner," or any other words importing legal recognition 
 as a medical practitioner or member of the medical profession, 
 in any law, is construed to mean a person registered under this 
 act {lb., s. 65). 
 
 Immunities. — A person registered under this act is exempt 
 from jury and inquest duty if he desire it {ib., s. 66). 
 
 Limitations. — No dul}^ registered member of the College of 
 Physicians and Surgeons is liable in an action for negligence 
 or malpractice by reason of professional services requested or
 
 MANITOBA. 247 
 
 rendered, unless it be commenced within one year from the 
 termination of such service {ib., s. 67). 
 
 Examinations. — The University of Manitoba is the sole 
 examining body in medicine, and the council of the university 
 may grant to any person a certificate under the seal of the 
 university that the council of the university have been satisfied 
 that the person mentioned in the certificate is, by way of 
 medical education and otherwise, a proper person to be regis- 
 tered under this act ; but such certificate shall not be granted 
 until the person making such application shall have given 
 evidence of qualification by undergoing an examination or 
 otherwise, as the statutes of the university require, and the ap- 
 plicant shall in all other respects first comply with the rules 
 and regulations of the university in that behalf (ib., s. 68). 
 
 HoMCEOPATHiSTS. — Until a homoeopathic medical college 
 for teaching purposes is established in Manitoba, in the case 
 of candidates wishing to be registered as homoeopathists, the 
 full time of attendance upon lectures and hospitals required by 
 the university statutes may be spent in such homoeopathic 
 medical colleges in the United States or Europe as may be 
 recognized by the University of Manitoba {ib., s. 69). 
 
 Every candidate who at the time of his examination signifies 
 his wish to be registered as a homceopathic practitioner shall 
 not be required to pass an examination in materia medica or 
 therapeutics, or theory or practice of physic, or in surgery or 
 midwifery, except the operative practical parts thereof, before 
 any examiners other than those homoeopathic examiners who 
 shall be appointed by the University of Manitoba {ib., s. 70). 
 
 Unlawful Practices. — To wilfully procure or attempt 
 to procure registration by false or fraudulent representation or 
 declaration, is punishable by a penalty not exceeding $100. To 
 knowingly aid or assist therein, is punishable by a penalty of 
 from $20 to $50 for each offence {ib., s. 73). 
 
 Persons not registered, for hire, gain, or the hope of reward, 
 practising or professing to practise medicine, surgery, or mid- 
 wifery, or advertising to give advice in medicine, surgery, or 
 midwifery, are liable to a penalt3^of from $25 to $100 {ib., s. 74). 
 
 A person wilfully or falsely pretending to be a physician, 
 doctor of medicine, surgeon, or general practitioner, or assum- 
 ing a title, addition, or description other than he actualh' pos-
 
 248 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTOTST. 
 
 sesses and is legall}' entitled to, is liable to a penalty of from 
 $10 to $50 (ib., s. 75). 
 
 For a person to assume a title calculated to lead people to 
 infer that he is registered, or is recognized by law as a physi- 
 cian, surgeon, or accoacheur or a licentiate in medicine, surgery, 
 or midwifery, is punishable with a penalty of from $25 to $100 
 {ib., s. 70). 
 
 On prosecution, costs may be awarded in addition to the 
 penalty, and the offender may be committed to the common 
 jail for one month, unless the penalty and costs are sooner paid 
 {ib., s. 78). 
 
 Prosecutor. — Any person may be prosecutor or complain- 
 ant under the act {ib., s. 80). 
 
 Limitations. — Prosecutions are limited to comrnence within 
 six months after the date of the offence {ib., s. 81). 
 
 Appeal. — A person convicted under this act, giving notice 
 of appeal, must before being released give satisfactory security 
 for the penalty and costs of conviction and appeal {ib., s. 83). 
 
 Stay. — The council may stay proceedings in prosecutions 
 {ib., s. 84). 
 
 Fees.— The council is authorized to determine by by-law an 
 annual fee, which is required to be paid by each member of the 
 college — the fee can be not less than $2, nor more than $5, is 
 payable on January 1st, and may be recovered as a debt by the 
 college {ib., s. 32). 
 
 The fee for registration is subject to regulation by the 
 council {ib., s. 33). 
 
 New Brunswick. 
 
 Medical Society. — All persons registered under the act con- 
 stitute the New Brunswick Medical Society (Act 1881, c. 19, s. 2). 
 
 Council. — There is a medical council called the Council of 
 Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick, of nine legally qual- 
 ified medical practitioners, of not less than seven years' standing ; 
 four are nominated and appointed by the governor in council, 
 and five by the New Brunswick Medical Societ}" {ib., s. 3, 5). 
 
 The secretary of the council is the registrar {ib., s, 7). 
 
 Register, Evidence. — The registrar is required before May 
 1st annuall}" to print and publish in the Royal Gazette of 
 the province, and such other manner as the council shall ap-
 
 NEW BRUNSWICK. 249 
 
 point, a correct register of the names and residences and 
 medical titles, diplomas, and qualifications conferred by any 
 college or body, with the dates thereof, of all persons appearing 
 on the register on the 1st of January. The register is called 
 the Medical Register; a copy for the time being purporting to 
 be so printed and published, or a certificate signed by the 
 president of the council, and attested by the registrar with 
 the corporate seal of the council, is p?"//» a /ac/e evidence that 
 the persons therein specified are registered and qualified ; the 
 absence of a name from such copy or the want of such certificate 
 is prima facie evidence that such person is not registered. 
 If a name does not appear on the copy, a certified copy, under 
 the hand of the registrar of the council, of the entry of a 
 name on the register is evidence of registration {ih., s. 8). 
 
 Entrance upon Study. — A j)erson beginning or entering 
 on the study of physic, surgery, or midwifery, for the purpose 
 of qualifying to practise in the province, must have obtained 
 from the council a certificate that he has satisfactorily passed 
 a matriculation or preliminary examination in the subjects 
 enumerated in the act, unless he has passed a matriculation ex- 
 amination for the medical course in arts and science at some 
 college in Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, the United States 
 of America, or the Continent of Europe {ih., s. 10). 
 
 The act prescribes formalities for admission to such prelim- 
 inary examination {ih., s. 10). 
 
 Qualification. — Subject to the exceptions hereinafter, no 
 person can lawfully practise physic, surgery, or midwifery un- 
 less he be registered, or unless he shall have received from the 
 council a license to practise {ih., s. 11). 
 
 No person is entitled to registration or license unless he shall 
 satisfy the council that he has passed a matriculation or prelim- 
 inary examination ; that after passing such examination he has 
 followed his studies for not less than four years, one of which 
 may be under the direction of one or more general practitioners 
 duly licensed ; that during such four years he has attended at 
 some university, college, or incorporated school of medicine in 
 good standing, courses of lectures amounting together to not 
 less than twelve months on general anatomy, on practical anat- 
 omy, on surgery, on practice of medicine, on midwifer}', on 
 chemistry, on materia medica and pharmacy, and on the insti-
 
 250 SYNOPSIS OP LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 tntes of medicine or physic, and one three-months' course of 
 medical jurisprudence; that he has attended the general prac- 
 tice of an hospital in which are not less than fifty beds under 
 the charge of not less than two physicians or surgeons, for not 
 less than one year or two periods of not less than six months 
 each; that he has also attended two three-months' courses or 
 one six-months' course of clinical medicine, the same of clinical 
 surgery; that he has, after an examination in the subjects of 
 the course, obtained a degree or diploma from such universitj^, 
 college, or incorporated medical school if such institution require 
 a four-years' course for its diploma, or for the want of such 
 degree or diploma that he has satisfactorily passed an exami- 
 nation in the various branches hereinbefore specified before the 
 examiners appointed by the council ; that he is not less than 
 twent3'-one years of age; that he has paid to the registrar of 
 the council a fee of ten dollars. The council has power, subject 
 to the approval of the governor in council, to make alterations 
 as may be required in the foregoing curriculum. If any person 
 apply for registration as a practitioner of any system of medi- 
 cine, the registered practitioners of that system have the right 
 to appoint an examiner or examiners on the subjects peculiar to 
 that sj'stem, viz., materia medica, pharmacy, and therapeutics, 
 and if they neglect so to do the council has the power to appoint 
 such examiner or examiners (ib., s. 12). 
 
 The last preceding section does not applj^ to persons in 
 actual practice entitled to register under sec. 38. Any person 
 producing to the council conclusive evidence that he has passed 
 a matriculation or a preliminary examination, as required by 
 this act for persons beginning medical studies in New Bruns- 
 wick, that he has before graduating or taking a diploma studied 
 at least four years as provided in sec. 12, or pursued what the 
 council deem an equivalent course of study and has passed a final 
 examination in the subjects of such course, or, for the want of 
 such requirement, shall have fulfilled such conditions as the 
 council may determine, and shall pay a fee of ten dollars, shall 
 be entitled to registration and to receive a license to practise 
 {ib.,s. 13). 
 
 The act makes special provision for residents of the prov- 
 ince who began study before January 1st, 1881 {ib., s. 14, as 
 amended 1882, c. 30, s. 1).
 
 NEW BEUNSWICK. 251 
 
 Duties of Council. — The council is empowered and re- 
 quired to regulate the study of medicine, surgery, and midwife- 
 ry, with regard to preliminary qualifications, course of study, 
 final examination, and the evidence to be produed before the 
 council ; to appoint a registration committee ; to examine all de- 
 grees, diplomas, licenses, and other credentials presented or given 
 in evidence under the act to enable the owner to practise in New 
 Brunswick, and to oblige the owner to attest on oath or affirma- 
 tion that he is the person whose name is mentioned therein, and 
 that he became possessed thereof properly and honestly ; to cause 
 every member of the profession practising in New Brunswick 
 to register his name, age, place of residence, place of nativit}", 
 date of license or diploma, and the place where he obtained it ; 
 to appoint medical examiners, who may be members of the 
 council, to hold final examinations, who shall be regularly 
 qualified practitioners of not less than five years' professional 
 standing and three years' residence in the province {ib., s. 15, 
 as amended 1882, c. 30, s. 2, 3). 
 
 Correction op Register. — The registrar is required to erase 
 the names of all registered persons who shall have died, left 
 the province without the intention of returning, or ceased to 
 practise for five years; and from time to time to make the 
 necessary alterations in the addresses or qualifications of reg- 
 istered persons. Any name erased shall be restored by the 
 order of the council on sufficient cause duly shown {ib., s. 18). 
 
 Neglect to Register. — Persons entitled to registration, 
 neglecting or omitting to register, are not entitled to any rights 
 or privileges conferred by the act {ib., s. 19). 
 
 System of Practice. — No person otherwise qualified shall 
 be refused registration or license on account of the adoption or 
 the refusal to adopt the practice of any particular theory of 
 medicine or surgery. In case of refusal the aggrieved party 
 may appeal to the governor in council, who is required, on 
 due cause shown, to issue an order to the council to register his 
 name and grant him a license to practise, and thereupon the 
 council shall forthwith register his name and grant him a 
 license to practise {ib., s. 20). 
 
 Evidence of Qualification, Fraudulent Registra- 
 tion. — No qualification can be entered unless the registrar be 
 satisfied by proper evidence that the person claiming it is entitled
 
 252 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 to it. An appeal may be made from the registrar's decision to 
 the council. Any entry proved to the satisfaction of the 
 council to have been fraudulent!}' or incorrectly made may be 
 erased by the order in writing of the council, and the name of 
 such person fraudulently registering, or attempting to register, 
 may, at the discretion of the council, be published in the next 
 issue of the Royal Gazette {ib., s. 21). 
 
 Forfeiture of Right. — A registered medical practitioner 
 convicted of felony, or after due inquiry judged by the council 
 to have been guilty of infamous conduct in any professional 
 respect thereb}', subject to appeal to the governor in council, 
 forfeits his right to registration, and by the direction of the 
 council his name shall be erased from the register {ib., s. 22). 
 
 The time and place of inquiry under "the preceding section 
 must be fixed by the council, and at least fourteen days' notice 
 given to the party against whom inquiry is ordered (Act 1886, 
 c. 82, s. 6). 
 
 The Act of 1886, c. 82, regulates the procedure on such 
 inquiry. 
 
 Additional Qualifications. — Every person registered 
 who may obtain a higher degree or other qualification is en- 
 titled to have it registered in substitution for, or in addition to, 
 the qualifications previously registered, on the payment of such 
 fee as the council may demand (Act 1881, c. 19, s. 23). 
 
 Practitioner's Rights. — Every person registered under 
 the act is entitled according to his qualifications to practise 
 medicine, surgery, midwifery, or dentistry, or either or anj^ of 
 them as the case may be, and to demand and recover reasonable 
 and customary charges for professional aid, advice, and visits, 
 and the cost of any medicine or other medical or surgical ap- 
 pliances rendered or supplied by him to his patients (ib., s. 24). 
 
 No person is entitled to recover any such charge unless he 
 shall prove upon the trial that he is registered under this act 
 {ib., s. 25). 
 
 Definition. — The words "legally qualified medical practi- 
 tioner," or "dulj" qualified medical practitioner," or other words 
 implying that a person is recognized by law as a medical practi- 
 tioner or member of the medical profession, when used in a 
 legislative act or a legal or public document mean a person reg- 
 istered under this act {ib., s. 26).
 
 NEW BRUNSWICK, 253 
 
 Unregistered Persons.— No person shall be appointed a 
 medical officer, physician, or surgeon in the public service or 
 in any hospital or other charitable institution unless registered 
 {lb., s. 27). 
 
 No certificate required from any phj^sician or surgeon or 
 medical practitioner is valid unless the signer be duly registered 
 {ih., s. 28). 
 
 A person not registered or licensed, and not actually em- 
 jDloyed as a physician or surgeon in Her Majesty's naval or 
 military service, practising physic, surgery, or midwifery for 
 hire, gain, or hope of reward, forfeits twenty dollars for each 
 day of such practice {ib., s. 29). 
 
 The sum forfeited is recoverable with costs. The proced- 
 ure in reference to all penalties is regulated by Act of 188G, c. 82. 
 
 Persons liable as provided in sees. 29 and 30 are not en- 
 titled to or subject to the provisions of any act for the relief of 
 debtors (Act 1882, c. 30, s. 4). 
 
 On the trial of such cause, the burden of proof as to license 
 or right to practise is upon the defendant (Act 1881, c. 19, s. 
 31; Act 1886, c. 82, s. 3). 
 
 Fraudulent Registration. — Wilfully procuring or at- 
 tempting to procure registration by making or producing, or 
 causing to be made or produced, a false or fraudulent representa- 
 tion or declaration, or aiding or assisting therein, is punishable 
 with a forfeiture of not less than $100 (Act 1881, c. 19, s. 33). 
 
 Wilfully or falsely pretending to be or using anj'- name or 
 description implying registration is punishable with a forfeiture 
 of from $50 to $100 {ib., s. 34). 
 
 Limitations. — No prosecution can be commenced under 
 the act after one year from the date of the offence (Act 1886, 
 c. 82, s. 4). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not prevent persons from giving 
 the necessary medical or surgical aid or attendance to anj' one 
 in urgent need of it, provided it be without gain, and the giv- 
 ing of it be not made a business or way of gaining a livelihood; 
 nor does it prevent any woman from giving the necessary aid 
 in cases of confinement as heretofore accustomed (Act 1881, c. 
 19, s. 36). 
 
 Examination. — All persons who subsequent to the passage 
 of the act pass the examination prescribed by the council of
 
 254 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 physicians and surgeons, or presenting approved credentials, 
 certificates, or diplomas equivalent to such examination, are 
 entitled to register and receive a license to practise {ib., s. 38), 
 
 Physicians in Army or Navy. — A person while employed 
 in actual service in Her Majesty's naval or military service as 
 a physician or surgeon, may practise physic, surgery, or mid- 
 wifery with registry or license (ib., s. 39). 
 
 Non-Residents. — Non-resident registered practitioners of 
 medicine residing in the State of Maine or in the Province of 
 Quebec or Nova Scotia near the boundary line of this province 
 whose regular practice extends into any town, parish, or county 
 in New Brunswick may register under the act {ib., s. 44). 
 
 No other non-resident practitioner of medicine is entitled to 
 register (Act 1884, c. 17, s. 1). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not extend to clairvoyant physi- 
 cians practising at the time of its passage in the province, nor to 
 midwives (Act 1881, c. 19, s. 45). 
 
 Students. — The act establishes a uniform standard of 
 matriculation or preliminary examinations {ib., Sched. B). 
 
 Oaths. — Any oath or affidavit required by the medical act 
 may be taken before any justice of the peace or person by law 
 authorized to take any oath or affidavit (Act 1882, c. 30, s. 6), 
 
 Fees. — To the registrar, for registration under sees. 12 and 
 13, $10 (Act 1881, c. 19, s. 12 and 13). 
 
 To the registrar, for the registration of an additional quali- 
 fication, such fee as the council may demand (Act 1881, c. 19, 
 s. 23). 
 
 To the registrar, or his deputy, annual fee from each prac- 
 titioner, to be fixed by the council, not more than $2 nor less 
 than $1 (Act 1882, c. 30, s. 5). 
 
 Each registered medical practitioner must, if required by the 
 council, pay to the registrar, or a person deputed by him, an 
 annual fee determined hj the council, not less than $1 nor more 
 than $2, payable January 1st each year, and recoverable as a 
 debt with costs in the name of the council (Act 1882, c. 30, 
 s. 5). 
 
 If any practitioner omit to pay the registration fee before 
 the registrar causes the register to be printed in the Royal 
 Gazette, the registrar shall not cause the name of such practi- 
 tioner to be printed, and he shall thereupon cease to be deemed
 
 NEW BRUNSWICK — NEWFOUNDLAND. 355 
 
 a registered practitioner ; but afterward, on paying such fee, he 
 shall be entitled to all his rights and privileges as a registered 
 practitioner from the time of payment (Act 1884, c. 17, s. 2). 
 
 Newfoundland. 
 
 Medical Board. — There is a board composed of seven 
 regularly qualified medical practitioners of not less than five 
 years' standing, appointed as provided in the act, and known 
 as the "Newfoundland Medical Board," whose duties relate, 
 among other things, to the making and enforcing of measures 
 necessary for the regulation and the practice of medicine (Act 
 1893, c. 12, s. 2, 3, 19). 
 
 The board is authorized to appoint examiners and fix times 
 of examinations {ib., s. 5). 
 
 The secretary of the board is the registrar {ib., s. 7). 
 
 Register, Evidence. — It is the duty of the registrar on 
 or before January 1st in each year to cause to be published 
 in the Royal Gazette of Newfoundland a list of the names of 
 all persons appearing on the register at that date, with their 
 places of residence, titles, diplomas, and qualifications as con- 
 ferred by any college or body, with the date {ib., s. 8). 
 
 Such register is called the Medical Register, and a cop}- 
 thereof is prima facie evidence that the persons therein speci- 
 fied are registered according to the act ; and the absence of a 
 name therefrom is prima facie evidence that such person is 
 not so registered {ib., s. 9). 
 
 Qualification. — The members of the board form a body of 
 medical examiners of diplomas and degrees, whose certificate 
 shall be the only license permitting the practice of medicine, 
 surgery, or midwifery, except as hereinafter provided, provided 
 the applicant for such license shall previously have obtained a 
 medical diploma from a recognized college or universit}*, or as 
 hereinafter provided {ib., s. 10.) 
 
 Every person is entitled to have his name entered on the 
 register on satisfying the board that he holds a degree or 
 diploma from some regular university or school of medicine 
 in good standing, and he shall then receive from the board a 
 license bearing its seal, on the payment to the registrar of $5, 
 and shall have his name entered on the register {ib., s. 11).
 
 256 SYNOPSIS OP LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 No such licensed practitioner shall be entitled to practise in 
 •Ally year without taking out from the board, before the 1st of 
 January in every year, a certificate of practice for which he 
 shall pay $1 {ib., s. 12). 
 
 Students. — The act provides the requirements for entering 
 on the study of medicine, surgery, or midwifery in the colony 
 {ib., s. 13, 14, 17). 
 
 Duties of Board. — The board is required to examine all 
 degrees and other credentials produced or given in evidence 
 under the act for the purpose of enabling the owners to practise, 
 and, if it be deemed necessary, to oblige the owner to attest on 
 oath or affidavit that he is the person whose name is mentioned 
 therein, and that he has become possessed of the same by lawful 
 means (ib., s. 16). 
 
 The board is required to cause every member of the profes- 
 sion practising in Newfoundland to enter his name, age, place 
 of residence, date of license or diploma and where it was ob- 
 tained, on the register {ib., s. 18). 
 
 Neglect to Register. — A person entitled to be registered, 
 who neglects or omits to apply, is not entitled to any of the rights 
 or privileges conferred by the act so long as the neglect or 
 omission continues {ib., s. 25). 
 
 Additional Qualification. — A person registered who 
 obtains a higher degree or diploma is entitled to have it inserted 
 in the register in addition to or in substitution for those pre- 
 viously registered {ib., s. 26). 
 
 Rights of Registered Persons. — A person properly 
 registered under the act is entitled to practise medicine, 
 surgery, and midwifery in any part of the colony, and to de- 
 mand and recover reasonable charges for professional aid or 
 advice with the cost of medicine or other medical and surgical 
 appliance supplied by him {ib., s. 27). 
 
 Unregistered Persons. — No person whose name is not reg- 
 istered under the act is entitled to recover any fees for any medi- 
 cal or surgical advice, or for any services whatsoever rendered 
 in the capacity of a medical man, nor to recover the payment of 
 charges for any medicine or medical or surgical appliance which 
 maj^ have been both prescribed and supplied bj^ him. This 
 clause is not intended to interfere with the practice of midwifery 
 by competent females as hereinafter provided {ib., s. 28).
 
 NEWFOUNDLAND. 257 
 
 Offences and Penalties. — Except as hereinafter provided, 
 if a person not registered or licensed under the act practises 
 medicine, surgery, or midwifery for hire, gain, help [sic] or 
 reward, or wilfully and falsely pretends to be a physician, doctor 
 of medicine, surgeon, or general practitioner, or takes or uses 
 any name, title, addition [or] description, implying or calculat- 
 ing [sic] to deceive or lead the public to infer that he is regis- 
 tered under this act, or who proposes by public advertisement, 
 card, circular, or otherwise, to practise medicine, surgery, or 
 midwifery, or give advice therein, or in anywise lead people 
 to infer that he is qualified to practise medicine, surgerj^, or 
 midwifery, he shall forfeit $20 for each daj' that he so prac- 
 tises or leads people to infer that he is a practitioner, or shall 
 suffer imprisonment not exceeding twelve months (ib., s. 29). 
 
 Persons violating the above regulations are subject to the 
 penalties of the act^ and in all cases the burden of proof as to 
 qualification is upon the defendant or practitioner {ib., s. 30). 
 
 Expulsion of Member. — The Newfoundland Medical 
 Board may try and expel any member of the profession for 
 acts of malpractice, misconduct, or immoral habits, provided 
 five-sevenths of the whole number record their signatures to 
 such a measure {ib., s. 32). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not prevent private persons 
 from giving the necessary medical or surgical aid in times of 
 urgent need, provided such aid or attention is not given for 
 gain or hire, nor the giving of it made a business or a way of 
 gaining a livelihood {ib., s. 34). 
 
 Every person residing in the colony and who shall have 
 practised medicine, surgery, and midwifery for five years con- 
 secutively in one locality previous to the passage of the act, on 
 the proof of the same, shall have his name registered and receive 
 a license to practise under the act ; provided, the board may 
 grant a license to any person who may have practised for a 
 shorter period, on being satisfied b}^ examination, or inquiry, 
 that such person is reasonably competent and fit; and further 
 provided, that the board may, after examination and inquiry, 
 license persons with a reasonable amount of competence to prac- 
 tise in specified localities, in which no qualified practitioners 
 reside {ib., s. 37). 
 
 Any person while employed in actual service in any naval
 
 258 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS— POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 or military service as physician or surgeon may practise medi- 
 cine, surgery, and midwifery after having been registered {ib., 
 s. 38). 
 
 Definition. — The words " legally qualified medical practi- 
 tioner" or " duly qualified medical practitioner, " or any other 
 words importing a person recognized by law as a medical 
 practitioner or a member of the medical profession, when used 
 in any act of the legislature or legal or public document, mean 
 a person registered under this chapter, unless as otherwise pro- 
 vided {ib., s. 39). 
 
 Medical Appointments. — No person shall be appointed as 
 a medical officer, physician, or surgeon in any branch of the 
 public service or any hospital or other charitable institution un- 
 less he be registered under the provisions of this chapter (^6,, 
 s. 40). 
 
 Theories of Medicine orSurgerv. — No person otherwise 
 fully qualified shall be refused registration, or a license to 
 practise, on account of his adopting or refusing to adopt the 
 practice of any particular theory of medicine or surgery. In 
 case of such refusal by the board, the part}^ aggrieved may 
 appeal to the governor in council, who, on due cause shown, shall 
 issue an order to the board to register the name of such person 
 and grant him a license (ib., s. 41). 
 
 MiDWivES. — The act does not prevent competent females 
 from practising midwifery {ib., s. 42) r 
 
 Fees. — To the registrar, for license, $5 (ib., s. 11). 
 
 To the board, each year, for a certificate of practice, $1 {ib.y 
 s. 12). 
 
 Northwest Territories. 
 
 College of Physicians and Surgeons. — The members of 
 the medical profession are a body corporate under the name 
 of "The College of Physicians and Surgeons of the North- 
 west Territories" (Ord. 5 of 1888, s. 2). 
 
 Every person registered according to Ordinance 11 of 1885 
 is a member of the said college and shall be held to be registered 
 under this ordinance from the date of its passage {ib., s. 3, as 
 amended Ord. 9 of 1891-92). 
 
 Every person registered under this law is a member of the 
 college {ib., s. 4).
 
 NEWFOUNDLAND — NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. 259 
 
 Council. — There is a council of said college elected by the 
 members from the members registered in pursuance of this 
 ordinance {ib., s. 5, 6, 7). 
 
 The council appoints among other officers a registrar {ib., 
 s. 26). 
 
 Register, Qualification. — Persons registered under Or- 
 dinance 11 of 1885 are entitled to register under this ordinance 
 {lb., s. 31). 
 
 The council is required to cause the registrar to keep a 
 register of the names of all persons who have complied with 
 this ordinance, and the rules and regulations of the council 
 respecting the qualifications required from practitioners of med- 
 icine or surgery. Only those persons whose names are inscribed 
 in the register are deemed qualified and licensed to practise 
 medicine or surgery, except as hereinafter provided {ib., s. 32). 
 
 The registrar is required to keep his register correct and to 
 make the necessary alterations in the addresses or qualifica- 
 tions of persons registered {ib., s. 33). 
 
 The council is required to admit on the register : 
 
 (a) Any person possessing a diploma from any college in 
 Great Britain and Ireland (having power to grant such di- 
 ploma) entitling him to practise medicine and surgery, and who 
 shall produce such diploma and furnish satisfactory evidence 
 of identification ; 
 
 (6) any member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons 
 of the Provinces of Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec upon pro- 
 ducing satisfactory evidence of the same and of identification ; 
 
 (c) any person who shall produce from any college or school 
 of medicine and surgery in the Dominion of Canada requiring a 
 four-years' course of study and {sic) a diploma of qualification ; 
 provided he furnish to the council satisfactory evidence of iden- 
 tification, and pass if deemed necessary, before the members 
 thereof, or such examiners as may be appointed for the purpose, 
 a satisfactory examination touching his fitness and capacity to 
 practise as a physician and surgeon, upon payment to the regis- 
 trar of fifty dollars {ib., s. 34, as substituted by Ord. 14, 1890, 
 amended by Ord. 9, 1891-92). 
 
 Powers of Council. — The members of the council are 
 required to make orders, regulations, or by-laws for the regula- 
 tion of the register and the guidance of examiners, and may
 
 260 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 prescribe subjects and modes of examination, and may make 
 all regulations in respect of examinations, not contrary to the 
 ordinance, that they may deem expedient and necessary (ib., 
 s. 36). 
 
 The council may by by-law delegate to the registrar power 
 to admit to practice and to register any person having the nec- 
 essary qualifications entitling him to be registered by the coun- 
 cil (Ord. 24, 1892, s. 4). 
 
 The council may direct the name of any person improperly 
 registered to be erased from the register and such name shall 
 be erased by the registrar (Ord. 24, 1892, s. 5). 
 
 Forfeiture of Rights. — If a medical practitioner be con- 
 victed of any felony or misdemeanor or after due inquiry be 
 judged by the council to have been guilty of infamous conduct 
 in any professional respect, the council may, if it sees fit, direct 
 the registrar to erase the name of such practitioner from the 
 register, and the name shall be erased (Ord. 5, 1888, s. 37, as 
 substituted by Ord. 24, 1892, s. 1). 
 
 Rights of Registered Persons. — Every person registered 
 under the ordinance is entitled to practise medicine and surgery, 
 including midwifery, or anj^ one of them, as the case may be, 
 and to demand and recover with costs his reasonable charges for 
 professional aid, advice, and visits, and the cost of medical or 
 surgical appliances rendered or supplied by him to his patients 
 [ib., s. 38). 
 
 Limitation. — A period of one year after the term of pro- 
 fessional service is established as a limitation to actions for 
 negligence or malpractice against members of the college {ib., 
 s. 39). 
 
 Register, Evidence. — The registrar, under the direction 
 of the council, is required to publish a register of the names and 
 residences and the medical titles, diplomas, and qualifications 
 conferred by any college or body, of all persons appearing on the 
 register on the day of publication. The register is called 
 "Northwest Territories' Medical Register," and a copy for the 
 time being, purporting to be so printed and published, is prima 
 facie evidence that the persons therein specified are registered 
 according to the act. The absence of a name from such copy is 
 prima facie evidence that such person is not so registered. 
 
 In case a person's name does not appear on such copy, a cer-
 
 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. 201 
 
 tified copy under the hand of the registrar of the entry of the 
 name of such person on the register is evidence that such person 
 is registered {ib., s. 40). 
 
 Neglect to Register. — A person neglecting to register is 
 not entitled to the rights or privileges conferred and is liable to 
 all penalties against unqualified or unregistered practitioners 
 {ib., s. 4). 
 
 Offences and Penalties. — To practise or jDrofess to prac- 
 tise without registration, for hire or reward, is punishable with 
 a penalty of $100 {ib., s. 42). 
 
 To wilfully or falsely pretend to be a physician, doctor of 
 medicine, surgeon, or general practitioner, or assume any title 
 or description not actually possessed and to which the person is 
 not legally entitled under this ordinance, is punishable with a 
 penalt}^ of from $10 to $50 {ib., s. 43, as amended by Ord. 24, 
 1892, s. 2). 
 
 To take or use a name or description implying or calculated 
 to lead people to infer registration or recognition by law as a 
 physician, surgeon, or licentiate in medicine or surgery is pun- 
 ishable with a penalty of from $25 to $100 {ib., s. 44). 
 
 Unregistered Persons. — No person is entitled to recover 
 for any medical or surgical advice or attendance or the perfor- 
 mance of anj' operation or medicine which he may have pre- 
 scribed {ib., s. 45) ; nor to be appointed as medical officer, physi- 
 cian, or surgeon in any branch of the public service or in any 
 hospital or other charitable institution not supported wholly bj' 
 voluntary contributions, unless registered {ib., s. 46). 
 
 No certificate required from a physician or surgeon or med- 
 ical practitioner is valid unless the signer is registered {ib., 
 s. 47). 
 
 Costs. — In prosecutions, payment of costs may be awarded 
 in addition to the penalt}^ and in default of payment the offender 
 may be committed to the common jail for not more than one 
 month {ib., s. 48). 
 
 Burden of Proof. — In prosecutions, the burden of proof 
 as to registration is upon the person charged {ib., s. 49). 
 
 Proof. — The production of a printed or other copj' of the 
 register, certified under the hand of the registrar, for the time 
 being is sufficient evidence of all persons [registered] ; a certifi- 
 cate on such copy purporting to be signed by any person in the
 
 202 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS— POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 capacity of registrar of the council under this ordinance isprima 
 facie evidence that he is registered without proof of his signa- 
 ture or of his being in fact registrar {ib., s. 50). 
 
 Limitation of Prosecutions. — Prosecutions must be 
 commenced within six months from the date of the offence 
 {ib., s. 51). 
 
 Stay. — The council may stay proceedings in prosecutions 
 where deemed expedient {ib., s. 52). 
 
 Prosecutor. — Any person may be prosecutor or complain- 
 ant {ib., s. 53). 
 
 Definition. — ''Legallj^ qualified medical practitioner" or 
 " duly qualified medical practitioner," or any other words im- 
 plying legal recognition as a medical practitioner or member of 
 the medical profession, when used in any law or ordinance, 
 mean a person registered under this ordinance {ib., s. 55). 
 
 Homceopathists. — Homoeopathic physicians may be regis- 
 tered under this ordinance on complying with the terms of sec. 
 34 {ib., s. 58). 
 
 Fees. — To the council from each member annually as the 
 council may determine, not more than $2 and not less than $1 
 {ib., s. 35). 
 
 To the registrar, for registration, $50 {ib., s. 56, as substi- 
 tuted by Ord. 24, 1892, s. 3). 
 
 Nova Scotia. 
 
 Medical Board. — There is a provincial medical board con- 
 sisting of thirteen regular qualified medical practitioners of not 
 less than seven years' standing, seven nominated and appointed 
 by the governor in council, and six by the Nova Scotia Medical 
 Society (R. S., 5th ser., c. 24, s. 1). 
 
 The board appoints a secretary who is the registrar of the 
 board {ib., s. 3, 4). 
 
 Register, Evidence. — The registrar is required before the 
 1st of August each year to cause to be printed and published 
 in the Royal Gazette of the province, and in such other 
 manner as the board shall appoint, a correct register of the 
 names and residences and medical titles, diplomas, and qualifica- 
 tions conferred by any college or body, with the dates thereof 
 of all persons appearing on the register as existing on June
 
 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES — NOVA SCOTIA. 263 
 
 30th, Such register is called "The Medical Register," and a 
 copy thereof for the time being, purporting to be so printed 
 and published, is xjrima facie evidence that the persons 
 specified are registered according to this chapter. The absence 
 of a name &'om such copy is prima facie evidence that such 
 person is not so registered. In the case of a person whose 
 name does not appear in such copy, a certified copy, under the 
 hand of the registrar, of the entry of his name on the register 
 is evidence that such person is registered under the provisions 
 of this chapter {ib., s. 5). 
 
 Students. — ISTo person can begin or enter on the study of 
 physic, surgery, or midwifery, for the purpose of qualifying 
 himself to practise in the province, unless he shall have obtained 
 from the provincial medical board a certificate that he has satis- 
 factorily passed a matriculation examination in the subjects 
 specified in the chapter {ib., s. 6). 
 
 The chapter prescribes the prerequisites to admission to 
 preliminary examinations (ib., s. 7, 12). 
 
 Qualification. — Subject to the exceptions hereinafter, no 
 person can lawfully practise physic, surger}^, or midwifery unless 
 his name be registered and unless he shall have received from 
 the provincial medical board a license to practise (ib., s. 8). 
 
 No person is entitled to be registered or to receive a license 
 to practise unless he satisfy the board that he has passed the 
 matriculation or preliminary examination; that after passing 
 such examination he has followed his studies during a period 
 not less than four years (one of which ma}^ be under the direc- 
 tion of one or more general practitioners duly licensed) ; that 
 during such four years he has attended at some university, 
 college, or incorporated school of medicine in good standing, 
 courses of lectures amounting together to not less than twelve 
 months on general anatomy, on practical anatomy, on surger}^ 
 on the practice of medicine, on midwifery, on chemistr}-, on 
 materia medica and pharmacy, and on the institutes of med- 
 icine or physiology, and one three-months' course of medical 
 jurisprudence; that he has attended the general practice of a 
 hospital in which are not less than fifty beds under the charge 
 of not less than two physicians or surgeons, for a period of not 
 less than one year or two periods of not less than six months 
 each ; that he has also attended two three-months' courses or
 
 264 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 one six-months' course of clinical medicine, and the same of 
 clinic;al surgery ; that he has, after an examination in the sub- 
 jects of the course, obtained a degree or diploma from sucli 
 university, college, or incorporated medical school, or, for want 
 of such degree or diploma, that he has satisfactorily passed an 
 examination in the various branches hereinbefore specified before 
 examiners to be appointed by the provincial medical board; 
 that he is not less than twenty-one years of age ; and that he 
 has paid the registrar twenty dollars. 
 
 The provincial medical board has power, subject to the 
 approval of the governor in council, to make such alterations 
 in the foregoing curriculum as may from time to time be re- 
 quired {ib., s. 9). 
 
 The last preceding section does not apply to any person in ac- 
 tual practice duly registered under chap. 56 of Revised Statutes, 
 3d series ; such persons are entitled to be registered and receive 
 a license to practise under this chapter without fee. Notwith- 
 standing such section, any person on producing to the said 
 board conclusive evidence that he has passed a matriculation 
 or preliminary examination such as is required for persons be- 
 ginning their medical studies in Nova Scotia; that he has, 
 before graduating or taking a diploma, studied for at least four 
 years in the manner provided in sec. 9 or pursued what the 
 board deem an equivalent course of stud}", and has passed a 
 final examination in the subjects of such course ; or, for the 
 want of any of such requirements, shall have fulfilled such con- 
 ditions as the board may determine and shall pay a fee of 
 twenty dollars, shall be entitled to be registered and to receive 
 a license to practise {ib., s. 10). 
 
 Powers of Board. — The said board among other powers 
 has the power to examine all degrees, diplomas, licenses, and 
 other credentials presented or given in evidence for the purpose 
 of entitling the owner to practise in Nova Scotia; and to 
 oblige the owner to attest on oath, or by affidavit, that he is 
 the person whose na.me is mentioned therein, and that he 
 became possessed thereof honesth" ; to cause every member of 
 the profession practising in Nova Scotia to enregister his 
 name, age, place of residence, place of nativity, date of license 
 or diploma, and the place where he obtained it, in the regis- 
 ter of the board ; to appoint medical examiners to hold final ex-
 
 NOVA SCOTIA. 265 
 
 aminations, such examiners to be regular qualified practitioners 
 of not less than five years' professional standing, and three 
 years' residence in the province (ib., s. 12). 
 
 Register. — The registrar is required to keep his register 
 correct, and to erase the names of all registered persons who 
 shall have died, left the province without an}^ intention of re- 
 turning, or ceased to practise for five years, and to make from 
 time to time the necessary alterations in the addresses or quali- 
 fications of persons registered. A name erased is required to 
 be restored by the order of the board upon sufficient cause duly 
 shown {lb., s. 15). 
 
 Neglect to Register. — Persons entitled to register and 
 neglecting or omitting to register are not entitled to any of the 
 rights or privileges conferred so long as the neglect or omission 
 shall continue {ib., s. 16). 
 
 Theories of Medicine or Surgery, — No person shall be 
 refused registration or a license on account of the adoption 
 or the refusal to adopt the practice of any particular theory of 
 medicine or surgery. In case of such refusal the party aggrieved 
 has the right to appeal to the governor in council, who, on due 
 cause shown, is required to issue an order to the board to register 
 the name of such person and to grant him a license {ib., s. 17). 
 
 Powers of Registrar. — No qualification is entered unless 
 the registrar is satisfied by proper evidence that the person 
 claiming is entitled to it, and anj^ appeal from the decision of 
 the registrar may be decided by the board, and any eutr}' 
 proving to the satisfaction of the board to have been fraudulently'' 
 or incorrectly made may be erased from the register by order 
 in writing of the board {ib., s. 18). 
 
 Forfeiture of Rights. — A medical practitioner convicted 
 of felony or, after due inquirj^, judged by the board to have 
 been guilt}^ of infamous conduct in any professional respect, 
 thereby forfeits his right to registration, and if registered his 
 name shall, by the direction of the board, be erased from the 
 register {ib., s. 19). 
 
 Additional Qualifications. — A registered person maj^ 
 have a higher degree or an additional qualification obtained by 
 him, inserted in the register in substitution for or in addition to 
 a qualification previously registered, on the payment of such 
 fee as the board may appoint [ib., s. 20).
 
 266 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON, 
 
 Rights of Registered Persons. — Every registered person 
 is entitled according to his qualifications to practise medicine, 
 surgery, or midwifery, or either or any of them as the case 
 may be, and to demand and receive reasonable charges for pro- 
 fessional aid, advice, and visits and the cost of any medicine or 
 any medical or surgical appliances rendered or supplied by him 
 to his patients (ib., s. 21). 
 
 No person is entitled to recover such charge unless he shall 
 prove on the trial that he is registered under this chapter. 
 This does not interfere with the sale by qualified druggists or 
 chemists of articles properly belonging to their business {ib., 
 s. 22). 
 
 Definition. — The words " legally qualified medical practi- 
 tioner" or "duly qualified medical practitioner," or any other 
 words importing a person recognized by law as a medical prac- 
 titioner or a member of the medical profession, when used in 
 any act of the legislature or legal or public document mean 
 a person registered under this chapter {ib., s. 23). 
 
 Unregistered Persons. — No person shall be appointed as 
 a medical officer, physician, or surgeon, in any branch of the 
 public service, or in any hospital or other charitable institution, 
 unless he be registered under the provisions of this chapter 
 {ib., s. 24). 
 
 No certificate required from any physician or surgeon or med- 
 ical practitioner is valid unless the signer be registered {ib. , s. 25). 
 
 Offences and Penalties. — For a person without regis- 
 tration or license to practise physic, surgery, or midwifery for 
 hire, gain, or hope of reward, or wilfully or falsely pretend to 
 be a physician, doctor of medicine, surgeon, or general practi- 
 tioner, or to take or use any name or description implying or 
 calculated to lead people to infer that he is registered, or to pro- 
 fess by public advertisement, card, circular, sign, or other- 
 wise to practise physic, surgery, or midwifery, or to give 
 advice therein or in anywise to lead people to infer that he is 
 qualified to practise physic, surgery, or midwifery, is punisha- 
 ble with a forfeiture of 820 for each day that he so practises or 
 leads people to infer that he is practising {ib., s. 26). 
 
 On trial of such cause the burden of proof as to the license 
 or right of the defendant to practise physic, surgery, or mid- 
 wifery is on the defendant {ib., s. 28).
 
 NOVA SCOTIA. 267 
 
 If a person wilfully jDrocures or attempts to procure regis- 
 tration by making or producing, or causing to be made or pro- 
 duced, a false or fraudulent representation or declaration, he, 
 and all persons knowingly aiding or assisting therein, are each 
 punishable with a forfeiture of not less than $100 {ib., s. 30). 
 
 To wilfully and falsely pretend to be or take or use any 
 name or description implying registration, is punishable with a 
 forfeiture not exceeding $100 {ib., s. 31). 
 
 Suits under this chapter are not to be begun after one 
 year from the date of the offence or cause of action (^6., 
 s. 32). 
 
 Exceptions. — This chapter does not prevent a competent 
 female from practising midwifery in Nova Scotia, except that 
 she must satisfy the board of her competency, and obtain a 
 certificate from the registrar before she can lawfully practise 
 in the city of Halifax {ib., s. 33). 
 
 Nothing in the chapter prevents any person from giving 
 necessary medical or surgical aid or attendance to any one in 
 urgent need of it, provided such aid or attendance is not given 
 for hire or gain, nor the giving of it made a business or way of 
 gaining a livelihood {ib., s. 34). 
 
 Every person residing in the province and who shall have 
 practised therein prior to Januarj' 1st, 1850, is entitled on 
 proof thereof to have his name registered and receive a license 
 to practise under this chapter {ib., s. 36). 
 
 A person while employed in active service in Her Majesty's 
 naval or military service as a physician or surgeon may prac- 
 tise physic, surgery, or midwifery with {sic) registration or 
 license {ib., s. 37). 
 
 Schedule B of the chapter prescribes the subjects for a 
 matriculation or preliminary examination of those commencing 
 the study of medicine. 
 
 Fees. — To the registrar, for registration under sees. 9 and 
 10, $20. 
 
 To the registrar, for a preliminary examination under sec. 
 7, $10. 
 
 For registering additional qualifications, such fee as the 
 board may appoint {ib., s. 20).
 
 268 synopsis of laws — poste and boston. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 College of Physicians, etc. — There is a corporation styled 
 " The College of Physicians and Surgeons of .Ontario" (Rev. 
 St., 1887, c. 148, s. 2). 
 
 All persons registered according to the provincial acts 29 
 Victoria, c. 34, and 37 Victoria, c. 45, and amendatory acts, are 
 members of said corporation {ib., s. 3); as well as all persons 
 registered under this act {ib., s. 4). 
 
 Council. — There is a council of said college composed of 
 representatives chosen from every university, college, or body 
 in the province authorized to grant degrees in medicine and 
 surgery, and which establish and maintain to the satisfaction 
 of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario a medical 
 faculty in connection therewith, with five members elected by 
 the registered licensed practitioners in homoeopathy, and twelve 
 members elected from among and by the other registered mem- 
 bers of the profession (ib., s. 6). 
 
 No teacher, professor, or lecturer of any such college or body 
 shall hold a seat in said council except as a representative of 
 the college or body to which he belongs {ib., s. G, subd. 2, as 
 amended Act 1893, c. 27, s. 2). 
 
 All members of the council representing the colleges or 
 bodies aforesaid must be practitioners duly registered {ib., s. 6, 
 subd. 3, as amended Act 1893, c. 27, s. 2). 
 
 All dulj^ registered practitioners are entitled to vote at any 
 election for members of the council {ib., s. 8). 
 
 Any member of the college may have his name transferred 
 from one class of voters to any other on presenting to the reg- 
 istrar a certificate duly signed by the member or members of 
 the board of examiners to examine candidates on subjects spe- 
 cified as peculiar to each school of medicine, testifying that the 
 member so applying has shown a sufficient knowledge of the 
 system of medicine he desires to connect himself with, to en- 
 title him to be admitted to the class he desires, and being 
 so admitted he is entitled to vote in that class only (ib., s. 
 9 [1]). 
 
 No member is entitled to return to the class from which he 
 has been transferred without the sanction of the council {ib., 
 s. 9 [2]).
 
 ONTARIO. 269^ 
 
 The council appoints officers including a registrar {ib., 
 s. 13). 
 
 The council must appoint an executive committee to take 
 cognizance of and action upon all matters delegated to it by the 
 council or which may require immediate attention or interfer- 
 ence between the adjournment of the council and its next meet- 
 ing, and all such acts shall be valid only till the next ensuing 
 meeting of the council {ib., s. 4). 
 
 Division Association. — In each territorial division estab- 
 lished by the act there may be established a Division Associa- 
 tion, of which every member of the said college residing within 
 the said territorial division shall be a member {ib., s. 15). 
 
 Professional Fees. — The division association may submit 
 to the council a tariff of professional fees suitable to their divi- 
 sion, and on the said tariff receiving the approval of the council, 
 signed by the seal of the college and the signature of the presi- 
 dent, such tariff shall be held to be a scale of reasonable charges 
 for the division or section of a division where the members of 
 the association making it reside {ib., s. IG). 
 
 Registration. — In a register kept by the registrar the coun- 
 cil is required to cause to be entered the name of every person 
 duly registered and all persons who have complied with the act 
 and the rules and regulations made b}' the council respecting the 
 qualifications of practitioners of medicine, surgerj*, and mid- 
 wifery ; and those persons only whose names are inscribed in the 
 register shall be deemed to be qualified and licensed to practise 
 medicine, surgery, or midwifery, except as hereinafter provided 
 {ib., s. 21). 
 
 The registrar is required to keep his register correct and to 
 make the necessary alterations in the addresses or qualifications 
 of persons registered. And he may write to any registered 
 person at his address on the register, to inquire whether he 
 has ceased to practise or has changed his residence, and if no 
 answer be returned within six months, may erase the name 
 of such person; the name shall be restored on compliance with 
 the other provisions of the act {ib., s. 22, as amended Act 1891, 
 c. 26, s. 9). 
 
 It is optional for the council to admit to registration all such 
 persons as are duly registered in the medical register of Great 
 Britain, or otherwise authorized to practise medicine, surgerj',
 
 270 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 and midwifery in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and 
 Ireland, upon such terms as the council may deem expedient 
 {ib., s. 23 [1]). 
 
 Any person actually practising medicine, surgery, or mid- 
 wifery, or any of them, in Ontario prior to January 1st, 1850, 
 and who has attended one course of lectures at any recognized 
 medical school, on such proof as the council may require, is 
 entitled to register {ih., s. 23 [2]). 
 
 Any person actually practising medicine, surgery, or mid- 
 wifery according to the principles of homoeopathy before 
 January 1st, 1850, and for the six years preceding March 
 24th, 1874, in Ontario, may in the discretion of the representa- 
 tives of the homoeopathic system of medicine be registered 
 {ih., s. 23 [3]). 
 
 Ax\y person who possesses any of the qualifications described 
 in Schedule B, dated prior to July 23d, 1870, on the payment 
 of the fee, is entitled to register on producing to the registrar 
 the document conferring or evidencing his qualification or qual- 
 ifications, or on transmitting by post to the registrar informa- 
 tion of his name and address and evidence of the qualification 
 or qualifications in respect whereof he wishes to be registered, 
 and of the time or times at which the same was or were at- 
 tained. No one registered under the acts mentioned in sec. 3 
 is liable to pay for registration (i6., s. 24). 
 
 Every person wishing to be registered, and not possessed 
 before July 23d, 1870, of one of the qualifications in Schedule 
 B, must present himself for examination as to his knowledge 
 and skill for the efiicient practice of his profession before the 
 board of examiners mentioned in sec. 28, and upon passing 
 the examination ^required and proving to the satisfaction of the 
 board of examiners that he has complied with the rules and 
 regulations of the council, and on payment of such fees as the 
 council may establish, he shall be entitled to register and in 
 virtue of his registration to practise medicine, surgery, and 
 midwifery {ih., s. 25). 
 
 When it appears that there has been established a central 
 examining board similar to that constituted by this act, or an 
 institution duly recognized by the legislature of any of the 
 provinces of the Dominion of Canada as the sole examining 
 body for the purpose of granting certificates of qualification,
 
 ONTARIO. 271 
 
 and wherein the curricuhim is equal to that established in 
 Ontario, the holder of such certificate shall, upon due proof, be 
 entitled to registration by the council of Ontario if the same 
 privilege is accorded by such examining board or institution to 
 those holding certificates of Ontario {ib., s. 2G^. 
 
 Board of Examiners. — The council is required at its 
 annual meeting to elect a board of examiners whose duty it is 
 to examine at least once in each year all candidates for registra- 
 tion in accordance with the by-laws, rules, and regulations of 
 the council; such examinations are to be held at Toronto or 
 Kingston at such times and in such manner as the council may 
 by by-laws direct {ib., s. 28). 
 
 The board of examiners is composed of one member from 
 each existing teaching body enumerated in sec. 6 and one from 
 every other school of medicine organized in connection with any 
 university or college empowered by law to grant medical or 
 surgical diplomas and not less than six members chosen from 
 the members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of 
 Ontario unconnected with any such teaching body {ib., s. 29, 
 as amended Act 1893, c. 27, s. 5). 
 
 HOMCEOPATHISTS. — Every candidate who, at the time of the 
 examination, signifies his wish to be registered as a homoeopathic 
 practitioner shall not be required to pass an examination in 
 materia medica or therapeutics, or the theory or practice of 
 physic or surgery or midwifery except the operative parts 
 thereof, before any examiners other than those approved of by 
 the representatives in the council of the homoeopathic S5^stem 
 {ib., s. 30). 
 
 Duties of Council. — The council is required to make 
 orders, regulations, or by-laws for regulating the register and 
 fees for registration and for the guidance of the board of ex- 
 aminers, and may prescribe the subjects and modes of examina- 
 tion and the time and place of holding the same, and may make 
 all such rules and regulations for examination not contrary to 
 the act as they deem expedient and necessary {ib., s. 31). 
 
 Additional Qualification. — Every person registered who 
 obtains a higher degree or other qualification is, on the pay- 
 ment of the fee, entitled to have it inscribed in the register in 
 substitution for or in addition to the qualifications previously 
 registered {ib., s. 32).
 
 272 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 Powers op Registrar. — No qualification is to be entered 
 on the register unless the registrar be satisfied by proper evi- 
 dence that the person claiming it is entitled to it. Appeal 
 from the decision of the registrar may be decided by the 
 council; any eniry proved to the satisfaction of the council to 
 have been fraudulently or incorrectly made may be erased from 
 the register by order of the council in writing {ib., s. 33 [1]). 
 
 If the registrar be dissatisfied with the evidence adduced by 
 a person claiming to be registered, he has power, subject to ap- 
 peal to the council, to refuse registration until such evidence is 
 furnished, duly attested b}^ oath or affidavit before a judge of 
 the county court of any county {ib., s. 33 [2]). 
 
 Erasure and Restoration of Name. — A practitioner is 
 liable to have his name erased from the register where he has 
 been convicted before or after registration of an offence which, 
 if committed in Canada, would be a felony or misdemeanor, or 
 where he has been guilty of any infamous or disgraceful con- 
 duct in a professional respect {ib., s. 34 [1]). 
 
 The council may, and on the application of any four regis- 
 tered medical practitioners must, cause inquiry to be made into 
 the case of a person alleged to be liable to have his name 
 erased under this section, and on proof of such conviction or 
 conduct shall cause his name to be erased from the register. 
 The name of a person shall not be erased on account of his 
 adopting or refraining from the practice of any particular 
 theory of medicine or surgery; nor on account of a conviction 
 for a political offence out of Her Majesty's dominions, nor of 
 conviction for an offence which ought not either from its trivial 
 nature or its circumstances to disqualify a person from prac- 
 tising medicine or surgery {ib., s. 34 ['i]). 
 
 The council may order to be paid out of any funds at their 
 disposal such costs as thej^ may deem just to any person against 
 whom any complaint has been made, which, when finally deter- 
 mined, is found to have been frivolous and vexatious {ib., s. 34 
 
 [3]). 
 
 When the council direct the erasure of any name or entry, 
 it shall not be again entered except by direction of the council 
 or any of the divisions of the high court of justice {ib., s. 35 
 [1], as amended Act 1891, c. 26, s. 3). 
 
 If the council think fit, thej' may direct the registrar to
 
 ONTARIO. 273 
 
 restore anj^ name or entry erased, without fee, or on payment 
 of such fee not exceeding the regular fee as the council may fix 
 {ib., s. 35 [2]). 
 
 The council is required to ascertain facts, in the exercise of 
 its powers of erasing and restoring, by a committee of their own 
 body of not more than five, and a written report of the com- 
 mittee may be acted on by the council {ib., s. 3G [1], as 
 amended Act 1891, c. 26, s. 4). 
 
 At least two weeks' notice of the first meeting of the com- 
 mittee for ascertaining the facts of any case must be served on 
 a person whose conduct is subject to inquiry, and such notice 
 must embody a copy of the charges or a statement of the sub- 
 ject-matter of the inquiry, and specify the time and place of 
 meeting. The testimony is under oath, and subject to cross-ex- 
 amination and the full right to call evidence in defence and 
 reply. In the event of the non-attendance of such person the 
 committee, on the proof of personal service of the notice, maj' 
 proceed with the inquiry in his absence and without further 
 notice {ib., s. 36 [5]). 
 
 No action can be brought against the council or committee 
 for anything done bona fide under this act notwithstanding 
 want of form in the proceedings. Any person whose name has 
 been ordered erased may appeal from the decision of the coun- 
 cil to any division of the high court at any time within six 
 months from the date of the order of erasure, and the judge 
 may make such order as to restoration, confirmation, or further 
 inquiries by the committee or council and as to costs, as to him 
 shall seem right {ib., s. 37, as amended Act 1891, c. 26, s. 5). 
 
 The appeal may be by a summons served .on the registrar to 
 show cause, and is founded upon a copy of the proceedings 
 before the committee, the evidence taken, the committee's 
 report, and the order of the council certified by the registrar. 
 The registrar is required to furnish to an}" person desiring to 
 appeal a certified copy of all proceedings, reports, orders, and 
 papers on which the committee acted, on paj'ment of five cents 
 a folio {ib., s. 38, as amended Act 1891, c. 26, s. 6). 
 
 The Act of 1891, c. 26, s. 7, provides for procuring the 
 attendance of witnesses before the committee, and for paj^- 
 ment of costs by the person whose name has been directed to 
 
 be erased. 
 
 18
 
 274 SYNOPSIS OP LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 Rights OF Registered Persons. — Every person registered 
 is entitled according to his qualifications to practise medicine, 
 surgery, or midwifery, or any of them, as the case may be, 
 and to demand and recover with full costs reasonable charges 
 for professional aid, advice, and visits and the cost of any 
 medicine or other medical or surgical appliances rendered or 
 supplied by him to his patient (?7>., s. 39). 
 
 Limitations. — One year after the termination of professional 
 services is established as a period of limitations to an action for 
 negligence or malpractice by reason thereof against duly regis- 
 tered members of said college (^7>., s. 40). 
 
 Evidence. — The register is required to be printed and 
 published, and a copy thereof purporting to be so printed and 
 published isprima facie evidence that the persons specified are 
 registered; and, subject to the provisions of subsection 2 of this 
 section, the absence of the name of any person from such copy 
 shall be prima facie evidence that such person is not regis- 
 tered {ib., s. 41 [1]). 
 
 In case of the name of a person not appearing in such copy, 
 a certified copy, under the hand of the registrar, of the entry 
 of the name on the register is evidence that such person is 
 registered {ib., s. 41 [2]). 
 
 x4.nnual. Certificate of Registration. — Every regis- 
 tered medical practitioner is required to obtain from the reg- 
 istrar annually, before December 31st, a certificate under seal 
 of the college that he is a duly registered medical practitioner 
 (Act 1891, c. 26, s. 8). 
 
 On payment of all fees and dues payable by such practitioner 
 to the college, the registrar is required to write his name and 
 the date on the margin of the certificate, and the certificate is 
 deemed to be issued only from such date; any fees properly 
 charged during the time in which a name was erased from the 
 register are legally recoverable on production of the certificate 
 of registration at time of suit (ib.). 
 
 No certificate is issued to any practitioner indebted to the 
 college, nor until the annual fee for the certificate prescribed by 
 the statute and the by-laws of the college is paid (ib.). 
 
 If a practitioner omits to take out such certificate, he shall 
 not be entitled thereto until he pays the certificate fee, and any 
 other fees or dues which he owes the college (ib.).
 
 ONTARIO. 275 
 
 After twelve months' default in taking out such certificate, 
 and two months' notice of default b}- registered letter to the reg- 
 istered address of the defaulter, if payment is not made, the 
 registrar is required to erase his name and the provisions as to 
 unregistered practitioners forthwith applj" (ib.). 
 
 Such practitioner may, unless otherwise disqualified, obtain 
 re-registration and re-instatement to full privileges b}" appljing 
 to the registrar and paying up the fees and dues and taking out 
 his certificate (I'b.). 
 
 Neglect to Register. — Those entitled to register and 
 neglecting so to do are not entitled to any rights or privileges 
 conferred b}' registration, and are liable to all the penalties 
 against unqualified or unregistered practitioners (Rev. St., 
 1887, c. 148, s. 42). 
 
 Fraudulent Registration. — If a person procures registra- 
 tion by means of false or fraudulent representations it is lawful 
 for the registrar, on a receipt of sufficient evidence of such 
 falsity or fraud, to represent the matter to the council, and on 
 the written order of the president, attested by the seal of the 
 college, to erase his name from the register and publish the fact 
 and cause of erasure in the Ontario Gazette ; and after such 
 notice such person ceases to be a member of said college and to 
 enjoy the privileges conferred by registration without the ex- 
 press sanction of the council {ib., s. 44 [1]). 
 
 Offences and Penalties. — Wilfully procuring or attempt- 
 ing to procure registration by false or fraudulent representations 
 is punishable with a penalty not exceeding $100. Knowingly 
 aiding and assisting therein is punishable with a penalty of 
 from 820 to $50 for each offence (ib., s. 44 [2]). 
 
 Practising without registration for hire, gain, or hope of 
 reward is punishable with a penalty of from $25 to $100 (ib., 
 s. 45). 
 
 A person wilfully or falsely pretending to be a physician, 
 doctor of medicine, surgeon or general practitioner, or assum- 
 ing any title, addition, or description other than that he actually 
 possesses and is legally entitled to, is punishable with a penalty 
 of from $10 to $50 {ib., s. 46). 
 
 A person taking or using a name, title, addition, or descrip- 
 tion implying or calculated to lead people to infer that he is 
 recognized by law as a physician, surgeon, accoucheur, or licen-
 
 276 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 tiate in medicine, surgery, or midwiferj^ is punishable by a 
 penalt}- of from $"^5 to $100 {ib., s. 47). 
 
 Unregistered Persons. — No person is entitled to recover 
 a charge for medical or surgical advice or attendance or the 
 performance of any operation or any medicine prescribed or 
 supplied unless he produces to the court a certificate that he is 
 registered; but this section does not extend to the sale of drugs 
 or medicines by a licensed chemist or druggist {ib., s. 48, as 
 amended Act 1891, c. 26, s. 2). 
 
 No person shall be appointed as a medical officer, physician, 
 or surgeon in any branch of the public service, or in anj- hos- 
 pital or other charitable institution not supported wholly by 
 voluntary contribution, unless he be registered {ib., s. 49). 
 
 No certificate required from any physician, surgeon, or 
 medical practitioner is valid unless the signer be registered 
 {ib., s. 50). 
 
 Costs. — The justice of the peace having jurisdiction of a 
 prosecution may award payment of costs in addition to the 
 penalty, and in default of payment may commit to the common 
 jail for a period not exceeding one month unless the penalty 
 and costs are sooner paid {ib., s. 51). 
 
 Appeal. — Any person convicted who gives notice of appeal 
 must give satisfactory security for the amount of the penalty 
 and the costs of conviction and appeal {ib., s. 52). 
 
 Proof. — In any trial under the act, the burden of proof as 
 to registration is on the person charged {ib., s. 53). 
 
 Where proof of registration is required, the production of a 
 printed or other copy of the register certified under the hand of 
 the registrar for the time being is sufficient evidence of all per- 
 sons who are registered practitioners, and any certificate upon 
 such copy purporting to be signed by any person in his capacity 
 of registrar is prima facie evidence that such person is regis- 
 trar without proof of his signature or of his being registrar 
 {ib., s. 54). 
 
 Limitations of Prosecutions. — Prosecutions are limited 
 to commence within one year from the date of the offence {ib., 
 s. 55). 
 
 Stay. — The council may, b}' order signed by its president 
 having the seal of the college appended, stay proceedings in 
 any prosecution when deemed expedient {ib., s. 56).
 
 ONTARIO. 277 
 
 Prosecutor. — Any person maj' be prosecutor or com- 
 plainant {lb., s. 57 [2]). 
 
 Qualification. — Schedule B referred to in the act is as 
 follows : 
 
 1. A license to practise physic, surgery, and midwifery, or 
 either, within Upper Canada under the acts of Upper Canada, 
 50 G., III., c. 13, and 8 G., IV., c. 3, respectively. 
 
 2. A license or diploma granted under 2 Vict., c. 38, or 
 under the Consolidated Statutes for Upper, Canada, c. 40, or 
 any act amending the same. 
 
 3. A license or authorization to practise physic, surgery, 
 and midwifery, or either, within Lower Canada, whether 
 granted under ordinance 28 G., Ill-, c. 8, or act 10 and 11 
 Vict., c. 26, and acts amending the same, or under c. 71 of the 
 Consolidated Statutes for Upper Canada, or any act amending 
 the same. 
 
 4. A certificate of qualification to practise medicine, surgery, 
 and midwifery, or either, hereafter granted by any colleges or 
 bodies named or referred to in sec. 6. 
 
 5. A medical or surgical degree or diploma of any univer- 
 sity or college in Her Majesty's dominions or of such other uni- 
 versities or colleges as the council may determine. 
 
 6. A certificate of registration under the Imperial Act 21 
 and 22 Vict., c. 90, known as "The Medical Act," or any act 
 amending the same, 
 
 7. A commission or warrant as physician or surgeon in Her 
 Majesty's military service. 
 
 8. Certificates of qualification to practise medicine under 
 any of the acts relating to homoeopathy or the eclectic system 
 of medicine. 
 
 Fees. — To registrar, for transfer under sec. 9 (2), $2. 
 
 To registrar, for registration under sec. 24, not more than 
 $10, to be fixed by the by-laws of council. 
 
 To registrar, for registration under sec. 25, such fees as the 
 council may by general by-law establish. 
 
 To registrar, for copies under sec. 38, 5 cents a folio. 
 
 Members are required to pay an annual fee to the college ; 
 the amount and means of enforcing which are in the discretion 
 of the elected members of the council (Act 1893, c. 27, s. 6).
 
 278 synopsis of laws — poste and boston. 
 
 Prince Edward Island. 
 
 Medical Society. — The members of the medical profession 
 constitute a body corporate under the name of the " Medical 
 Society of Prince Edward Island" (Act 1892, c. 42, s. 1). 
 
 Persons registered under the act o-t Vict., c. 25, or 37 Vict., 
 or the Prince Edward Island Medical Act of 1890, are mem- 
 bers of the society and entitled to register under this act with- 
 out a fee {ib., s. 2). 
 
 All persons registered under this act are members of the said 
 society {ib., s. 3). 
 
 Registration. — There is a council of said society, composed 
 of seven members of the society elected by the society {ib., s. 
 4), which is required to appoint a registrar among other officers 
 {ib., s. 6); and to cause him to keep a register of the name of 
 every person registered under this act, or the acts mentioned in 
 sec. 2, and from time to time of the names of all persons who 
 have complied with this act and the rules and regulations made 
 by the council respecting the qualifications of practitioners of 
 medicine, surgery, or midwifery, which is called the Prince 
 Edward Island Medical Register ; and only those persons whose 
 names are inscribed therein are qualified and licensed to practise 
 medicine, surger}-, or midwifery, except as hereinafter provided 
 {ib., s. 8). 
 
 The registrar is required to keep his register correct, and to 
 make the necessarj^ alterations in the addresses and qualifica- 
 tions of persons registered {ib., s. 9). 
 
 The council is required to admit to registration, on the pay- 
 ment of the registration fee, all persons duly registered by the 
 medical council of Great Britain or otherwise authorized to 
 practise medicine, surgery, or midwifery in the United King- 
 dom of Great Britain and Ireland {ib., s. 10). 
 
 Every person who holds a medical or surgical degree or 
 diploma dated prior to January 1st, 1880, from any university, 
 college, or school of medicine in Great Britain, Ireland, or 
 Canada, or any of the universities or colleges in the United 
 States mentioned in Schedule A, is entitled to register on pro- 
 ducing to the registrar such diploma or satisfactory' evidence of 
 the qualification in respect whereof he seeks to be registered 
 {ib., s. 11).
 
 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 279 
 
 Every person desirous of being registered, not registered 
 under the acts mentioned in sec. 2, and who had not become 
 possessed of a diploma as provided in sec. 11, must, before being 
 entitled to register, be examined as to his knowledge and skill 
 for the efficient practice of his profession before the medical 
 council, and on passing the examination required and produc- 
 ing proof of study in medicine, surgery, and midwifery four 
 years, one of which may be with a registered medical practi- 
 tioner, shall, subject to the next section, be entitled to register 
 and by virtue of such registration to practise medicine, sur- 
 gery, and midwifery ; provided, the council may, if it see fit, 
 dispense with the examination in any case {ih., s. 12). 
 
 No person commencing the study of medicine on or after 
 September 1st, 1892, shall be entitled to register unless he has 
 passed a matriculation examination equivalent to that of the 
 College of Surgeons of London, or shall hold a license as a first- 
 class teacher in this province, or shall have obtained from tht 
 council a certificate that he has satisfactorily passed a matricu- 
 lation examination in the subjects specified in Schedule B. 
 
 Any graduate or student matriculated in the arts in anj' 
 university in Her Majesty's dominions shall not be required to 
 pass the matriculation examination (z7>., s. 13). 
 
 The council may grant a license to practise medicine, sur- 
 gery, or midwifery to an applicant at the time of the passage of 
 this act practising medicine, surgery, or midwifery, or any of 
 them, in Prince Edward Island, on a preliminary examination 
 as the council may think necessary for the public safety, 
 provided such person shall have practised five years in the prov- 
 ince, but such person is not thereby entitled to registration 
 {ib., s. 15). 
 
 When there has been established an authorized examining 
 body or an institution recognized by the legislature of any 
 other province of the Dominion of Canada as the sole examin- 
 ing body for granting certificates of qualification, and where the 
 curriculum is equal to that appointed by the medical council 
 of Prince Edward Island, the holder of such certificate shall, 
 upon due proof, be entitled to registration by the council of 
 Prince Edward Island, if the same privilege is accorded in 
 such other province to those registered in Prince Edward Island 
 («6., s. IG).
 
 280 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 The council is required to hold examinations at least every 
 three months, if required, for candidates for registration, at 
 such places and times and in the same manner as the council 
 may direct {ib., s. 18). 
 
 Every person registered who obtains a higher degree or other 
 [qualification shall, on the payment of such fees as the council 
 shall appoint, be entitled to have it registered in substitution 
 for or in addition to the qualification previously registered {ib., 
 3. 19). 
 
 No qualification is entered unless the registrar be satisfied, 
 by proper evidence, that the person claiming is entitled to reg- 
 ister it. There is an appeal to the council ; any name proved to 
 the council to have been fraudulently or incorrectly entered 
 may be erased by an order in writing of the council {ib., 
 s. 20). 
 
 If the registrar is dissatisfied with the evidence he ma}^, sub- 
 ject to appeal to the council, refuse registration until the person 
 claiming it has furnished evidence to the satisfaction of the 
 registrar, duly attested by oath or affidavit before a notary 
 public or justice of the peace {ib., s. 21), 
 
 A medical practitioner guilt}^ of infamous or disgraceful 
 conduct in a professional respect is liable to have his name 
 erased, and if he apply for registration the council may refuse 
 it {ib., s. 22). 
 
 The registrar may publish in a newspaper or newspapers of 
 Prince Edward Island the fact that the name of such person 
 has been erased, and the cause of the erasure, but not until the 
 appeal, if any has been taken within the time allowed, has been 
 disposed of {ib., s. 23). 
 
 Where the council refuse to register, or direct an erasure, 
 the entry shall not be again made except by direction of the 
 council or the order of the supreme court or a judge thereof 
 {ib., s. 24). 
 
 Five days' notice of the meeting of the council for the hear- 
 ing of an appeal under sec. 2 must be served on the person 
 charged, embodying a copy of the charges or a statement of the 
 inquiry and the time and place of meeting {ib., s. 25). 
 
 Rights of Registered Persons. — Every person licensed 
 or registered under the act is entitled according to his qualifi- 
 cations to practise medicine, surger}', and midwifery, or anj- of
 
 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 281 
 
 them, as the case may be, and recover with costs his reasonable 
 charges for professional aid, advice, and visits, and the cost of 
 medicines or medical and surgical appliances rendered or sup- 
 plied by him to his patient {ib., s. 26). 
 
 Limitations. — Twelve months is established as the period 
 of limitations for an action from negligence or malj)ractice 
 against a person registered {ib., s. 27). 
 
 Evidence. — The registrar is required, under the direction 
 of the council, to print and publish once in two years a register 
 of the names of all persons registered, with the residence and 
 medical title, diploma, and qualification conferred by any college 
 or body, with the dates thereof, as existing on the day of the 
 publication. A copy of such register, for the time being, pur- 
 porting to be so printed and published, isj)rima facie evidence 
 that the persons specified are registered. The absence of a name 
 from such copy is prima facie evidence that such person is not 
 registered. 
 
 In case a name does not appear in the copy, a certified copy, 
 under the hand of the registrar of the council, of the entry of a 
 name is evidence that such person is registered {ib., s. 28). 
 
 Fraudulent Registration. — If a person be registered by 
 false or fraudulent representations the registrar ma}', on the 
 receipt of sufificient evidence thereof, report the matter to the 
 council, and on the order of the council erase his name from 
 the register and make known the fact and cause by a notice in 
 the newspaper or newspapers on Prince Edward Island {ib., s. 
 29 [1]). 
 
 Offences and Penalties. — Wilfully procuring or attempt- 
 ing to procure registration by false or fraudulent representation 
 is punishable with a penalty not exceeding $50. Knowingly 
 aiding and assisting therein is punishable with a penalty of 
 from $10 to $25 for each ofPence {ib., s. 29 [2]). 
 
 Without registration or license, practising for hire or hope 
 of reward or advertising to give advice in medicine, surgery, 
 or midwifery is punishable with a penalty not exceeding $25 
 (ib., s. 30). 
 
 Wilfully or falsely pretending to be a physician, doctor of 
 medicine, surgeon, or general practitioner, or assuming a title, 
 addition, or description not actually possessed, or pretending to 
 be recognized by law as a physician, accoucheur, or a licentiate
 
 282 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 in medicine, surgery, or midwifery, is punishable with a penalty 
 not exceeding $35 {ib., s. 31). 
 
 Unregistered Persons. — No person is entitled to recover 
 a charge for medical or surgical advice or attendance or for the 
 performance of a surgical operation unless registered, licensed, 
 or otherwise authorized under this act {ib., s. 32). 
 
 No person is to be appointed as a medical officer, physician, 
 or surgeon in any branch of the public service, or any hospital 
 or other charitable institution unless registered, {ib., s. 33). 
 
 Costs. — On prosecution, costs may be awarded and the 
 offender may be committed to a common jail in default of 
 pa3dng the penalty and costs, for not exceeding one month 
 {ib., s. 34). 
 
 Appeal from Conviction. — A person appealing from con- 
 viction is required to give satisfactory security for the penalty, 
 costs of conviction, and appeal before released from custody {ib., 
 s. 35). 
 
 Limitation of Prosecutions. — Prosecutions are required 
 to be commenced within six months from the date of the offence 
 {ib., s. 36). 
 
 Prosecutor. — Any person may be prosecutor or comj)lain- 
 ant {ib., s. 37). 
 
 Appeal from Registrar's Decision. — A person aggrieved 
 by the decision of the registrar may appeal to the council, and 
 persons aggrieved by the decision of the council may appeal to 
 the supreme court of the province, which decision shall be final. 
 The act prescribes the procedure on apjDeal {ib., s. 38, 39). 
 
 Powers of Council. — The council may make by-laws for 
 carrying out the act, to be approved by the lieutenant-governor 
 in council, but nothing shall prevent any registered medical 
 practitioner from giving medical treatment or advice to any 
 person by reason of such person having previously engaged the 
 services of any other physician {ib., s. 40). 
 
 The council is authorized to make regulations regarding the 
 holding of examinations and the subjects of examinations {ib., 
 s. 41). 
 
 Exceptions. — The act does not prevent any person from 
 giving necessary medical or surgical aid or attendance to any 
 one in urgent need of it provided it be not for hire or gain, nor 
 the giving of it be made a business or means of livelihood ; nor
 
 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 283 
 
 does it prevent women from practising midwifery, or any person 
 from practising dentistry or treating cases of cancer by external 
 application, and charging for such service and suing for and 
 recovering reasonable charges ; nor does it prevent a druggist, 
 apothecary, or storekeeper from suing for and recovering the 
 price of drugs or chemicals supplied or sold by him (?'&., s. 42). 
 
 The act does not prevent a person not holding a medical 
 degree, license, or diploma from a university or college from 
 practising medicine, surgery, or midwifery provided he was 
 engaged in such practice in the province for five years imme- 
 diately before the passage of the act, nor from recovering with 
 costs his reasonable charges for professional aid, advice, and 
 visits and the cost of medicine or other medical or surgical ap- 
 pliances rendered or supplied by him to his j^atients (ib., s. 43). 
 
 Appeal on Prosecution. — Appeal from the decision on 
 prosecution may be taken to the supreme court (^6., s. 44). 
 
 Schedule A : 
 
 Universitj^ of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 Bellevue Medical College, New York, N. Y. 
 
 University of New York, New York, N. Y. 
 
 College of Phj^sicians and Surgeons, New York, N. Y. 
 
 Harvard University. c 
 
 University of Michigan. 
 
 Schedule B specifies at length the requirements for the ex- 
 amination mentioned in sec. 13. 
 
 Fees. — Persons registered under sec. 2 are not required to 
 pa}^ a fee. 
 
 For registration under sees. 11 and 12, not exceeding $30, 
 to be fixed by the society. 
 
 To the council, for a license under sec. 15, $5. 
 
 An annual fee is required to be paid by members of the 
 society, not more than $5 annually, as levied by the council 
 {ib., s. 17). 
 
 For registration under sec. 19, such fees as the council may 
 appoint.
 
 284 synopsis of laws — poste and boston. 
 
 Quebec. 
 
 College of Physicians, etc. — All persons residing in the 
 province authorized to practise medicine, surgery, or midwifery 
 therein, and registered under this law, are constituted a corpora- 
 tion by the name of " The College of Physicians and Surgeons of 
 the Province of Quebec" (R. S., 1888, art. 3,969). 
 
 The affairs of the college are conducted bj^ a board of gov- 
 ernors, forty in number, chosen as provided in the act and 
 known as the " Provincial Medical Board" {ib., art. 3,972 to 
 3,975). 
 
 Qualification. — No person can lawfully practise medicine, 
 surgerj", or midwifery unless he has obtained a license from the 
 said board and unless he be registered {ib., art. 3,976). 
 
 Every person who obtains a medical degree or diploma in 
 any university or college mentioned in art. 3,972 is entitled to 
 such license without examination as to his medical knowledge 
 or skill, provided such diploma has only been given after four 
 years of medical studj' from the date of admission to study and 
 according to the requirements of the act; provided, the said 
 board has power to grant the same privileges to holders of 
 degrees or diplomas of medicine and surgery from other British 
 colonial or French universities or colleges {ib., art. 3,977). 
 
 The colleges referred to in art. 3,792 are: Laval Univer- 
 sity at Quebec, Laval University at Montreal, University" of 
 McGill College, University of Bishops College, The Incor- 
 porated School of Medicine and Surgery of Montreal affiliated 
 with the University of Victoria College or with any other British 
 university. The privilege above conferred on holders of de- 
 grees or diplomas from British colleges and universities is ex- 
 tended to every person whose name is entered upon the medical 
 register under the Imperial Medical Act of 1886 (49-50 Vict., 
 c. 48) or of any act amending the same {ib., art. 3,977 a, as 
 added by Act 1889, c. 39). 
 
 The law prescribes the preliminary qualifications for admis- 
 sion to study medicine, surgerj', or midwifery to be ascertained 
 by examination. No one is entitled to the license of the college 
 on presentation of a diploma unless previously admitted to study 
 in accordance with these conditions, or unless he has passed an 
 equivalent preliminarj^ examination before a college, school or
 
 QUEBEC. 285 
 
 board authorized by law to requite and cause such preliuainary 
 examinations to be passed in Her British Majesty's other pos- 
 sessions {ih., arts. 3,978, 3,979). 
 
 A candidate for a license to practise desiring to be regis- 
 tered, and who has not obtained a degree or diploma in medi- 
 cine from any institution mentioned in art. 3,972 {supra) 
 must, before being entitled to such license and to register, pass 
 an examination before the board as to his knowledge and skill 
 for the efficient practice of medicine, surgery, and midwifery. 
 Upon passing the examination and proving to the satisfaction 
 of the examiners that he has, in an institution for the teaching 
 of medicine in Her Majesty's possessions, complied with the 
 rules and regulations made by the provincial board, and on pay- 
 ment of such fees as the board may by general by-law establish, 
 such person shall be entitled to a license {ih., art. 3,980). 
 
 All persons coming from any recognized college outside of 
 Her Majesty's possessions desirous of obtaining a license from 
 the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the province must 
 previously pass a preliminar}- examination before the examiners 
 appointed by the board or establish to the satisfaction of the 
 board that they have already passed equivalent examinations, 
 and they must moreover follow in one of the schools of medi- 
 cine in the province a complete course (for six months) of lec- 
 tures, and such other course or courses as shall be necessary to 
 complete the curriculum required bj^ the board. They may 
 pass their professional examination immediately after their 
 preliminary examination {ih., art. 3,981). 
 
 Powers of Medical Board. — The board of governors of 
 the College of Physicians and Surgeons has among other powers 
 the power to examine all credentials and documents purporting 
 to entitle the bearer to a license to practise and all diplomas, 
 degrees, or other qualifications sought to bo registered, and to 
 require the bearer to attest on oath, to be administered by the 
 chairman, that he is the person whose name is mentioned 
 therein, and that he became legally possessed thereof ; and to 
 register in the books of the college the name, age, place of 
 residence and birth of every member of the profession practis- 
 ing in the province, the date of his license and the place where 
 he obtained it {ih., art. 3,982). 
 
 The provincial medical board, among other powers, has
 
 286 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON, 
 
 the power to make regulations respecting the tariffs or rates 
 to be charged in towns and counties for medical, obstetrical, 
 or surgical advice, or for attendance or for the performance of 
 any operation or for any medicines prescribed or supplied. 
 The tariff must be approved by the lieutenant-governor in 
 council, and can only come into force six months after its pub- 
 lication once in the Quebec Official Gazette, and that of the 
 order in council approving the same. The tariff does not, in 
 case of suit, obviate the necessity of proof of giving the advice, 
 care, prescriptions, medicines, and other things therein men- 
 tioned (?6., art. 3,983), 
 
 The said board has power to fix the fees for license and 
 registration {ib., art. 3,984). 
 
 Qualifications of Candidate. — The qualifications of a 
 candidate for a license are : 
 
 1. That he holds a certificate of study from a licensed phy- 
 sician for the period intervening between the courses of lectures 
 which he has followed. 
 
 2. That he has reached the age of twenty-one years. 
 
 3. That he has followed his studies during a period of not 
 less than four years, commencing from the date of his admission 
 by the board to study medicine. 
 
 4. That during said four years he attended at some univer- 
 sity, college, or incorporated school of medicine within Her 
 Majesty's possessions not less than two six-months' courses of 
 general or descriptive anatomy, of practical anatomy, of sur- 
 gery, of the practice of medicine, of midwifer}-, of chemistry, 
 of materia medica and general therapeutics, of the institutions 
 of medicine or physiology and general pathology, of clinical 
 medicine, and of clinical surgery; one six-months' course or 
 two three-months' courses of medical jurisprudence, one three- 
 months' course of botany, one three-months' course of hygiene, 
 and a course of not less than twenty-five demonstrations upon 
 microscopic anatomy, physiology, and patholog}'. 
 
 0. That he attended the general practice of a hospital in which 
 are contained not less than fift}' beds under the charge of not less 
 than two physicians or surgeons, for not less than one and one- 
 half years or three periods of not less than six months each. 
 
 6. That he has attended six cases of labor and compounded 
 medicines for six months.
 
 QUEBEC. 287 
 
 Each six-months' course shall have consisted of one hundred 
 and twenty lectures except in the case of clinical medicine, 
 clinical surgery, and medical jurisprudence. 
 
 Of four years' study required by this section, three six- 
 months' sessions, at least, must be passed in attending upon 
 lectures at a university, college, or incorporated school of med- 
 icine recognized by the board. 
 
 The first of such courses must have been attended during 
 the session immediately succeeding the preliminary^ examina- 
 tion, and the last during the fourth year of study, and the can- 
 didates must undergo an examination on the final subjects of 
 the curriculum at the end of the session in the fourth year of 
 study {lb., art. 3,985). 
 
 Members of College. — All persons obtaining a license to 
 practise from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the 
 province are members of the college, but are not eligible for 
 governors within four years from the date of their admission 
 as members [ib., art. 3,086). 
 
 Women. — The provincial medical board has power to 
 make regulations respecting the admission of women to the 
 study and practice of midwifery. Women who were legally 
 qualified on the 31st of October, 1879, to practise as midwives 
 in the province, while required to conform to the rules of 
 said college, retain their right. Nothing in the act or the reg- 
 ulations shall prevent women in the country from practising 
 midwifery or assisting at accouchements without being ad- 
 mitted to the study or practice of midwifery ; but they must ob- 
 tain a certificate from a duly licensed phj^sician certifying 
 that they have the necessary knowledge {ib., art. 3,987). 
 
 Register. — The medical board is required to cause to be 
 kept by the registrar a register of persons duly licensed and reg- 
 istered, and who have complied with the law and the regula- 
 tions of the board, and those persons only whose names are in- 
 scribed therein are deemed to be qualified and licensed (?"&., 
 art. 3,988). 
 
 The registrar is required from time to time to make the 
 necessary alterations in the register {ib., art. 3,989). 
 
 Evidence. — The registrar, under the direction of the board of 
 governors, causes to be printed, published, and distributed to the 
 members, from time to time, a copy, called 2Vie Quebec Medical
 
 288 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 Register, of the register, containing names, surnames, resi- 
 dences, medical titles, diplomas, and qualifications conferred by 
 a college or other medical body, with the dates of the same. A 
 printed copy, certified under the hand of the registrar as such, 
 {■s, prima facie evidence that the persons named and entered 
 have been registered in accordance with this law. The absence 
 of the name of any person from such copy is prima facie 
 proof that such person has not been lawfully registered ; pro- 
 vided always in case a person's name does not appear on such 
 printed copy, a copy or extract from the register certified by 
 the registrar of the college of the entry of such person's name 
 on the register is proof that such person is duly registered {ib., 
 art. 3,990). 
 
 A certificate under the hand of the registrar of the payment of 
 the annual contribution of members of the college i's, prima facie 
 evidence that such payments have been made {ih., art. 3,991). 
 
 Neglect to Register. — A person entitled to register who 
 neglects to register is not entitled to practise medicine, surgery, 
 or midwifery, or to claim any of the rights and privileges con- 
 ferred, and is liable for all penalties imposed for practising 
 without registration, saving the right of certain members hold- 
 ing a license from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of 
 Lower Canada {ih., art. 3,992). 
 
 Established Practitioner. — A person who has attended 
 medical lectures during three sessions of a medical school in 
 the British possessions, and who has actually been engaged in 
 the practice of medicine for over thirty years in the province, 
 may, on proof of these facts to the satisfaction of the provincial 
 medical board, and producing a certificate signed by two resi- 
 dent medical practitioners in the neighborhood where he has 
 practised that he has succeeded in his profession, and is entitled 
 to the consideration of the board, be entitled to a license and to 
 registration without an examination {ih., art. 3,993). 
 
 Unregistered Persons. — No person unless otherwise 
 authorized is entitled to recover any charge for medical or sur- 
 gical advice, or professional service, or for the performance of 
 any operation, or for any medicines prescribed or supplied, nor 
 is he entitled to any of the rights or privileges conferred, un- 
 less he has registered according to law and paid his annual con- 
 tribution to the college {ih., art. 3,994).
 
 QUEBEC, 289 
 
 No certificate required from any physician or surgeon or 
 medical practitioner is valid unless the signer is registered (/6., 
 art. 3,995). 
 
 Persons Guilty of Felony.— Any registered member of 
 the medical profession convicted of felony forfeits his right 
 to registration, and the medical board causes his name to be 
 erased from the register {ib.^ art. 3,996). 
 
 If a person known to have been convicted of felony presents 
 himself for registration, the registrar is required to refuse him 
 registration {ib., art. 3,997). 
 
 Offences and Penalties. — A person not entitled to reg- 
 ister convicted of having practised in contravention of this 
 law, for reward or the hope of reward, is liable to a penalty 
 of $50. 
 
 A like penalty is incurred by every person assuming the 
 title of doctor, physician, or surgeon, or any other name imply- 
 ing that he is legally authorized to practise, if unable to estab- 
 lish the fact by legal proof, and by every person who in an ad- 
 vertisement in a newspaper or in a written or printed circular, 
 or on business cards or on signs, assumes a designation so as 
 to lead the public to believe that he is duly registered or quali- 
 fied ; and by every person who offers or gives his services as a 
 physician, surgeon, or accoucheur for gain or hope of reward, 
 if he be not duly authorized and registered. 
 
 Burden of Proof. — In every prosecution, proof of registra- 
 tion is incumbent on the party prosecuted. 
 
 "Witnesses. — Members of the college are not incompetent 
 witnesses by reason of their membership. 
 
 Costs. — The court imposing a penalty adds costs, and, in 
 default of payment within a delay which it fixes, condemns the 
 defendant to imprisonment in a common jail of the district for 
 sixty days (^Z>., art. 3,998). 
 
 Evidence, — In cases where proof of registration is re- 
 quired, the production of a printed or other copy or extract 
 from the register, certified under the hand of the registrar of 
 the college, is sufficient evidence that all persons named therein 
 are registered practitioners and any certificate upon such 
 proof, or other copy of the register or extract from such register, 
 purporting to be signed by any person in his capacitj" of regis- 
 trar of the college, \^ prima facie evidence that such person is 
 19
 
 290 SYNOPSIS OF LAWS — POSTE AND BOSTON. 
 
 registrar without proof of the signature or of his being in 
 fact such registrar (ib., art. 3,999). 
 
 HoMGEOPATHiSTS. — The rights of homoeopathists are not 
 affected by the foregoing sections {ib., art. 4,002). 
 
 The homcBopathic physicians and surgeons of the province 
 form a corporation under the name of the Montreal Homoeo- 
 pathic Association {lb., art. 4,003). 
 
 The corporation has power to appoint three medical grad- 
 uates of a British or provincial university or medical licentiates 
 of a British or provincial college or board legally incorporated 
 to be a board of examiners, to examine all persons who may 
 desire to obtain a license to practise homoeopathic medicine {ib., 
 art. 4,008). 
 
 A person desiring to be examined touching his qualifications 
 to practise according to the doctrines and teaching of homoeop- 
 athy shall give notice in writing of at least one month to the 
 secretary or treasurer of the association, and show that he is not 
 less than twenty-one j-ears of age ; has followed medical studies 
 for not less than four years under the care of one or more duly 
 qualified medical practitioners ; has attended at some recognized 
 university or incorporated school of medicine not less than two 
 six-months' courses of anatomy, physiology, surgery, theory 
 and practice of medicine, midwifery, chemistry, materia 
 medica, and therapeutics respectively, and not less than one 
 six-months' course of clinical medicine and medical jurispru- 
 dence respectively, or their equivalents in time ; and shall have 
 complied with the regulations of such university or incorporated 
 school of medicine with regard to such courses, and shall have 
 followed such other course or courses as may hereafter be con- 
 sidered by the board of examiners requisite for the advancement 
 of a medical education. 
 
 All such persons shall, at a regularlj" appointed time and 
 place, be examined on all the aforesaid branches by the board 
 of examiners {ib., art. 4,009). 
 
 If the board be satisfied by examination that a person is 
 duly qualified to practise either or all of said branches of medi- 
 cine, as taught and practised by homoeopathists, they shall cer- 
 tifj^ the same under the hands and seals of two or all of such 
 board. 
 
 The lieutenant-governor, on receipt of such certificate, may,
 
 QUEBEC. 291 
 
 if satisfied of the loyalty, integritj^, and good morals of the ap- 
 plicant, grant to him a license to practise medicine, surger}-, 
 and midwiferj^, or either of them, conformably to the certificate, 
 and all such licensees are entitled to all the privileges enjoyed 
 by licentiates of medicine {ib., art. 4,010). 
 
 The corporation appoints a secretary who keeps a register of 
 names of all persons duly licensed to practise medicine, surgery, 
 and midwifery, or either of them, according to the doctrines 
 and teachings of homoeopathy. 
 
 Only those whose names are inscribed in said, register are 
 qualified and licensed to practise according to the doctrines and 
 teachings of homoeopathy {ib., art. 4,015). 
 
 The said secretarj^ is required to make the necessary altera- 
 tions in the addresses or qualifications of the persons registered 
 {lb., art. 4,016). 
 
 Offences and Penalties. — A person practising according 
 to the homoeopathic doctrines for reward in contravention of 
 this act, or assuming a' title implying that a person is legally 
 authorized to practise according to homoeopathic doctrines, if 
 unable legally to establish such authorization ; or by advertise- 
 ment published in a newspaper or in a written or printed 
 circular, or on business cards or signs, assuming a designation 
 to lead the public to believe that he is duly registered and 
 qualified to practise according to the doctrines of homoeopath}' ; 
 or offering or giving his services as physician, surgeon, or ac- 
 coucheur for gain or hoj^e of reward, if not duly authorized 
 or registered, is punishable with a penalty of $50. 
 
 Burden of Proof. — In every prosecution, the proof of 
 registration is incumbent on the party prosecuted. 
 
 Costs. — The court may condemn the defendant to pay $50 
 in addition to costs within a delaj^ which it determines, and to 
 imprisonment of sixty days in a common jail of the district on 
 default of payment within the dela}' {ib., art. 4,017). 
 
 Witnesses. — A member of the corporation is not an incom- 
 petent witness on account of his membership {ib., art. 4,018). 
 
 Fees. — The provincial board of medical examiners may es- 
 tablish examination fees {ib., art. 3,981). 
 
 Members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the 
 Province of Quebec are required to pay an annual fee of $2 
 {ib., art. 3,986).
 
 ff
 
 FORENSIC MEDICINE. 
 
 THANATOLOGICAL.
 
 THE 
 
 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY; 
 
 THE DISPOSAL AND OBLIGATION TO DISPOSE OF THE SAME; HOW 
 
 AND BY WHOM IT MAY BE EXHUMED OR REMOVED; 
 
 AUTOPSIES, BY WHOM ORDERED; THE RIGHTS 
 
 OF RELATIVES AND ACCUSED PERSONS. 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 AN APPENDIX COxNTAINING A SYNOPSIS OF THE STATUTES OF THE 
 
 DIFFERENT UNITED STATES AND TERRITORIES 
 
 CONCERNING SAME. 
 
 BY 
 
 TRACY C. BECKER, A.B., LL.B., etc., 
 
 Counsellor at Law, etc. ; Professor of Civil Law and Medical Jurisprudence, Law 
 Department, University of Buffalo.
 
 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY. 
 
 Disposal and Obligations to Dispose of the Same. — 
 
 There is no right of property, in the ordinary sense of the word, 
 in a dead human body ; but for the health and protection of 
 society it is a rule of the common law, and which has been con- 
 firmed by statutes in civilized states and countries, that public 
 duties are imposed upon public officers, and private duties upon 
 the husband or wife and the next of kin of the deceased, to pro- 
 tect the body fi^m violation and see that it is properly interred, 
 and to protect it after it is interred. A parent is bound to pro- 
 vide Christian burial for a deceased child, if he has the means, 
 but if he has not the means, though the body remains unburie^ 
 so long as to become a nuisance, he is not indictable for the 
 nuisance although he could obtain money for the burial ex- 
 penses by borrowing it of the poor-law authorities of the parish, 
 for he is not bound to incur a debt. (Reg. v. Vann, 2 Div. C. 
 C, 325; 15 Jur., 1,090.) On the other hand it has been held 
 in England, that every householder in whose house a dead body 
 lies is bound by the common law, if he has the means to do 
 so, to inter the body decently, and this principle aj^plies where 
 a person dies in the house of a parish or a union. (Reg. v. 
 Stewart, 12 A. & D., 1,272.) And the expense may be paid 
 out of the effects of the deceased. (Tugwell v. Hayman, 3 
 Camp., 298, and note.) 
 
 In Pierce v. The Proprietors Swan Point Cemetery, 10 R. 
 I., 227, s. c, 14 Am. Rep., 667, the Court said: "That there is 
 no right of property in a dead body, using this word in its 
 ordinary sense, may be well admitted, yet the burial of the dead 
 is a subject which interests the feelings of mankind to a much 
 greater degree than many matters of actual property. There is 
 a duty imposed by the universal feelings of mankind to be dis- 
 charged by some one toward the dead ; a duty, and we maj'' also 
 say a right, to protect from violation; it may, therefore, be 
 considered as a sort of quasi property, and it would be discred- 
 
 297
 
 298 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY — BECKER. 
 
 itable to any system of law not to provide a remedy in such a 
 case; . . . but the person having charge of it cannot be con- 
 sidered as the owner of it in any sense whatever, he holds it 
 only as a sacred trust for the benefit of all who may from fam- 
 ily or friendship have an interest in it." See also Wyncoop v. 
 Wyncoop, 42 Pa. St., 293; 4 Albany Law Jour., 56; Snyder v. 
 Snyder, 60 How. Prac, 368; Weld v. Walker, 130 Mass., 422; 
 Guthrie v. Weaver, 1 Mo. Apps., 136; Johnson v. Marinus, 
 18 Abb. N. C, 72, and note.' 
 
 The law casts the duty of burial of the wife upon the hus- 
 band, and of the husband upon the wife. In Secord v. Secord 
 (cited in note 1 above), the Court said: "There are cogent rea- 
 sons connected with public policy and the peace of families, 
 where in the absence of testamentary disposition the possession 
 of a corpse and the right to determine its burilil should follow 
 the administration of the estate." Inasmuch as the husband 
 has the first right to administer upon the estate of the wife, 
 and the wife upon the estate of the husband, the law imposes 
 the correlative duty of burial upon the person having such 
 right ; and so it has been held that the husband is liable for the 
 necessary expense of the decent interment of his wife from 
 whom he has been separated, whether the party incurring the 
 expense is an undertaker or mere volunteer.^ 
 
 Where the deceased leaves a will appointing executors, the 
 executors have a right to the possession of the body, and the 
 duty of burial is imposed upon them, but it has been doubted 
 whether at common law a direction by will concerning the dis- 
 posal of the body could be enforced, and therefore the right to 
 make such direction has been conferred by statute in several 
 States.' 
 
 ^ A valuable note is appended to ^ In New York State, section 305 
 
 this last case, citing the law litera- of the Penal Code provides : "A per- 
 ture of burial-grounds, burials, etc. , son has the right to direct the man- 
 and also giving in fvill the opinion ner in which his body shall be dis- 
 of the Special Term of the New York posed of after his death ; and also to 
 Supreme Court, in the case of Secord dii'ect the manner in which any 
 V. Secord, not elsewhere reported. part of his body, which had become 
 And see also The Law of Burial, 4 separated therefrom during his life- 
 Bradf. ,503. (Matter of Beekman St.) time, shall be disposed of; and the 
 
 '■'Ambrose v. Kerreson, IOC. B. , provisions of this chapter do not ap- 
 776 ; Bradshaw v. Beard, 13 Com. ply to any case where a person has 
 B., n. s., .344; Johnson ». Marinus, given directions for the disposal of 
 18 Abb. N. C. , 72; Hewitt v. Bron- his body or any part thereof incon- 
 son, 5 Daily, 1; Cunningham v. sistent with those provisions." See 
 Reardon, 98 Mass., 538. also Patterson v. Patterson, 59 N.Y.,
 
 DISPOSAL AND OBLIGATIONS. 299 
 
 And where a widow ordered a funeral of her husband, it 
 was held that she was liable for the expense, although she was 
 an infant at the time, the Court holding that the expense fell 
 under the head of necessaries, for which infants' estates are 
 liable." 
 
 If there be no husband or wife-of the deceased, the nearest 
 of kin in the order of right to administration is charged with 
 the duty of burial.'^ « 
 
 Such acts as casting a dead human body into a river with- 
 out the rites of sepulture (Kanavans Case, 1 Me., 226); steal- 
 ing a corpse (2 East, PC, 652) or stealing for dissection a dead 
 body of one executed when the death sentence did not direct 
 dissection (Eex v. Cundick, D. & R., n. p., 13), were indict- 
 able offences at common law.^ 
 
 In the works of the early dramatists, and by some writers of 
 fiction, it has been stated, or implied, that the body of a de- 
 ceased person could be seized and detained to compel the pay- 
 ment of his debts. This was never the law. In Jones v. Ash- 
 burnham, 4 East, 4G0, it was held that to seize a dead body on 
 pretence of arresting for debt would be contra bonos mores, 
 and an extortion on the relatives, and that case distinctly over- 
 rules any authority to be derived from the case of Quick v. 
 Coppleton, 1 Vent., 161, to the effect that forbearance to seize 
 or hold a body upon such a pretence would afford any consid- 
 eration for a promise to pay a debt. So, also, where a jailer 
 refused to give up a body of a person who had died while a 
 prisoner in execution in his custody, to the executors of the 
 deceased, unless they would satisf}" -certain claims against the 
 deceased due the jailer, the Court issued a peremptory manda- 
 mus in the first instance, commanding that the body should be 
 delivered up to the executors (Rex v. Fox, 2 Q. B,, 247). And 
 inR. V. Scott, 2 Q. B,, 248, it was said, that a jailer who should 
 
 583; Me. R. S., ch. 13, sec. 1 ; Minn. '^Secord v. Secord, sv2:)ra; Wvn- 
 
 Gen. Stats., sec. 6,220; N. D. Comp. coop tJ. Wyncoop, 42 Pa. St., 293; 
 
 Laws, sec. 6,549; Oklahoma Stats., Bogert r. Indianapolis, 13 Ind., 135 ; 
 
 sec. 2, 188. See also Williams r. Wil- Snyder r. Snyder. 60 How. Prac, 
 
 liams. Law Rpts., 20 Ch. D., 659 ; 2 368 ; Law of liurial, 4 Bradf., 503. 
 
 Wms. on Exrs. . p. 968; Secord v. M Bishop Crim. Law, sec. 506 ; see 
 
 Secord, supra. also Roscoe's Cr. Ev., 445, 446 ; Ste- 
 
 ' Chappel V. Cooper, 13 M. & W., phens' Dig. Crim. L., sec. 292 ; Reg. 
 
 252. . V. Clark, 15 Cox C. C, 171.
 
 300 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY— BECKER. 
 
 attempt to do so would be guilty of misconduct in his public 
 character, for which he would be liable to prosecution.' 
 
 How and by Whom the Dead Human Body may he Re- 
 moved or Exhumed. — Where the right of burial has been ex- 
 ercised, and the body interred in its final resting-place, no per- 
 son has any right to interfere with it without the consent of the 
 owner of the grave, or of the properly constituted public author- 
 ities. In Foster?;. Dodd, 8 D. & E., 842-854, it was held, that 
 a dead body belongs to no one, and is, therefore, under the 
 protection of the public. If it lies in consecrated ground, eccle- 
 siastical authorities will interpose for its protection ; but whether 
 in ground consecrated or unconsecrated, indignities offered to 
 the remains or the act of indecently disinterring them, are the 
 ground of an indictment." 
 
 Even the purchaser of land upon which is located a burial- 
 ground may be enjoined from removing bodies therefrom, if 
 he attempts to do so against the wishes of the relatives or next 
 of kin of the deceased. Every interment is a concession of 
 the privilege which cannot afterward be repudiated, and the 
 purchaser's title to the ground is fettered with the right of 
 burial.^ 
 
 On the other hand, the right of the municipal or state 
 authorities, with the consent of the owner of the burial lot or 
 in the execution of the right of eminent domain, to remove dead 
 bodies from cemeteries is well settled.' 
 
 After the right of burial has once been exercised by the per- 
 son charged with the duty of burial, or where such person has 
 consented to the burial by another person, no right to the corpse 
 remains except to protect it from unlawful interference.'' 
 
 ^ Some of the United States have been committed ; " Earth to earth, 
 
 enacted statutes declaring it to be a ashes to ashes, dust to dust." 
 misdemeanor to attach or seize un- ^ 1st Pres. Ch. v. 2d Pres. Ch. , 3 
 
 der execution a dead body. Ari- Brewster, 372 ; and see also Pierce 
 
 zona Pen. Code, 491, etc. ; Cal. v. Proprietors Swan Point Cem., 
 
 Pen. Code, sec. 295; Me. R. S. , supra. 
 
 chap. 124, sec. 26; Mass. Pub. Stat., ■* Craig, v. 1st Pres. Ch., 88 Pa. , 
 
 chap. 207, sec. 46; N. Dak. Comp. St., 42; Charleston v. Wentworth 
 
 Laws, sec 6, 563; Oklahoma Stat. , Cem.,4Strob. (S. Car. ) , 306 ; Coates 
 
 sec. 2, 202 ; R. I. Pub. Stat. , sec. 3, 222. v. New York Citv, 7 Cow. , 585 ; Ham- 
 
 2 So in Meagher v. Driscoll, 96 ilton r. New, Albany, 30Ind., 482; 
 
 Am. Dec, 759, it was held that a Paige t). Symonds. 63 N. H. , 17. 
 dead body is not the subject of prop- '^Peters u. Peters, 43 N. J. Eq., 
 
 erty, and after burial it becomes a 140 ; Lowry ?•. Plitt, 11 Phila. , 303 ; 
 
 part of the ground to which it has Weld v. Walkei' supra; In re
 
 AUTOPSIES. 301 
 
 On the other hand, where a husband did not freely consent 
 to the burial of his wife in a lot owned by another person, it 
 was held that a court of equity might permit him, after such 
 burial, to remove her body, coffin, and tombstones to his own 
 lot, and restrain any person from interfering with such re- 
 moval.' 
 
 In Rhodes v. Brandt, 21 Hun, N. Y., 1, the defendant 
 brought an action against one Beelard to recover for services 
 rendered by him, as a physician, in treating a child of Beelard's 
 for a fracture of the thigh-bone, in which action Beelard set up 
 malpractice on the part of the defendant as a defence. During 
 the pendency of the action the child died and was buried. 
 Subsequently Beelard, the father, acting under the advice of 
 his counsel, directed and allowed the plaintiff, a physician, to 
 cause the body of the child to be exhumed, and a portion of the 
 thigh-bone to be removed, in order that it might be used in evi- 
 dence on the trial of the question of malpractice. After the 
 bone was removed, the body was returned to the grave. The 
 defendant thereupon caused the plaintiff to be arrested for un- 
 lawfully removing the body from the grave contrary to the 
 provisions of the statute, and the plaintiff" sued the defendant 
 for malicious prosecution. The Court held that the plaintiff 
 had not removed the body from the grave " for the purpose of 
 dissection or from mere wantonness," as these terms were used 
 in the statute (3 R. S., Gth ed., 965), for violation of which he 
 had been arrested, nor had he committed any offence against 
 public decency or the spirit of the statute.^ 
 
 Autojjsies, by Whom Ordered; the Rights of Belatives 
 and Accused Persons. — As shown in a previous article in this 
 volume, on the Powers and Duties of Coroners and Medical 
 Examiners, in cases of sudden or suspicious death, it has been 
 
 Downs, 14 N. Y. St. Rep. , 189 ; Mor- form of an elaborate maiisoleiim and 
 land -y. Richardson, 23 Beav. , 596; built above the surface of the 
 s.c. 24 id., 33; Guthrie r. "Weaver, ground, was not a "building, erec- 
 1 Mo. App. , 136 ; 4 Step. Com., 371 ; tion or enclosure, " withiu the mean- 
 Reg. V. Theiss, 10 B. &S., 298. ing of the criminal statutes defining 
 
 ' Weld V. Walker, supra; see also the crime of burglary in entering a 
 
 Johnson B. Marinus, .stipra. "building, erection or enclosure;" 
 
 '^ See also Com. v. Slack, 19 Pick., and hence that entering such a tomb 
 
 304; People V. Fitzgerald, 105 N. Y. , and taking therefrom a dead body 
 
 146; Peoples. Richards, 138 N. Y., with its grave-clothes and cerements 
 
 137. In this last case it was held that would not amount to the crime of 
 
 a tomb, althougl»constructedin the burglary.
 
 302 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY — BECKER. 
 
 the law for nearly a thousand years that an inquisition or in- 
 quest super visum corporis must be held by an officer known 
 as a coroner, and that this office and its powers and duties were 
 inherited by this country as part of the English common-law 
 system in force at the time of the formation of the republic of 
 the United States. When a body has been buried, and the 
 coroner believes that an inquest is necessary, he has power to 
 disinter the body and hold an inquest, and he may direct a 
 post-mortem examination to be made, but after having done so 
 he must cause the body to be reinterred. It is now well settled 
 that in holding such an inquest, and making such an autopsy 
 or post-mortem examination required by his official duty, the 
 coroner has authority to employ, and it is his duty to employ, 
 professional skill and aid, and his contract will bind the county 
 to pay a reasonable compensation for the same.' 
 
 As will be seen below from a synopsis of the statutes relat- 
 ing to this matter, many of the States have enacted statutes 
 defining and prescribing the duties of the coroner and other 
 public officers in such cases. At an early period in England 
 (see 2 and 3 Will. IV., chap. 75, sec. 7) it was enacted by the 
 English Parliament that any executor or other person having 
 lawful possession of the body of a deceased person, and not 
 being an undertaker or other party entrusted with the body for 
 the purpose only of interment, might lawfully permit the body 
 of such deceased person to undergo an anatomical examination, 
 unless to the knowledge of such executor or other partj^ such 
 person should have expressed his desire during his life in writ- 
 ing, or verbally in the presence of two or more witnesses dur- 
 ing his illness whereof he died, that his body after death might 
 not undergo such examination, or unless the surviving husband 
 or wife or known relative of the deceased shall require the body 
 to be interred without such examination. By another section 
 of this statute (sec. 10), professors of anatomy and other persons 
 duly licensed were declared not liable to punishment for hav- 
 
 ' County of Northampton v. Board of Com. -». Jameson, 86 Ind., 
 
 Innes, 2 Carey (Pa.), 156 ; Com. t5. 154; Mo. Rev. Laws, sec. 2,469; 
 
 Hannan, 4 Barr. (Pa.), 269 ; Alleg. No. Car. Laws, 1687, chap. 2o9 ; 
 
 Co. r. Watts, 3 Barr. (Pa.), 468; Tenu. Code, sec. 6,lo0; N. Y. Laws 
 
 Van Hovenbergh v. Hasbrouck, 45 of 1874, chap. 535, sec. 2; N. Y. 
 
 Barb. (N. Y.), 197 ; Cosfordr. Board Laws, 1889, chap. 500, amending see. 
 
 Supervisors, 38 N. Y. St. Rep., 964 ; 308 of the Pen. Code. 
 Co. of Alleg. V. Shaw, 34 Pa. St., 301 ;
 
 AUTOPSIES. 303 
 
 ing in their possession human bodies when having such pos- 
 session according to the provisions of the act. 
 
 Section 308 of the New York Penal Code, subdivision 3, as 
 amended by chapter 500, Laws 1889, enacts that whenever and 
 so far as the husband, wife, or next of kin of the deceased, being 
 charged by law with the duty of burial, may authorize dissec- 
 tion for the purpose of ascertaining the cause of death and no 
 further, the right exists to dissect tli^ dead human body. The 
 same statute also provides that whenever any district attorney 
 of that State, in the discharge of his official duties, shall deem 
 it necessary, he may exhume, take possession of, and remove 
 the body of a deceased person, or any portion thereof, and sub- 
 mit the same to a proper physical or chemical examination or 
 analysis, to ascertain the cause of death, which examination or 
 analysis will be made on the order of a justice of the Supreme 
 Court of the State, or the county judge of the county in which 
 the dead bodies shall be, granted on the application of the dis- 
 trict attorney, with or without notice to the relatives of the 
 deceased person, or to any person or corporation having the 
 legal charge of such body, as the court may direct. The dis- 
 trict attorney shall also have power to direct the sheriff, con- 
 stable, or other peace officer, and employ such person or persons 
 as he may deem necessary' to assist him, in exhuming, removing, 
 obtaining possession of, and examining physicallj' or chemically 
 such dead body, or any portion thereof ; the expense thereof to 
 be a county charge paid by the county treasurer on the certifi- 
 cate of the district attorney. 
 
 The matter of ordering autopsies and dissections of dead 
 bodies, or exhuming the same for that purpose or other pur- 
 poses, is a matter of so much public importance that it has been 
 regulated in nearly all of the United States by statutory enact- 
 ments, which together with the other statutes relating to the 
 subject-matter of this article are hereunto appended. 
 
 The author of this article is greatly indebted for assistance 
 in preparing the same, and in compiling these statutes, to Mr. 
 Amasa J. Parker, Jr., of the Albany, N.Y., bar.
 
 304 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY — BECKER. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Statutory Regulations Concerning Dead Bodies. 
 
 The coroner has power to hold inquest and direct autopsy. 
 
 Ala., Code, sec. 4,801 et seq. 
 
 Ariz., Pen. Code, sec. 2,309 et seq. 
 
 Ark., R. S., sec. 692. 
 
 Cal., Pen. Code, sec. 1,510. 
 
 Col., Mill's Stat., sec. 870. 
 
 Conn., Gen. Stat., sees. 2,005, 2,008. 
 
 Del., R. S., ch. 33. 
 
 Fla., R. S., sees. 3,011, 3,019. 
 
 Ga., Code, sees. 590, 591, 4,101 et seq. 
 
 Idaho, R. S., sec. 8,377. 
 
 111., S. & C. Am. Stat., v. 1, 606. 
 
 Ind., R. S., sees. 5,878, 5,879. 
 
 Iowa, McCl. Am. Code, sec. 487. 
 
 Kan., Gen. Stat., sees. 1,780, 1,784. 
 
 Ky., Gen. Stat., ch. 25, sees. 3, 11. 
 
 La., Voorh. Rev. L., sec. 653. 
 
 Me., R. S., ch. 139, sec. 1. 
 
 Md., Code, art. 22, sees. 3, 4. 
 
 Minn., Gen. Stat., sec. 1,011 et seq. 
 
 Miss., Am. Code, sec. 816. 
 
 Mo., R. L., sec. 2,438 et seq. 
 
 Mont., Crim. L., sees. 869, 883. 
 
 Neb., Consol. Stat., sec. 3,144. 
 
 N. H., Pub. Stat., ch. 262, sec. 1 et seq. 
 
 N. J., Rev. Stat., p. 170 et seq. 
 
 N. C, Code, sec. 657. 
 
 N. Dak., Comp. Laws, sec. 664 et seq. 
 
 Ohio, R. L., sec. 1,221 et seq. 
 
 Oklahoma, Stat., sec. 1,745 et seq. 
 
 Ore., Crim. Code, sec. 453 et seq. 
 
 Pa., Bright Pen. Digest, 1536, sec. 37. 
 
 R. I., Pub. Laws, 1884, ch. 420, sec. 17. 
 
 S. C, R. S., sees. 711, 2,664 et seq. 
 
 Tenn., Code, sec. 6,139 et seq. 
 
 Va., Code, sec. 2,928 et seq. 
 
 "Wash., Hill's Am. Stat., v. 1, sec, 245 et seq..
 
 APPENDIX. 305 
 
 W. Va., Code, ch. 154. 
 
 Wis., S. & B. Am. Stat., ch. 200. 
 
 Wyo., R. S., sec. 1,870 et seq. 
 Medical examiner shall hold inquest and direct autopsy. 
 
 Mass., Pub. Stat., ch. 26, sees. 10, 11. 
 
 R. I., Pub. Laws, 1884, ch. 420. 
 Justice of the peace shall hold inquest and direct autops5^ 
 
 Mich., How. Am. Stat., v. 2, sec. 9,583 et seq. 
 
 Nev., Gen. Stat., sec. 225 et seq. 
 
 N. M., Comp. L., sec. 443 et seq. 
 
 Texas, Code Crim. P., art. 988 et seq. 
 
 Vt., Rev. L., sec. 3,934 et seq. 
 
 Wis., S. & B. Am. Stat., ch. 200. 
 And ma}^ order a body to be disinterred for the purpose of 
 holding such inquisition. 
 
 Ark., R. L., sec. 718. 
 
 Cal., Pen. Code, sec. 1,510. 
 
 Del., R. L., ch. 33. 
 
 Ga., Code, sees. 590, 591, 410 et seq. 
 
 Idaho, R. L., sec. 8,377. 
 
 S. C, R. S., sec. 2,687. 
 
 Texas, Code Crim. P., art. 989. 
 And when not claimed by friends and relatives, to ury the 
 body decently, and when the property of deceased is not suffi- 
 cient to defray expenses, this may be done at public expense. 
 
 Cal., Pen. Code, sec. 3,094. 
 
 Col., Mill's Stat., sec. 882. 
 
 Conn., Gen. Stat., sec. 2,015. 
 
 Idaho, R. L., sec. 2,081. 
 
 111., S. & C. Am. Stat., v. 1, 606. 
 
 Iowa, McCl. Am. Code, sec. 501. 
 
 Kan., Gen. Stat., sec. 1,792. 
 
 Ky., Gen. Stat., ch. 25, sec. 6. 
 
 La., Voorh. Rev. L., sec. 660. 
 
 Me., R. S., ch. 139, sec. 11. 
 
 Md., Code, art. 22, sec. 7. 
 
 Mass., Laws, 1887, ch. 310. 
 
 Mich., How. Am. Stat., v. 3, sec. 9,593. 
 
 Minn.. Gen. Stat., sec. 1,021. 
 
 Miss., Am. Code, sees. 3,145, 3,146. 
 
 20
 
 306 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY — BECKER. 
 
 Mo., R. L., sec. :i,45C. 
 
 Mont., Gen. Laws, sec. 881. 
 
 Neb.,Consol. Stat., sec. 3,144. 
 
 Nev., Gen. Stat., sec. 2,269. 
 
 N. H., Pub. Stat., ch. 262, sec. 16. 
 
 N. J., Rev. Stat., p. 170, sec. 5. 
 
 N. M., Comp. Laws, sec. 447. 
 
 N. Dak., Comp. Laws, sec. 676. 
 
 Ohio, R. L., sec. 1,227. 
 
 Oklahoma, Stat., sec. 1,759. 
 
 Ore., Grim. Code, sec. 462. 
 
 R. I., Pub. Laws, 1884, ch. 420, sec. 24. 
 
 Tenn., Code, sec. 6,150. 
 
 Va.,Code, sec. 3,946. 
 
 Wash., Hill's Am. Stat., v. 1, sec. 257. 
 
 W. Va., Code, ch. 154, sec. 8. 
 
 Wis., S. & B. Am. Stat., ch. 200. 
 
 Wyo., R. S., sec. 1,886. 
 Removal or disinterment of a dead body without authority 
 of law or consent of relatives, for the purpose of selling such 
 body 6r for dissection or for mere wantonness, is — 
 
 (a) A felony. 
 
 Cal., Pen. Code, sec. 290. 
 
 Ga., Laws, 1882, v. 2, p. 87. 
 
 111., S. & C. Am. Stat., v. 1, p. 794. 
 
 Ind., R. S., sec. 2,166. 
 
 Mo., R. S., sees. 3,842, 3,845. 
 
 Mont., Law^s, 1889, p. 114. 
 
 N. C, Laws, 1885, ch. 90. 
 
 (b) A misdemeanor. 
 
 Ark., R. S., sees. 1,902, 1,903. 
 Del., Laws, 1883, ch. 234. 
 Kan., Gen. Stat., sec. 2,372 et seq. 
 Md., Code, art. 27, sees. 133, 134. 
 Pa., Bright Pen. Digest, 229, sec. 11. 
 Tenn., Code, sees. 5,659, 5,660. 
 
 (c) Is punishable by various sentences. 
 
 Ala., Code, sees. 4,023, 4,028. 
 Ariz., Pen. Code, sec. 491. 
 Col., Mill's Stat., sec. 1,367.
 
 APPENDIX. 307 
 
 Conn., Gen. Stat., sec. 1,880. 
 
 Fla., K. L., sec. 3,625. 
 
 Iowa, McCl. Am. Code, sec. 5,328. 
 
 Kj., Gen. Stat., ch. 29, art. 17, sec. 16. 
 
 Me., R. S., ch. 124, sec. 27. 
 
 Mass., Pub. Stat., ch. 207, sees. 47, 48. 
 
 Mich., How. Stat., v. 2, sec. 9,297. 
 
 Miss., Am. Code, sees. 1,023, 1,024. 
 
 Neb., Consol. Stat., sec. 5,847. 
 
 N. H., Pub. Stat., ch. 266, sec. 7. 
 
 N Dak., Comp. Laws, sec. 6,559. 
 
 Ohio, R. L., sec. 7,034. 
 
 Oklahoma, Stat., sec. 2,198. 
 
 Ore., Crim. Code, sec. 656. 
 
 Texas, Pen. Code, art. 345. 
 "Vt., Rev. L., sees. 4,194, 4,196. 
 
 Va., Code, sec. 208. 
 
 W. Va., Code, ch. 149, sec. 13. 
 
 Wis., S. & B. Am. Stat., sec. 4,593. 
 
 Wyo., R. L., sec. 1,029. 
 (d) A high misdemeanor. 
 
 N. J., Rev. Stat., p. 249, sec. 122. 
 Bodies of criminals executed under sentence, and those 
 dying in jail, poor-house, etc., when to be delivered over for 
 dissection. 
 
 Ark., R. S., sec. 2,552. 
 
 Cal., Pen. Code, sec. 3,094. 
 
 Col., Mill's Stat., sees. 1,547, 1,548, 1,204. 
 
 Conn., Gen. Stat., sees. 1,729, 1,732. 
 
 Ga., Laws, 1887, v. 2, p. 87. 
 
 111., S. & C. Am. Stat., v. 1, 869. 
 
 111., Crim. Code, sec. 503. 
 
 111., S. & C. Am. Stat., v. 3, p. 867. 
 
 Ind., R. L., sec. 4,258 et seq. 
 
 Iowa, McCl. Am. Code, sec. 5,329. 
 
 Kan., Gen. Stat., sec. 3,758. 
 
 Me., R. S., ch. 13, sec. 2. 
 
 Me., Laws, 1893, ch. 254. 
 
 Mass., Laws, 1891, ch. 185. 
 
 Mass., Pub. Stat., ch. 202, sec. 8.
 
 308 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY — BECKER. 
 
 Mich., How. Stat., v. 3, sec. 2,284. 
 
 Minn., Gen. Stat., sec. 678. 
 
 Mo., R. S., sec. 6,883. 
 
 Neb., Consol. Stat., sees. 3,299, 3,301, 5,848. 
 
 N. H., Pub. Stat., ch. 136. 
 
 N. J., Rev. Stat., p. 239, sec. 69. 
 
 N. C, Laws, 1891, ch. 129. 
 
 N. Dak., Laws, 1890, ch. 92. 
 
 Ohio, R. S., sec. 3,763. 
 
 Ore., Hill's Am. Laws, sec. 3,730 et seq. 
 
 Pa., Bright Pen. Dig., p. 94, sec. 1 et seq. 
 
 Vt., Laws, 1884, ch. 85. 
 
 Va., Code, ch. 80. 
 
 Wash., Hill's Am. Stat., v. 1, sec. 2,428 et seq. 
 
 Wash., S. & B. Am. Stat., sec. 1,437. 
 Duty of burial, etc. 
 
 Ariz., Pen. Code, sec. 493. 
 
 Cal., Pen. Code, sec. 292. 
 
 Minn., Gen. Stat., sec. 6,221. 
 
 N. Dak., Comp. Laws, sees. 6,550, 6,556. 
 
 Oklahoma, Stat., sec. 2,189. 
 Concealing birth of child which, if born alive, would be a 
 bastard, is punishable. 
 
 Col., Mih's Stat., sec. 1,195. 
 
 Fla., R. L., sec. 2,393. 
 
 Mass., Pub. Stat., ch. 207, sec. 11. 
 
 Mich., How. Am. Stat., sec. 9,284. 
 
 Mont., Crim. L., sec. 41. 
 
 Neb., Consol. Stat., sec. 5,582. 
 
 Nev., Gen. Stat., sec. 4,597. 
 
 N. H., Pub. Stat., ch. 278, sec. 14. 
 
 N. Dak., Comp. L., sec. 6,947. 
 
 Oklahoma, Stat., sec. 2,179. 
 
 Ore., Crim. Code, sec. 649. 
 
 Pa., Bright Pen. Digest, 431, sec. 158. 
 
 R. I., Pub. Stat., ch. 244, sec. 8. 
 
 Wis., S. & B. Am. Stat., sec. 4,585. 
 Is a misdemeanor. 
 
 Minn., Gen. Stat., sec. 6,210. 
 
 N. J., Rev. Stat., p. 241, sec. 83.
 
 ALABAMA — ARKANSAS. 309 
 
 Is a felony. 
 
 Mo., R. S., sec. 3,479 (whether born dead or alive 
 
 Alabama. 
 
 Removal of body wantonly for dissection or sale, purchase 
 of a body unlawfully disinterred, violating grave with intent to 
 steal body, etc., or wantonly mutilating body, is punishable by 
 fine or imprisonment (Code, sees. 4,023, 4,028). 
 
 Coroner, or in his absence justice of the peace, to hold in- 
 quest and direct examination of bodj^ by surgeon, etc. (Code, 
 sec. 4,801 et seq.). 
 
 Arizona. 
 
 Mutilation, etc., of dead body is a felony (Pen. Code, sec. 
 491). 
 
 Removal of a part of body unlawfully is punishable (Pen. 
 Code, sec. 492). 
 
 Duty of burying body is, if a married woman, on husband ; 
 if not a married woman, on nearest of kin who is an adult pos- 
 sessed of sufficient means. If deceased has no relatives, on cor- 
 oner holding inquest or overseers, etc., of poor (Pen« Code, 
 sec. 493). 
 
 Refusal of one on whom dutj'^ of burial is imposed by law, 
 is punishable (Pen. Code, sec. 494). 
 
 Arrest or attachment of a dead body is a misdemeanor 
 (Pen. Code, sec. 496 et seq.). 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest and direct autopsy (Pen. Code, sec. 
 2,309 et seq.). 
 
 Person whose duty it is to bury is entitled to custody except 
 where coroner holds it until inquest is completed (Pen. Code, 
 sec. 495). 
 
 Arkansas. 
 
 Bodies of persons dying in alms-house, prison, house of cor- 
 rection, or jail shall be surrendered to a ph3^sician for dissection, 
 etc., unless the deceased request to be buried or the body is 
 claimed by relatives, or unless deceased died suddenly and un- 
 known ; and after such use for dissection it shall be decently 
 buried (R. S., sec. 2,552). 
 
 Removal of dead body for the purpose of dissection, or steal- 
 ing, or from wantonness, or receiving same knowing it to have
 
 310 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY — BECKER. 
 
 been unlawfully disinterred, is a misdemeanor (R. S., sees. 
 1,902, 1,903). 
 
 Dead bod}- can be transported out of county in which death 
 occurred on permit of State board of health (R. S., sec. 480). 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest and direct autopsy, etc. (R. S., sec. 
 692). 
 
 And may order a body to be disinterred for inquisition (R. 
 
 S., sec. 718). 
 
 California. 
 
 Removal, mutilation, or disinterment of dead body without 
 authority of law is a felony (Pen. Code, sec. 290). 
 
 Removal of part of body for sale, dissection maliciously or 
 wantonly is punishable (Pen. Code, sec. 291). 
 
 Duty of Burial. — Of married woman, on husband ; not a 
 married woman, nearest of kin who is an adult with sufficient 
 means ; where no relatives, on coroner who held the inquest or 
 overseers, etc., of poor (Pen. Code, sec. 292). 
 
 Refusal to bury by person on whom duty rests by law to 
 bury, is a misdemeanor and he is liable for treble the expenses 
 (Pen. Code, sec. 293). 
 
 Custody of body is on him on whom duty to bury is imposed 
 by law, except where coroner detains remains for inquest (Pen. 
 Code, sec. 294). 
 
 Arrest or attachment of dead body for any debt or demand 
 is a misdemeanor (Pen. Code, sec. 295). 
 
 One who disinters or exhumes a body without permit of 
 board of health, health officer, or ma^'or, or transports such ex- 
 humed remains through streets of town, city, etc., except in a 
 sealed coffin, guilty of a misdemeanor (Laws, 1878, ch. 073). 
 
 A sheriff, coroner, or keeper of countj^ poor-house, public 
 hospital, county jail, or State prison, etc., must surrender bodies 
 of those who are to be buried at public expense, to any phj'sician 
 or surgeon for dissection, etc., unless deceased during his last 
 sickness requested to be buried or body is claimed by relatives, 
 etc., or deceased was a stranger or traveller, died suddenly 
 (Pen. Code, sec. 3,091). 
 
 Coroner to bury body when no other person takes charge of 
 same (Pen. Code, sec. 4,286). 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, direct autopsy, and may exhume 
 (Pen. Code, sec. 1,510).
 
 COLORADO— CONNECTICUT. 311 
 
 Colorado. 
 
 Concealment of death of issue which, if born alive, would 
 be a bastard, is punishable (Mill's Stat., sec. 1,195). 
 
 Body of criminal executed for capital offence shall be deliv- 
 ered to a physician or surgeon unless claimed by relative or 
 friend (Mill's Stat., sec. 1,204). 
 
 Board of health, mayor, etc., or officer, etc., having control 
 of any alms-house, prison, hospital, jail, etc., shall surrender 
 bodies to be buried at public expense to any physician or sur- 
 geon for dissection, etc., unless deceased during last illness 
 requested to be buried, or body is claimed by relatives or friends, 
 or deceased was a stranger or traveller who died unknown 
 (Mill's Stat., sees. 1,547, 1,548). 
 
 Non-resident poor person to be decently buried (Mill's Stat., 
 sec. 3,391). 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc., or, if none, bury it decently at 
 expense of county (Mill's Stat., sees. 870-882). 
 
 Removal of body unlawfully for sale, dissection, etc., pun- 
 ishable (Mill's Stat., sec. 1,367). 
 
 Board of health may direct removal of dead bodies from 
 cemetery within a city (Laws, 1893, ch. 113, sec. 54). 
 
 Connecticut. 
 
 No body shall be buried or disinterred or removed beyond 
 limits of any town unless a permit is obtained, and where de- 
 ceased died of an infectious disease body shall be in a hermet- 
 icallj' sealed case (Gen. Stat., sees. lOG, 108, 113). 
 
 Custody of remains is in husband or wife or next of kin 
 (Gen. Stat., sec. 536). 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Gen. Stat., sees. 2,005, 2,008). 
 
 And deliver body to friends or, if none, to town authorities 
 for burial (Gen. Stat., sec. 2,015). 
 
 Mayor, etc., may deliver bodies of those not buried within 
 twenty-four hours after death to medical college for dissection, 
 etc., unless relatives or friends do not consent, or deceased 
 requested to be buried, or was a stranger or traveller (Gen. 
 Stat., sec. 1,729). 
 
 Bodies of convicts dying in State prison and not having any
 
 312 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY — BECKER. 
 
 known relatives, shall be delivered to medical institution of 
 Yale College (Gen. Stat., sec. 1,732). 
 
 Body of one dying in a hospital shall not be examined unless 
 father, etc., consent, or if none, within forty-eight hours after 
 death (Gen. Stat., sec. 1,735). 
 
 Removal of body from grave unlawfully, or receiving, 
 secreting, or dissecting same, is punishable (Gen. Stat., 1880). 
 
 Body of executed criminal shall be buried by sheriff (Gen. 
 Stat., sec. 1,G40). 
 
 Delaware. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc., or maj^ cause body to be dis- 
 interred (R. L., ch. 33). 
 
 Removal of body from grave unlawfully, a misdemeanor 
 (Laws, 1883, ch. 204). 
 
 Florida. 
 
 Buying, selling, or having possession for purpose of buying 
 or selling, a dead body is punishable (R. L., sec. 2,625). 
 
 Concealing birth of issue which, if born alive, would be a 
 bastard, is punishable (R. L., sec. 2,393). 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (R. L., sees. 3,011, 3,019). 
 
 ♦ 
 Georgia. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest or to disinter same for inquisition 
 (Code, sees. 590, 591, 410 et seq.). 
 
 Public officers and their assistants, and their deputies of 
 every county, cit}", town, or other municipality, or of every 
 prison, chain gang, penitentiary, county morgue, public hospi- 
 tal, having control of dead body to be buried at public expense 
 (not dying of infectious disease) shall deliver same to medical 
 college for dissection, etc., unless claimed by friends or relatives 
 or such friends or relatives request same to be buried, or unless 
 deceased was a stranger or traveller (Laws, 1887, vol. 2, p. 77). 
 
 Removal of body from grave, etc., unlawfully for dissection 
 or sale is felonj^, or receiving or purchasing it knowing it to 
 have been so taken, or trafficking in dead bodies, or having them 
 conveyed without the State for sale, etc., is a felony (Laws, 
 1882, vol. 2, p. 87).
 
 idaho — indiana. 313 
 
 Idaho. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc., and may exhume it for that 
 purpose (R. L., sec. 8,377). 
 
 Coroner to bury body decently when not claimed by rela- 
 tives, etc., and if necessary, at expense of county (R. L., sec. 
 2,081). 
 
 Illinois. 
 
 Removal of body unlawfully or aiding in such removal is 
 punishable as a felony — one to ten years (S. & C. Am. Stat., 
 vol. 1, p. 794). 
 
 Coroner to liuld inquest, etc. (S. & C. Am. Stat., vol. 1, p. 
 G06). 
 
 And to deliver body to friends or bury decently if no friends 
 claim it, if necessary at county expense (S. & C. Am. Stat., vol. 
 1, p. G0()). 
 
 Body of executed criminals may be delivered to any physi- 
 cian or surgeon for dissection unless friends object (S. & C. 
 Am. Stat., vol. 1, p. 869; Crim. Code, sec. 503). 
 
 In cities and counties where population exceeds one hundred 
 tliousand, superintendents of penitentiaries, wardens of poor- 
 houses, coroner, city undertaker, having body required to be 
 buried at public expense, may deliver remains to medical college 
 or any physician or surgeon for dissection, unless claimed by 
 relatives (S. & C. Am. Stat., vol. 3, p. 807). 
 
 Indiana. 
 
 RemoA'^al of dead body or part of same unlawfully is a felony 
 {R. L., sec. 2,105). 
 
 Concealment of body or part thereof, which has been unlaw- 
 full}" used for dissection, is a felony (R. L., sec. 2,107). 
 
 Receiving or buying a bod}- knowing it to have been unlaw- 
 fully disinterred is a felony (R. L., sec. 2,1G8), 
 
 Dead body of one dying in a State, city, or county prison or 
 jail, or county asjdmn or infirmary or public hospital, or dead 
 body of an executed criminal, or dead body of a vagrant, or one 
 killed while committing a felony or escaping from prison or 
 officers, may be delivered to the facult}' of a medical college in 
 State for dissection, etc. , unless deceased requested to be buried 
 or body is claimed by next of kin (R. L., sec. 4,258 et seq.).
 
 314 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY — BECKER. 
 
 Dissecting or possessing body for dissection except as pre- 
 scribed by law is a felony (R. L., sec. 4,271). 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (K. L , sees., 5,878, 5,879). 
 
 Iowa. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (McCl. Am. Code, sec. 487). 
 
 To bury body decently at expense of county, if necessary, or 
 ueliver it to relatives (McCl. Am. Code, sec. 501). 
 
 Removal, etc. , of dead body unlawfully, or aiding such re- 
 moval or knowingly receiving body so removed, etc., is punish- 
 able (McCl. Am. Code, sec. 5,328). 
 
 Coroner, undertaker, superintendent of public asylum, hos- 
 pital, poor-house, or penitentiary, may deliver body to medical 
 college or physician for dissection, etc., unless relatives, etc., 
 refuse or deceased desired to be buried (McCl. Am. Code, sec. 
 5,329). 
 
 Bodies of those executed, or dying in hospitals or prisons 
 under sentence for crime, shall be delivered to medical college or 
 association or any physician or surgeon for dissection, etc., 
 unless relatives or friends do not consent, or body shall have 
 been interred, or is not claimed by relatives, or deceased ex- 
 pressed a wish to be buried, and after such use the remains 
 shall be interred (Gen. Stat., sec. 3,758). 
 
 State board of health shall issue permits for transportation 
 of bodies beyond county where death occurred (Gen, Stat., sec. 
 6,030). 
 
 Kansas. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Gen. Stat., sees. 1,780, 1,794). 
 
 To bury body if not claimed b}'- friends, etc., and at public 
 expense, if necessar}^ (Gen. Stat., sec. 1,792). 
 
 Removal of a body unlawfully for dissection or wantonly, or 
 receiving body knowing it to have been so removed, is a mis- 
 demeanor (Gen. Stat., sec. 2,372 et seq.). 
 
 I Kentucky. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Gen. Stat., ch. 25, sees. 3, 11). 
 To bury the body or deliver to friends (Gen. Stat., ch. 25, 
 sec. 6). 
 
 Body of one dying on a steamboat, or other craft, if not
 
 LOUISIANA— MARYLAND. 315 
 
 claimed by friends, shall be buried by master or officer in com- 
 mand on shore, at least four feet deep (Gen. Stat., ch. 29, art. 
 17, sec. 15). 
 
 Removal of body unlawfully from grave is punishable (Gen. 
 Stat., ch. 29, art. 17, sec. IG). 
 
 Louisiana. 
 
 Coroner shall hold inquest, etc., and bury body when not 
 claimed by friends (Voorh. Rev. L., sees. 653, GOO). 
 
 Maine. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (R. L., ch. 139, sec. 1). 
 
 To bury the body at State or town expense (R. L., ch. 139, 
 sec. 11). 
 
 Seizure of body on execution, punishable (R. L., ch. 121, 
 sec. 2G). 
 
 Removal, etc., of body unlawfully, or receiving it know- 
 ingly, or exposing, etc., body, is punishable (R. L., ch. 121, 
 sec. 27). 
 
 Bodies may be buried and the expense recovered from the 
 town (R. L,, ch. 24, sec. 34). 
 
 If any resident request or consent that his bodj- be deliv- 
 ered to a physician or surgeon for dissection, it may be so de- 
 livered, unless kindred or family connection objects (R. L., 
 ch. 13, sec. 1). 
 
 Body of criminal dying in State prison or jail, or who was 
 executed, maybe delivered to medical college or physician, etc., 
 for dissection, unless deceased or kindred request to be buried 
 (R. L., ch. 13, sec. 2). 
 
 Body of person dying in the State, which is not claimed by 
 relatives, notice having been given, shall be delivered to medical 
 school unless ten voters of the town object to such disposition 
 in writing (Laws, 1893, ch. 251). 
 
 Maryland. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Md. Code, art. 22, sees. 3, 1). 
 
 Shall bury the body when necessary at public expense (Md. 
 Code, art. 22, sec. 7). 
 
 Removal, etc., from grave5"ard, etc. (except potter's field), 
 of a body is a misdemeanor (^Id. Code, art. 27, sees. 133, 131).
 
 316 legal status of the dead body — becker. 
 
 Massachusetts. 
 
 Medical examiners shall hold inquest, etc. (Pub. Stat., ch. 
 26, sees. 10, 11). 
 
 And shall deliver it to relatives or friends, or if no one 
 claims it, to overseer of poor etc., for burial (Laws, 1887, ch. 
 310). 
 
 Body shall not be buried in city or town or removed there- 
 from without a permit (Laws, 1888, ch. 30(j). 
 
 Body of one dying of infectious disease shall not be trans- 
 ported without permit, and only in a sealed case (Laws, 1883, 
 ch. 124, sec. 2). 
 
 Body shall not be cremated without permit and inquest by 
 medical examiner, or within forty-eight hours after death, un- 
 less death was occasioned by contagious disease (Laws, 1885, 
 ch. 265, sec. 4). 
 
 Overseers of poor, mayor and alderman of city, or superin- 
 tendent of State alms-house, may deliver body of person required 
 to be buried at public expense, to any physician or surgeon or 
 medical college unless deceased requested to be buried, or rela- 
 tive request burial or claim it, or deceased was a stranger or 
 traveller (Laws, 1891, ch. 185). 
 
 Body of criminal executed shall be delivered for dissection 
 to a medical college if requested ; if not, to friends or relatives, 
 or, if none, to any physician or surgeon (Pub. Stat., ch. 202, 
 sec. 8). 
 
 Removal of body unlawfully from grave is punishable, or 
 buying, selling, or possessing for such purpose, is punishable 
 (Pub. Stat., ch. 207, sees. 47, 48). 
 
 Concealing birth of child which, if born alive, would be 
 a bastard, is punishable (Pub. Stat., ch. 207, sec. 11). 
 
 Seizing dead body on execution is punishable (Pub. Stat., 
 ch. 207, sec. 4G). 
 
 Body of a prisoner shall be buried by sheriff at town ex- 
 pense if not claimed by relatives or friends (Pub. Stat., ch. 220, 
 sec. 31). 
 
 Michigan. 
 
 Justice of the peace to hold inquest, etc. (How. Am. Stat., 
 vol. 2, sec. 9,583 et seq.).
 
 MINNESOTA — MISSISSIPPI. 317 
 
 And shall bury the body at the State or town expense (How. 
 Am. Stat., vol. .3, sec. 9,593). 
 
 Woman concealing death of issue which, if born alive, 
 would be a bastard, is punishable (How. Am. Stat., vol. 3, sec. 
 9,284). 
 
 Board of health, officers, sheriff, etc., of any prison, etc., 
 poor-house, alms-house, having body required to be buried at 
 public expense, shall, if not claimed by relatives, or if it have 
 died of any infectious disease, deliver it to University of Michi- 
 gan, etc., for dissection, etc. (How. Am. Stat., vol. 3, sec. 2,284). 
 
 Bod}' shall not be shipped out of State nor used in State for 
 any purpose but anatomical study (How. Am. Stat., vol. 3, 
 sec. 2,286). 
 
 Removal of body unlawfullj' is punishable (How. Stat., vol. 
 2, sec. 9,297). 
 
 Minnesota. 
 
 Gen. Stat., sees. 6,220, 6,230, same as N. Y. P. C, sees. 305- 
 315. 
 
 Concealing birth of child which died before or after birth 
 is a misdemeanor (Gen. Stat., sec. 6,210). 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Gen. Stat., sec. 1,011 et seq.). 
 
 And cause body to be buried at expense of county (Gen. 
 Stat., sec. 1,021). 
 
 Section 6,216, same as 303, N. Y. P. C. 
 
 Body must be buried within four days, and if death was 
 from contagious disease, within twenty-four hours and in a 
 tightly sealed coffin which must not be reopened (Gen. Stat., 
 sec. 607). 
 
 Wardens, superintendents of poor, and other persons having 
 control of bodies shall deliver same to medical college com- 
 mittee, for dissection, unless claimed by relatives or friends, 
 or relatives or friends do not consent, or one detained as a 
 witness or on suspicion of having committed a crime, or de- 
 ceased requested to be bfiried (Gen. Stat., sec. 678). 
 
 Mississippi. 
 
 Body of paupers and strangers to be buried (Am. Code, sees. 
 3,145, 3,146). 
 
 Coroner to hold incjuest, etc. (Am. Code, sec. 816).
 
 318 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY — BECKER. 
 
 Removal of body unlawfully and wantonly, for sale or re- 
 ceiving same, is punishable (Am. Code, sees. 1,023, 1,024). 
 
 Missouri. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (R. L., sec. 2,438 et seq.). 
 
 And shall bury the body, if not claimed by friends, at public 
 expense (R. L., sec. 2,456). 
 
 And may direct a chemical analysis and microscopical ex- 
 amination of body (R. L., sec. 2,409). 
 
 Superintendents or wardens of penitentiary, houses of cor- 
 rection, insane asylums, poor-houses, and coroners, sheriffs, city 
 and county undertakers, having charge of a body required to 
 be buried at public expense, shall deliver the same to medical 
 college for dissection unless claimed by relatives or friends, and 
 trafficking in such bodies is a misdemeanor (R. L., sec. 0,883 
 et seq.). 
 
 Concealing birth of child, so that it may not be known 
 whether it was born alive or dead, is a felony (R. L., sec. 
 3,479). 
 
 Removal of dead body from grave without authority (except 
 that of criminal executed for crime), for purpose of sale, etc., 
 or receiving such body knowingly, is a felony (R. L., sees. 
 3,842, 3,845). 
 
 Montana. 
 
 Concealing birth of child which, if born alive, would be a 
 bastard, is punishable (Crim. Laws, sec. 41). 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Gen. Laws, sees. 809, 883). 
 
 And bury bodj^ at public expense if not claimed by relatives, 
 etc. (Gen. Laws, sec. 881). 
 
 Removal, etc., of dead body from grave without authority, 
 and for the purpose of sale or dissection, or from wantonness, 
 is a felony (Laws, 1889, p. 114). 
 
 Nebraska. • 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Consol. Stat., sec. 3,130 etseq.). 
 
 To bury body if not claimed by friends (Consol. Stat., sec. 
 3,144). 
 
 Removal of body from grave without authority for sale, 
 dissection, etc., is punishable (Consol. Stat., sec. 5,847).
 
 NEVADA — NEW HAMPSHIRE. 319 
 
 Foeticide is punishable (Consol. Stat., sec. 5,582). 
 
 Bodies of paupers or criminals unclaimed by friends or rela- 
 tives may be delivered to medical college or physician for dis- 
 section, etc., and such body shall not be transported out of State 
 (Consol. Stat., sees. 3,299, 3,301, 5,848). 
 
 Nevada. 
 
 Justice of peace to hold inquest, etc. (Gen. Stat., sec. 2,256 
 et seq.). 
 
 And cause the body to be buried at public expense (Gen. 
 Stat., sec. 2,2G9). 
 
 Body shall not be buried without certificate of physician or 
 coroner (Gen. Stat., sec. 4,872 et seq.). 
 
 Body shall not be transported out of State without a permit 
 (Gen. Stat., sees. 4,870, 4,871). 
 
 Concealing birth of child which, if born alive, would be a 
 bastard, is punishable (Gen. Stat., sec. 4,597). 
 
 Non-resident, et al., to be buried at public expense (Gen. 
 Stat., sec. 1,986). 
 
 New Hampshire. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Pub. Stat., ch. 262, sec. 1 
 et seq.). 
 
 And bury body if a stranger, at public expense (Pub. Stat., 
 ch. 262, sec. 16). 
 
 Concealing birth of child which, if born alive, would be a 
 bastard, is punishable (Pub. Stat., ch. 278, sec. 14). 
 
 Body of person dying in a county, city, or town, or State 
 prison or jail, required to be buried at public expense, shall be 
 delivered to any physician or medical college for dissection, 
 etc., unless deceased requested to be buried, or friends claimed 
 it or request burial, or deceased was a stranger or traveller who 
 died suddenly (Pub. Stat., ch. 136). 
 
 Body not to be buried without permit or disinterred (Pub. 
 Stat., ch. 173, sec. 6). 
 
 Removal of dead body without authority, or concealing it, 
 knowing it to have been so dug up, is punishable (Pub. Stat., 
 ch. 266, sec. 7).
 
 320 legal status of the dead body — becker. 
 
 New Jersey. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Rev. Stat., p. 170 et seq.). 
 
 And bury body if not claimed by friends (Rev. Stat., p. 
 170, sec. 5). 
 
 Concealing birth of child which, if born alive, would be a 
 bastard, is a misdemeanor (Rev. Stat., p. 241, sec. 83). 
 
 Body of executed criminal may be delivered to physician, 
 etc., for dissection unless claimed by relatives (Rev. Stat., p. 
 239, sec. 69). 
 
 Removal of a body without authority for sale, dissection, 
 etc., is a high misdemeanor (Rev. Stat., p. 249, sec. 122). 
 
 Exposing body of an executed murderer is a misdemeanor 
 (Supp. Rev. Stat., p. 194, sec. 19). 
 
 Body must not be buried without a permit; nor body 
 brought into the State without permit ; nor taken out of State 
 without permit (Laws, 1888, ch. 39, sees. 5-8). 
 
 New Mexico. 
 
 Justice of the peace to hold inquest, etc. (Comp. Laws, sec. 
 443 et seq.). 
 
 And bury the body (Comp. Laws, sec. 447). 
 
 Body of one dying of a contagious disease shall not be 
 carried in an open coffin, or be exposed (Laws, 1889, ch. 79, 
 sec. 8). 
 
 Body shall not be buried within fifty yards of running 
 stream (Laws, 1891, ch. 93). 
 
 New York. 
 
 Duty of burial, etc. (Pen. Code, sec. 305 et seq.). 
 
 Attempt at sexual intercourse with dead body is a crime 
 against nature (Pen, Code, sec. 303). 
 
 Transfer of body of one who died of a contagious or infec- 
 tious disease shall be in hermetically sealed casket (Laws, 
 1893, ch. 661, sec. 23). 
 
 Bodies of those djdng in, or in custody of managers, etc., of 
 any prison, asylum, morgue, hospital, or in possession of un- 
 dertakers, shall be delivered to medical college of this State, etc. , 
 for purpose of medical study, unless claimed by relatives or 
 friends, or friends or relatives do not assent to such disposal, or
 
 NORTH CAROLINA— NORTH DAKOTA. 321 
 
 deceased requested during last illness to be buried (Laws, 1893, 
 ch. 661, sec. 207). 
 
 In certain cases bodies of convicts, unless claimed, shall be 
 delivered to certain medical colleges (R. S., pt. 4, ch. 3, sees. 
 132, 133). 
 
 District attorney may cause body to be exhumed, examined, 
 etc. (Pen. Code, sec. 308). 
 
 North Carolina. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Code, sec. 657). 
 
 Concealing birth of child, by burying dead body, is a mis- 
 demeanor. Opening grave without authoritj'- for purpose of 
 taking body is a felony (Laws, 1885, ch. 90). 
 
 Coroner may order a chemical analysis of remains (Laws, 
 1887, ch. 269). 
 
 Dead body of convict, unclaimed by friends, shall be deliv- 
 ered to medical college except such dying of contagious disease 
 (Laws, 1&91, ch. 129). 
 
 Body of one dying of contagious disease must not be trans- 
 ported by common carrier until disinfected, nor shall permit for 
 removal be issued until such disinfection (Laws, 1893, ch. 214, 
 sec. 16). 
 
 North Dakota. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Comp. Laws, sec. 664 et seq.). 
 
 And bury the bod}- if not claimed by friends, etc. (Comp. 
 Laws, sec. 676). 
 
 Concealing birth of child which, if born alive, would be a 
 bastard, or of child dying within two years after birth, is pun- 
 ishable (Comp. Laws, sec. 6,947). 
 
 Comp. Laws. 
 
 Sec. 6,549 same as 305 N. Y. P. C. 
 
 6,550 " 306 
 
 6,551 " 307 
 
 6,552 " 308 (1-3) 
 
 6,553 " 309 
 
 6,554 " 310 
 
 6,559 " 311 
 
 6,560 " 312 
 
 6,563 " 314 
 
 31
 
 333 LEGAL STATUS OP THE DEAD BODY — BECKER, 
 
 Duty of burial of married woman, on husband. If not mar- 
 ried woman, on nearest of kin who is an adult or has means 
 sufficient (Comp. Laws, sec. 6,556). 
 
 Refusal to bury by one on whom duty is imposed by law, a 
 misdemeanor (Comp. Laws, sec. 6,557). 
 
 Custody of body pertains to one whose duty it is to bury 
 (Comp. Laws, sec. 6,558). 
 
 When cemetery is by law changed to other place, duty is on 
 relative to move body (Comp. Laws, sec. 6,562). 
 
 Body of executed criminal, and those dying in State peni- 
 tentiary or county jail under sentence, shall be delivered to 
 medical college or any physician for dissection, unless deceased 
 requested to be buried, or friends ask to have it buried, or 
 deceased was a stranger or traveller (Laws, 1890, ch. 92). 
 
 Ohio. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (R. L., sec. 1,221 et seq.). 
 
 And burj^ bod}^ etc. (R. L., sec. 1,227). 
 
 Body of pauper or unknown, not an inmate of any penal, 
 charitable, or reformatory institution, and not claimed by rela- 
 tive or delivered for dissection according to law, shall be buried 
 at public expense (Laws, 1890, p. 283). 
 
 Corpse shall not be conveyed to or from a city without a 
 permit (R. L., sec. 2,119). 
 
 Bodies of those dj^ing in city hospitals, city or county in- 
 firmaries, work-houses, asylums, charitable institutions, peni- 
 tentiaries, or jails, which are required to be buried at public ex- 
 pense, shall be delivered to medical college or society for study, 
 etc., unless claimed by relative, or deceased was a stranger or 
 traveller (except tramps) (R. L., sec, 3,763), 
 
 Removing body from grave without authority for dissection 
 or receiving such body is punishable (R. L., sec. 7,034). 
 
 Body of executed criminal, if not claimed by relative or 
 friends, may be delivered for dissection, etc. (R. L., sec, 
 7,343, 1). 
 
 Oklahoma, 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Stat., sec. 1,745 et seq.). 
 And bury the body at public expense if not claimed by rela- 
 tives (Stat,, sec, 1,759).
 
 OREGON — PENNSYLVANIA. 323 
 
 Concealing birth of issue which, if born alive, etc., or dying 
 within two years after birth, is punishable (Stat., sec. 2,179). 
 
 (except subd. 4) 
 (ex. punishment) 
 
 2,188-2,190. 
 
 . same as 
 
 . 305-307 N. Y. P. C 
 
 2,191 
 
 
 . 308 
 
 2,192-2,193. 
 
 
 . 309-310 
 
 2,198 
 
 
 . 311 
 
 2,199 
 
 
 . 312 
 
 2,202 
 
 
 . 314 
 
 Custody is in him whose duty it is to bury (Stat., sees. 21, 
 97). 
 
 Duty of burial of married woman, on husband ; if not mar- 
 ried woman, on nearest of kin who is an adult and has suffi- 
 cient means (Stat., sec. 2,195). 
 
 Refusal to bury by one oai whom duty rests, is a misde- 
 meanor (Stat., sec. 2,196). 
 
 Oregon. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Crim. Code, sec. 453 et seq.). 
 
 And bury body if not claimed by friends (Crim. Code, sec. 
 462). 
 
 Unmarried woman concealing birth of child so that it may 
 not be known whether it was born alive or not, is punishable 
 (Crim. Code, sec. 649). 
 
 Bodies of criminals executed, those dying in hospitals, in- 
 sane asylums, alms-houses, or penitentiaries, may be delivered 
 to medical college or physician for dissection, etc., unless they 
 shall have been interred, or claimed by relatives, or relatives 
 and friends do not consent, or deceased expressed a wish to be 
 buried; and they shall be used for such purpose only and in 
 this State (Hill's Am. Laws, sec. 3,730 et seq.). 
 
 Removal of body without authority, etc., is punishable 
 (Crim. Code, sec. 656). 
 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest in Philadelphia County only in case 
 of a violent death (Bright Pen. Dig., 1536, sec. 37). 
 
 And may in Berks and Lancaster Counties order a post 
 mortem (Bright Pen. Dig., 1536, sec. 38).
 
 324 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY — BECKER. 
 
 Concealing death of child which, if born alive, would be a 
 bastard, is punishable (Bright Pen. Dig., 431, sec. 158). 
 
 Removal of body from grave without authority is a misde- 
 meanor (Bright Pen. Dig., 229, sec. 11). 
 
 Bodies of those dying in alms-house, hospital, prison, or 
 public institution, or those in morgue, which are required to be 
 buried at public expense, shall be delivered to medical college, 
 physician, etc., to be used for scientific purposes only, unless 
 claimed b}^ relatives or deceased was a traveller, and trafficking 
 in such bodies is a misdemeanor (Bright Pen. Dig., p. 9, sec. 
 1 et seq.). 
 
 Rhode Island. 
 
 Concealing death of child Avhich, if born alive, would be a 
 bastard, so that it may not be knf)wn, etc., is punishable (Pub. 
 Stat., ch. 244, sec. 8). 
 
 Seizing dead body under execution is punishable (Pub. Stat., 
 ch. 223, sec. 2). 
 
 Bodies of those dying in jail shall, if not claimed by relatives, 
 be buried at public expense (Pub. Stat., ch. 201, sec. 30). 
 
 Medical examiner to make autopsy (Pub. Stat., 1884, ch. 
 420). 
 
 And bury body of stranger at State expense if necessary 
 (Pub. Laws, 1884, ch. 420, sec. 24). 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest if, in opinion of medical examiner, 
 death was caused by act of some one other than deceased (Pub. 
 Laws, 1884, ch. 420, sec. 17). 
 
 South Carolina. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (R. L., sees. 711, 2,664 et seq.). 
 And may have body disinterred for inquisition (R. L. , sec. 
 2,687). 
 
 Tennessee. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Code, sec. 6,139 et seq.). 
 
 And may order a chemical analysis of remains, etc. (Code, 
 sec. 6,150). 
 
 Body to be buried, if not claimed by relatives, etc. , at public 
 expense if necessary (Code, sec. 6,160).
 
 TEXAS — VIRGINIA. 325 
 
 Wilfully and improperly exposing or abandoning a dead 
 body is a misdemeanor (Code, sec. o,G58). 
 
 Removing or purchasing dead bodies without authority is a 
 misdemeanor (Code, sees. 5,659, 5,060). 
 
 Body of deceased convict to be buried unless claimed by 
 friends (Code, sec. 6,403). 
 
 Texas. 
 
 Justice of the peace to hold inquest, etc. (Code Crim. P., 
 art. 988 et seq.). 
 
 And ma}" disinter the body for such inquisition (Code Crim. 
 P., art. 989). 
 
 Removal, etc., of dead body from grave without authority 
 is punishable (Code, art. 345). 
 
 Bodies of convicts to be buried (Rev. C. Stat., art. 3,561). 
 
 Vermont. 
 
 Justice of the peace to hold inquest, etc. (Rev. Laws, sec. 
 3,934 et seq.). 
 
 Removal, etc., of dead body without authority, is punishable 
 (Rev. Laws, sees. 4,194, 4,196). 
 
 Bodies of those dying in poor-house or other public institu- 
 tion, which are required to be buried at public expense, may be 
 delivered to any physician for dissection, etc., unless deceased 
 requested to be buried, or friends or relations request burial, or 
 deceased was a stranger or traveller. Such body shall not be 
 removed from State, and shall be used for scientific purposes 
 only (Laws, 1884, ch. 85). 
 
 Virginia. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Code, sec. 3,938 et seq.). 
 
 And to bur}?^ the body at public expense (Code, sec. 3,946). 
 
 Removal, etc., of dead body from grave without authority, 
 is punishable (Code, sec. 3,794). 
 
 Bodies of those dying on vessels in State, shall be buried by 
 master on the shore above high-water mark (Code, sec. 2,002). 
 
 Bodies of those dying in alms-house, prison, morgue, hos- 
 pital, jail, or other public institution, which are required to be 
 buried at public expense, and bodies of criminals executed for
 
 326 LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY — BECKER. 
 
 crime shall be delivered to medical college, etc., and physician 
 or surgeon for anatomical study, unless (except criminals) 
 relatives and friends claim the body or deceased was a stranger 
 or traveller ; and such bodies shall not be sent out of the State 
 (Code, ch. 80). 
 
 Washington. 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Hill's Am. Stat., vol. 1, sec. 
 ?45 et seq.). 
 
 And bury body, if not claimed by friends, at public expense 
 (Hill's Am. Stat., vol. 1, sec. 257). 
 
 Bodies of those dying in j^oor-house, public hospital, county 
 jail, State prison, etc., which are required to be buried at public 
 expense, shall be delivered to medical college, physician, sur- 
 geon, etc., for studj", unless deceased requested to be buried, or 
 it is claimed by friends or relatives, or deceased was a stranger 
 or traveller; and such body shall be used onlj' in the State 
 (Hill's Am. Stat., vol. 1, sec. 2,428 et seq.). 
 
 Removal, etc., of body from the grave without authority 
 is punishable (Pen. Code, sec. 208). 
 
 West Virginia, 
 
 Coroner to hold inquest, etc. (Code, ch. 154). 
 
 And bury the body at public expense, or if of a stranger, 
 may forward it to its destination or bury it (Code, ch. 154, 
 sec. 8). 
 
 Removal, etc., of a body from grave is punishable (Code, 
 ch. 149, sec. 13). 
 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 Justice of the peace or coroner to hold inquest, etc. (S. & 
 B. Am. Stat., ch. 200). 
 
 And shall cause the body to be buried at public expense (S. 
 & B. Am. Stat., ch. 200, sec. 4,877). 
 
 Dead body of convict shall, if not claimed by relatives or 
 friends, be buried (S. & B. Am. Stat., sec. 4,926). 
 
 Removal, etc., of body from grave without authority is 
 pimishable (S. & B. Am. Stat., sec. 4,592). 
 
 Concealing death of child which, if born alive, would be a 
 bastard, is punishable (S. & B. Am. Stat., sec. 4,585).
 
 WISCONSIN, 327 
 
 A public officer having in his charge a body required to be 
 buried at public expense, shall deliver same to member of State 
 or county medical society, etc., for anatomical stud}^, unless 
 claimed by relatives, or they consent to such disposal, or de- 
 ceased requested to be buried, or was a stranger or traveller 
 (S. & B. Am. Stat., sec. 1,437).
 
 THE POWERS AND DUTIES 
 
 OF 
 
 CORONERS AND MEDICAL EXAMINERS. 
 
 BY 
 
 AUGUST BECKER, 
 
 Of the Buffalo (iV. Y.) Bar.
 
 POWEES AITD DUTIES OF CORONEES 
 AI^^D MEDICAL EXAMIl^EES. 
 
 I. The Coroner and his Court. 
 
 Coroner an Ancient Officer. — The office of coroner is one 
 of the most important and ancient known to the common law. 
 A coroner, or coronator, was so called because he had princi- 
 pally to do with the pleas of the crown, or suit wherein the 
 king was immediatel}" concerned. ' The office is first mentioned 
 in a charter granted in the year 925 by King Athelstan, to the 
 authorities of BeverleJ^ The office as at present constituted 
 was not clearly established until after the Norman conquest. 
 
 Under this head come the lord chief justice and puisne jus- 
 tices of the King's Bench, who are supreme and sovereign cor- 
 oners respectively.^ The duties of the office of coroner involve 
 questions of the greatest interest to society, to government, and 
 to the rights and privileges of the individual citizen. The office 
 has lost much of the honor and respect which formerly apper- 
 tained to it. Its character and importance have been much 
 diminished in latter times, making striking contrast with the 
 high estimation it was held in by our ancestors in days when 
 none but the gentry and knights of the shire were" deemed 
 eligible. 
 
 In fact so great was the dignity of this office in ancient 
 times, that it was never presumed that coroners would conde- 
 scend to be paid for their services.' They were chosen by all 
 the freeholders of the county court for life or good behavior, 
 and were liable to be removed for cause b}^ the writ de corona- 
 tore exonerando. There were three kinds of coroners at 
 common law: Virtufe officii; virtiite cartce sive commis- 
 sionis; and virtute electionis." The office of coroner was 
 
 'Am. & Eng. Enc. of Law, vol. » j Black. Com., 347. 
 
 4. p. 171. ■* Am. & Eng. Enc. of Law, vol. 
 
 M Co., 57 ; 3 Com. Dig., 242. 4. p. 173.
 
 332 POWERS AND DUTIES OF CORONERS — BECKER- 
 
 brought to America by the colonists along with the institutions 
 of the common law, and may be said to exist in the several 
 States with all the common-law incidents, except so far as they 
 may have been modified by statute. The present defined 
 powers of coroners in Great Britain and the United States, 
 unless modified by British statutes and American acts, are de- 
 rived from the English Stat, de Officio Coronatoris, 4 Edward 
 I., s. 2. Coroners vii^tute officii and virtute cartce sive com- 
 missionis are unknown to our institutions. Here the office of 
 coroner may be classed under the head of coroners virtute elec- 
 tionis. Generally speaking the coroner is a county officer. 
 
 Coroner's Duties both Judicial and Ministerial. 
 
 By the common law his powers and duties are both judicial 
 and ministerial. In his ministerial capacity he is merely a sub- 
 stitute for the sheriff, as when the sheriff is a party.' His 
 powers and duties thereunder it is not the present purpose to 
 state and define. His judicial authority relates to inquiries into 
 cases of sudden death, bj' a jury of inquest, super visum cor- 
 poris, or, as it is more commonly defined, an inquisition, with 
 the assistance of a jury, over the body of an}^ person who may 
 have come to a sudden or violent death, or who may have died 
 in prison.* It is not necessary that the death should be both 
 violent and sudden, and that both these circumstances must con- 
 cur to give the coroner jurisdiction. It is sufficient to give the 
 coroner jurisdiction if the death occurs from any violence done 
 to a person by another, although such violence maj^ not have ter- 
 minated the life of a party suddenly, and it is still the dut}^ of 
 the coroner to hold an inquest. ' Indeed the presumption is that 
 he has acted in good faith and on sufficient cause. ^ And so when 
 
 ' Giles V. Brown, 1 Mill (S. C.) eye, and penetrating the brain. 
 
 Const., 230; People v. Devine, 44 Surgical aid was immediately called 
 
 Cal. , 452. in, and the woman received all the 
 
 ^Bouvier's Law Diet., vol. 1, p. care and attention that the exigen- 
 
 405. cies of the case required till five 
 
 ^Lancaster County v. Dern, 3 days afterward, when she died in 
 
 Grant (Pa. ) , 262. In this case a consequence of the woimd received, 
 
 concussion or collision took place in On the sixth day the coroner held 
 
 a street between the sleighs of two an inquest, and in this, an action to 
 
 parties, whereby a woman sustained recover for his services against the 
 
 an injury bj- the shaft, orsome other county, it was Jield he could recover, 
 
 part of one of the parties' sleigh, ■'Co'uutvof Lancaster t\ Mishler, 
 
 striking her immediately above the 100 Pa. St., 624. In this, a suit by
 
 coroner's duties both judicial and ministerial. 333 
 
 several persons have been suddenly killed by the same violent 
 cause, under circumstances proper to be inquired of by a coro- 
 ner's inquest, it is proper and necessary for the coroner, acting 
 in good faith, to hold a separate inquest over each body.' A 
 coroner's inquest is a judicial investigation. The coroner can- 
 not delegate his authority to any one. Neither can he appoint 
 a deputy under the common law. He must act in person as 
 any other judicial officer ; and it may safely be said that a cor- 
 oner has no power to appoint a deputy coroner, except where 
 special provision is made therefor bj' statute." In England, a 
 coroner's court is a court of record, and it has according]}^ been 
 held that trespass cannot be maintained for turning a person 
 out of a room where the coroner is about to take an inquisition.^ 
 But in this country, it may safely be said that a coroner's court 
 is not one of record, but of inferior jurisdiction.^ The perform- 
 ance of the functions of a coroner are judicial in their character ; 
 so judicial that he is protected under the principles which pro- 
 tect judicial officers from responsibility in a civil action brought 
 by a private person. His proceedings amount to entries con- 
 
 the coroner against the county to re- 
 cover his fees, it was held that this 
 presumption was not conclusive, 
 and evidence was admissible to 
 show that he acted in bad faith and 
 knowingly without sufidcient cause 
 or reason. The Court said : "The 
 duty of a coroner to hold an inquest 
 rests on sound reason, on that reason 
 which is the life of the law. It is 
 not a power to be exercised capri- 
 ciously and arbitrarily against all 
 reason. The object of an inquest 
 is to seek information, and obtain 
 and secure evidence, in case of death 
 by violence or other undue means. 
 If there be reasonable ground to 
 suspect it was so caused, it becomes 
 the" duty of the coroner to act. If 
 he has no grounds for susi^ecting 
 that the death was not a natural 
 one, it is a perversion of the whole 
 spirit of the law to compel the 
 county to pay for such services." 
 
 ' County of Fayette v. Batton, 
 108 Pa. St., 591. Itappeared in this 
 case, that nineteen ))ersons came to 
 their death suddenly and almost 
 simultaneously by an explosion of 
 fire-damp in a coal-mine. The cor- 
 
 oner held a separate inquest over 
 each body at the respective homes 
 of the deceased, qualifying the same 
 jury separately over each body, and 
 the inquest returned a separate find- 
 ing in each case. It was Jield that 
 this was the necessary and proper 
 course to pursue under the circum- 
 stances, and that the coroner was 
 entitled to the legal fees in each 
 case. In Boislinieu ^'. Board of Co. 
 Commissioners, 32 Mo., 375, it was 
 Jiekl that the coroner is the sole judge 
 as to the propriety or necessity of 
 holding the iucpiest, and his action 
 in that respect is not subject to re- 
 vision by the county commission- 
 ers, and he is entitled to fees under 
 the statute notwitlistanding the ver- 
 dict of th(i coroner's jury discloses 
 tliat the deceased died of a natural 
 death, and not by casualty or vio- 
 lence. 
 
 -' Am. & Eng. Enc. of Law, vol. 4. 
 p. 175. 
 
 'Garnett v. Ferrand, 6 Barn. & 
 Cress., (511. 
 
 ^ People v. Fitzgerald, 43 Hun 
 (N. Y.), 46.
 
 334 POWERS AND DUTIES OF CORONERS — BECKER. 
 
 cerning matters of public interest, made under the sanction of 
 an official oath, and in compliance or presumed compliance of 
 the law.' 
 
 Of his AutJiority to Hold an Inquest. — His authority to 
 hold an inquest is not confined to the body of a person who may 
 have died within his territorial jurisdiction, but extends to all 
 bodies brought within his jurisdiction, no matter where death 
 may have taken place." So in any case where, after burial, an 
 inquest becomes necessary to determine the manner of the death 
 of a person who, dying in one, is buried in another county, the 
 coroner of the latter county is the proper officer to hold the in- 
 quest.' A coroner cannot hold a second inquest while the first 
 is existing. As we have seen, in holding an inquest the coroner 
 performs a judicial duty, and he is functus officio as soon as 
 the verdict has been returned. He can hold no second inquest 
 in the same case unless the first has been quashed hj a court of 
 competent jurisdiction, and a new inquiry ordered. He can- 
 not set aside or quash his own inquest. If he were allowed to 
 hold two inquests, not only might the greatest inconvenience 
 arise from the inconsistent findings of the respective juries, but 
 such a practice would be liable to great abuse, and as the ob- 
 ject of the proceeding is merely preliminary, the main purpose 
 being to ascertain whether it is probable that a crime has been 
 committed, and to examine the facts and circumstances and 
 preserve the evidence, all the ends of this inquiry are answered 
 by one inquisition, super visum corporis. We believe no 
 reported case is to be found in this country where a second 
 inquisition has been held, the first remaining undischarged, nor 
 is any such practice known to or recognized by our laws.* 
 
 'People V. Devine, 44 Cal., 452; ParkCrim. Rep. (N.Y.),519, acoro- 
 
 Common wealths. Hawkins, 3 Gray ner's jury found that the death was 
 
 (Mass.), 463. caused by suicide, and nearly four 
 
 ■^ Peoples. Fitzgerald, 105 N. Y., months afterward the coroner sum - 
 
 146. moned another jury and held a 
 
 ^Jameson v. Board of Comrs., second inquest, at which the jury 
 
 64 Ind. , 524. found that the deceased was killed 
 
 * Regina v. White, 3 Ellis & Ellis by another, whereupon the coroner 
 
 (Eng.), 137. In this case a second issued a warrant of commitment 
 
 inquisition found by a coroner's under which the accused was im- 
 
 jury was quashed by the court upon prisoned, but on habeas coi-2ms he 
 
 application of the defendants who was discharged from imprisonment 
 
 were charged therein with wilful on the ground that the second in- 
 
 murder. In People v. Budge, 4 quisition was unauthorized.
 
 coroner may employ professional skill. 335 
 
 The Inquest must be Held upon View of the Body. 
 
 The coroner can in no case hold an inquest except upon view 
 of the body. This is jurisdictional and cannot be waived by 
 any one. He is not bound to hold a inquest before burial of the 
 body takes place. When it has been buried, and he believes an 
 inquest necessary, he is vested with authority to have the body 
 disinterred and hold his inquest, and if necessary direct a post- 
 mortem examination to be made, but after having done so, he 
 must cause it to be reburied.' Deep interests are involved in 
 the proper discharge of the duties of coroners; the character, 
 liberty, and perhaps the life of a citizen accused of crime on 
 the one hand, and on the other the aiding of public justice in 
 establishing the guilt and securing the punishment of the actual 
 criminal. Many of the questions which fall within the scope of 
 a coroner's inquisition are of an intricate and most perplexing 
 character, a correct solution of which can only be arrived at by 
 minds the best instructed and habituated to their investiga- 
 tion. In many cases some of these questions can be satisfac- 
 torily settled by the evidence of persons having cognizance 
 more or less direct of the facts; in others, however, they can 
 onlj^ be solved by the facts deduced from pathological anatomy, 
 and other circumstances connected with the dead body, the 
 cause of the extinction of life in which is the subject of the 
 inquest. 
 
 In Massachusetts Office of Coroner Abolished. — Indeed, 
 in Massachusetts the office of coroner was abolished in 1877, 
 and the governor was invested with power, and it is his duty, 
 to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the council, 
 able and discreet men, learned in the science of medicine, to 
 be medical examiners, whose duties are to make examinations 
 as provided in the statute upon the view of the dead bodies of 
 such persons only as are supposed to have come to their death 
 by violence.^ 
 
 Coroner may Employ Professional Skill. — A thorough ex- 
 amination aided by professional skill is in general absolutely 
 necessary to the proper administration of justice. It would no 
 doubt be strange if a coroner had no authority to pledge the 
 
 'The King v. Ferrand. 3 Barn. & = Mass. Pub. Stat, chap. 26, §§ 1 
 
 Aid. (Eng.), 260 ; 2 Hawk P. C, 77. and 10.
 
 336 POWERS AND DUTIES OF CORONERS — BECKER. 
 
 responsibility of the county for the compensation of all auxil- 
 iary services which are necessary to the proper execution of his 
 office, and which he can by no other means command ; for in- 
 stance, when his duty requires him to disinter a body, he can- 
 not be expected to do it with his own hands, or by hands paid 
 for with his means. Indeed it has been said that, in this en- 
 lightened age, a coroner who would consign to the grave the 
 body over which he had held an inquest, without availing him- 
 self of the lights which the medical science has placed within 
 his reach, would in most cases fall short of what his official 
 duty requires.' It is the generally accepted view of the law 
 now that it is the duty of a coroner holding an inquest super 
 visum corporis to avail himself of professional skill and aid, 
 and his contract will bind the county to the payment of a rea- 
 sonable compensation for making a post-mortem examination.^ 
 
 PosT-MoRTEM Examination. 
 
 Whether such examination should take place before the cor- 
 oner has empanelled a jury seems to be an open question. We 
 would venture the opinion that it should not, inasmuch as the 
 jury ought to see and view the body in the same condition, as 
 near as may be, as it was when found, and not after it has been 
 mutilated, as it must need be by a post-mortem examination. 
 
 ' County of Northampton r. Innes, tion. County of Allegany v. Shaw, 
 
 2 Casey (Pa.), 156 ; Commonwealth 34 Pa. St., 301. It has been held 
 
 V. Hannan, 4 Barr (Pa.), 269. that the authority of a coroner to em- 
 
 * Allegany County v. Watts, 3 ploj" a chemist to discover whether 
 
 Barr (Pa.), 462; Van Hoevenbergh poison caused the death of one on 
 
 V. Hasbrouck, 45 Barb. (N. Y. ) , whose body he holds an inquest does 
 
 197. The New York legislature has not restrict him to the employment 
 
 made provision making the physi- of a resident of the county, and 
 
 clan's services in such a case a that the analysis of the chemist 
 
 charge against tlie county and the must not be made in the county 
 
 physician must look to the county of the coroner, and that even though 
 
 for his pay. Cosford v. Board of tlie latter was, by corrupt applian- 
 
 Supervisors, 38 N. Y. St. Rep. , 964 ; ces of others, induced to employ a 
 
 15 N. Y. Supp. , 680. In Pennsyl- chemist, it is no defence to a suit by 
 
 vania a physician or surgeon, em- the chemist to recover compensation 
 
 ployed by the coroner to make a post- for his services. Board of Commis- 
 
 mortem examination, may recover sioners v. Jameson, 86 Ind. , 154. 
 from the county a reasonable com- In New York he is empowered 
 
 pensation for his services ; and the by statute to employ not more than 
 
 county commissioners have no two competent surgeons to make 
 
 power to appoint a surgeon to per- post-mortem examinations and dis- 
 
 form such services, so as to preclude sections and to testify to the same, 
 
 tlie coroner from selecting a proper N. Y. Laws of 1874, chap. 535, § 3. 
 person, in the exercise of his discre-
 
 POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION. 337 
 
 It is, however, settled that the post mortem should not be in the 
 presence of the jury, and that they are to be instructed by the 
 testimony of the physicians who are designated by the coroner 
 to make the examination.' The coroner's right to dissect the 
 dead body of a human being does not extend to all cases. Such 
 a power could be wielded with the most injurious effects upon 
 a community. His power to dissect is confined to those cases 
 where he is authorized by law to hold an inquest upon the body. 
 But a post-mortem examination, conducted by surgeons em- 
 ployed by a coroner holding an inquest, is not a part of the in- 
 quest in such a sense as that every citizen has a right freely 
 to attend it. At common law it was essent^'al to the validity of 
 a coroner's inquisition that the jury should view the body. 
 And so is our law. But it M'-as never required that the body 
 should be dissected in any case. It is discretionary with the 
 coroner to cause a dissection to be made, and to select the sur- 
 geons. He has also a discretion to determine whether any 
 person, and what persons, may be present besides the surgeons. 
 Not even the jurors have a right to witness the examination. 
 They are to be informed of what it discloses by the testimony 
 of the surgeons. Indeed, no person has a right to be present at 
 the post-mortem examination upon the ground that he is sus- 
 pected of having caused the death. He loses no legal right by 
 being excluded. He has no right to dissect the body. If the 
 coroner's jury pronounce him guilty, the inquest, like the in- 
 dictment of a grand jury, simply makes him liable to arrest. "^ 
 
 'Peoples. Fitzgerald, 105 N. Y., ceeding to have been irregular, a 
 146. In this case, iipon application conviction under that provision of 
 of the defendant and upon affidavits the Penal Code could not be sus- 
 showing sufficient reasons therefor, tained, and this, without regard to 
 a coroner of Chemung County, the motives which actuated tlie de- 
 N. Y. , directed the exhumation of fendant ; that if she had committed 
 the body of a man, who died in any offence it was not that of body- 
 California about one year previous stealing. 
 
 and was buried in Chemung County; '^ Crisfield r. Perine, 15 Hun, 200, 
 
 for the purpose of a post-mortem ex- affirmed 81 N. Y. , 622. This was 
 
 amination to determine whether the an action of assault and battery 
 
 deceased was murdered, and the and it appeared that the defend - 
 
 body was accordingly exhumed, and ant was a coroner, and that he held 
 
 an examination had without em- an inquest on the dead body of a jnan 
 
 panelling a jury. An indictment wlio died after receiving personal 
 
 was found against the defendant injuries in an affray which he had 
 
 charging her with body -steal iugun- with his nephew. A post-mortem 
 
 der section 311 of tlie New York examination was about to be made 
 
 Penal Code, against body-stealing. by two surgeons employed by the 
 
 It was //dd that conceding the pro- coroner for that purpose. The plain-
 
 338 powers and duties of coroners — becker. 
 
 Massachusetts Statutory Provisions. 
 
 The statute law of Massachusetts has already been referred 
 to. It has abolished the office of coroner and in its place put 
 medical examiners, so called, who are presumed to be learned 
 in the science of medicine. Their powers, however, are not 
 co-extensive with those of coroners. A medical examiner can- 
 not hold an inquest. He cannot hold an autopsy without being 
 thereto authorized in writing by the district attorney, mayor, or 
 selectmen of the district, city, or town where a dead body lies. 
 He can only upon receiving notice that there has been found, 
 or is lying within the county, the dead body of a person who is 
 supposed to have come to his death by violence, repair to the 
 place where such body lies, view and take charge of the same. 
 If he deems a further examination necessary and is authorized 
 so to do, he must make an autopsy in the presence of two or 
 more discreet persons, whose attendance he may compel by sub- 
 poena if necessarj^ and he must then carefully reduce or cause 
 to be reduced to writing every fact and circumstance tending 
 to show the condition of the body and the cause and manner of 
 death, together with the names and addresses of the witnesses. 
 If he deems it necessary, he may employ a chemist to aid in the 
 examination of the body or of substances supposed to have 
 caused or contributed to the death,' the record of which he must 
 subscribe.^ Such an autopsy does not, however, upon the trial 
 of an accused render other competent evidence, as to the con- 
 dition and appearance of the dead body at the time of the 
 autopsy, inadmissible." The autopsy may be followed by an 
 inquest held, not by the examiner, but by a justice of the dis- 
 trict, police, or municipal court for the district or city in which 
 the body lies, or a trial justice. One of these functionaries 
 must hold an inquest upon being notified by a medical examiner 
 that in his opinion a death was caused by violence, and after 
 hearing the testimony draw up and sign a report and issue 
 process for apprehension of a person charged by the report with 
 
 tiff, who was also a physician and of the room. For this act this suit 
 
 surgeon, was in the room when the was brought. It was held that the 
 
 examination was about to be entered suit could not be maintained, 
 
 upon and said that he wished to re- ' Mass. Pub. Stat., chap 26, § 19. 
 
 main and witness it, but the coro- -/Z>. , chap. 26, t^ 11. 
 
 ner asked him to leave, and on his ^Commonwealth v. Dunan, 128 
 
 refusing caused him to be put out Mass. , 432.
 
 NEW YORK'S STATUTORY PROVISIONS. 339 
 
 the commission of an offence, if he is not in custody.' Even 
 though a medical examiner reports that a death was not caused 
 by violence, and the district attorney or the attorney-general is 
 of a contrary opinion, either one may, notwithstanding such 
 report, direct an inquest to be held in accordance with the pro- 
 visions of the statute/ 
 
 New York's Statutory Provisions. 
 
 In New York the powers and duties of coroners are defined 
 by statute. Coroners in the city of New York are governed by 
 a special act relating to that city exclusively. For the State at 
 large it is provided that whenever a coroner is informed that a 
 person has been killed or dangerously wounded by another, or 
 has suddenly died under such circumstances as to afford a rea- 
 sonable ground to suspect that his death has been occasioned 
 by the act of another by criminal means, or has committed sui- 
 cide, he must go to the place where the person is, and forthwith 
 inquire into the cause of the death or wounding, and summon 
 not less than nine nor more than fifteen persons, qualified by 
 law to serve as jurors, if such death or wounding be of a crim- 
 inal nature, to appear before him forthwith at a specified place, 
 to inquire into the cause of death or wound, and if it appears 
 from the evidence taken or during the inquisition, that any 
 person or persons are chargeable with the killing or wounding, 
 or that there is probable cause to believe that any person or 
 persons are chargeable therewith, and if they are not in custody 
 the coroner must forthwith issue a warrant for the arrest of the 
 person or persons charged with such killing or wounding, who 
 must be arraigned before the coroner for examination, and the 
 coroner has power to commit the person or persons so arrested 
 to await the result of the inquisition. A coroner is disqualified 
 from acting as such in any case where the person killed or 
 dangerously wounded is a co-emplo3'ee with the coroner of any 
 person or persons, association or corporation, or where it appears 
 that the killing or wounding has been occasioned, directly or 
 indirectly, by the employer of the coroner.' It is further pro- 
 vided that whenever a convict shall die in any State prison, it 
 shall be the duty of the inspector having charge of the prison 
 
 ' Mass. Pub. Stat. , chap. 26, gg 13, - IMass. Pub. Stat. . chap. 26, g 18. 
 
 13, 17. 2]sf. Y. Criminal Code, § 773.
 
 340 POWERS AND DUTIES OF CORONERS — BECKER. 
 
 and of the warden, physician, and chaplain of the prison, if 
 they or either of them shall have reason to believe that the death 
 of the convict arose from any other than ordinary sickness, to 
 call upon the coroner having jurisdiction to hold an inquest 
 upon the body of such deceased convict/ The New York Crim- 
 inal Code further provides that when six or more of the jurors 
 appear, they must be sworn by the coroner to inquire who the 
 person was, and when, where, and by what means he came to 
 his death or was wounded as the case may be, and into the cir- 
 cumstances attending the death or wounding, and to render a 
 true verdict thereon according to the evidence offered to them 
 or arising from the inspection of the body.^ The coroner may 
 issue subpoenas for and summon and examine as witnesses 
 every person who in his opinion, or that of any of the jury, has 
 any knowledge of the facts ; and he must summon as a witness 
 a surgeon or physician, who must, in the presence of the jury, 
 inspect the body, and give a professional opinion as to the cause 
 of the death or wounding. ^ The jury, after inspecting the body 
 and hearing the testimony, must render their verdict, and cer- 
 tify it by an inquisition in writing, signed by them, and setting 
 forth who the person killed or wounded is, and when, where, 
 and by what means he came to his death or was wounded, and 
 if he were killed or wounded, or his death were occasioned by 
 the act of another by criminal means, who is guilty thereof, 
 in so far as by such inquisition they have been able to ascertain.* 
 The testimony of the witnesses examined before the coroner's 
 jury must be reduced to writing by the coroner, or under his 
 direction, and must be forthwith filed by him, with the inquisi- 
 tion, in the office of the clerk of the court of sessions of the 
 county, or of a city court having power to inquire into the offence 
 by the intervention of a grand jury.^ 
 
 If, however, the defendant be arrested before the inquisition 
 can be filed, the coroner must deliver it with the testimony to 
 the magistrate before whom the defendant is brought.' If the 
 jury find that the person was killed or wounded by another 
 under circumstances not excusable or justifiable by law, or that 
 his death was occasioned by the act of another by criminal 
 
 ' N. Y. Revised Statutes, part iv. , *Ib., % 777. 
 
 chap, iii., §102. Ub., 8 778. 
 
 ■ N. Y. Criminal Code, § 774. « i6. , § 779. 
 Ub., §775.
 
 THE JUKY AND INQUEST. 341 
 
 means, and the party committing the act be ascertained by the 
 inquisition and is not in custody, the coroner must issue a war- 
 rant signed b}^ him with his name of oflSce, for the arrest of the 
 person charged.' The coroner has power to compel the attend- 
 ance of a witness and testify, and he ma}^ punish a witness for 
 disobedience, as upon a subpoena issued by a magistrate.^ The 
 coroner's warrant may be served in any count}' ; and the officer 
 serving it must proceed thereon, in all respects, as upon a war- 
 rant of arrest on an information, except that when served in 
 another county it need not be indorsed by a magistrate of that 
 county.^ When the defendant is brought before the coroner, 
 he must proceed to examine the charge contained in the inqui- 
 sition or information, and hold the defendant to answer, or dis- 
 charge him therefrom, in all respects as upon a warrant of 
 arrest on an information.^ 
 
 II. The Jury and Inquest. 
 
 Jurors Must be Sworn by Coroner. — The jurors summoned 
 by a coroner to attend an inquest must be from the county or 
 jurisdiction wherein the coroner is empowered to act. He can- 
 not proceed with the inquest until he has summoned and sworn 
 the jury. The jurors are not challengeable, and therefore they 
 should be carefully selected and sworn by the coroner himself. 
 His duties are judicial and he can only take an inquest super 
 visum corporis, and an inquest in which the jury is not sworn 
 by himself is absolutely void and of no effect. '" 
 
 They Must Investigate and Determine the Facts. — After 
 being sworn by the coroner they must investigate and deter- 
 mine and are the sole arbiters of the facts ; the coroner's duty 
 being to instruct them in the law. The}' must go, view, and 
 examine the body together, and not separately. It is essential to 
 the validity of the inquest that the jury should view the body.' 
 
 Coroner may Compel Attendance of Witnesses. — When 
 the coroner sits to hold an inquest, he sits as a judicial officer, 
 armed with all the ordinary' powers possessed by judicial officers. 
 He may compel the attendance of jurors whose qualifications 
 
 1 N. Y. Crim. Code, § 780. "* 2 Hawk P. C. , 77 ; King v. Fer- 
 
 2 76., §776 rand, 3 Barn. & A. (Eng.), 2G0. 
 
 3J6., §782. «Rex v. Ferrand, 3 B. «&: Aid., 
 
 < lb., §783. 260.
 
 342 POWERS AND DUTIES OF CORONERS — BECKER. 
 
 are usually such as are required of jurors in a court of record. 
 It is his duty to present before the jury all the material testi- 
 mbny within his power, touching the death as to the manner 
 whereof the jury are to certify, and that which makes for as well 
 as against the party accused. It is his duty to summon before 
 his inquest every person whom he has any reason to believe 
 possesses anj^ knowledge relative to the death which he is inves- 
 tigating. He is to summon such persons to attend before him 
 for examination. He has full authority to compel obedience to 
 his subpcenas. He has this power by the common law.' If a 
 post-mortem examination is made, the examining surgeons 
 should testify before the jury as to the matters disclosed by 
 the examination.^ The witnesses produced must be sworn by 
 the coroner, and their testimony reduced to writing by him or 
 under his direction. 
 
 Eights of Accused Party. 
 
 The coroner is not required to take the testimony of the 
 witnesses who are examined before the jury in the presence of 
 the party accused. The accused has not the right to be repre- 
 sented by counsel, or to cross-examine the witnesses.^ He is 
 not permitted to produce witnesses before the coroner to show 
 himself innocent of the crime. The coroner is not required to 
 examine any witnesses to establish the guilt of such party when 
 brought before him by virtue of process issued after the finding 
 of the inquisition." 
 
 Deliberation by Jury and Return of an Inquisition. — 
 After the evidence has been taken, and the jury instructed in 
 the law by the coroner, the jury should retire to deliberate upon 
 their verdict. During such deliberation and until they have 
 arrived at their verdict the coroner should not be present in the 
 room where the jury is deliberating. After they have agreed 
 on their verdict it should be reduced to writing, and the coroner 
 
 ^In re Coroners, 11 Phila. (Pa.), person charged with murder is not 
 
 ^87. void for the omission of the allega- 
 
 •^ Crisfield v. Ferine, 15 Hun, 200, tiou that he caused the death "fe- 
 
 aflftrmed 81 N. Y. , 632. loniously, " if it is such that the fact 
 
 •^2 Hawk P. C, 77. that he caused tlie death feloniously 
 
 ^ Matter of Collins, 11 Abb. Pr. mav be collected on its face. And 
 
 (N. Y.), 406; 20 How. Pr., 111. In see People r. Beigler, 3 Park Crim. 
 
 this case it was held that a commit- Rep. (N. Y.), 316. 
 ment issued by a coroner against a
 
 THE EFFECT OF THE EVIDENCE AND VERDICT, 343 
 
 is bound to accept it as final in his court. The inquisition 
 should then be signed by the coroner and jury.' If the inquest 
 is signed by the coroner and duly certified by him, the jurors 
 having signed by making their cross marks, and the whole 
 being certified by the coroner, his certificate of the signatures 
 of the jurors is sufficient and the inquisition is properly made." 
 If several jurors on the inquest have the same christian and 
 surname, it is not necessary in the caption of the inquisition to 
 distinguish them by abode or otherwise.'' The law requiring 
 the coroner to make a return of the testimony with the inquisi- 
 tion cannot be satisfied short of some official certificate indi- 
 cating that the witnesses named were sworn before him, to the 
 matter insisted on as evidence against a prisoner. At least if 
 there be no formal authentication, there should be proof aliunde 
 that the memorandum presents the testimony of the witness 
 truly.' 
 
 III. The Effect of the Evidence and Verdict. 
 
 Under the common law formerly, a coroner's inquisition 
 was equivalent to an indictment by a grand jury upon which 
 the accused might be tried. But in this country no person can 
 be tried upon a coroner's inquisition, yet the inquisition of a 
 coroner's jur}' finding a person guilty of murder has about the 
 same force against him, until the grand jur}^ passes upon his 
 case, that an indictment found by them has thereafter, prior to 
 his trial. 
 
 Coroner has Power to Issue Process of Apprehension. — 
 If a person is charged with the crime in the inquisition, the 
 coroner has power and he issues his process for the apprehen- 
 sion of the accused when not in custody solely upon the inqui- 
 sition. The inquisition, though taken in the absence of the 
 prisoner, and upon the testimony of witnesses he could not 
 cross-examine, settles the question of his guilt until the grand 
 jury passes upon the case. It justifies the commitment of the 
 prisoner to jail, in the same manner that the testimony of wit- 
 nesses does taken before a justice of the peace. The coroner 
 can only examine the prisoner in the same manner as upon a 
 
 ' Rex V. Bowen, 6 Car. & P. , 602 ; ' Rex v. Nicholas, 7 Carr & Payne 
 
 Rex V. Bennett, 6 Car. & P., 179, (Eng.), 538. 
 
 ^ States. Evans, 27 La. An., 297. ••People v. White, 22 Wend. (N. 
 
 Y.), 167.
 
 344 POWERS AND DUTIES OF CORONERS — BECKER. 
 
 warrant of arrest or on information, and is not authorized to 
 examine witnesses either against the prisoner or for him, when 
 he is apprehended by virtue of process issued subsequent to the 
 finding of the inquisition by the jury, or in custody of the cor- 
 oner without process at the time the same is found. 
 
 Privilege of Prisoner upon Arrest. — The prisoner has the 
 privilege of telling his own story before the coroner, which is 
 to be returned with the inquisition, and that is all. He cannot 
 be discharged on it, however plausible it may be ; and he has 
 not the privilege of proving it true before the coroner. He 
 should, therefore, not be discharged, and he cannot have the 
 case investigated again before it is passed upon by the grand 
 jury.' 
 
 Under the provisions of the Neiv York Criminal Code 
 the defendant against whom an inquisition has been found by a 
 coroner's jury is entitled to a hearing before a magistrate, 
 whether he has been arrested before the inquisition has been 
 filed or is arrested after such filing. Under the provisions of 
 sec. 779, in the case of a defendant who has been arrested be- 
 fore the inquisition can be filed, the prisoner is entitled to be 
 examined before the magistrate, before whom he may be 
 brought, as provided in sec. 781, and in the case of a prisoner 
 who has not been arrested until after the inquisition was filed, 
 UTider sees. 781 and 783 the defendant is entitled to be heard 
 before a magistrate in all respects as upon a warrant of arrest 
 on an information. The magistrate must proceed to examine 
 the charge contained in the inquisition, and hold the defendant 
 to answer or discharge him therefrom.'^ The information is 
 the allegation made to a magistrate that a person has been 
 guilty of some designated crime. ^ 
 
 When Evidence taken before Coroner of a Party 
 Charged with Crime Admissible in Evidence upon 
 His Trial Subsequently. 
 
 There is nothing which distinguishes between the proceed- 
 ings of a coroner's inquest and any other official proceedings 
 
 'Matter of Collins, 11 Abb. Pr. ment issued by a coroner, he not 
 
 (N. Y.), 406; 20 How. Pr. , 111. having had an examination, and 
 
 -Matter of Ramscar, 10 Abb. N. the Court dii-ected an examination 
 
 C. (N. Y. ) , 443. The prisoner in before a magistrate, 
 
 this case was detained on a commit- ^N. Y. Code Crim. Pro., § 145.
 
 EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE CORONER. 345 
 
 taken and returned in the discharge of official duty as to their 
 admissibility in evidence. A witness, therefore, may be con- 
 tradicted by the production of a deposition thus given by him 
 before a coroner. ' But the line is sharpl}^ drawn in what cases 
 the testimony of a witness examined before a coroner's inquest 
 can be used on his subsequent trial, and in what cases it can- 
 not. When a coroner's inquest is held before it has been as- 
 certained that a crime has been committed, or before any person 
 has been arrested charged with the crime, and a witness is 
 called and sworn before the coroner's jury, the testimony of that 
 witness, should he afterward be charged with the crime, may 
 be used against him on his trial, and the mere fact that at the 
 time of his examination he was aware that a crime was sus- 
 pected, and that he was suspected of being the criminal, will 
 not prevent his being regarded as a mere witness, whose testi- 
 mony may be afterward given in evidence against himself. If 
 he desires to protect himself he must claim his privilege. But 
 if, at the time of his examination, it appears that a crime has 
 been committed, and that he is in custody as the supposed 
 criminal, he is not regarded merely as a witness, but as a party 
 accused, called before a tribunal vested with power to investi- 
 gate preliminarily the question of his guilt, and he is to be 
 treated in the same manner as if brought before a committing 
 magistrate, and an examination not taken in conformity with 
 the statute cannot be used against him on his trial for the 
 offence.'"' So the doctrine as to silence being taken as an im- 
 plied admission of the truth of allegations spoken or uttered in 
 the presence of a person, does not apply to silence at a judicial 
 proceeding or hearing, and since the proceedings at a coroner's 
 inquest are of a judicial character, what there transpired must 
 be considered as a part of the proceedings." The leading cases 
 
 ' People V. Devine, 44 Cal. , 453 ; called at hev house and asked the 
 
 Commonwealths. Hawkins, 3 Gray way to Sandy Hill, and also for a 
 
 (Mass.). 463. drink of water; that the prisoner 
 
 i People V. Monden, 103 N. Y. , witli a number of others was placed 
 
 211. arovmd a room, and the witness 
 
 'People V. Willett, 93 N. Y. , 39. pointed out the prisoner as the one 
 
 In this case upon the trial of an in- who so called ; also that a number 
 
 dictment for murder, evidence was of persons, including tlie prisoner 
 
 received on the part of the prosecu- passed behind her, each one repeat- 
 
 tion, imder objection and exception, inp; the question asked lier by the 
 
 to the effect that upon the coroner's stranger, and slie identified tlie 
 
 inquest a witness testified that prisoner bj- his voice, and that the 
 
 shortly after the murder a stranger prisoner on that occasion did not
 
 346 POWERS AND DUTIES OF CORONERS — BECKER, 
 
 which have been before the New York Covirt of Appeals upon 
 this important question, and from which that court has 
 finally deduced that rule, may be here referred to. 
 
 Hendrickson Case. — In the first case the wife of the defendant died 
 suddenly in the morning, and in the evening of the same day a coro- 
 ner's inquest was held. The defendant was called and sworn as a wit- 
 ness upon the inquest. At that time it did not appear that any crime 
 had been committed, or that the defendant had been charged with any 
 crime, or even suspected, except so far as the nature of some of the 
 questions asked of him might indicate such a suspicion. On his subse- 
 quent trial on an indictment for the murder of his wife, the statements 
 made by him at the coroner's inquest were held admissible, on the 
 ground that he was not examined as a party charged with the crime; 
 that it had not appeared even that a crime had been committed, and 
 that he had simply testified as a witness on the inquiry as to the cause 
 of the death. ' 
 
 McMahon Case. — Following this came the McMahon Case., in which 
 it appeared that the defendant was arrested by a constable, without 
 warrant, on a charge of having murdered his wife. The constable 
 took him befoi*e the coroner, who was liolding an inquest on the body, 
 b}' whom he was sworn and examined as a witness. It was held that 
 the evidence thus given was not admissible on the prisoner's trial for 
 the murder, and his conviction was rever.sed vipon that ground.'^ 
 
 Teachout Case. — The doctrine of this case was more clearly defined 
 and somewhat limited in a later case, the Teachout Case. In that case 
 the defendant appeared at the coroner's inquest in pursuance of a sub- 
 poena to testify, and voluntarily attended; he was not imder arrest, but 
 was informed by some one that it was charged that his wife had been 
 lX)isoned and that he would be arrested for the crime. Before he was 
 
 deny that he was such stranger. It was erroneously received. It is 
 was held that the prisoner was not very apparent that the examination 
 bound to speak and his silence could before the coroner partook of a ju- 
 not be regarded as an evidence of dicial character, and what then 
 guilt, and that the evidence was im- transpired must be considered as a 
 proi3erly received. The Court said : part of the proceedings ; the coro- 
 "The question whether the defend- ner was there, a jury had been em- 
 ant was bound to speak, and under- panelled, and witnesses were exam- 
 stood that he was at liberty to speak, ined whose testimony was returned 
 if he chose, was submitted to the as a portion of the coroner's pro- 
 jury bj' the Court in his charge, and ceedings. It is difficult to see 
 an exception taken thereto. The upon what ground it can be claimed 
 doctrine as to silence being taken that the experiments which were 
 as an implied admission of the truth made were not in connection with 
 of allegations spoken or uttered in the proceedings before the coroner 
 the presence of a person, does not ap- and a part thereof. " 
 ply to silence at a judicial proceed- ^Hendrickson v. People, 10 N. 
 ing or hearing. And if the pro- Y. . 13. 
 
 ceedings before the coroner were of ■ People u McMahon, 15 N. Y. , 
 
 a judicial character the evidence 384.
 
 EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE CORONER. 347 
 
 sworn he was informed by the coroner that there were rumors that his 
 wife came to her death by foul means and that some of those rumors 
 implicated him, and that he was not obliged to testify unless he chose. 
 He said he had no objection to telling all he knew. The Court in de- 
 livering its opinion preludes it by a reference to these facts as showing 
 that the statements made were voluntary in every legal sense, and held 
 that a mere consciousness of being suspected of a crime did not so dis- 
 qualify him that his testimony, in other respects freely and voluntarily 
 given before the coroner, could not be used against him on his trial on 
 a charge sixbsequently made of such crime. On that ground it held 
 the evidence properly admitted, at the same time referring with ap- 
 proval to the McMahon Case, and distinctly limiting the rule of ex- 
 clusion to cases within its bounds. ' 
 
 Mondon Case. — Then followed the Mondon Case, where on the find- 
 ing of the body of the deceased, the defendant was arrested without war- 
 rant as the suspected murdex^er. While he was thus in custody the 
 coroner empanelled a jury and held an inquest, and the defendant was 
 called as a witness before the inquest and was examined by the district 
 attorney and by the coroner. The prisoner was an ignorant Italian 
 laborer unfamiliar with the English language. He was unattended 
 by counsel, and it did not appear that he was in any manner informed 
 of his rights, or that he was not bound to answer questions tending to 
 criminate him. He was twice examined; on the first occasion the ex- 
 amination was taken by questions put either by the district attorney or 
 by the coroner, and the result written down by the coroner, who then 
 read the evidence over to him, line by line, and asked him if he under- 
 stood it and if it was the truth, and he said it was, and the coroner then 
 reswore him to the deposition. The coroner, after taking the de- 
 fendant's testimony on the first day, came to the conclusion that the 
 defendant did not understand English well enough to be examined, 
 and that it ought to be taken through an interpreter, which was done, 
 in order that they might get it a little better and a little fuller. It was 
 held that the defendant's testimony was not admissible upon his trial 
 on the indictment.^ It will be seen that this latter case follows in direct 
 line with the rule announced in the McMahon Case and clearly dis- 
 tinguishes another case, the McGloin Case, u])()n the authority of which 
 the trial court held the testimony of the prisoner in the Mondon Case 
 admissible. 
 
 McGloin Case. — The case of McGloin was not that of the examina- 
 tion of a prisoner on oath before a magistrate before whom he was taken 
 involuntarily, while in custody, and interrogated by the magistrate, 
 who to all appearance had ])ower to require him to answer, but wliile 
 under arrest the prisoner said to the inspector of police who had him 
 in charge that he would make a statement. The inspector then said 
 
 ' Teachout v. People, 41 N. Y., 7. '^People v. Mondon, 103 N. Y., 211.
 
 348 POWERS AND DUTIES OF CORONERS — BECKER. 
 
 that he would send for a coroner to take it. The coroner was then sent 
 for and came to poUce headquarters and took down in writing the con- 
 fession dictated by the prisoner, the coroner asking no questions and 
 not acting in any official capacity, but as a mere amanuensis to take 
 down the confession and prove the contents. It was held that the con- 
 fession of the prisoner was admissible in evidence upon his trial for 
 murder. ' 
 
 Rule in Pennsylvania. — The rule in Pennsylvania is sub- 
 stantially that when the testimony given by the prisoner under 
 oath before a coroner's inquest, previous to him being charged 
 or suspected of the murder of the individual upon whose body 
 the inquest was sitting, may afterward be given in evidence 
 against him, on his trial for the murder of such person.^ 
 
 Rule in Nebraska. — The statements of a prisoner to be com- 
 petent evidence must have been voluntarily made. In cases of 
 declaration made on an examination before a coroner's inquest 
 by a person under arrest or charged vsrith the crime and also 
 under oath, they are not admissible. But when the person, 
 although he be subsequently charged with the offence, appears 
 voluntarily, and gives testimony, before any accusation has 
 been made against him, his statements are admissible in evi- 
 dence against him on the trial of an indictment for the crime. ^ 
 
 ' People V. McGloin, 91 N. Y. , cused man in entire silence, appears 
 
 241. in beautiful contrast to the conti- 
 
 " Williams v. Commonwealth, 29 nental systems, which permit the 
 Pa. St. , 102. In this case the pros- criminal to be racked by inquisito- 
 ecution was permitted to prove upon rial skill, until something be wrung 
 the trial that a justice of the peace from him which maybe patched up 
 had held an inquest on the body of into proof of guilt. This case shows 
 a dead person, and appointed an- nothing of the kind. The phrase 
 other person foreman of the inquest, 'called up' commented on by the 
 and directed him to swear wit- counsel, does not appear in the rec- 
 nesses ; and while the inquest was ord, and if employed by the wit- 
 still sitting, the foreman called upon nesses related doubtless to the or- 
 and requested the defendant to be dinary case of calling forth a wit- 
 sworn and give evidence as a wit- ness, and not awakening him from 
 ness, and he was duly sworn and slumber. When the defendant was 
 was examined by the foreman, in sworn before the inquest, he had 
 presence of the inquest. It was held neither been charged with nor sus- 
 on appeal that his evidence was ad- pected of crime. He might have 
 missible. On this point the Court declined to testify, and this would 
 said : " If the defendant had been have pointed suspicion directly to 
 awakened out of sleep, charged with him. He took the risk of a state- 
 crime, and then, in the necessary ment, and cannot complain that he 
 confusion of his faculties sworn to met the legitimate consequences of 
 testif}', I should have steadfastly the act. In the eye of all the au- 
 resisted the subsequent introduction thorities, it was a voluntary state- 
 of the testimony against him. The ment. " 
 common law, which justifies an ac- ^ Clough v. The State, 7 Neb. , 320.
 
 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES. 
 
 BY 
 
 H. p. LOOMIS, A.M., M.D., 
 
 Professor of Pathology in the University of the City of New York; Visiting Physician 
 
 and Curator to Bellevue Hospital, New York; Pathologist to the 
 
 Board of Health, Neiu York City; President Neio 
 
 York Pathological Society, etc., etc.
 
 AUTOPSIES. 
 
 A MEDICAL examiner before proceeding with an autopsy, 
 especially if called before the body has been removed from the 
 place where it was found, should carefullj' note certain facts. 
 These should be entered by himself or an assistant with great 
 care, in a note-book, as this book can be introduced as evidence 
 in any trial. A satisfactory way is to dictate to the assistant 
 as the examination proceeds, and at the conclusion the assistant 
 reads the notes taken, and the examiner verifies them. 
 
 SURROUNDING OBJECTS— POSITION OF THE BODY. 
 
 These should be first noted. The character of the soil; the 
 condition of the ground, and whether it shows footprints ; if so, 
 their direction; the evidence of any struggle; the presence of 
 any weapon ; and finally, the exact position in which the bod}' 
 lies, especially the position of the hands and feet. This is im- 
 portant, for the body may be found in a position which the 
 deceased could not have assumed on the supposition of the 
 wound or injury having been accidental or homicidal. If pos- 
 sible a photograph should be taken of the body in the exact 
 position in which it is found. If it is absolutelj' necessary- to 
 remove the body, it should be done with great care, keeping the 
 body in as horizontal a position as possible. 
 
 The character of the surrounding soil should be noted. This 
 is of special importance when the body to be examined has been 
 exhumed : for the question of preservation of the bodj^ and the 
 ability to recognize pathological changes may be brought up at 
 a trial. This was an important point raised in the Buchanan 
 case (New York, 1893). 
 
 If a body be found in the water, examine the character of 
 the water and the temperature, and if found near the shore, the 
 character of shore and bottom. 
 
 Blood. — The situation of blood-stains, and their mmiber 
 and extent, on clothing or surrounding objects should be noted.
 
 352 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES — LOOMIS. 
 
 This will often show whether a struggle has taken place after 
 receiving the fatal wound, and is also of medico-legal impor- 
 tance if made at the time the body is found, for it may be so 
 situated as to show that the bod}* has been interfered with 
 after death. 
 
 Again, spots of blood found upon articles of clothing or 
 upon surrounding objects should be noted as to their form and 
 direction, for they may serve to furnish an indication of the 
 position of the person with respect to them when the wound 
 was inflicted. For example, if the spot was oval, the presump- 
 tion is that the person was placed obliquely with respect to the 
 stain while the hemorrhage was occurring. The force with 
 which the blood was thrown out will in some measure be indi- 
 cated by the obliquity or length of the spot. The amount of 
 blood will also often indicate whether the person has died sud- 
 denly, the exact spot where death occurred, whether a struggle 
 took place, and will also preclude the possibility of a person 
 moving after receiving the fatal injur3^ When we examine a 
 body, especially when found in a room, care must be taken not 
 to be misled by the accidental diffusion of blood by persons 
 going in and out, or touching the body (see Bood-Stains, Vol. 
 
 n.). 
 
 Clo thing. — The examination of the clothing should be 
 thorough. A description of each article should be noted, and 
 the order in which it is removed ; for often it is important to 
 prove that the garments were worn by or belonged to the de- 
 ceased. If any blood is on the clothing, note whether the blood 
 is in large patches, or whether it is sprinkled over the garment : 
 the amount of the blood and what garments are stained by it. 
 Note and examine whether the blood has flowed down the front 
 of the clothing, whether it has soaked the inner garments, or 
 agaip, whether it has collected along the back; for these ap- 
 pearances will sometimes demonstrate whether a wound was 
 inflicted while the person was sitting, standing, or lying down. 
 For example, if the throat is cut while the person is lying 
 down, the blood will be found on each side of the neck along 
 the back and not down the front of the body. Few suicides cut 
 their throats in a recumbent position, and this distribution of 
 the blood may serve to distinguish a suicidal from a homicidal 
 wound.
 
 WEAPONS. 353 
 
 The condition of the clothing may also serve to show 
 whether there has been any struggle, and the presence of dry 
 spots or mud on it may sometimes serve to connect an accused 
 person with an act of murder. This is well illustrated in the 
 case of Reg. v. Snipe, reported in Beck's " Medical Jurispru- 
 dence," where evidence was adduced to show that some spots of 
 mud on the boots and clothing of the prisoner, when examined 
 microscopically, contained infusoria, shells, and some rare 
 aquatic vegetables. The mud of the ditch close to where the 
 body was found, as also the mud on the clothing of the dead 
 body, presented the same microscopical appearances. The med- 
 ical expert who gave this evidence swore that in his opinion 
 the mud spots on the body and on the prisoner's boots were 
 derived from the same ditch, for the mud of all the other ditches 
 in the locality was found, on microscopical examination, to be 
 different. The well-known case which occurred in New York 
 a few years ago, known as the "Shakespeare case," furnishes 
 an example of the importance of carefully examining all stains 
 on the clothing found on bodies. 
 
 If there are several stabs or cuts on the body involving the 
 dress, it should be noted whether they are blood-stained, and if 
 so, whether the stain is on the inside or outside of the garments, 
 for sometimes in simulated personal injury a stain of blood may 
 be inadvertently applied to the outside of the dress, as in wip- 
 ing a weapon. 
 
 Weapons. — If a weapon is found, the character of the 
 weapon and its exact position should be noted. This is fre- 
 quently of importance in telling whether a person has died from 
 an accidental or self-inflicted wound. In a case whore death 
 occurs immediately or within a few minutes, the weapon is 
 found near the body, or often so tightl}^ grasped in the hand 
 that it can be with difficulty removed. If the weapon is found 
 near the body it should be noted on which side and at what 
 distance, and it must be questioned whether it could have fallen 
 on the spot or been thrown there by the deceased. It is com- 
 patible with suicide that the weapon should be found at some 
 distance from the body. An instance has been recorded where 
 an individual was discovered in bed with his throat cut, and 
 the bloody razor was found closed and in the pocket of the 
 deceased. If a weapon cannot be discovered, or is concealed, 
 23
 
 354 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES — LOOMIS. 
 
 it is strong presumptive evidence of homicide ; especially when 
 the wound is such as to produce speedy death. 
 
 Note whether the weapon is sharp or blunt, straight or 
 curved. If a knife, the handle and inner portion should be ex- 
 amined, for the blade ma}^ have been washed. 
 
 If the wound has involved any large vessels, it is improbable 
 that the weapon can have been thrown any distance from the 
 body, and when it is, there are always fair grounds to expect 
 interference with the original position of the body. One cir- 
 cumstance which always strongly points to suicide is the find- 
 ing of the weapon firmly grasped in the hand of the cadaver. 
 The hand of a dead person cannot be made to grasp or retain a 
 weapon as does the hand which has grasped it at the last mo- 
 ments of life. The amount of blood on the weapon should be 
 noted, but it must be remembered that a knife may have pro- 
 duced a fatal stab wound and still no blood be found on it. 
 This is explained by the fact that in a rapid plunge the vessels 
 were compressed, and only after the drawing of the knife and 
 relieving of the pressure blood began to flow, or possibly the 
 blood may have been wiped off the knife by the elasticity of the 
 skin. 
 
 When a person has died of a gunshot wound, especially at 
 close range, it is important to look for any wadding or paper 
 found in the wound, as in a number of instances the finding 
 of such has led to the detection of the criminal. For example, 
 handwriting has been found on the paper, or it has formed 
 part of a printed page the rest of which has been found in pos- 
 session of the accused. When a gun is discharged near the 
 body, a portion of the wadding is almost always found in the 
 irregular wound produced. 
 
 POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION. 
 
 Having completed the examination of the surroundings, one 
 next proceeds with the post-mortem examination, which should 
 be conducted according to a well-defined plan, following which 
 the results obtained will always be satisfactory. 
 
 If possible the body should be removed to a large, well- 
 ventilated, and especially well-lighted room. No artificial light, 
 if it can possibly be avoided, should be used when performing
 
 POST-MORTEM WOUNDS. 355 
 
 the autopsy ; artificial light is especially bad on account of its 
 yellowness and its power to modify natural color. Many dis- 
 eased conditions cannot be satisfactorily determined by artificial 
 light. The bod}^ should be placed on a high table, and the 
 facility with which the autopsy is made will often depend on 
 having the table high enough to render stooping unnecessary. 
 Never make an autopsy, if it can possibly be avoided, on a 
 body while in a coffin, as the examination is always unsatisfac- 
 tory. The size and surroundings of the room, and how it is 
 lighted, should be entered in the note-book. 
 
 Instruments. — If possible the following instruments should 
 be at hand before proceeding with an examination, although 
 some of them may be dispensed with : 
 
 (1) Large section knife; (2) scalpels; (3) enterotome (for 
 opening intestines and stomach) ; (4) costotome, or large bone 
 forceps (for cutting ribs) ; (5) scissors, large and small (one 
 blade blunt); (G) saw; (7) chisel; (8) dissecting forceps; (9) 
 probe; (10) blowpipe; (11) curved needles and strong twine; 
 (12) measuring and graduated glass; (13) small scales. 
 
 Besides the above instruments, some basins containing 
 water; sponges, bottle of flexible collodion, Lugol's solution of 
 iodine for the amyloid test, will be needed. 
 
 Post-Mortem Wounds. — Various plans have been pro- 
 posed to protect the operator's hands from the post-mortem 
 wounds which are often so dangerous, such as wearing rubber 
 gloves, smearing the hands with carbolized vaselin, both of 
 which have their disadvantages : the gloves being too clumsy, 
 and the vaselin rendering it almost impossible to hold the knife 
 steady. Gloves should always be worn, however, where the 
 body has undergone much decomposition, or where the person 
 may have died from any septic disease. A method which I 
 have found satisfactorj^ is to cover all cuts and hangnails with 
 flexible collodion, and then to have a basin of clean water at 
 hand, and from time to tiAie to rinse one's hands in the water. 
 It is from bathing the hands in the cadaveric fluids and not 
 from cuts that most of the danger comes. If possible an abso- 
 lutely new board, large enough upon which to examine the 
 organs, should be at hand, for it ma}' be claimed at a trial that 
 the organs and tissues, if placed and examined on surrounding 
 objects, have become contaminated.
 
 356 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES — LOOMIS. 
 
 Toxicological. — If a chemical analysis of the various 
 organs and tissues is to be made, and it is impossible to liave 
 the chemist present, the medical examiner should obtain some 
 new glass jars of suitable size, with close-fitting glass covers. 
 These jars shoud be rinsed with distilled water, and in them the 
 various organs are to be placed ; if possible with no preserving 
 fluid on them. But if it is found impossible to deliver the jars 
 to the chemist at once, alcohol may be poured over the organs 
 in the jars, but it is specially important that a sample of this 
 alcohol should be retained, that a chemist may at a future date 
 test the same for any impurities. After the organs and tissues 
 have been placed in the jars, the mouths should be closed and 
 sealed, and the seal remain in the custod}^ of the examiner until 
 the jars are delivered to the chemist. 
 
 Parts to be Preserved for the Chemist. — In cases of 
 suspected poisoning, it is not sufficient that the stomach and 
 intestines alone should bo preserved for the chemist as has been 
 indicated, each part by itself; for it should be remembered that 
 the portion of poison remaining in the alimentary tract is but 
 the residue of the dose which had been sufficient to destroy life, 
 and if the processes of elimination have been rapid no trace of 
 the poison will be found in the alimentary canal but can readily 
 be detected in other organs. Again, the poison may not have 
 been introduced by the mouth, in which case none may be 
 found in the digestive tract. 
 
 The chemist should receive, besides the stomach and entire 
 intestinal canal, the liver, one or both kidne3'S, the spleen, a 
 piece of muscle from the leg, the brain, and any urine found in 
 the bladder. 
 
 When it is impossible for any reason to obtain the whole of 
 any organ, the part removed should be carefully weighed and 
 its proportion to the rest of the organ noted. 
 
 It is also of extreme importance to preserve in sealed and 
 labelled jars those parts of a bod}'' which maj' show the evi- 
 dence of disease, or on the appearance of which one's evidence 
 is fovmded. 
 
 ORDER OF AUTOPSY. 
 
 In making the autopsy, the operator should stand on the 
 right side of the body and make the incision by grasping the
 
 ORDER OF AUTOPSY. 357 
 
 knife firmly in the hand, and cutting with the whole of the 
 blade and not with the point. The knife should be swept along 
 from the shoulder rather than from the wrist, thus making a 
 long, smooth, deep cut ; never a jagged one. 
 
 The method of examining the human body after death will 
 vary somewhat according to the objects in view. These objects 
 may be threefold: (1) To ascertain whether a person has died 
 from violence or poison; (2) to establish the cause of death, 
 especially if it has been sudden ; and (3) to ascertain the lesion 
 of a disease, or to confirm a diagnosis. 
 
 The only difference between a medico-legal and pathological 
 autopsy is that in the former case everything which might 
 subserve the ends of justice should be carefully noted, and the 
 changes found most accurately described ; especially any abnor- 
 malities found on the external examination of the body. A 
 photograph should be taken of the body. 
 
 The head should be opened and the brain examined first, and 
 not last, as is^ often done in the ordinary autopsy. 
 
 Careful notes should be taken during each step of the exam- 
 ination, to be reread, verified, and signed at the completion of 
 the autopsy. 
 
 It must be remembered that most of the lesions of disease 
 which are found, indicate the disease rather than the cause of 
 death ; that often the lesion found will seem hardly extensive 
 enough to cause death, and that from accidents and injuries 
 apparently trivial, death may result. It must often be acknowl- 
 edged that no sufficient cause of death can be found, but the 
 more accurate and careful the examinations (especially when 
 a microscopical examination of the organs is made) the fewer 
 will be the number of such cases. If no apparent lesion is 
 found, it must not be forgotten that many poisons destroy 
 life and leave no trace that the pathologist can discover. 
 
 Care should always be exercised not to mistake the ordinary 
 post-mortem appearance which we find at autopsies for the 
 lesions of disease. 
 
 The examination of the human body, whether it be made 
 from a medico-legal or pathological standpoint, is divided into 
 two main divisions : 
 
 (1) The external examination, and 
 
 (2) The internal examination.
 
 358 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES — LOOMIS. 
 
 EXTERNAL EXAMINATION. 
 
 Its minuteness will depend on the character of the case, as 
 when the person is unknown, or when suspected to have died 
 from unnatural causes. In such cases the external examination 
 is very important. 
 
 The following are the steps to be followed : 
 
 (1) Give a general description of the body; apparent 
 age, height, and weight of the individual; color of the hair and 
 eyes ; condition of the teeth ; and the evidence of any personal 
 peculiarities or abnormalities. 
 
 (2) Note the color of the skin and observe whether there 
 are an}^ spots of cadaveric lividity, and if present where 
 situated. 
 
 (3) Contusions. — Note whether there are any contusions, 
 and, if present, their character, situation, length, breadth, and 
 depth should be described, and whether they are accompanied 
 by inflammation or by the evidences of gangrene. 
 
 It is often important to determine whether a contusion has 
 been inflicted before or after death. This is to be done by cut- 
 ting into the ecchymoses and if the extravasated blood or the 
 coloring matter of the blood is found free in the tissues, one can 
 be almost certain that it is an ante-mortem injury. In post- 
 mortem discolorations the blood is found in the congested ves- 
 sels. The situation of ante-mortem contusions will not gener- 
 ally correspond to the discolorations produced by decomposition ; 
 the latter being confined to the most dependent parts. It should 
 be remembered that the contusions produced bj^ blows on a body 
 dead onh" a few hours cannot be distinguished from those 
 which were received during life; and also that putrefactive 
 changes make it well-nigh impossible to distinguish between 
 ante-mortem and post-mortem injuries. It should also be borne 
 in mind that blows or falls sufficient to fracture bones or rup- 
 ture organs may leave no mark on the skin (see Wounds, Vol. 
 I., pp. 467, 4T4, et seq.). 
 
 (4) Wounds. — The situation, depth, extent, and direction of 
 any wound should be recorded, as also the condition of its edges ; 
 the changes in the surrounding tissues, and whether inflicted 
 by a cutting, pointed, or rounded instrument ; or by a bullet. 
 In the latter case the course and direction of the ball should be
 
 EXTERNAL EXAMINATION. 359 
 
 ascertained by dissection rather than by^ the use of the probe, 
 and the character of foreign bodies, if an}' are found in the 
 wound, should be noted. What nerves or blood-vessels, partic- 
 ularly arteries, have been injured, should be ascertained. It is 
 often important to determine whether a wound was made before 
 or after death. The following may serve as a differential point : 
 In all wounds made after death there is slight bleeding, non-con- 
 traction of the edges, and absence of blood in the tissues. This 
 is the opposite of ante-mortem wounds. Again, wounds inflicted 
 within two hours after death cannot be differentiated from 
 those made during life (see Gunshot Wounds, Vol. I., p. 
 GIO et seq.j Wounds, Vol. I., p. 476 et seq.). 
 
 (5) Fractures. — If there are any evidences of fractures, the 
 situation of the bones involved should be noted, and whether 
 they are accompanied by contusions of the soft parts. Frac- 
 tures which are inflicted during life are always accompanied 
 by much more extravasation of blood, more injury to the soft 
 parts, and more evidences of reaction than those occurring after 
 death. It is a well-known fact that it is much more difficult to 
 produce a fracture in a dead than a living body (see Wounds, 
 Vol. II., p. 482 et seq.). 
 
 (6) The temperature of the body should be taken, 
 
 (7) The rigidity and flexibility of the extremities 
 should be ascertained. 
 
 (8) The state of the eyes should be noticed, and the rela- 
 tive size of the pupils. 
 
 (9) Attention should be paid to the condition of the cavities 
 of the mouth and nose. The neck should be speciall}' examined 
 for marks of external injury, or signs of ecchymosis or com- 
 pression. 
 
 (10) Genitals, — The external genitals should be very care- 
 fully examined for evidence of injury, the presence of sj'philitic 
 lesions, and in the female the condition of the vagina should be 
 particularly ascertained. 
 
 (11) (Edema of the Feet. — If there is evidence of oedema 
 in any part of the body, especiallj" about the ankles, its situa- 
 tion and extent should be noted. 
 
 (12) Ulcers and Abscesses.— The situation and extent of 
 any ulcer found on the body should be recorded, as also the pres- 
 ence and situation of any abscess.
 
 360 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES — LOOMIS. 
 
 (i;}) Burns. — The ^extent of a burn, as also the state of the 
 parts involved, should be noted. For example, whether they 
 are inflamed or show blisters, etc. (see Heat and Cold, Vol. 
 I., p. G47 et seq.). 
 
 (14) Hands. — In medico-legal cases the hands of a dead 
 person should always be examined for the presence of cuts, 
 excoriations, or foreign substances found upon them ; especially 
 should the dorsal extremities be examined. This examination 
 will often indicate that there has been a mortal struggle before 
 death. The impression of a hand or of some of the fingers is 
 often found on the skin of a dead bod}". The exact situation 
 where found should be noted. This may be of importance, as 
 when it occurs where it would have been impossible or improb- 
 able for the deceased to have caused it. 
 
 For appearances in death from lightning or electricity, see 
 Vol. I., p. 701 et seq., and in death from hanging, strangula- 
 tion, and garroting, see Vol. I., pp. 713, 746, 781, et seq. 
 
 INTERNAL EXAMINATION. 
 
 Having completed the examination of the external parts of 
 the body, the next proceeding is to open the body and make an 
 internal examination. 
 
 This should be done by following a regular method, so as to 
 examine the relations of parts and not to injure one organ while 
 removing another. 
 
 In opening the various organs an incision should be made 
 which will expose the greatest amount of surface at one cut. 
 Never make a number of small and alwaj's unsatisfactory inci- 
 sions in an organ. In opening certain organs like the brain 
 and heart, the incisions are so planned that the parts of the 
 organ may be folded together, and, if necessary, their relations 
 to one another and the whole organ studied. Such organs are 
 opened as one would open a book to examine its pages. 
 
 It is important to remember that after death the blood leaves 
 the arteries and left side of the heart, and collects in the veins 
 and the right cavities of the heart. Especially does it collect 
 in the vessels of the most dependent portions of the bod}' and 
 of the various organs, so that local congestions may often dis- 
 appear after death; and again, they may be found at an
 
 THE HEAD. 361 
 
 autopsy where they were not present during life. Especially is 
 this true of the mucous membranes such as those of the trachea 
 and bronchi, and also of the blood in the sinuses of the dura 
 mater. 
 
 In making autopsies it is a cardinal rule that all the cavities 
 of the body should be examined, and not alone the one where 
 one might expect to find a lesion. At medico-legal autopsies, 
 the great cavities — the head, the thorax, and the abdomen — 
 should be examined in their successive order from above down- 
 ward. The reason for beginning with the head is that the 
 amount of blood in the brain and its membranes may be deter- 
 mined accurately ; for, if the heart and great vessels of the neck 
 are opened first, the blood will drain away from the brain and 
 local congestions disappear. In pathological autopsies, the 
 opening of the head first is not so important, and often the 
 vertebral column need not be opened at all, for it is a compli- 
 cated process and takes time; but in medico-legal cases, espe- 
 cially where a question as to the cause of death may arise, and 
 has not satisfactorily been determined, after all the other cav- 
 ities are examined the vertebral column should always be opened 
 and the cord removed. 
 
 The Head. 
 
 Make an incision across the vertex of the skull from ear to 
 ear. Dissect the anterior flap forward until within about three 
 inches of the bridge of the nose, and the posterior flap back- 
 ward to the external occipital protuberance. Examine the in- 
 ternal surface of the scalp for ecchymosis and evidences of in- 
 jury. A circular incision is then made with a saw through the 
 cranium as far backward and forward as the flaps have been 
 reflected. An incision through the temporal muscle is neces- 
 sary so that the teeth of the saw may not become clogged by 
 the muscle fibres. When the cranium has been sawed through, 
 a stout hook is inserted under its upper edge and it is removed 
 with a quick jerk. If the dura mater is verj' adherent to the 
 calvaria, it may be necessary to remove it with the bone, by 
 cutting through it at the level of the cranial incision. Exam- 
 ine the calvaria as also the other bones of the skull after the 
 brain has been removed and the dura stripped off, for evidence 
 of fracture.
 
 362 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES— LOOMIS. 
 
 Note the symmetry, thickness, and density of the cranial 
 bone, and remember that depressions along the sagittal suture 
 are for the Pacchionian bodies, and are not pathological. 
 
 Dura Mater. — The dura mater may be slightly adherent 
 to the bone of the cranium. This is especially seen in old 
 people and does not indicate disease. The Pacchionian bodies 
 are seen along the longitudinal sinus. Examine the internal 
 surface of the dura mater for the presence of clots, tumors, or 
 inflammatory lesions. Open the longitudinal sinus and exam- 
 ine for thrombi. Remove the dura mater by an incision fol- 
 lowing the cranial incision, the falx cerebri between the an- 
 terior lobes being drawn back and divided. Note whether the 
 dura mater is adherent to the pia mater, and the condition of 
 its internal surface. 
 
 Pia Mater. — The brain, covered by the pia mater, is now 
 exposed. Note the degree of congestion of the membrane, its 
 adherence, and the existence of pus, blood, or serum on its sur- 
 face or in its meshes. Remember that a considerable amount 
 of serum may be present within normal limits, especially in 
 cachectic subjects, without indicating disease, but when the 
 serum is so extensive as to raise the pia mater and to depress 
 the convolutions, we have a pathological amount which may be 
 a simple dropsy due to some general cause, or the result of a 
 chronic meningitis. Enough serous effusion in the pia mater 
 to produce a condition which has been called by some writers 
 " serous apoplexy, " I believe never occurs as a primary con- 
 dition. 
 
 Loss of transparency and thickening of the pia mater, espe- 
 cially along the longitudinal fissure, is often seen in old people 
 and does not indicate disease. 
 
 Brain. — Remove the brain by raising the anterior lobes with 
 the fingers of the left hand and cutting through the nerves, 
 vessels, and the tentorium as they appear. The medulla is 
 cut as low down as possible, and the brain as it rolls out is 
 caught in the left hand. 
 
 After being placed on a clean board or in a large clean dish, 
 it is minutel}' examined. The average weight of an adult male 
 brain is forty-nine and one-half ounces; of the female, forty- 
 four ounces. Its proportional weight to that of the rest of the 
 body is as 1 to 45.
 
 BRAIX. 363 
 
 Lay the brain first upon its convex surface and examine the ar- 
 teries at the base for atlieroma, thrombi, emboli, and aneurisms. 
 Examine the pia mater of the base, especially for the evidences 
 of hemorrhage, tumors, tubercles, and inflammatory lesions. 
 Next turn the brain over on its base, and proceed to open its 
 various cavities and examine its internal structure. Separate 
 the two halves of the cerebrum, until the corpus callosum is 
 exposed. Make an incision downward and outward at the 
 junction of the corpus callosum with the cerebrum, and the roof 
 of the lateral ventricles will be cut through and their cavities 
 exposed. Prolong the incision forward and backward so as to 
 expose the cornua. The size and contents of the ventricles 
 should be noted, as also the condition of the epend3^ma. The 
 floor of the lateral ventricles being the most frequent spot of 
 hemorrhage, if one is found its extent and the parts involved 
 by it should be noted; especially its relation to the internal 
 capsule. 
 
 Transverse incisions (about one-sixteenth of an inch apart) 
 are made through the ganglia seen on the floor of the lateral ven- 
 tricles. Thus any lesions in the substance of the ganglia will 
 be disclosed. Three or four longitudinal incisions are now 
 made outward into the hemispheres nearly to the pia mater. 
 These will divide the hemispheres into long, prism-shaped 
 pieces held together by the pia mater and a little of the cortex, 
 thus enabling the brain afterward to be folded together, and the 
 relations of lesions to the brain as a whole studied. The third 
 ventricle is now exainined by cutting through the fornix and 
 corpus callosum at the foramen of Monroe. Next, the fourth 
 ventricle is opened by a longitudinal incision through the lower 
 portion of the vermiform process ; its contents, the condition of 
 its vessels and ependyma noted. Then the floor of the fourth 
 ventricle is divided by transverse incisions one-sixteenth of an 
 inch apart, and careful examination made for the presence of 
 minute hemorrhages: for here is a place in the body where 
 almost a microscopical lesion (hemorrhage) may cause sudden 
 death. Each hemisphere of the cerebellum is now opened by a 
 number of incisions starting from the fourth ventricle and 
 passing outward into its substance. The presence of an}^ tumors 
 or hemorrhage in the cerebellum will now be recognized. 
 
 In opening the brain, when clots, areas of softening, tumors,
 
 364 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES — LOOMIS. 
 
 etc., are discovered, their exact location in relation to surround- 
 ing parts should be noted and the blood-vessels examined for 
 areas of degeneration or aneurism. This examination can be 
 facilitated by allowing a stream of water to flow over the affected 
 part. This will wash out the affected area and allow the ves- 
 sels to appear. 
 
 Eye. — In rare cases it may be necessary to remove the eye. 
 This can be done by breaking through the roof of the orbit 
 with a saw or chisel and dissecting away the muscles so as to 
 expose the optic nerve and the posterior portion of the organ. 
 
 Thorax and Abdomen. 
 
 The body being placed on its back, and the operator stand- 
 ing on the right side, an incision is made through the skin, 
 fascia, and muscles from the top of the sternum to the pubic 
 bone, passing to the left of the umbilicus and dividing every- 
 thing down to the sternum and the subperitoneal tissue. A 
 small incision is now made through the peritoneum below the 
 ensiform cartilage. Into this opening two fingers of the left 
 hand are inserted, and by spreading the fingers and holding the 
 knife horizontally the peritoneum can be divided to the pubes 
 without injuring the intestines. The skin and muscles are now 
 dissected from the chest as far back as the false ribs. This 
 dissection may be facilitated by keeping the skin and muscles 
 on the stretch and cutting with the flat part of the knife. In 
 order to better expose the abdominal cavity, the recti muscles 
 are divided beneath the skin at their insertion in the pubic 
 bone. Examine the cut surface of the chest and abdominal 
 muscles, and note their color, amount, and consistency. Ob- 
 serve whether the chest muscles show the evidence of any para- 
 sitic disease such as trichinosis. The mammarj- glands are 
 now examined from behind and opened if necessary. 
 
 Superficial Examination of Abdominal Cavity. — 
 This should be done before opening the chest cavity, because 
 the position of organs may become modified, and blood and 
 other fluids are liable to find their way from one cavity into 
 another; and again, the blood in the presenting portion of the 
 abdominal organs will change its color after exposure to the air. 
 
 Note the Following Points : (a) The relative position 
 and general condition of the abdominal organs.
 
 THORAX. 365 
 
 (b) The color and amount of blood in the presenting parts. 
 
 (c) Whether there are any signs of injlammation or the 
 evidence of foreign bodies or tumors. 
 
 (d) Examine the vermiform appendix. 
 
 (e) The amount of fluid in the abdominal cavity. Nor- 
 mally a small quantity of reddish serum will be found, partic- 
 ularly in warm weather, at the most dependent portion of the 
 abdominal cavity. If the quantity is small it can onl}- be as- 
 certained b}' raising the intestines from the pelvis. When the 
 fluid is considerable, the exact amount should be ascertained 
 and its character noted. 
 
 (/) Perforation, invagination, and hernia of the intestines 
 should be looked for. 
 
 [g) Determine the height of the diaphragm. Normall}-, on 
 the right side, it is at the junction of the fifth rib with the 
 sternum, and on the left it reaches as high as the sixth. A 
 variety of pathological conditions change its position. For 
 instance, it may be raised when the contents of the abdomen 
 are greath^ increased in volume, and in new-born children who 
 have never breathed. It maj^ be depressed by enlargement of 
 the lungs, disease of the heart, or fluid in the pleural or peri- 
 cardial cavities. The presence of air or gas in the pleural 
 cavity can be determined either by filling the abdomen with 
 water and puncturing the diaphragm beneath the fluid so that 
 the air will bubble up, or a puncture may be made through the 
 thorax between the ribs, and the flame of a match will be de- 
 flected by the escaping air. 
 
 Thorax. 
 
 The thorax is opened by cutting the sterno-costal cartilages 
 as close to the end of the ribs as possible, the cut being made 
 downward, outward, and backward, and the knife held obliquely 
 so as not to injure the underlying parts. Quite often the carti- 
 lages will be found ossified and it will be necessary to divide 
 them by a costotome. Next, separate the clavicles by a semi- 
 lunar incision at their attachment to the sternum. 
 
 Raise the sternum with the left hand and separate it from 
 the underlying parts. If there is any adherence of the sternum 
 a slight twist will be sufficient to remove it.
 
 366 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES— LOOMIS. 
 
 Superficial Examination of Thorax. — Observe the 
 position, color, and degree of distention of the lungs. It should 
 be remembered that healthy lungs, as soon as the chest is 
 opened, owing to their inherent elasticity, will collapse, and when 
 this normal collapse is not seen it is generally due to a loss of 
 elasticity as occurs in emphysema, to inflammatory diseases 
 binding the lung to the chest wall, or to the alveoli being filled 
 with solid or fluid substances or pent-up air. Most complete 
 distention is seen when death is due to drowning or suffocation. 
 
 The area of the heart uncovered will vary according to the 
 degree of collapse of the lungs and to the abnormal size of the 
 heart. Normally the cardiac area exposed is quadrangular in 
 shape, and about three and a half inches in its longest diameter. 
 Examine the pleural cavities for the presence of adhesions, 
 foreign bodies, or fluid. If fluid is found it should be removed, 
 measured, and its character noted. It is to be remembered that 
 in warm weather, or when putrefaction has commenced, a mod- 
 erate amount of reddish serum is found in the pleural cavities 
 which has no pathological significance. Lastl}^, examine the 
 mediastinum as to the condition of the thymus gland and great 
 vessels outside the pericardium. 
 
 Pericardium. — Open the pericardium b}^ an oblique inci- 
 sion along the anterior wall, and prolong this incision down- 
 ward and outward toward the diaphragm and upward to its 
 reflection from the great vessels. Normally, about a drachm 
 of clear serum, sometimes, however, blood-stained from decom- 
 position, will be found in the pericardial sac. The amount is 
 best ascertained by raising the heart. Note next the contents 
 of the pericardium and whether there is any serous, fibrous, or 
 purulent exudation. If an abnormal amount of fluid isjjresent, 
 remove, measure, and note its character. Observe whether 
 there are an}" adhesions between the two surfaces of the peri- 
 cardium. White patches are often seen on the visceral surface 
 of the pericardium, especially over the ventricles. These have 
 no pathological significance and are due to slight thickenings of 
 the pericardium. 
 
 The Heart. — Having passed the hand over the arch of the 
 aorta and noticed whether there is any evidence of aneurism or 
 dilatation, we grasp the heart firmly by the apex, raising and 
 drawing it forward. We remove it by cutting through the
 
 THE HEART. 367 
 
 vessels at its base. Test the sufRciency of the aortic and pul- 
 monary valves by allowing a stream of water to flow into these 
 vessels, the heart being held in a horizontal position and care 
 being taken not to pull the valves open. 
 
 To apply the water test to the mitral and tricuspid valves, 
 the auricles are first opened so as to expose the upper surface of 
 these valves, and bj^ allowing a stream of water to flow through 
 the aortic and pulmonary valves into the cavities of the ventri- 
 cles, the degree of sufficiency of these valves can readily be 
 ascertained. 
 
 Another rough test is what is known as the "finger test." 
 The mitral valve will normally allow two fingers, held flat and 
 in contact, to pass through its opening. The tricuspid in the 
 same way allows, normally, three fingers to pass ; or if a more 
 accurate test of the degree of insufficiency is desired, the val- 
 vular orifices should be measured. Normally, the aortic orifice 
 is one inch across; the mitral, one and eight-tenths inches; 
 pulmonary, one and two-tenths inches; and the tricuspid about 
 two inches. 
 
 We open first the cavity of the right ventricle by making an 
 incision over its anterior border close to the septum. Prolong- 
 ing the incision downward to the apex and upward through the 
 pulmonary artery, the cavity of the ventricle will be fully 
 exposed. The left ventricle is similarly opened by an incision 
 through its anterior wall which is prolonged upward through 
 the aortic valve. The cavities of the auricle and ventricle, espe- 
 cially those of the right side, will often contain blood-clots. 
 These clots are usualUj post-mortem clots formed during the 
 last hours of life or after death. It may sometimes be neces- 
 sar}" to distinguish these post-mortem clots from what are 
 known as ante-mortem clots. The latter are usually of firm 
 consistencj% dry, of a whitish color, and closel}' entangled in 
 the trabeculae, while the former are succulent, moist, of a red- 
 dish-3^ellow color, and are easily detached from the walls of the 
 heart cavities. Ante-mortem clots are rarel}" seen, and the 
 medical examiner should be careful not to attribute the cause of 
 death to the post-mortem clots which are so often seen. After 
 the heart is opened we can with more care and greater accu- 
 racy examine the condition of the valves and recognize the 
 extent of valvular lesions.
 
 368 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES — LOOMIS. 
 
 The condition of the endocardium should now be examined 
 and any abnormahtj^ noted. Often it will be seen stained a 
 deep red color. This is not due to disease, but is caused by the 
 absorption of the coloring matter of the blood which has been 
 set free by decomposition. The size of the heart cavity and 
 the thickness of the heart walls should be noted, as also their 
 consistency and color. It should be remembered that the heart 
 walls may appear unusually flabby as the result of decomposi- 
 tion, or apparently thickened when death occurs in extreme 
 systole. The interior of the heart can be further examined by 
 passing the enterotome into each auricle, carrying the incision 
 through the mitral and tricuspid valves to join at the apex with 
 the previous incision, which has been prolonged through the 
 ventricles to the apex. Thus tlie auriculo- ventricular valves 
 are completely exposed. 
 
 Having removed the blood from the heart it is next 
 weighed. The average normal weight of the human heart is 
 about twelve ounces in the male, and a little less in the female : 
 its size roughly corresponding to the closed hand of the individ- 
 ual. Normally, the thickness of the walls of the left ventricle 
 about its middle is five-eighths to two-thirds of an inch, and of 
 the right ventricle one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch. 
 
 Note the condition of the aorta above the heart, whether it 
 is dilated, atheromatous, or shows calcareous deposits. Exam- 
 ine the coronary arteries by opening them with a blunt-pointed 
 scissors. Disease of these vessels with thrombosis is one of 
 the causes of sudden death which is often overlooked. 
 
 The Lungs. — The lungs are removed by lifting them from 
 the pleural cavity and cutting through the vessels and bronchi 
 at their base. If a lung is very adherent it is sometimes better 
 to remove the organ with the costal pleura attached so as not 
 to tear the lung substance. Examine the external surface of 
 the lung as to its shape, color, and consistency. Next open the 
 large bronchi with a blunt-pointed scissors, and prolong the 
 incision into the pulmonarj' substance along the minute bronchi. 
 Observe the contents of the bronchial tubes, the appearance of 
 the mucous membrane, and their relative thickness. Remember 
 that it is very difficult to tell the condition in which the mucous 
 membrane was during life on account of the early post-mortem 
 changes which affect it, and also because the contents of the
 
 THE LUNGS. 369 
 
 stomach may have been forced after death up the oesophagus 
 and down the bronchi, giving the tubes a peculiar reddish and 
 gangrenous appearance. 
 
 Having examined the bronchi, the hmg is turned over and its 
 base grasped firmlj- in the left hand. An incision is made from 
 apex to base, which will expose at a single cut the greatest extent 
 of pulmonary surface. Note the color of the lung substance, 
 and whether the alveoli contain blood, serum, or inflammatory 
 products. Blood and serum can easily be forced from the lungs 
 by pressure between the fingers, while inflammatory exudations 
 cannot. Examine carefully for the presence of miliary tubercles. 
 
 If a question should arise whether a portion of a lung is 
 consolidated, this part can be removed, placed in water, and if 
 the air cells are consolidated the portion will sink; if there is 
 only congestion it will float. B3' squeezing the lung between 
 the fingers an inflammation of the smaller bronchi (bronchitis) 
 can be recognized by the purulent fluid which will exude at 
 different points. It should be remembered that in normal con- 
 dition the lower lobes and posterior aspect of the lungs will 
 apparently be very much congested as a result of gravity. 
 
 Neck, Larynx, and CEsophagus. — Throw the head well 
 backward, and place a block beneath the neck. Make an inci- 
 sion from the chin to the upper part of the sternum. Dissect the 
 soft parts away on each side from the larj'nx and thyroid body, 
 then cut along the ijiternal surface of the lower jaw from the 
 symphisis to its angle. Through this incision introduce the 
 fingers into the mouth, and grasp and draw down the tongue. 
 By dividing the posterior wall of the pharj-nx and pulling 
 downward these parts, the trachea and oesophagus can readily 
 be removed together, a ligature having been first placed around 
 the lower portion of the oesophagus. Open now the phaiynx and 
 oesophagus along their posterior border. Examine the mucous 
 membrane carefully for the evidences of inflammation, caustic 
 poison, tumors, foreign bodies, or strictures. With an entero- 
 tome open the larynx and trachea along their posterior wall. 
 Observe if there is anj^ evidence of oedema of the glottis, and 
 note the condition of the mucous membrane. Remember that 
 redness of the larynx is verj" commonly the result of post- 
 mortem changes and is also seen in bodies which have been 
 kept cold. Dissect off and examine the th5'roid gland. 
 24
 
 370 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES — LOOMIS. 
 
 Abdomen. 
 
 Having completed the examination of the organs of the 
 thorax, we next proceed to examine those contained in the ab- 
 dominal cavity. We first raise and dissect off the omentum, 
 noting if it is abnormally adherent. 
 
 The first organs to be removed are : 
 
 The Kidneys. — Drawing the intestines aside we cut 
 through the peritoneum over the kidneys, and introducing our 
 left hand we grasp the organs with their suprarenal capsules 
 attached. Raising first one kidney and then the other, we 
 easily divide the vessels and the ureters as close to the bladder 
 as possible. The kidneys are often found imbedded in a mass 
 of fat which must first be removed. Their surface is some- 
 times of a greenish color owing to the beginning of putrefac- 
 tion. We note the size of the organ, its color and weight. A 
 normal kidney weighs from four and one-half to five ounces. 
 Grasping the kidney firmly in the left hand, we make an inci- 
 sion in its capsule along its convex border, and with a forceps 
 strip off the capsule and note its degree of adherence and the 
 condition of the surface of the organ; whether it is smooth or 
 granular. Prolonging our incision already made through the 
 cortex of the organ, inward toward the pelvis, we divide the 
 organ into two halves and now closely examine the internal 
 structure. The average thickness of the cortex, which should be 
 about one-third of an inch, is noted ; as also its degree of con- 
 gestion, and whether the normal light (tubes) and reddish 
 (vessels and tufts) lines are seen running through it. If these 
 alternate light and dark markings are lost and the organ has 
 not undergone decomposition, the presence of some of the forms 
 of Bright's disease may be suspected. If the cut surface of the 
 organ presents a waxy appearance, the amjioid test should be 
 applied by first washing the cut surface of the organ and drop- 
 ping upon it a few drops of Lugol's solution of iodine, when 
 the amyloid areas will appear as dark mahogany spots on a 
 5'ellow background. 
 
 The pelvis of the kidneys should be examined for calculi and 
 the evidence of inflammatory lesions. The suprarenal capsules 
 readily decompose, but if the autopsj' is not made too late
 
 THE INTESTINES. 371 
 
 liypertrophy, tuberculosis, tumors, and degeneration in them 
 may be recognized. 
 
 The Spleen. — This organ will be found in an oblique posi- 
 tion at the left side of the stomach. Grasping it firmly in the 
 left hand and drawing it forward, it can easily be detached. 
 Normally in the adult it is about five inches in length by 
 three inches in breadth by one inch in thickness, and weighs 
 about seven ounces. The size, color, and consistency of the 
 organ should be noted, as well as abnormal thickenings of its 
 capsule and the presence of any tubercles or tumors in its sub- 
 stance. The spleen softens very earl}- as the result of decom- 
 position, and this decomposition should not be mistaken for a 
 pathological condition. 
 
 The Intestines. — In cases of suspected poisoning the 
 greatest care should be taken in the removal of the intestines 
 and the stomach. Double ligatures should be placed in the fol- 
 lowing situations so as to preserve the contents of the organs 
 intact: (1) at the end of the duodenum; (2) at the end of the 
 ilium ; and (3) at the lower portion of the rectum ; and an in- 
 cision should be made with a pair of scissors between these 
 ligatures. The jejunum and ilium should first be removed to- 
 gether by seizing the gut with the left hand, keeping it on the 
 stretch, and cutting with a pair of scissors through the mesen- 
 tery close to its intestinal attachment. The csecum, colon, and 
 rectum should then be removed in a similar manner. 
 
 The intestines being placed in large absolutely clean dishes, 
 which have previously been rinsed with distilled water, are 
 opened ; great care being taken that none of the intestinal con- 
 tents are lost. The small intestines should be opened in one 
 dish and the large intestine in another. A portion of the in- 
 testines where morbid appearances are most likeh' to be seen in 
 cases of poisoning are the duodenum, the lower part of the 
 ilium, and the rectum. The comparative intensity of the ap- 
 pearances of irritation should be especially noted. For exam- 
 ple, if the stomach appears normal and the intestines are found 
 inflamed the possibilitj' of poison from an irritant may be 
 denied. 
 
 The intestines are opened along their detached border by 
 the enterotome. Care should be taken to distinguish the post- 
 mortem discolorations which are usually seen along the intes-
 
 372 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES— LOOMIS. 
 
 tines from those produced by disease. The former are most 
 marked in the dependent portions. They are apt to occur in 
 patches which can be readily recognized by stretching the wall 
 of the gut. The darkish brown or purple discolorations which 
 are sometimes seen as the result of decomposition are due to the 
 imbibition from the vessels of decomposed haemoglobin. Much 
 care and experience are necessary to tell the amount of con- 
 gestion which is within normal limits and to recognize changes 
 of color produced by decomposition. 
 
 The pathological lesions ordinarily looked for in the exam- 
 ination of the intestines are ulcers, perforation, hemorrhages, 
 strictures, tumors, and the evidences of various inflammations. 
 To obtain an accurate idea of the various portions of the mucous 
 membrane of the intestines, it is sometimes .necessar}'' to remove 
 their contents. When very adherent this should be done by 
 allowing as small a portion of distilled water as possible to flow 
 over their surface. If anj'^ abnormalities are noticed along the 
 intestinal tract, an accurate description should be given of their 
 situation and extent ; as also the amount of congestion seen in 
 different portions of the intestinal tract. 
 
 If possible the different portions of the intestines, as well as 
 the stomach, should be examined immediately after being ex- 
 posed to view, as under the influence of the air those parts 
 which are pale may become red, and slight redness may be- 
 come very pronounced. In this way only can we estimate the 
 degree of vascularity' of the various parts after death. How- 
 ever, in cases of suspected poisoning, when it is impossible for 
 the chemist to he present at the autopsy, the medical exam- 
 iner should not open the stomach and intestines, but place 
 them in sealed jars. As soon as possible afterward, the chemist 
 being present, they should then be examined in the manner in- 
 dicated. What may be lost by waiting, in changes of color 
 which have taken place, will be more than counterbalanced by 
 the data which the chemist will obtain from observing the con- 
 tents and mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines 
 when they are first exposed. The characteristic odors of cer- 
 tain poisons are so evanescent that they quickly disappear after 
 opening of the stomach and intestines. 
 
 After a thorough examination of the intestines, the}" are 
 to be put with their contents into wide-mouthed vessels, each
 
 THE STOMACH. 373 
 
 part by itself, and the basins in which they were opened 
 washed with distilled water and the washings put into the 
 same bottle. As soon as the intestines are transferred to the 
 jars they should be sealed. 
 
 The Stomach. — The stomach and duodenum are removed 
 together. They are opened by passing the enterotome into the 
 duodenum and dividing it along its convex border, the incision 
 being continued along the greater curvature of the stomach as 
 far as the oesophageal opening. They should be opened in a 
 large glass dish which has been carefully washed with distilled 
 water. The chemist and medical examiner will carefully note 
 the quantity, odor, color, and reaction of the stomach contents ; 
 also whether luminous or not in the dark; the presence or 
 absence of crystalline matter, foreign substances, undigested 
 food or alcohol. 
 
 Portions of the contents should be placed in a small glass 
 bottle and sealed, so that at a future time they may be examined 
 microscopically. Only in this way can an absolute knowledge 
 of the character of the stomach contents be obtained. In cer- 
 tain medico-legal cases the ability to decide the character of the 
 stomach contents is of the utmost importance. The mucous 
 membranes of the stomach and duodenum must be next care- 
 fully examined for evidences of hemorrhages, erosions, tumors, 
 and of acute or chronic inflammations. The appearance of the 
 rugae and their interspaces, principally in the region of the 
 greater curvature, should be noted ; because here traces of poison 
 and its effects are most frequently seen. If the stomach is in- 
 flamed, the seat of the inflammation should be exactly specified, 
 as also that of any unusual coloration. 
 
 The condition of the blood-vessels are also noted. Vascu- 
 laritj- or redness of the stomach after death should not be con- 
 founded with the effects of poison or the marks of disease. It 
 may occur in every variet}" of degree or character and still be 
 within normal limits. Vascularities which we might call nor- 
 mal are seen in the posterior part of the greater end and in the 
 lesser curvature, and may cover spaces of various extent. 
 Rigot and- Trosseau have proven b}' experiment that various 
 kinds of pseudo-morbid redness may be formed which cannot 
 be distinguished from the varieties caused by inflammation; 
 that these appearances are produced after death and often not
 
 374 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES— LOOMIS. 
 
 until five or eit^-lit hours afterward, and that tliey may be made 
 to shift their place and appear where the organ was previously 
 healthy, merely by altering the position of the stomach. Ulcers, 
 or perforations of the stomach as the results of disease, as also 
 the digestion of the stomach after death, have been mistaken 
 for the effects of irritant poisons. 
 
 When perforation of the stomach is the result of caustic 
 poisons, the edges of the opening are very irregular, and are of 
 the same thickness as the rest of the organ. The parts not 
 perforated are more or less inflamed, and traces of the action of 
 the caustic are found in the mouth, pharynx, and oesophagus. 
 This is the opposite condition to that seen in spontaneous per- 
 foration. 
 
 In considering perforation of the stomach the following 
 points given by Taylor are well to remember : 
 
 (1) A person may have died from perforation of the stomach 
 and not from poisoning. 
 
 (2) A person laboring under disease may be the subject of 
 poison. 
 
 (3) A person laboring under disease may have received blow^s 
 or injuries on the abdomen, and it will be necessary to state 
 whether the perforation did or did not result from the violence. 
 
 (■4) The perforation of the stomach from post-mortem 
 changes may be mistaken for perforations from poison. 
 
 Corrosives, if they do not produce perforation of stomach, 
 will generally cause intense inflammation accompanied by soft- 
 ening of the inner coat, sometimes ending in gangrene. The 
 inflammation varies as to its extent and intensity, sometimes 
 affecting principally the mouth and oesophagus, but generallj' 
 the changes are more pronounced in the stomach and duodenum, 
 while in rare cases the inflammatory process may extend 
 through the whole alimentary canal. The mucous membranes 
 are sometimes bright red with longitudinal or transverse patches 
 of a blackish color, formed by extravasated blood between the 
 coats. Carbolic acid often produces in the stomach and oesoph- 
 agus white patches — when these patches are carefully exam- 
 ined, an ulcerated surface beneath them is generalh* seen. 
 
 Narcotic Poisons. — It is a common but mistaken idea that 
 these poisons produce some mark or characteristic effect upon 
 the stomach walls ; that they induce a rapid tendency to putre-
 
 LIVER — PANCREAS. 375 
 
 faction ; that the blood is in a fluid state ; that hemorrhages are 
 seen in various parts; that the stomach and intestines sliow 
 sloughing without any inflammation. Some of these conditions 
 may and probably do occur, but they are far from being in- 
 variable in their appearance. Experiments made by Orfila on 
 animals with narcotic poisons prove the above statement. In 
 conclusion, I would emphasize the fact that the narcotic poisons 
 produce no characteristic changes in the stomach that can 
 he detected. 
 
 The liiver. — The liver should be removed from the body 
 and no attempt made to examine the organ in situ. After 
 raising flrst one lobe and then the other, the diaphragm should 
 be cut on either side and the suspensory and lateral ligaments 
 divided, then the organ can easily be removed. The weight of 
 the organ is ascertained, as also the measurements of its size 
 recorded. The normal weight is from fift}' to sixty ounces. 
 The organ is normall}?' about twelve inches in length by seven 
 inches in depth by three and one-half inches in thickness. 
 
 The gall bladder is first examined to determine the character 
 and amount of the bile and the presence or absence of gall 
 stones, inflammatory lesions, and tumors. 
 
 At autopsies the surface of the liver, especiall}" along the 
 free border, is generally seen to be of a greenish or dark-brown 
 color. This discoloration is due to the action of the gases de- 
 veloped by decomposition on the coloring matter of the blood, 
 and has no pathological significance. The character of the sur- 
 face of the liver is now noted, whether smooth or rough. The 
 organ is opened by deep incisions in various directions, and the 
 color, consistency^ and blood supply of the liver tissue care-' 
 full}^ recorded. The presence of new connective tissue, amy- 
 loid degeneration, abscesses, or tumors should not be overlooked. 
 It should be remembered that, of all the poisons, phosphorus 
 alone leaves characteristic appearances in the liver. 
 
 The Pancreas. — The pancreas is now easily removed, and 
 its size and weight recorded. Normally it should weigh three 
 ounces and measure eight inches in length by one and one-half 
 inches in breadth by one inch in thickness. The organ should 
 be opened by a longitudinal cut and examined for evidences of 
 acute or chronic inflammation, fat-necrosis, tumors, calculi, and 
 amyloid degeneration.
 
 376 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES— LOOMIS. 
 
 Geni to-Urinary Organs. — It is very important in medico- 
 legal cases that all the urine should be preserved and obtained 
 uncontamiiiated ; therefore before the bladder is opened a cathe- 
 ter should be introduced and the urine dravrn off into a clean 
 bottle which has previously been rinsed with distilled water. 
 If more convenient the bladder itself can be punctured at its 
 upper portion, a pipette introduced, and the urine drawn off in 
 this manner. 
 
 The genito-urinary organs are removed together. This is 
 done in the following manner. The body of the penis is 
 pushed backward within the skin and cut off just behind the 
 glans penis; the remaining portion of the rectum is raised. 
 This with the prostate gland, bladder, and penis attached is 
 removed by carrying the knife around the pelvis close to the 
 bone and separating the pubic attachments. The organs are 
 then laid on a clean board and the urethra is opened on a 
 grooved director passed into the bladder, and the incision pro- 
 longed so that the internal surface of the bladder itself will be 
 completely exposed. Examine the urethra for strictures, in- 
 flammator}' lesions, and ulcers. Examine the bladder for con- 
 gestion, hemorrhages, inflammation, and ulcers of its mucous 
 surface, and note the thickness of its walls. Open the rectum 
 and examine for ulcers, strictures, tumors, and the evidence of 
 hemorrhage. The prostate gland is opened by a number of 
 incisions into its substance. Examine for hypertrophies, 
 tumors, and inflammatory lesions. Force the testicles tlirough 
 the inguinal canal, and cut them off. Weigh, open, and exam- 
 ine them for evidence of inflammation, tuberculosis, and tumors. 
 
 Female Organs. — Before removing these organs, any 
 abnormalities such as adhesions, malpositions, and tumors 
 should be noted. Dissect the organs away from the pelvic 
 bones by carrying the point of the knife around the pelvis close 
 to the bone. Cut through the vagina at its lower third, and 
 the rectum just above the anus. The organs can now readily 
 be removed. Examine the vulva for ulcers, hypertrophies, and 
 tumors. Open and examine the bladder. Open the vagina 
 along its anterior border and carefully examine its mucous sur- 
 face for evidences of inflammation. 
 
 The Uterus. — Before opening the uterus, its size and shape 
 should be recorded. The average normal weight of the organ
 
 THE SPINAL CORD. 377 
 
 is about one and one-quarter ounces ; ii^ length three inches, 
 breadth two inches, and thickness one inch. Open the organ 
 along its anterior surface bj^ a blunt-pointed scissors passed 
 through the cervix, and the incision carried as far as the 
 fundus. Note the thickness of its walls and anj^ abnormalities 
 of its mucous membrane. During menstruation, the mucous 
 membrane of the body is thickened, softened, and covered with 
 blood and detritus. Retention cysts are found in the mucous 
 membrane of the cervix and are not generally of pathological 
 significance. 
 
 Remove, measure, and weigh the ovaries. Their normal 
 weight is about one drachm each ; their size, one and one-half, 
 by three-quarters, by one-half inch. Open the organs b}^ a 
 single incision and examine for the evidences of acute and 
 chronic inflammations, tumors, and cysts. The corpora lutea 
 in various stages can be easil}' recognized in the substance of 
 the organ. Open the Fallopian tubes and examine their con- 
 tents and the condition of their membranes (see Disputed 
 Pregnancy and Delivery, Vol. II.). 
 
 The Spinal Cord. 
 
 To remove the cord, the body should be placed on its face 
 with a block beneath the thorax. An incision is made through 
 the skin and muscles along the entire length of the vertebral 
 column and the soft parts dissected away so as to expose the 
 transverse process of the vertebrae. The lamina are divided 
 with a saw through the articulate process (a double-bladed saw 
 specially adapted for this work can be obtained). After the 
 lamina have been complete!}' severed, these together with the 
 spinoiis process can now be readily torn away with a stout hook 
 and the cord exposed. A long chisel with a wooden mallet will 
 often greatly facilitate this work. Great care should be exer- 
 cised not to injure the cord. The roots of the spinal nerves are 
 now severed, and the cord removed within its membrane. It 
 should be remembered that serous fluid within the membranes 
 of the cord, as also intense congestion, especiall}' along its pos- 
 terior aspect, is often seen as the result of post-mortem change. 
 The cord is laid on a clean board and the dura mater opened 
 with a blunt-pointed scissors along its anterior aspect, and an 
 examination made for the presence of hemorrhage, inflamma-
 
 378 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES — LOOMIS. 
 
 tory lesions, and tumqrs. Softening of the cord can generallj- 
 be detected by the finger passed along it. This, however, is 
 not a perfectly accurate test, especially if the body has been dead 
 some time. The cord is now cut by transverse incisions about 
 half an inch apart throughout its entire length, and the cut sur- 
 face examined for the evidences of disease such as hemorrhages, 
 softening, and inflammatory lesions. 
 
 After the cord has been removed, examine the vertebral col- 
 umn for the evidences of fractures and displacements. 
 
 LATE AUTOPSIES. 
 
 Late autopsies are those performed after partial or complete 
 destruction of the soft parts of the body, through the natural 
 processes of decomposition, or the examination of bones ex- 
 humed long after interment. The term may be employed also 
 to mean the inspection of an embalmed body, dead for some 
 time. 
 
 The object of late autopsies is to determine identity, or 
 to establish the guilt or innocence of suspected persons. An 
 examination of the skeleton even many years after death may 
 give important information as to the manner in which the 
 deceased came to his end. This cannot better be illustrated 
 than by the citation of one or two cases. 
 
 In the celebrated case of "Eugene Aram," the bones of his 
 victim were discovered thirteen years after the crime had been 
 committed. A man who afterward proved to be Aram's accom- 
 plice was arrested on suspicion. He confessed the crime, and 
 the opinion formed by the medical witnesses was confirmed by 
 his statements. The skull presented evidence of fracture and 
 indentation of a temporal bone. Aram argued the case in his 
 own behalf, but the testimony was too strong against him : he 
 was convicted and executed. 
 
 Taylor records the case of a man, Guerin, who was con- 
 victed of the murder of his brother from evidence obtained 
 from an examination of the skeleton three j^ears after inter- 
 ment. Here, again, blows upon the head were the cause of 
 death, and the fractures were plainlj- perceptible upon the ex- 
 humed skull. 
 
 An autopsy upon a bod}' before the soft parts have been
 
 LATE AUTOPSIES. 379 
 
 entirely destroyed, or upon an embalmed body, should be con- 
 ducted in much the same manner as ordinary autopsies. In 
 these cases the method of burial should be noted. If it be 
 a case of murder, and the body has been hurriedly put into 
 the ground, it is not likely that the custom of Christian nations 
 has been observed — that of laying the body full length, with the 
 head to the west. 
 
 In the case of partially destroyed bodies, the remaining soft 
 parts will give little evidence of the mode of death unless the 
 violence has been very extensive, and even then it may be im- 
 possible to determine whether a wound was inflicted prior to or 
 after death. Recourse must be had to the skeleton, and the 
 only evidence it can furnish is of fractures, unless, as hap- 
 pened in one case, a rope be found about the cervical vertebrae. 
 
 When the skeleton only is found, Taylor lays stress upon 
 the following points : 
 
 (1) Whether the bones belong to a human being or one of 
 the lower animals. 
 
 (2) If a human being, whether male or female. 
 
 (3) The length of time they have probably remained in the 
 ground. 
 
 (4) The probable age of the individual to whom they be- 
 longed. If the maxillary bones be found, much information 
 may be obtained from an examination of the teeth. 
 
 (5) The probable stature of the individual during life. 
 
 (6) The race to which he belonged. The conformation of 
 the skull and thickness of the bones will give important infor- 
 mation on this point. 
 
 (7) It should be determined whether solitary bones belong 
 to the right or left side, and whether they form parts of one or 
 more than one skeleton. 
 
 (8) Whether they have been fractured, and if so, whether it 
 occurred during life, or by accident at the time of the exhuma- 
 tion. If it occurred during life, whether it be recent or of long 
 standing. 
 
 (0) The presence or absence of personal deformities, of 
 supernumerary fingers or toes, of curvature of the spine, of 
 ankylosis of one or more joints. 
 
 (10) Whether they have been calcined, as murderers some- 
 times try to make away with the bodies of their victims by
 
 380 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES— LOOMIS, 
 
 burning. Especially is this the case in infanticides (see 
 Identity, Vol. I., p. 408 et seq.; Time of Death, Vol. I., p. 
 452 et seq.). 
 
 AUTOPSIES or FRAGMENTS. 
 
 These cases are usually cases of murder in the perpetration 
 of which the criminal has mutilated the body with a view to 
 destroying all traces of identit5^ 
 
 The importance which attaches to autopsies of fragments 
 rests upon the fact that parts of a body may be found widely 
 separated, and that one portion may be found before the others. 
 In such cases it will be necessary to determine if they belong 
 to one and the same body. The examination is conducted 
 chiefly with a view to establishing this. 
 
 The examiner must note the manner in which the fragment 
 has been separated; whether it is clean cut, as by one who 
 understood something of anatomy, or, whether it has been sep- 
 arated roughly and by one ignorant of the body structure. The 
 determination of this point will be one link in the chain of 
 evidence which may lead to the detection of the criminal, or the 
 acquittal of one accused. An anatomist or a butcher would be 
 likely to cut through at a joint, and to do it neatly. The exact 
 point at which the severance has taken place should be noted. 
 The place of finding, the circumstances under which found, the 
 condition and general appearance of the fragment should all be 
 carefully recorded. The color of the skin will indicate with 
 some accuracy the race to which the individual belonged. The 
 probable sex may be determined bj^ the presence or absence of 
 hair, and the general conformation. This, however, will not 
 apply in the case of children. The probable age may be fixed 
 upon from the size and degree of development of the fragment. 
 The cut surface should be carefully described, and if possible a 
 drawing should be made of it. 
 
 There are special considerations which apply to certain parts 
 of the body. 
 
 The Head. — The exact point of severance should be re- 
 corded. The number of vertebrae which remain attached to 
 the head should be counted, and if the section pass through a 
 vertebra, its number and the amount of it missing should be 
 stated. The sex will be apparent in all instances; the race may
 
 MEDICO-LEGAL REPORTS. 381 
 
 be determined both by the color of the skin and by the shape of 
 the head ; the age may be approximated, though care must be 
 had in expressing an opinion, for the manner of hving is well 
 known to affect the appearance of age. Evidence of violence 
 prior to death should be noted, and the presence or absence of 
 fractures ascertained; also observe the color of the hair and 
 whether it be thin or abundant; the presence or absence of 
 beard or mustache, and if present the color; and the color of 
 the eyes. 
 
 The Arm. — The following points should be determined: 
 the color of the skin as indication of race; the probable sex 
 from its shape and general conformation; the probable age 
 from its size and degree of development ; marks of any kind, 
 such as tattooing; and deformities, such as signs of old or 
 recent fracture, or dislocation; and supernumerary fingers. 
 
 The Leg. — The examination of the leg should be conducted 
 in much the same manner as that of the arm. 
 
 The Trunk. — An examination of the trunk will reveal the 
 race, sex, and probable age, and may give evidence as regards 
 the manner in which the deceased came to his or her death. 
 Any marks or deformities should be recorded, and in all cases 
 the viscera should be examined. 
 
 MEDICO-LEGAL REPORTS.' 
 
 After making a medico-legal autopsy, it will be necessary 
 for the medical examiner to draw up a report of his findings, 
 and the conclusions based thereon. The report should be clear 
 and concise, and the language such as a coroner's jury can 
 understand. Technical terms should be avoided, and when 
 their employment is necessary they should be explained in the 
 margin or in parentheses. 
 
 The report should be drawn up in somewhat the following 
 manner : 
 
 1. When and under what circumstances the body was first 
 seen; stating hour of day, day of week and month. 
 
 2. When deceased was last seen living, or known to be alive. 
 
 ' The facts upon which the follow- Stevenson's Taylor, vol. i.,p. 204 et 
 ing statements are based have been seq. 
 largely drawn from Taylor. See
 
 382 MEDICO-LEGAL AUTOPSIES— LOOMIS. 
 
 3. Any circvimstances that would lead to a suspicion of 
 suicide or murder. 
 
 4. Time after death at which the examination was made, if 
 it can be ascertained. 
 
 5. The external appearance of the body: whether the surface 
 is livid or pallid. 
 
 6. State of countenance. 
 
 7. An}' marks of violence on the person, disarrangement of 
 the dress, blood -stains, etc. 
 
 8. Presence or absence of warmth in the legs, abdomen, 
 arms, armpits, or mouth. 
 
 9. Presence or absence of rigor mortis. 
 
 To give any value to this point it is necessary for the 
 witness to observe the nature of the substance upon which the 
 bod}^ is lying ; whether the bod}' be clothed or naked, young or 
 old, fat or emaciated. These conditions materially influence 
 the rapidity of cooling and the onset of rigor mortis. 
 
 10. Upon first opening the body the color of the muscles 
 should be noted. Carbon monoxide poisoning causes them to be 
 of a cherry-red color. 
 
 11. The condition of the blood and its color. 
 
 12. The state of the abdominal viscera, describing each one 
 in the order in which it is removed (seep. 370). If the stomach 
 and intestines are inflamed the seat of the inflammation should 
 be exactly specified; also all evidences of softening, ulceration, 
 effusion of blood, coiTosion, or perforation. The presence of 
 hardened faeces in the rectum will bear evidence that no purging 
 occurred immediately before death. 
 
 13. The state of the heart and lungs. (For special consider- 
 ation of the lungs in cases of suspected infanticide, see Vol. II. ; 
 and of persons drowned, see Vol. I., p. 805 et seq.). 
 
 14. The state of the brain and spinal cord. 
 
 After a thorough consideration of the results of the exam- 
 ination, conclusions must be drawn from this examination; 
 never from the statements of others. The conclusions com- 
 monly relate to whether death was due to natural or imnatural 
 causes ; if to unnatural causes, what are the facts which lead 
 the examiner to this opinion. As the conclusions are intended 
 to form a summary of the whole report, they must be brief and 
 tersely stated.
 
 PERSONAL IDENTITY, 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 THE METHODS USED FOR ITS DETERMINATION IN THE 
 DEAD AND LIVING. 
 
 BY 
 
 IRVING C. R03SE, A.M., M.D., F.R.G.S. (Eng.), 
 
 Prof essor of Nervous Diseases, Georgetown University; Membredu 
 Congres International cV Anthropologie Criniinelle, etc.
 
 PERSOI^AL IDENTITY. 
 
 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 
 
 Identity is the determination of the individuality of a per- 
 son. In jurisprudence the term is applied to the recognition 
 of a person who is the object of a judicial action. The estab- 
 lishment of the individuality of a person is known as absolute 
 identity ; while the relations of a person with some particular 
 act is known as relative identity. 
 
 The great number and variety of facts concerned in the 
 investigation of questions of identity are of considerable gravity 
 and importance in their juridical bearing, and at the same time 
 they are among the most interesting and most useful of the 
 applications of modern medicine to the purposes of the law.' 
 
 Among the varied researches of legal medicine looking to 
 an interpretation of facts, no other question ocgurs in which 
 the solution depends more upon morphological and anatomical 
 knowledge, and none is more dependent upon purely objective, 
 visible, tangible facts. 
 
 Personal identity often constitutes the entire subject-matter 
 of dispute in a civil case. Upon it may depend the question of 
 absence or of marriage, of kinship or of filiation involving the 
 possession of an estate, in which case the court often requires 
 the most subtle of scientific evidence to assist in its decision. 
 Many anthropological and medical facts, now appropriated by 
 criminology and penal science, are useful in proving not only 
 the present but in attesting future identity, thereby preventing 
 in great lueasure the dissimulation of prisoners, deserters, false 
 claimants to life insurance, fraudulent pensioners, and the like. 
 
 Such matters are of daily occurrence. The special agents 
 
 of the U. S. Pension Office detect and cause the punishment of 
 
 'Recent attention to such sub- from our own, this fact does not les- 
 jects by Italian writers places them sen tlie vahie of their medico-foren- 
 iu tlie foremost rank. Altliough sic literature, 
 their system of judicature differs 
 25
 
 ;58G IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 many fraudulent claimants. Stratagems and conspiracies to 
 defraud life-insurance companies go much further than mere 
 substitution. Instead of a " fraudulent" a positive death may 
 come up for investigation, and in order to defraud an insurance 
 company of a large amount, a bod}' may even be procured by 
 homicide to consummate the deception, as was done in the 
 Goss-Udderzook tragedy near Baltimore in 1872. 
 
 A celebrated case now before the Supreme Court of the 
 United States and involving the question of personal identity 
 is that of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, 
 the New York Life Insurance Company, and the Connecticut 
 Mutual Life Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut 
 (Consolidated), plaintiffs in error, vs. Sallie E. Hillmon. 
 
 It is pre-eminently in criminal trials that the personal iden- 
 tity of the victim often constitutes an essential connecting link. 
 Before it can move, the law requires, at the outset, proof of the 
 individuality of both the author of a crime and of the victim. 
 I shall, therefore, not touch upon such elusive individuals as 
 Charlie Ross and Jack the Ripper, but limit my remarks to 
 a sj'uthetical exposition of the best-known facts regarding 
 identification of the dead body and the interpretation of its 
 organic remains. 
 
 The identity of a living person, or even our own identity, 
 is often a difficult point to establish. It may also require medi- 
 cal evidence, oftentimes of a most involved character, to estab- 
 lish the fact of death. Hence the medico-legal process of con- 
 necting a dead body, or the remains or traces of the same, with 
 a human being once known to have lived and moved on earth, 
 is beset with difficulties that may give rise to still greater 
 antagonisms of evidence. The question of personal identity is 
 one of the hardest that could possibly come before a court. 
 Celebrated cases and judicial errors have given it great noto- 
 riety. There are consequently few questions in forensic medi- 
 cine that require more attention and sagacity, and none upon 
 which the medical legist should pronounce with more reserve 
 and circumspection. Medical men are absolutely the only 
 persons qualified to assist in resolving the really delicate ques- 
 tion of personal identity; yet the phj^sician and the lawyer 
 pursue the same line of logic and of inquiry. As the former 
 must have a subject to dissect or to operate upon, so must the
 
 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 387 
 
 lawyer in pursuing a criminal investigation first prove a visible 
 material substance known in legal phraseology as the corpus 
 delicti, which he must connect with some personality, with 
 some human being once known to have lived. In this impor- 
 tant process the physician's testimony being the indispensable 
 guide of the court's inference, he should limit himself to purely 
 anatomical and material knowledge. The medical expert has 
 absolutely nothing to do with guilt or innocence, as that is a 
 question for the jury. He should, above all things, be abso- 
 lutely free from prejudice, suspicion, or undue suggestion, and 
 should remember that in thus sinking his personality his sole 
 function as a skilled witness in cases of identity is to furnish 
 testimony which, when taken in connection with other evidence 
 in the case, may establish such a corpus delicti Si^ would justify 
 the inference of a crime. 
 
 A nice point may arise as to dispensing with the proof 
 from the body itself, when the substantial general fact of a 
 homicide is proved aliunde, as in the case of a criminal caus- 
 ing the disappearance of his victim's body by means of its 
 decomposition in lime or other chemical menstrua, or by sub- 
 inerging it in an unfathomable spot in the sea. Under cir- 
 cumstances such as the following : a person is seen to enter a 
 building and is not seen to leave it, although all means of 
 egress therefrom are watched ; another person is seen to ignite 
 the building, which thereupon burns down, and the charred 
 remains of a human body are found in the ruins ; the proof of 
 identity from the body itself might be dispensed with in view 
 of the substantial general fact of a homicide having been com- 
 mitted. In a delicate case where the man of art hesitates and 
 finds no corpus delicti, the investigation of imprints and stains 
 may give a clew of great value to the expert. Yet it is only 
 upon absolute evidence, and in the strongest possible case, that 
 the fundamental principle of the corpus delicti is disregarded. 
 
 In the case of Ruloff, the child's body was not produced 
 and no trace of it could be alleged to have been found ; never- 
 theless the prisoner was found guiltj^ of murder. This case 
 was speedily overruled (18 N. Y., 179), on the ground that a 
 dangerous precedent had been pronounced. 
 
 So indispensable is the showing of the corpus delicti in 
 cases of recognition that lawyers have come to regard even the
 
 388 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 judicial confession of an accused as often the flimsiest and 
 most unsatisfactoiy kind of evidence. Numerous cases of 
 demonstrated fallibility of confessions are cited in the books, 
 where the statement was utterly lacking in anything except 
 motive or hallucination. In the Proceedings of the New York 
 Medico-Legal Society, December 6th, 1876, Mr. James Appleton 
 Morgan mentions the case of a German servant-girl who as- 
 sured her mistress, whose little boy, a child of seven, had just 
 died and been buried, that she (the servant) had poisoned the 
 boy. The servant swore to her crime and was taken into cus- 
 tody, and it was only when no poison was discovered upon 
 exhuming the child's body and examining its stomach that 
 against her own protest she was acquitted of the possibility of 
 the crime. Another case of the kind that has had medico-legal 
 notoriety was tried a few years ago before a court in Brittany. 
 The accused declared that he had killed his servant and thrown 
 the body in a pond. His guilt seemed certain, when the alleged 
 victim put in an appearance, thus reducing the evidence to the 
 strange hallucination that had prompted the confession. 
 
 But the most wonderful of these is the celebrated case of 
 Boorn, in which medico-legal evidence took no part. In view 
 of the seeming hopelessness of his case, the accused confessed 
 to murder in expectation of mercy frora the court, but was 
 finally acquitted on the alleged victim walking into court and 
 confronting the man who had sworn to having killed him. 
 
 Although wisdom and experience point to the necessity of 
 showing something corporal and material in cases involving 
 questions of life and death, yet very small traces or minute 
 remains of a human body may, in certain circumstances, con- 
 stitute a corpus delicti that may lead to trial if not to convic- 
 tion. In 1868 the Lambert case, for murder on the high seas, 
 was tried before Judge Benedict in the United States Court, 
 the only corpus delicti alleged being a large pool of blood and 
 brains found on the forecastle of a ship at sea, out of sight of 
 land or other vessel. Circumstances, acts, and words pointed 
 strongly to the murder of one of the crew, who was believed to 
 have been brained with an axe and thrown overboard. Not- 
 withstanding the fact that animosity was known to exist be- 
 tween the accused and the missing man, it further appeared 
 that the accused, in a state of great excitement, had followed
 
 IDENTITY OF BURNT REMAINS. 389 
 
 the missing man forward and returned alone with a hatchet in 
 his hand, yet the jury in this instance were not satisfied as to 
 the establishment of a corpus delicti beyond a reasonable doubt 
 and accordingly failed to convict. 
 
 Two classical cases, that of Gardelle and of Dr. Webster, 
 mentioned in many of the books, stand forth as instances of 
 conviction where fragments of the human body were recognized 
 after attempts to destroy" them by intense heat. The conviction 
 of Dr. Webster rested almost entirely upon medico-legal evi- 
 dence; but it is probable that upon the same circumstantial 
 evidence the increased industry of counsel would have so rung 
 the changes in regard to its uncertain and unsafe nature, and 
 would have so used the knowledge gained from advanced dis- 
 coveries in the regions of the probabilities of science, as to 
 have secured the acquittal of the prisoner had the trial taken 
 place at the present time. 
 
 A similar affair of great medico-legal interest is the Goss- 
 Udderzook tragedy, already referred to, an account of which is 
 given by Drs. Lewis and Bombaugh among the " Remarkable 
 Stratagems and Conspiracies for Defrauding Life Insurance 
 Companies," New York and London, 1878. 
 
 IDENTITY OF BURNT REMAINS. 
 
 The medical jurist will no doubt find cremation a formida- 
 ble barrier in elucidating the question of identit}^, although the 
 entire destruction of a dead body is a matter of extreme diffi- 
 culty. 
 
 In the case of calcination chemical analysis of the ash 
 "would detect the phosphate of lime, but this would throw no 
 light upon the subject, since the ash of human bones and that 
 of the lower animals is identical. If the burnt bone is entire, 
 the state of the epiphyses may enlighten the question of the 
 determination of age. The following two cases, in which frag- 
 ments or portions of bone had been submitted to the action of 
 fire, show how medical training and some knowledge of com- 
 parative anatomy may contribute to the establishment of guilt 
 or ma}' attest innocence. 
 
 In the case of The Queen vs. John Henry Wilson, for 
 murder, the accused burnt his step-father in a lime-kiln foi
 
 ;J90 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 over a week, and on strewing ashes from the kiln fine frag- 
 ments of bono picked up wore afterward identified as human. 
 At the trial identity rested on the fact of finding two buttons 
 and a buckle, which were recognized as part of the deceased's 
 wearing apparel when last seen. 
 
 In the second case, that of a young woman supposed to be 
 in the family way who should not have been, it was thought 
 that she had been confined and made away with the infant. 
 Under this supposition the premises where she lived were 
 searched by the chief constable, who found in the stove some 
 bones and fragments of bones that had been burnt. On exami- 
 nation by a qualified medical man, the fragments turned out 
 to be not human bones, but those of some other animal, presum- 
 ably those of a pig and of a chicken, which the family, who 
 lived in a tenement-house without a back yard, had put in the 
 stove to get rid of the refuse. ' 
 
 IDENTIFICATION OF HUMAN BONES. 
 
 In deciding whether certain bones are human or not, the 
 medical jurist should exercise great caution in venturing an 
 opinion as to the precise animal of which he may believe they 
 formed a part. There is no great difficulty in detecting the- 
 smallest fragments of bone by means of the microscope, but we 
 cannot say with safety whether the fragments belonged to 
 a mouse, a man, or an elephant. A real difficulty occurs in 
 recognizing the nature and origin of the bony remains when 
 only a small fragment or a single bone is submitted for report. 
 If a sufiicient portion of the skeleton be submitted it can be 
 easily recognized as human, as in the imbedded remains of the 
 troglodyte found in the limestone deposit of Luray Cave, Vir- 
 ginia, and only in the exceptional case of the bones of one of 
 the manlike apes could a difficulty of distinction arise. The 
 characteristic signs that distinguish a goriUa skeleton, for in- 
 stance, are the smaller thumb ; notable length of tibia and of 
 radius, although this relative length of extremities has been 
 remarked in negroes ; small facial angle, 30° to 40° in the mon- 
 key, 70° to 80° in man; ver}' inferior cranial capacity, the 
 maximum in a gorilla being 550 cubic centimetres, while the 
 'Canada Med. and Surg. Journal, 1875, vol. iii., pp. 56-60.
 
 IDENTIFICATION OF HUMAN BONES. 391 
 
 minimiim in the human species is from 970 with a maximum 
 of 1,500 to 1,900 centimetres; a low index of the foramen mag- 
 num ; convexity of the squamo-parietal suture, and larger and 
 more salient canines and incisors. The volume of the endo- 
 cranium in the female gorilla, like that of the human species, 
 is smaller than that of the male ; this difference being almost 
 80 c.c. for the anthropoid female. 
 
 In studying the osseous system it should be remembered 
 that certain modifying elements, as artificinl compression, patho- 
 logical deformities, . posthumous distortions, and hygrometric 
 conditions, may affect particularly the skull, and if due allow- 
 ance be not made for these the study may lead to glaring absurd- 
 ities. Not longer ago than 1725 there was found in a quarry 
 at CEningen the skull of a fos'feil batrachian compressed into 
 rude resemblance to the human cranium, which was announced 
 to the world as Scheuchzer's "Homo diluvii testis et theo- 
 scopos," and as the remains of one of the sinful antediluvians 
 who perished in the Noachic deluge. 
 
 Are the Bones Old or Recent? 
 
 An important point may arise in questions of identification 
 of bones as to the oldness: whether they are old or recent. 
 The first indication is furnished by the presence or by the 
 absence of the soft parts. The existence of the periosteum and 
 of the spinal marrow is the most persistent proof of a recent 
 state ; but these alone with the soft parts are usually destroyed 
 in two or three years. In ordinary circumstances a body be- 
 comes skeletonized in about ten years, although in exceptional 
 cases the cadaver may resist decomposition after many years.* 
 
 This summer in transferring an old cemetery in George- 
 town, D. C, the remains of the grandmother of one of the 
 writer's patients were found in such a state of preservation as 
 to be easily recognized after fifty years of burial. More re- 
 cently, in unearthing the remains of an old grave-yard in East 
 Washington, a striking peculiarity was noticed in the fact that 
 many bodies of young people buried in recent years when taken 
 up consisted of a few blackened bones and shreds of grave-clothes, 
 
 ' Some interesting facts by Dr. be found in the Boston Med. axid 
 W. H. Holmes regarding "The Con- Surg. Journal, July 28d, 1891. 
 dition of Bodies Long Buried " may
 
 392 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 while the remains of many older people buried long before the 
 Civil War were found in an excellent state of preservation. One 
 of these was a Mr. Fullin, who died from the effects of a sun- 
 stroke forty years ago and was buried in a metallic case. An 
 old ladj' who attended his funeral was present when his re- 
 mains were unearthed and said thej" looked as natural as when 
 he was laid away in 1852. The features were well preserved 
 and even the white linen of the shroud was unsoiled. 
 
 Alterations in the texture of the bone, such as that caused 
 by dryness and by diminution in the proportion of organic 
 matter, may be ascertained by histological examination, and 
 one of the characters of age may be furnished b}' taking into 
 consideration the specific weight. Placing the skull at an 
 average density of 1,649, that 6f an infant would be 1,515, an 
 adult 1,726, and that of old age 1,636. 
 
 Ascertaining the proportion of organic and inorganic mat- 
 ter, the phosphates and carbonates, by chemical means may 
 furnish an additional help in the interpretation of the remains. 
 
 With all these diagnostic methods it may still be impossible 
 to establish identity either absolute or relative, even where a 
 whole skeleton is in question. The evidence may, however, be 
 of great juridical use to the accused, as in the case of Van 
 Solen, tried for the murder of Dr. Henry Harcourt, where the 
 collective facts pointed to the identification of a body dead two 
 years. The jury, however, after a second trial, were instructed 
 to acquit unless they were certain that the remains were Har- 
 court's. They acquitted, as no one decided and apparent fea- 
 ture was known to have existed by which the remains could be 
 identified beyond a doubt.* 
 
 Identity in Case of Entire Skeleton or in Case of 
 Isolated Bones, 
 
 Where an entire human skeleton ,has been discovered, the 
 objects of inquiry here, as in the case of fragments or remains, 
 are to establish the identity of the victim and that of the author 
 of the act, and to collect all available information relative to 
 the nature of the death and to the diverse circumstances attend- 
 ing the commission of the deed. 
 'Quar. Journal of Psychological Medicine, N. Y., 1869. vol. iii.. p. 691.
 
 DETERMINATION OF RACE. 393 
 
 In gathering evidence from the examination of the skeleton 
 or of isolated bones, with a view to find out the proba,bl<^ cause 
 of death of the person of whom they form a part, a great vari- 
 ety of questions will arise for consideration, such as those relat- 
 ing to race, stature, age, sex, and trade or occupation; the 
 exterior signs furnished b}' dentition ; the traces of congenital 
 peculiarity or of injury, and the signs of disease either heredi- 
 tary or acquired. 
 
 Determination of Race. 
 
 The question of race in connection with the subject of iden- 
 tification is of more than usual importance in the United States, 
 owing to our motley population, composed as it is of aboriginal 
 Americans, Chinamen, negroes, and of Europeans and their 
 descendants. I well remember the first human bones that I 
 saw exhumed. They were discovered in digging the foun- 
 dation of a building near a kitchen-inidden on one of the 
 tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. The apparent oldness of 
 the bones and the finding of stone arrow-heads, tomahawks, 
 and fragments of aboriginal potterj" in the immediate vicinity 
 were additional accessor}' facts that strengthened the presuinp- 
 tion of the bones being those of a Choptank Indian. 
 
 Roughly speaking, there is not much trouble in recognizing 
 the platycnemic tibite of the mound-builder, the skull of a 
 Flathead Indian, an Inca skull, a negro skull, or even the 
 skull peculiar to the lower order of Irish. 
 
 In many very old skulls a considerable portion of hair is 
 often found attached. This of course may lend assistance in 
 the matter of race identity. A few years since I undertook 
 at the Smithsonian Institution a series of micro-photograijhs 
 of the structure and arrangement of hair, with a view to race 
 classification as suggested by Professor Huxley. Various 
 specimens of hair from the yellow races were compared with 
 that of fair and of blue-ej^ed persons, with the hair of negroes, 
 with reindeer hair, and with the hair-like appendage found on 
 the fring}' extremity of the baleen plates in the mouth of a 
 " bowhead" whale. The experiments, though far from satisfac- 
 tory, were sufiicientl.y conclusive to enable one to recognize ap- 
 proximately the horse-like hair of some of the j^ellow races, 
 that of the negro, and that of a blond Caucasian.
 
 394 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 Beyond the forementioned characteristics, the task of race 
 recognition from observation of the skull is one of great diffi- 
 culty and perplexity with illusory results. A considerable ex- 
 perience of several years with the large collection of skulls in 
 the Army Medical Museum enables me to speak advisedly on 
 this point.' 
 
 Although the technical procedures of craniometry require 
 special measurements and employ an arsenal of special instru- 
 ments, the results are far from conclusive as regards the deter- 
 mination of human types. Time and space do not permit the 
 mention even in epitome of the various methods most relied 
 upon by trained craniologists. Among the oldest operations of 
 cephalometry, as well as the most incomplete, is the measure- 
 ment of the so-called facial angle, which is employed to distin- 
 guish the skull of a lower order of animal from that of the 
 negro and the white man. This angle, acute in the skulls of 
 the lower animals, approaches a right angle as w^e ascend the 
 zoological scale; being from 30° to 65° in the various apes; 75° 
 in the Mongolian ; about 70° in the negro, and between 80° and 
 90° for whites. The prognathous (projecting) jaws of the negro 
 cranium are distinctive, as well as the shape of the nasal open- 
 ing, which in the black is an equilateral triangle, while it is 
 isosceles in the white. The books usually speak of the Eskimo 
 skull as pyramidal, which in point of fact is not true. Inspec- 
 tion and examination of a large collection of Eskimo crania has 
 changed and greatly modified some of the previous notions of 
 the conventional Eskimo skull. Froin more than one hundred, 
 collected in the vicinity of Bering Strait," I find that the skulls 
 present very considerable variations among themselves ; some 
 being brachycephalic, others dolichocephali(\ In many the 
 facial angle is 80°, and in one instance 84°, which exceeds that 
 observed by me in many German skulls. Nor is the promi- 
 nence of the zygomatic arches such a constant difference in the 
 configuration as to justify one in speaking of the skull as pyra- 
 midal. On the contrary, in many of the specimens lines draw^n 
 from the most projecting part of the zygomatic arch and touch- 
 ing the sides of the frontal bone, instead of forming a triangle 
 
 'See writer's article, "Cepha- "-See writer's "Cruise of the 
 
 lometry, Craniometry," in "Refer- Corwin " to Alaska and the North- 
 
 ence Handbook of the Medical west Arctic Ocean, Washington, 
 
 Sciences. " 1883.
 
 DETERMINATION OF RACE. 395 
 
 on being elongated, might, like the asymptotes of a parabola, 
 be extended to infinitj- and never meet. The index of the fora- 
 men magnum in these skulls is about the same as that of 
 European crania. The internal capacity shows marked differ- 
 ence, the cubic contents of the endocranium averaging that of 
 the French or Germans. 
 
 As some modern writers lay great stress on the measure- 
 ment of the cranial capacitj^, not onty as an aid to race identifi- 
 cation, but as an adjunct in the study of the criminal and 
 insane classes, it may not be amiss to give the salient facts 
 relative thereto. 
 
 It is admitted that the cranial capacity may vary with the 
 intellectual state, hydrocephalic skulls, of course, being ex- 
 cluded. Microcephalic adults give a figure inferior to that of 
 gorillas, some being as low as -419 c.c. Andaman Islanders 
 and autochthonous Australians appear, in respect to cranial 
 capacity, to be most badly off. The capacitj- of an Andaman 
 has been found as low as 1,094 c.c. ; while that of Australians 
 (autochthonous) and of some American tribes show an average 
 capacity of 1,224 c.c. in the normal as well as in their deformed 
 crania. The cranial capacity increases in the yellow races and 
 attains its maximum in the white races. In the middle Euro- 
 pean race 1,500 c.c. maj^ be accepted as the average; 1,750 c.c. 
 is the maximum, and anything above is macrocephalic ; while 
 the minimum is 1,206 c.c, which is rather too low than too 
 high. According to Topinard's nomenclature of the cranial 
 capacity, macrocephalic in the adult European male are those 
 having a capacity of 1,950 c.c. and above; a large skull is one 
 of 1,950 to 1,650 c.c. ; average or ordinary, 1,650 to 1,450 c.c. j 
 small, 1,450 to 1,150 c.c. ; microcephalic 1,150 c.c. and below. 
 It would seem that the skulls of the insane are below the type, 
 a measurement of sixteen male skulls giving an average of only 
 1,449 c.c. Scotchmen head the list with the most voluminous 
 skulls, and according to a tabular statement made up from 
 Welcker, Aitken, Broca, and Meigs, the English come next, 
 with a capacity of 1,572 c.c. Then follow Eskimo, 1,483 c.c. ; 
 Germans, 1,448 c.c. ; French, 1,403 to 1,461 c.c. ; South African 
 negroes, 1,372 c.c, ; Ancient Peruvians, 1,361 c.c. ; Mala}", 1,328 
 c.c. ; Mexican, 1,290 c.c. ; Hottentot and Polynesian, each 1,230 
 c.c. ; Australians, 1,364 c.c. ; and Nubians, 1,313 c.c. The cranial
 
 396 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 capacity in man, like that of the anthropoid apes, varies accord- 
 ing to sex, the difference being so great that it is necessary to 
 measure separatel}'. 
 
 In the troglodyte skulls of prehistoric times the variation is 
 not more than 99,5 c.c. ; but in the contemporaneous races the 
 difference varies from l-io to 220 c.c. French craniologists 
 usually speak of the Auvernats as possessing the highest cere- 
 bral capacit}' (1,523 c.c), and mention the skull of a Parisian 
 of 1,900 c.c. as the highest known. Some Eskimo skulls, how- 
 ever, measure from 1,650 to 1,715 c.c, and two eurycephalic 
 Indian skulls in the anatomical section of the Army Medical 
 Museum measure respectively 1,785 and 1,920 c.c. 
 
 Mr. Havelock Ellis, speaking of the psychic characteristics 
 of criminals, saj's that the lower human races present a far 
 larger proportion of anatomical abnormities than the ordinary 
 European population; and Sir William Turner writes of the 
 skulls collected during the Challenger expedition that although 
 their number is certainly too limited to base any broad general- 
 ization on, as to the relative frequency of occurrence of partic- 
 ular variations in the different races, there is obviously a larger 
 proportion of important variations than would occur in a cor- 
 responding number of skulls of the white races. Thus, for 
 example, the squamo-frontal articulation is found in less than 
 two per cent of European skulls, while it is found in twenty 
 per cent of negroes, according to Ecker, and 16.9 in Australian 
 skulls, according to Virchow. Again, the spheno-pterygoid 
 foramen is found in 4.8 per cent of European skulls and in 20 
 per cent of American Indians; 30 per cent in Africans; 32 per 
 cent in Asiatics, and 50 per cent in Australians. The wormian 
 bones are also more common among the lower races ; as a rule, 
 the cranial sutures coalesce much earlier and the teeth are 
 more precocious. 
 
 Photography, though of undoubted service in craniom- 
 etry, has been applied as a crucial test in the matter of identity 
 and found wanting. It is objected to on the ground that it has 
 no character of precision, and that photographs of the skull 
 have the common defect of being central, not orthogonal pro- 
 jections, such as anthropometry requires. Besides, the lenses 
 of cameras are not uniformly perfect. Anatomists know, more- 
 over, that salient differences in any collection of crania prevent
 
 DETERMINATION OF RACE. 397 
 
 methodical enumeration and constitute tiie stumbling-block of 
 ethnic craniology. Cephalometry shows, further, that dolicho- 
 cephalic, mesaticephalic, and brachycephalic skulls do not be- 
 long exclusively to the white, the yellow, or the black race, but 
 exist among the three as a result of evolution. 
 
 On this subject Professor Lombroso, among the foremost 
 contemporaneous medico-legal writers, cites the cranial asym- 
 metry of Pericles, of Romagnosi, of Bichat, of Kant, of Chene- 
 vix, and of Dante, who presented an abnormal development of 
 the left parietal bone and two osteomata on the frontal bone. 
 Besides, there is the Neanderthaloid skull of Robert Bruce and 
 the ultra-dolichocephaly noticeable in the skull of O'Connell, 
 which contrasts with the mesocephaly of the Irish. The me- 
 dian occipital fossa is noticeable in the skull of Scarpa, while 
 Volta's skull shows several characteristics which anthropolo- 
 gists consider to belong to the lower races, such as prominence 
 of the styloid apophyses, simplicity of the coronal suture, traces 
 of the median frontal suture, obtuse facial angle (73°), and 
 moreover the remarkable cranial sclerosis, which at places at- 
 tains a thickness of IG mm. (five-eighths of an inch). Further 
 mention is made of the submicrocephaly in Descartes, Tissot, 
 Hoffman, Schumann, and others. 
 
 De Quatrefages noted the greatest degree of macrocephaly 
 in a lunatic, the next in a man of genius. Cranial capacity in 
 men of genius is usually above the average, having been found 
 as high as 1,6G0 c.c. in Thackeray, 1,830 c.c. in Cuvier, 
 and 2,012 c.c. in Tourgueneff. The capacity is often found 
 above the average in insanity, but numerous exceptions occur 
 in which it drops below the ordinary average, as in the submi- 
 crocephalic skulls of Liebig, Dollinger, Hausmann, Gambetta, 
 Dante, and Shelley. 
 
 From what has just been said, it follows that skull measure- 
 ments for medico-legal purposes have no more significance than 
 the fact that some men are taller and some shorter than others. 
 The medical jurist should, therefore, not be too dogmatic in 
 drawing conclusions as to race from the skull alone. To com- 
 plete the diagnosis in the matter of skeletal race peculiarity, the 
 splay foot of the negro with the unusual backward projection of 
 the heel-bone, as well as the greater relative length of the tibia 
 and of the radius, may be taken into consideration. There are
 
 398 IDENTITY — KOSSE. 
 
 other characteristics of the lower jaw and of the facial bones 
 generally, the study of which leads up to the realm of tran- 
 scendental anatomy ; so their further consideration would hardly 
 appeal to the " dispassionate, sympathetic, contemplative jury" 
 of our enlightened countrymen. 
 
 Determination of Height or Stature. 
 
 When we have the entire skeleton to deal with, the height 
 or stature ma}^ be determined with a reasonable degree of cer- 
 tainty by allowing from one to two inches for the soft parts. 
 Most of the proportions given in works on artistic anatomy 
 approach mathematical exactness. For instance, if both upper 
 and lower extremities are extended after the manner of spokes 
 in a wheel, and a point corresponding to the umbilicus be taken 
 as a centre, the circumference of a circle described therefrom 
 should touch the bottom of the feet and the tips of the middle 
 fingers. When the arms are extended horizontally the line 
 included in the middle-finger tips equals the height in the 
 generality of men, although in exceptional cases it may var}'. 
 The negro giant, Nelson Pickett, is reported to have been eight 
 feet four inches high, w^hile his outstretched arms measured 
 nine feet from tip to tip. Ordinaril}" the upper part of the 
 symphysis pubis is the centre of the bod}'. Some anatomists 
 contend that this important point is realh' below the symphysis 
 in the average man. The length of the foot about equals that 
 of the head. According to Quetelet, its length is just one-ninth 
 of the body in women, a little more than one-ninth in men. 
 The conventional representation of the human foot with a sec- 
 ond longer toe is, according to Professor Flower (see " Fashion 
 in Deformity ") , of negro origin and does not represent M'hat is 
 most usual in our race and time. Statistics of measurements 
 made in England by several observers on hundreds of barefooted 
 children fail to show one instance in which the second toe is 
 the longer.^ 
 
 Taken singly the bones may enable an approximate estimate 
 of the height of the person when alive; but it should be remem- 
 bered in connection with this subject that the height is not a 
 
 ' See wi-iter's article, "Feet," iu cal Sciences :" also, Ellis, T.S., "On 
 "Reference Handbook of the Medi- the Human Foot. " London, 1889.
 
 DETERMINATION OF AGE. 399 
 
 fixed quantity, since it differs according to upright or recum- 
 bent position, also before and after a night's rest. Moreover, 
 the alleged height of the deceased may have been taken in boots 
 and is probably incorrect. 
 
 Many tables of measurements have been constructed for the 
 purpose of determining the height from the dimensions of the 
 bones; but the relation that exists between the total height and 
 the dimensions of different bones varies according to age, sex, 
 asymmetry, and individual peculiarities, hence the tables will 
 not bear the critical examination that warrants their use with 
 assur^ correctness, even in a majority of cases. The femur 
 is the bone that gives the best results in these measurements. 
 Isolated fragments have been included in the enumeration ; the 
 nose and the middle finger multiplied by 32 and by 19 or 20 
 giving the approximate height. While the foregoing calcula- 
 tions will not bear scientific scrutiny, they are of sufficient im- 
 portance to be taken in connection with other facts in deter- 
 mining the probable length of the skeleton. Among the most 
 trustworthy of these tables are those of Dr. Dwight, of Harvard 
 University. 
 
 Determination op Age. 
 
 The age is a still more difficult matter to state precisely. 
 Even during life one may be as much as ten years out in guess- 
 ing tlie age of an adult, while the error may be from fifteen to 
 twenty years in the case of a corpse. Dr. Tourdes mentions a 
 case where the age was guessed as sixty and sixty-five in a 
 deceased person aged eighty-five. 
 
 The state of the osseous system and the condition and num- 
 ber of the teeth, which strictly speaking are not bone, are 
 among the surest guides in the determination of age. The 
 signs furnished thereby may vary according to the periods of 
 increase, maturity, and decline. 
 
 During foetal life and even at the epoch of birth the bone 
 centres are few. The distal end of the femur, the proximal 
 end of the tibia, and the astragalus are ossified at birth. Points 
 of ossification appear in successive order of development. The 
 exact period at which the bones begin to ossify and the prog- 
 ress of bony union being detailed in standard works on anat- 
 omy, it would be superfiuous to repeat them here. These
 
 400 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 changes are, however, not absokitely certain as to time and or- 
 der, as the tip of the acromion process of the scapula sometimes 
 remains ununited throughout life ; the ossification of the sternum 
 and of the costal cartilages is very uncertain, while the teeth, 
 like certain railway trains, are only due when they arrive. 
 
 From the character of the progress of consolidation of the 
 skeleton the age may be estimated with a reasonable approach 
 to accuracy up to twenty-five or thirty years, which is the sta- 
 tionary period as regards alteration in the osseous system. 
 Above this period it is difficult to arrive at the age. About 
 forty the cranial sutures ' begin to disappear, although i^e time 
 of the closure of the sutures varies within large limits; the 
 coccyx becomes consolidated ; ossification begins in the thyroid 
 cartilage and in that of the first rib (although this state of the 
 rib is regarded by many as pathological) ; the lower jaw, which 
 in the foetus and in infancy formed an obtuse angle, now as- 
 sumes nearly a right angle. As senility progresses toward 
 decrepitude, the bones become lighter and more brittle, owing 
 to fatty atrophy, and their medullary canal larger; the jaw 
 returns to its infantile shape from loss of teeth and atrophy of 
 the alveolar processes ; the bodies of the vertebrae (according to 
 some authorities) bevel off in front; osteophytes are formed, 
 and the neck of the femur approaches the horizontal. (See 
 Abortion and Infanticide.) 
 
 Determination of Sex. 
 
 In the matter of sex there should be no difficulty, after 
 noting the proof furnished by the aggregate characteristics of 
 both male and female skeletons. The points of contrast between 
 the two skeletons are not so striking before the age of puberty. 
 Generally speaking the cranial capacity of an adult woman is 
 less, although it is contended that since the great majority of 
 males of the human species are taller, heavier, and larger than 
 the females, it follows that if due allowance be made for these 
 variations, it will appear that the brain capacity of woman is 
 relatively very little, if at all, inferior to that of man. The 
 mastoid processes of the female skull are smaller; the lower 
 
 ^ See Dwight : "The Closure of Age, " Boston Med. and Surg. Jour- 
 the Cranial Sutures as a Sign of nal, April 29th, 1890.
 
 DETERMINATION OF SEX. 401 
 
 jaw-bone is relatively smaller and lighter; the ribs are lighter 
 and compressed ; the spine is relatively longer ; the collar and 
 shoulder bones and the sternum ' are smaller and lighter ; there 
 is a less pronounced angle in the femur, the neck of which 
 approaches a right angle, while smallness of the patella in front 
 and narrowness of the articulating surfaces of the tibia and 
 femur, which in man form the lateral prominences, are said to 
 make the knee-joint in women a sexual characteristic. But it 
 is the striking contrast in the pelvis that furnishes a sexual 
 significance that is of greater value than all the rest of the skele- 
 ton together. From a glance at the text-book account of the 
 pelvis, it does not appear that much anatomical knowledge is 
 necessary to identify the important points that give shape to 
 the female pelvis. Its greater diameter (except the vertical), 
 larger and more curved sacrum and coccyx, and great spread 
 of the arch of the pubes are well-nigh incontestible signs. The 
 differences as detailed in the books can be objected to only on 
 the possibility of a so-called hermaphrodite pelvis in one of the 
 other sex. We sometimes see a very large pelvis in a subject 
 who by a teratological freak became a man. Masculine char- 
 acteristics are, however, oftener found in women than feminine 
 characteristics in men ; hence the conclusion that the presence 
 of feminine characteristics leaves but little doubt as to the sex, 
 but that certain masculine indications, while giving a great 
 probability for the male sex, are not absolutely decisive. (See 
 Hermaphroditism.) 
 
 The finding of foetal bones around or about the supposed 
 female skeleton is suggestive. It could not be inferred from 
 this fact alone that the woman was or was not pregnant at the 
 time of death, since the absence of foetal remains on the one 
 hand might imply their entire decomposition in advance of 
 those of the adult; on the other hand, the indiscriminate habit 
 of undertakers, who often bury still-borns with adults, may 
 account for their presence. 
 
 Accidental Signs and Evolution of the Teeth. 
 
 The trade or occupation leaves but few marks on the bones 
 
 that are useful in the matter of identification. It is in the 
 
 ' See Dwight : " The Sternum as Journal of Anatomy and Physrol- 
 an Index of Sex, Height, and Age," ogy, vol. xxiv. 
 26
 
 402 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 recent and well-preserved cadaver, or, better still, in the living 
 subject, that the professional signs are of importance. As a 
 rule, the relatively larger scapulae point to the fact of a day- 
 laborer; necrosis of the lower jaw suggests a worker in phos- 
 phorus ; worn and discolored teeth a user of tobacco, and auri- 
 tication of the teeth might suggest the previous social condition. 
 Gold crowns and fillings and dental prosthesis generally are 
 among the most common and, at the same time, among the most 
 useful signs of identification. By this means the bones of per- 
 sons killed by Indians on the Western plains have been recog- 
 nized years afterward. The traveller Powell, massacred in 
 Abyssinia, was recognized in this way. From the presence of 
 artificial teeth and the mechanical appliances for fixing them, 
 dentists may recognize their own work beyond a doubt. One 
 of the most common-hackneyed of these cases is that of Pro- 
 fessor Webster.' Later cases, in which this kind of proof es- 
 tablished convincing and conclusive identification, are those of 
 Dr. Cronin, assassinated in Chicago in 1889, and of the bomb- 
 thrower, Norcross. Every now and then accounts appear in 
 the daily press of corpses having been recognized by inspection 
 of the teeth. In Washington, only a short time since, the re- 
 mains of an unknown man were exhumed from the Potter's 
 Field for judicial reasons. The unrecognized body had been 
 found in the Potomac in an advanced stage of decomposition. 
 From the signs furnished by the teeth the remains were identi- 
 fied as those of a person who had disappeared mysteriously and 
 under circumstances that pointed to his having been murdered 
 at a Virginian gambling den, and his body thrown into the 
 river. In connection with this subject the Goss-Udderzook 
 tragedy is of instructive interest. 
 
 In every important case a cast of the mouth should be taken, 
 in order to set at rest any question that may subsequently arise 
 as to the condition of the jaw, the absence of teeth, their irreg- 
 ularity or other dental peculiarities. A cast of the mouth of 
 the deceased in the Hillmon case showed all the teeth to be 
 regular and perfect, while it is alleged that Hillmon 's teeth 
 were just the opposite. External signs furnished by dentition 
 may assist greatly in fixing both age and identity. The evo- 
 lution of the human dental system has been so well studied 
 ' Boston Med. and Surg. Journal, March, 1850, toI. xii., p. 162.
 
 ACCIDENTAL SIGNS. 403 
 
 from intra-uterine life to old age that we maj^ approximately 
 tell the age, especially of children, from the teeth alone. This 
 sign, so valuable in childhood, loses its value as the dentition 
 progresses. Elaborate tables and dental formulte to be found 
 elsewhere deal with the two periods of dentition, the relative 
 position and number of the teeth, and the like. 
 
 At birth the jaws show points of ossification only ; but chil- 
 dren are sometimes born with central incisors, as the writer has, 
 in common with others, noted in several instances. The first 
 dentition takes place from the seventh to the thirtieth month; 
 the second between four and five years. In rachitic children 
 these periods are later ; but a syphilitic taint may hasten their 
 development. The twenty-eight teeth characterize early youth. 
 Wisdom teeth appear between eighteen and twenty-five, some- 
 times as late as thirty j-ears. The presence of thirty-two teeth 
 indicates maturity. This number is sometimes exceeded. Dr. 
 Tidy, in his work on "Legal Medicine," reports having seen 
 several children between six and seven years with forty-eight 
 teeth. Instances are recorded of cutting the teeth at advanced 
 age, seventy and one hundred and eighteen years; of adults 
 who have never had teeth ; of supernumerary teeth, and of a 
 third dentition. What purported to be a third dentition came 
 under my notice some years ago, in the person of an old negro 
 "voodoo doctor." A more recent case, said to have occurred in 
 an old man of seventy-four, at Se^anour, Ind., is reported in 
 the Weekly Medical Bevietv, St. Louis, Mo., April IGth, 1892, 
 p. 314. 
 
 The pathological signs furnished by the teeth should, of 
 course, be looked upon as a personal characteristic that may 
 lend additional light in the question of identity. 
 
 Congenital Peculiarities, Deformities, and Injuries. 
 
 But congenital peculiarities or injuries of other parts of the 
 skeleton are studied to greater advantage in determining proof 
 or disproof of identity. We may recognize cranial asymmetry ; 
 the peculiar conformation of the idiot skull; the prognathous 
 skull of the negro ; the pyramidal skull of some of the yellow 
 races, and the oval head of the white man ; besides the ethnic 
 artificial deformities already touched upon in considering the
 
 404: IDENTITY— ROSSE. 
 
 question of race. A metopic cranium, a cleft palate, a deformed 
 spine or pelvis, a larger left scapula — indicative of left-handed- 
 ness; a shortened extremity; bowed legs, club foot, the pres- 
 ence of extra fingers or toes, and the relative length of the 
 fingers are each and all valuable facts in judiciary anthropology. 
 In women of Spanish extraction the fifth finger is almost as 
 long as the fourth — a fact so well known that glove-makers 
 take advantage of it in sending gloves to Mexico, the Antilles, 
 or to South America. 
 
 An estimate of the length of the hand seems to be a matter 
 of difficult}^, notwithstanding the extensive observation of high 
 authority. In the majority of cases the ring-finger is longer 
 than the index. 
 
 Important evidence is furnished from the existence of in- 
 juries such as fractures, whether old or recent ; the marks of 
 gunshot wounds, of trephining, amputation, excision, or other 
 surgical operation on the bones. The remains of an old, un- 
 united fracture in his left humerus enabled Sir William Fergus- 
 son to verify and settle all doubt as to the identity of the body 
 of the great missionary and explorer, Dr. Livingston.' The 
 existence of an injury may constitute evidence of great impor- 
 tance to the accused, as happened in the case of an English gen- 
 tleman charged with murder, where the trial turned on the 
 deposit of callus in a broken rib, the only bone produced in 
 court. From the state of this callus there could be no doubt 
 that the fracture must have been produced about eight or ten 
 days before death, and could not have belonged to the deceased. 
 There was, therefore, complete failure of the identity, and the 
 accused was discharged.^ 
 
 On the other hand, circumstances may arise in which the 
 existence or not of an injury is a fact of great importance to the 
 prosecution. Among other specimens in the Army Medical 
 Museum at Washington, the bones of the forearm of Wirtz, 
 executed for inhuman treatment of prisoners during the Civil 
 War, show no remains or trace of fracture; yet it was claimed 
 in defence at the trial that he could not have been guilty of the 
 atrocities attributed to him, for the reason that this arm was 
 disabled from a fracture. 
 
 'The British Medical Journal, - Taylor's "Med. Jurisprudence, " 
 
 April 18th, 1874, p. 527. vol. i., p. 157.
 
 DURATION OF BURIAL. 405 
 
 Disease of the bones, whether hereditary or acquired, is 
 an essential descriptive element in reconstituting individuality. 
 Caries and necrosis, rickets, spinal disease, ankylosis, and other 
 external manifestations of bone lesion may furnish pointers of 
 such value as often to be incontestible. They are so evident as 
 not to require detailed mention ; but much care in such cases is 
 necessary to distinguish between disease, decay, and violence, 
 and. artefacta. The last may have resulted from the axe or 
 spade of the grave-digger or from post-mortem lesions made 
 at the necropsy, as in the remains of the notorious Beau Hick- 
 man of Washington, whose body on being exhumed showed 
 that sundry amputations and reamputations had been made 
 on the principal limbs. Having died in a public hospital, the 
 cadaver had been utilized in rehearsal of these operations previ- 
 ous to its burial in the Potter's Field. 
 
 Injuries of the phalanges, known as "baseball fingers," are 
 valuable indications. This was one of the facts of identifica- 
 tion in the celebrated Cronin case. 
 
 Duration of Burial. 
 
 The condition of the exhumed bones may throw some light 
 on the question as to the probable length of time thej^ have 
 been under ground, as well as the probable cause of death. If 
 the bones were entirely denuded of soft parts we should hardly 
 expect them to be those of a corpse buried onl}^ three or four 
 months previously. The noting of such an injur}' as a fracture 
 inflicted by some sharp instrument on a skull found in a cess- 
 pool was sufficient, with other evidence of a general character, 
 to convict a prisoner tried at the Derby Lent Assizes in 1847. 
 
 In all cases of the kind under consideration, special atten- 
 tion should be paid to the surroundings, every little detail of 
 which should be noted with the utmost accurac}^; for such 
 articles as clothes, jewelry, buttons, and in fact anything that 
 may furnish an inference,* may not only throw light on the 
 identit}' of the person, but otherwise assist justice. Cases are 
 recorded in which the identity has been established principally 
 b}^ the clothing found with the skeleton. In Taylor's " Medical 
 
 ' Theatre-goers are familiar with tity by means of traces of a perfume 
 the establishment of personal iden- in the play of "Dii^lomacy."
 
 406 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 Jurisprudence" a case is mentioned where the skeleton, por- 
 tions of clothes, buttons, and boots of a Cornish miner were 
 identified after twenty-six years' submersion in water. Some- 
 what similar circumstances, a few years ago, enabled the arctic 
 explorer, Lieutenant Schwatka, and others to identify the re- 
 mains of Lieutenant Irving, of the ill-fated Franklin part}'. 
 
 In exceptional circumstances, as that of great cold, for in- 
 stance, organic remains ma}^ be preserved indefinitely. Visitors 
 to the Junior United Service Club in London may remember 
 the mammoth bones discovered in digging the foundation of 
 the club-house. Accounts of remarkable preservation of bodies 
 discovered a long time after the occurrence of Alpine accidents, 
 and the finding of well-preserved mammoth remains in the 
 Siberian ice, are matters of common knowledge. A few years 
 since, in assisting to take the remains of a mammoth from an 
 ice cliff in Escholtz Bay, Alaska, I came across the skull of a 
 musk-ox and the rib of a reindeer which showed the deformit}' 
 and callus of a united fracture, yet there are geological reasons 
 for believing that thousands of years must have elapsed since 
 these remains were entombed in the ice. 
 
 A precaution to be taken in judicial investigation of bones 
 is to ascertain whether thej" belong to more than one body, as 
 they may have been put together with a view to deceive. Each 
 bone should be examined separately, to ascertain whether it is 
 a right or left bone or belongs to the same skeleton. They 
 should be put together with intelligence and care, and if in- 
 complete parts of a skeleton they may be laid in sand or putty 
 and photographed, or the medical man may go further and, 
 Agassiz-like, reconstruct the skeleton from the fragments. In 
 the case of a fracture the bones should be sawn longitudinally 
 in order to study the callus. 
 
 THE HAIR AND NAILS. 
 
 Since the hair and nails resist decomposition an unusually 
 long time, and are even believed to grow after somatic death, 
 they may be considered as accessories of such value in the 
 question that occupies us as to make it possible to verify certain 
 characteristics regarding the remains of the cadaver even after 
 years of inhumation. For instance, hypertrophy of the great
 
 THE HAIR AND NAILS. 407 
 
 toe-nail, the length and color of the hair, baldness, or a long 
 beard might furnish evidence of the beet kind. Both hair and 
 nails ma}^, however, change after death, A case is mentioned ' 
 in which the hair changed from a dark brown to red after 
 twenty years of burial. Accredited cases of the growth of hair 
 after death are also on record. Dr. Caldwell, of Iowa, states 
 that he was present in 1862 at the exhumation of a body which 
 had been buried for four years. He found that the coffin had 
 given at the joints and that the hair protruded through the 
 openings. He had evidence to show that the deceased was 
 shaved before burial, nevertheless the hair of the head measured 
 eighteen inches, the whiskers eight inches, and the hair of the 
 breast four to six inches." Quite recently in unearthing the 
 remains of an old cemetery in Washington, D. C, a number of 
 persons noticed that when the body of a young girl, supposed 
 to be about twelve or thirteen years of age, was taken up it 
 was found that her hair had grown until it extended from her 
 crown to her feet. Many careful observations seem to prove 
 the molecular life of the hair and nails after somatic death. I 
 suffices to quote the well-known case mentioned in Ogston's 
 "Medical Jurisprudence," of several medical students who were 
 brought to trial for having in custody the dead body of an idiot 
 bo3\ When found on the dissecting-table the body was so 
 disfigured that there was only one means left of proving its 
 identity. The boy had a whim during life of permitting his 
 nails to grow, and had not allowed them to be cut for many 
 years previous to his death. They had completely curled round 
 the tips of his fingers and toes till the}^ had thus come to extend 
 along the palmar and plantar surfaces in a strange way. The 
 counsel for the prosecution availed himself of the knowledge of 
 this fact, and his proof seemed to be complete, when a medical 
 man came forward and gave in evidence that it was not an 
 unusual circumstance for the nails to grow for several inches 
 after death. This astounding statement so nonplussed the 
 judge that the case was allowed to drop as not proven. 
 
 In exceptional cases the hair may be green. I saw a case 
 some years since, for which no cause could be assigned, and 
 only a few days ago I saw another in a man who worked in a 
 
 ' New York Med. Journal, vol. x., ^ New York Med. Record, August 
 
 p. 412. ISth, 1877.
 
 408 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 brass-foundry. At the Cronin trial a barber, who had counted 
 the victim among his customers, recognized the shape of the 
 head and textui-e of the hair. Subsequent evidence of medical 
 experts was conclusive as to the identity of hair found clinging 
 to a trunk, the hair cut from the head of the murdered man, 
 and that of a single hair discovered on a cake of soap. This 
 single strand, being lighter in color in some portions than in 
 others, seemed to indicate that it could not have come from the 
 head of the deceased, whose hair was brown. But it was shown 
 that hair placed on soap or other alkaline substances becomes 
 bleached in a manner similar to the color of a single thread. 
 This evidence of vital importance linked the hair found in the 
 trunk with that cut from Dr. Cronin's head, and went far 
 toward proving that one of the inurderers had washed his hands 
 with the soap after the deed had been done. 
 
 Reviewing the signs furnished by the osseous system, it 
 will be seen that the study of the skeleton alone is beyond con- 
 tradiction more satisfactory and more important in establish- 
 ing identity than that of all the other organs. Consequently a 
 correct interpretation of the facts observed and judicious appli- 
 cation of the rules deducible therefrom may in the matter of a 
 human skeleton put its identity beyond a reasonable doubt. 
 But the expert should remember that as no two cases are just 
 alike, unexpected questions and unforeseen features may pre- 
 sent themselves, giving to each case merits of its own. At best 
 the medical man's conclusions will be probabilities, not certain- 
 ties ; therefore his expressions of opinion should be the more 
 guarded, as upon it may hang the life of an innocent man. 
 
 IDENTIFICATION OF MUTILATED REMAINS. 
 
 Many of the foregoing remarks on the identity of the skele- 
 ton apply in cases where mutilated remains or a portion only 
 of the body has been recovered. Circumstances often occur in 
 which bodies may require identification after having been 
 drowned and partly eaten by fishes or crabs, or after having 
 been partly eaten by buzzards, or torn into fragments by ani- 
 mals, as has happened in the remains of a dead infant partly 
 devoured by a dog, and in the case of a farmer who died in 
 the woods and was subsequently eaten by his own hogs. After
 
 IDENTIFICATION OF MUTILATED REMAINS. 409 
 
 accidents and fires where manj^ persons perish; after a railway- 
 disaster where bodies have been mangled, drowned, burnt, and 
 frozen, all in the same accident; or after an explosion from 
 steam or gas or in a mine, or from gunpowder, dynamite, or 
 other substance, the human remains are generally in such a 
 state as to defy all attempts at recognition. 
 
 To dispose of a dead body in order to avoid detection, crimi- 
 nals will mutilate, disfigure, and chop into fragments the re- 
 mains, which they afterward place in a trunk, a wardrobe, or 
 throw into a sewer or other hiding-place. Scarcely a year 
 passes that judiciary medicine is not concerned with cases of 
 the kind. The frequency of such crimes has been attributed by 
 some to the so-called contagion of murder; others offer the 
 simple law of the series in explanation ; others still believe that 
 imitation is the principal cause. While there is no doubt a 
 grain of truth in each of these, less philosophic minds will look 
 upon such a beastly proceeding as a mark of the complete satis- 
 faction sought by the destructive instinct. 
 
 Why such things should be is of less concern than the fact 
 that criminal mutilation of the dead body is not confined to any 
 age or country'. Though more frequent in the last fifteen years, 
 it takes up quite a space in the history of human cruelty. The 
 violent passion, wrath, and vengeance that caused the prophet 
 Isaiah to be sawn in two at the age of one hundred years b}' 
 order of Manasses and Agag cut into pieces by Samuel have 
 not materially changed in the days of Jack the Ripper ; and we 
 find such crimes in antipodal parts of the world, among varied 
 sociological conditions, no matter whether it be the North 
 American Indian, who scalps and mutilates his enemy and 
 places the severed penis in the mouth, or the civilized European, 
 who cuts up the body of his victim and serves it in a curry at 
 a feast of assembled friends.' 
 
 This new point of judiciary medicine has lately been elabo- 
 rated by European writers under the title of Depegage Crim- 
 inel, a term which applies to the operation resorted to by an 
 assassin having for its end the getting rid of the bodj^ of the 
 victim and to render more difficult the establishment of its 
 identity. 
 
 The cleverness of experts scarcely keeps pace nowada3'S 
 ' Annales d'Hygieue Publique, 1883.
 
 410 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 with the more complicated proceedings adopted by criminals. 
 In fact, at a trial of this kind truth and science are often the 
 under dogs in a fight, than which none in forensic medicine is 
 longer and more embarrassing. To cause a rapid disappearance 
 of the proofs of a homicide, with a view to escape the investi- 
 gations of justice, murderers have been known literally to make 
 hash of the victim which was subsequent!}^ eaten by themselves 
 and others. Gruner relates the case of a man who, having 
 killed and cut into pieces his victim, boiled and roasted the 
 fragments and ate them with his wife. Such examples, how- 
 ever, suggest morbid rather than passional phenomena, which 
 manifestly call for rigid scrutiny into the mental state of the 
 culprit, who may be more of a lunatic than a malefactor. 
 
 In cases of infanticide new-born children are sometimes cut 
 into pieces and the fragments burnt in order to facilitate the 
 disappearance of the cadaver. There does not appear to be, 
 however, any well-authenticated instance of the operation hav- 
 ing been done on a living child. Generally the dismember- 
 ment is done in order to cause more ready disappearance of the 
 remains. 
 
 The medico-legal problem to be solved in cases of criminal 
 mutilation is to establish the identity of the victim and that of 
 the author of the crime. 
 
 Man}^ apparently trivial circumstances may assist in the 
 formation of an opinion as to the identity of the culprit. If 
 the victim be an adult, a man is the author of the deed ; if an 
 infant, a woman, the mother, is almost always the guilty one. 
 The London Lancet (May 30th, 18G3, p. G17) reports a case in 
 which the body of a child, of apparentl}^ four to six months, 
 was found in the sewage of a water-closet, minus an arm cut 
 off below the shoulder, presumably that a vaccination-mark 
 might not be adduced as evidence. A young woman was sus- 
 pected. Several women deposed having seen a dusky-brown 
 mother's mark near the child's navel. After steeping in pure 
 water a portion of the skin said to include the mark, and after 
 washing, the mark gradually reappeared at the end of three 
 days, perfectly distinct. It was recognized b}^ witnesses and 
 produced at the trial as corroborative evidence. The accused 
 was found guilty. 
 
 In a case of infanticide at Tarare, in 1881, the upper ex-
 
 IDENTIFICATION OF MUTILATED REMAINS. 411 
 
 tremity of a foetus was found to have been disarticulated after 
 the manner of carving the wing of a fowl. This having sug- 
 gested to Dr. Lacassagne a cook as the author of the crime, she 
 was speedily discovered and convicted. A few years later an 
 analogous case occurred in Florence and was reported by Dr. 
 A. Montalti. 
 
 The instrument used for mutilating the body may furnish a 
 suggestion of identity, to be dispelled or affirmed upon further 
 investigation. The mode of section observed in various in- 
 stances has led to the recognition of a butcher as the culprit. 
 An expert would have but little trouble in distinguishing the 
 hacking and mangling of a body from the careful cutting and 
 preservation of muscles and blood-vessels in dissections made 
 b}' medical students, whom the public, by the way, invariablj" 
 suspect in cases of mutilation. If it can be ascertained that 
 the instrument used was operated either by a left-handed person 
 or by an ambidexter, such a fact may prove of importance. 
 Sometimes the fragments are tied or sewn up in a package. 
 The manner in which the knot is tied may indicate the occupa- 
 tion of the culj^rit. In one case the regularity of the sewing 
 revealed that it was the work of a woman. Examination of 
 the remains of clothing and of neighboring objects where the 
 crime was committed may result in the identification of the 
 victim or of the murderer. Indeed, it is the careful noting of 
 trivial facts and their combination that is so valuable in all 
 investigations of this class. A compound fact made up of 
 minor facts, which considered severally would possess but 
 little value, may sometimes solve the puzzle in a case where no 
 single fact of conclusive value is obtainable. 
 
 Having collected as much of the mutilated remains as 
 possible, the first stej) toward identification is to replace the 
 pieces in anatomical order, to note carefully their correspond- 
 ence or otherwise, and to ascertain whether the fragments be- 
 long to the same bodj" or to two or several individuals. This 
 is often a delicate and difficult matter, especially where decom- 
 position is advanced or where the horror has been pushed to 
 its utmost limits, as in the case of a fratricide committed in 
 France by several persons, who fragmented the cadaver with a 
 saw and hatchet ; boiled the remains and fed them to hogs ; and, 
 after crushing the bones with a hammer, threw the fragments
 
 412 IDENTITY— ROSSE. 
 
 into a deep gorge. Again, the body may be divided into 
 numerous pieces, a hundred or more, and disposed of in widely 
 different locahties, as in a pond, a manure-heap, a river, or a 
 cesspool. The chopped- up remains of infants have been boiled 
 in lye and afterward thrown into a privy or put in a barrel of 
 vinegar. A mother has also been known to cook with cabbage 
 the dismembered remains of her six-months' child and serve it 
 at a meal of which both she and her husband partook. • 
 
 Numerous counterparts of such cases happening in late 
 years could be cited where the object was to favor the disap- 
 pearance of the cadaver, and in which the establishment of 
 the identity turned on the examination of some small part of 
 the organism; the uterus, the spermatic cord, the lobe of the 
 ear, the hair, or the teeth furnishing a positive demonstration 
 that led to judiciary results. 
 
 Putrefaction goes on very fast in a corpse that has been 
 mutilated ; but it is slower in parts which, on being separated 
 just after death, have become bloodless in consequence of the 
 hemorrhage. After submersion the outward signs of putrefac- 
 tion put a notable obstacle in the way of identification, and 
 after drowning the body becomes rapidly unrecognizable. 
 
 Supposing it impossible to reconstitute the cadaver in all its 
 essential parts, it is always possible, by following the instruc- 
 tions already given for examining the skeleton, to infer from 
 one or several parts of the cadaver the sex, age, height, and 
 sometimes pathological peculiarities of the victim. Examina- 
 tion of the skeleton and teeth is of capital importance in an 
 investigation of this class. The indications furnished thereby 
 having already been touched upon, and being about all that 
 we are justified in saying, it is onty necessary to repeat that 
 many of the details relative to these special indications are so 
 confusing as to suggest caution in using the statistical tables 
 of even high authorit}", as the observations the}'^ rest on are 
 not of sufficient extent to deserve confidence. 
 
 A survey of the head, limbs, trunk, and genital parts will 
 give the most useful indications. The head, in fact, is the 
 surest index for justice, and one that lends promptness in the 
 discovery of the assassin. Typical illustrations of this occur 
 in the Goss-Udderzook case and in the recent example of the 
 bomb-thrower, Norcross. In the case of a woman murdered by
 
 IDENTIFICATION OF MUTILATED REMAINS. 41^ 
 
 her husband at Antwerp in 1877 and cut into one hundred and 
 fifty-three pieces and her remains thrown into a priv}", the 
 color of the hair, the lobule of a torn ear, and the uterus of a 
 woman having had children furnished special signs that led to 
 identity and condemnation. Examination of the brain and its 
 membranes, though furnishing no -^-ery notable characteristics 
 in the matter of identification, may nevertheless be regarded as 
 a natural corollary to that of the skull. Brain weight, which 
 is greatest between thirty and forty years, 1,200 to 1,450 grams 
 in man, 1,100 to 1,500 in woman, diminishes toward the six- 
 tieth year. It is said that the diminution takes place a few 
 years sooner in the opposite sex. The estimated loss of weight 
 in a person of eighty years is admitted to be from 90 to 150 
 grams. Another sign of age is the tendency to degeneration 
 found in the pineal gland, the cortical substance, the optic and 
 striate thalami, and in the brain capillaries. 
 
 The state of the eyes, if not too decomposed, may still be- 
 come a sign of identity. For instance, the color of the iris, an 
 arcus senilis, a pterygium, a cataract or an operation for the 
 same, an iridectomj', etc., are signs that occasion may utilize. 
 
 The TRUNK may show, as it has in several instances, incised 
 wounds that caused death before the mutilation. Besides, the 
 organs therein contained may by their weight, dimension, and 
 tissue alteration indicate the progress of age and of degenera- 
 tion. Modifications of the circulatory and respiratorj" appa- 
 ratus are obviousl}' characteristic. As age advances the only 
 organ whose weight increases with the number of years, the 
 heart, may become hypertrophied or dilated ; its coronarj- arte- 
 ries may undergo an alteration ; the pericardium thickens, and 
 in fact arterial atheroma and degeneration generally may begin 
 between thirty-five and forty j^ears. It should, however, be 
 borne in mind that these signs of senility maj' come much later 
 or even not at all. In a man of eightj'-four years Tourdes 
 found no notable tissue lesion ; in another of one hundred and 
 four Lobstein found no trace of ossification of the arteries of 
 the trunk and upper extremities, and in Thomas Parr, aged 
 one hundred and fifty-two years, Harvey found absolutely no 
 lesion of this kind. Although toward eighty years the heart 
 increases in weight in both sexes, the opposite has been observed 
 in exceptional cases. Placing the average weight of this organ
 
 414 IDENTITY — KOSSE. 
 
 in the adult at 2G6 grams for men, 220 for women, it will be 
 found that progress in weight gives toward the eightieth year 
 an increase of 90 grams for men and 60 for women. Yet a 
 case of cardiac atrophy is reported in a woman of eighty whose 
 heart weighed but 170 grams. 
 
 Diminished weight of the lungs becomes accentuated with 
 years. Especially is this the case after pseudo-melanosis and 
 senile emphysema. The state of the lungs of stone-cutters and 
 miners and various thoracic and abdominal diseases may like- 
 wise become signs of identity. A cirrhosed liver, an en- 
 larged spleen, a senile kidney, and the like, are sufficiently 
 obvious in their bearings on this question. 
 
 Like the trunk, the arms and legs, in cases of the class 
 under consideration, show but few traces of disfigurement 
 other than the fact of their having been disjointed. The man- 
 ner in which the sections were made and the proceedings em- 
 ployed for the disarticulation would equally affirm an expe- 
 rienced hand or the reverse. Such facts have of late years 
 assisted in the discovery and condemnation both of a farmer 
 and of a medical student, and also in the case of the cook 
 alreadj^ mentioned, who cut off her child's arm after the man- 
 ner of carving the wing of a fowl. The existence of deformity, 
 injur}^, and disease in the limbs should, of course, claim atten- 
 tion, but their relativity in an investigation of the kind is too 
 apparent to require further comment. 
 
 Mutilation of the genital organs is not so common. Per- 
 sons familiar with border warfare have observed the savage 
 custom of cutting off the victim's penis and placing it in his 
 mouth. In more civilized communities the culprits are gener- 
 ally women in whom hatred and ferocity prompt an act that 
 marks the evident satisfaction sought by the destructive in- 
 stinct. Sometimes, however, the genital organs have been cut 
 from the cadaver of a woman, presumabl}^ for the purpose of 
 concealing traces of rape that may have preceded the murder. 
 The signs furnished by the female genital organs as to virgin- 
 ity, maternity, and the menopause are so easily demonstrated 
 at the necropsy as to become positive proofs of identity. The 
 uterus loses both in size and weight with age. This along 
 with hard, atrophied, and germless ovaries attests the stoppage 
 of menstruation. The question of identity may turn on the age
 
 ENTIRE CADAVER DEAD BUT A SHORT TIME. 415 
 
 at which menstruation ceases, as happened in an action of 
 ejectment in the case of Doe on the demise of Clark vs. Tatom. 
 The period known as change of life, when the uterus and ovaries 
 lose their function, though placed at forty-five and fifty years, 
 is quite uncertain. In spite of averages, menstruation is occa- 
 sionally continued to seventy and upward.' 
 
 The signs furnished hy the genital organs of the male are 
 of less importance. Atrophy and diminished weight of the 
 testicles and rarity or absence of the spermatozoids are indica- 
 tions of senility ; although spermatozoids have been observed at 
 ninety-four years. The structure of the spermatic cord at dif- 
 ferent periods of life from the last of intra-uterine to the first of 
 extra-uterine life, in puberty, and in old age, is accompanied 
 by characteristic modifications of development and regression, 
 which are of interest on the question of medico-forensic diagno- 
 sis of identity, as shown by Dr. Pellacani.'' 
 
 Congenital deformity of the genital parts, as epispadias or 
 hypospadias; marks of circumcision, useful in India to iden- 
 tify Mussulmans above eleven years; traces of disease that 
 may have left extensive cicatrices, as phagadenic chancre, sup- 
 purating buboes, etc., may also furnish characteristics of evi- 
 dential value. 
 
 ENTIRE CADAVER DEAD BUT A SHORT TIME. 
 
 In the case of a body that has been dead a short time only, 
 recognition from the features, even by the nearest relatives, is 
 often a matter of the greatest difficulty. The change produced 
 in the color and form of the bodj", especially after drowning, is 
 a formidable obstacle to identification by likeness and general 
 type of face. Pages could be filled with the mere mention of 
 the multiplied instances of mistaken identity of the living, 
 many of whom have been punished because they had the mis- 
 fortune to resemble some one else. How much more careful, 
 then, should be the medical examination of the remains in the 
 progress of decay, with the distortion and discoloration of the 
 features, and the consequent change or destruction of the pecu- 
 liar expression of the countenance by which human features are 
 usuallv distinguished and identified. 
 
 ■ 4 
 
 'Med. Gazette, vol. xli., p. 650. - In a series of papers to Riv. Sper. 
 
 di freniat, Reggio-Emilia, 1883.
 
 410 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 Among the innumerable instances of mistaken personal 
 identity and cases of resemblance mentioned in history and 
 fable, from the time of Ulysses down to the days of Rip Van 
 Winkle's dog Schneider, it appears that this animal is credited 
 with more sagacity than man in the matter of recognizing his 
 master even after years of absence. Indeed, recognition by 
 animals may be considered a proof of identity. Many persons 
 can recall instances of the kind, though perhaps not so dramatic 
 as the one of the dog in the Odyssey, who recognized his mas- 
 ter after twenty years of absence and died immediately there- 
 after. 
 
 As a matter of fact, time and circumstances will so alter 
 resemblance as to account for some of these most striking 
 proofs of the fallibility of human testimony that we see illus- 
 trated in chapters on mistaken identity. We easily forget the 
 true image of persons and things, and time promptly modifies 
 them. The evidence of the senses may be so little trusted in 
 this regard that father, mother, husband, and nurse may attest 
 a false identity in the case of their own children. A nurse has 
 been known to testify to the identity of the severed head of a 
 woman whom thirteen other persons were sure they recognized 
 from characteristic signs, when the supposed victim put in an 
 appearance and thus attested her own existence. The head of 
 the unrecognized victim of this strange controversy is preserved 
 in the museum of the Strassburg Faculty. 
 
 In another case of historical notoriety in France, forty wit- 
 nesses on each side swore to the personality ; while .in the cel- 
 ebrated Tichbourne trial no less than eighty-five witnesses 
 maintained positively, under the most rigid and scrutinizing 
 cross-examination, that a certain person was Sir Roger Charles 
 Doughty Tichbourne, a baronet; at the same time a corre- 
 sponding number were equally unshaken in their conviction 
 that he Avas a Wapping butcher, Arthur Orton. 
 
 Resemblances often bring about remarkable coincidences. 
 A case is said to have occurred in Covington, Ky., where two 
 men met, each the double of the other in form, stature, and 
 feature, each having lost a right leg, amputated at the knee, 
 and ea'ch being blind in the left eye from accident. 
 
 Puzzle and perplexity are not confined to remarkable cases 
 and judicial errors; for so many people are unskilled in correct
 
 ENTIRE CADAVER DEAD BUT A SHORT TIME. 417 
 
 observation that it is a matter of common occurrence for two 
 individuals to be mistaken the one for the other. The writer 
 for some years has f requentl}^ been mistaken for a certain naval 
 officer he is said to resemble, while the officer in question has 
 become so accustomed to being called " Doctor" that he answers 
 to the title without protest. 
 
 A case that has of late been much quoted in the journals is 
 that of Tiggs. What was supposed to be his mangled body 
 was identified by his wife, and further identification was forth- 
 coming from one of his children and the employer of the de- 
 ceased. The coroner had granted a certificate for burial, and 
 as the hearse neared the door, to the surprise of all parties the 
 real Tiggs entered the house and gave a satisfactory account 
 of his absence. 
 
 Most mistakes of this kind are the result of existing imper- 
 fections in the average human mind or in its use. So few 
 people are skilled in minute observation that Lord Mansfield's 
 dictum regarding the "likeness as an argument of a child 
 being the son of a parent " should be received with a certain 
 degree of reserve, especially in the question of identity from 
 likeness after death. In Ogston's "Medical Jurisprudence" a 
 case is related of a father who could not recognize the bod}^ of 
 his son drowned at sea ten days previously. The mother, how- 
 ever, identified her boy from the existence of two pimple-looking 
 projections on the front of the chest, which proved to be sup- 
 plementary mammsB. 
 
 As a rule, the changes in the face and countenance two 
 weeks after death are such that it is well-nigh impossible to 
 establish identity from the features alone. Yet in exceptional 
 cases the external results of putrefactive decomposition have 
 been so delayed or modified as to produce very small changes 
 in the features even after many years of burial. Bodies have 
 been known to retain a remarkable state of preservation for 
 long periods in such circumstances as burial in a peat bog, in 
 the sand of the desert, and in the frozen ground of cold coun- 
 tries. 
 
 Even photography in the matter of identity is not to be 
 trusted. Though an important accessory to other evidence, it 
 is often, and very properly, objected to bj^ lawyers on the 
 
 ground of being incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial. The 
 
 27
 
 418 IDENTITY— ROSSE. 
 
 picture presented for comparison may not be an original one or 
 it may have been taken years previously. The difficulty in 
 recognizing one's own most intimate friends from pictures 
 taken only a few years back is a matter of common knowledge. 
 Besides, the negative from which the picture was taken may 
 have been retouched or altered, consequently it would not be 
 the same as produced by the camera, and is, therefore, value- 
 less as evidence. It is held to be incompetent to prove a photo- 
 graph by merely asking a witness whether or not he recognizes 
 the picture in question as that of a certain person. 
 
 In all cases where photographic pictures are required in a 
 court of law the authorities are that the artist who took the 
 picture must be produced and show that he took the picture, 
 and that it is a correct representation of the original of which 
 it claims to be a picture. If possible the negatives themselves 
 should be called for and reproduced. Dr. Tidy states that he 
 has known a volume of smoke appear in a print as issuing from 
 a chimnej', and used as evidence of the existence of a nuisance, 
 when no smoke existed in the original negative. Only slight 
 familiarity with the method of taking photographic pictures 
 and the chemistry involved in the process suffices to show that 
 many little details of sensitizing, exposing, developing, and 
 printing greatly change the general appearance of the face. 
 iSome of the tricks that may be played with photography, illus- 
 trating its comparative incompetency as evidence in the matter 
 ■of personal identification, I have seen in a series of pictures at 
 the Department of Justice in Washington. All were photo- 
 graphs of the same person taken in such varying circumstances 
 that no two are alike or recognizable as the same person, until 
 scrutiny is brought to bear on the profile of the nose.' In con- 
 sidering photography in its bearing on this branch of medi- 
 cine, it must also be borne in mind that a certain degree of 
 imperfection arises 'from want of uniformity in the lenses of 
 cameras. I have already mentioned the want of precision in 
 photographing the skull, the common defect being central not 
 orthogonal projection such as anthropometry requires. 
 
 'See Mr. Galton's paper iu Na- his recent work on Finger Prints, 
 ture, June 31st, 1888, p. 173 ; also in
 
 SURFACE SIGNS OF IDENTITY. 419 
 
 SURFACE SIGNS OF IDENTITY. 
 
 Examination of the surface of the skin and of its append- 
 ages may in certain cases take decisive importance. Valuable 
 medical proof is often furnished by scars, nsevi, growths on the 
 skin, pock-marks, traces of skin disease or of scrofula, and by 
 the so-called professional stigmata which would suggest the 
 trade, character of work, or occupation of the deceased. Thus 
 cigarette-stains on the fingers of smokers, or silver-stains on 
 the hands of photographers, the horny palm of the laborer, or 
 the soft, delicate hand of one not accustomed to work, would 
 be indicative. The alterations in the hand make it, so to speak, 
 the seat of election ; for in the majority of trades that may be 
 mentioned it is the hand alone that bears the principal marks of 
 daily work that indicate the calling. A case is recorded of a per- 
 son who previously to his assassination was lame and walked 
 with a crutch. Although the body was cut into fragments, an 
 examination revealed in the palm of the hands characteristic 
 callosities, showing prolonged use of support of this kind. In 
 another instance of criminal mutilation a tattoo-mark found on 
 the arm proved an overwhelming charge against the assassin 
 and drew forth his confession. An accused was also convicted 
 of murder after establishing the only missing link, the ques- 
 tion of identity, which turned on the finding of cupping-marks 
 and a tattoo on the body of the murdered man. Personal iden- 
 tity of the bodies of infants has, moreover, been proved by means 
 of a small blister ; by a patch of downy hair ; by the similarity 
 existing between two pieces of thread used to tie the umbilical 
 cord; and by the severed end of that part of the funis attached 
 to the infant fitting precisely to the corresponding portion at- 
 tached to the after-birth. In addition to these a methodical 
 examination may put in evidence other f^cts that may be de- 
 rived from diverse influences that leave characteristic traces. 
 
 SIGNS FURNISHED BY MARKS, SCARS, STAINS, ETC., ON 
 
 THE SKIN. 
 
 But of all the surface signs, whether congenital or acquired, 
 that may throw light on the antecedents of the decedent, birth- 
 marks, freckles, cicatrices, tattooes, and the professional signs
 
 420 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 furnish the best indications. Birth-marks {ncevi materni)y 
 from their supposed indelibiHtj', have given rise to discussion 
 at many celebrated trials. As a rule, these marks are perma- 
 nent and seldom lose their distinctness, though in exceptional 
 cases they may undergo atrophy in the first years of life. 
 Hence testimony as to the existence of birth-marks may often 
 be uncertain when it has reference to a period a long way back. 
 In a recorded case of supposed recognition of a person having a 
 mark of this kind on her face, the alleged victim turned up and 
 established her identity as well as the fact that she did not have 
 the birth-mark attributed to her. 
 
 Before the introduction of the electrolj^tic method it was 
 customary to resort to cauterization, excision, vaccination, and 
 tattooing the pigmentary spot in order to modify or remove 
 these congenital marks. Such proceedings usually left more or 
 less of an indelible scar which occasion might utilize in the 
 matter of medico-legal diagnosis. The traces of nsevi may, 
 however, be entirely removed by electrolysis. I have recently 
 seen a nsevus of large dimension on the face of a young woman 
 so completely destroyed as to leave no trace of the operation. 
 
 The possibility of the disappearance of a scar in such 
 circumstances depends here, as it does in other instances, on the 
 depth of the wound. A cicatrix being the result of a solution 
 of continuity in the derma, the question arises whether a wound 
 that has divided the derma without loss of substance and healed 
 by first intention leaves any perceptible scar. Some are of the 
 opinion that a cicatricial line persists, but grows fainter with 
 time. Histological examination in a question of this kind 
 might prove conclusive by showing the structure of the fibro- 
 cellular tissue that constitutes the cicatrix. In the case of very 
 superficial burns or wounds, the scar may completely disappear 
 if the epidermis alone or the superficial part of the derma is 
 attacked ; on the other hand, if there has been long suppura- 
 tion or loss of substance from ulcers, chancres, or buboes, 
 especially on the neck, groins, legs, or genital parts, traces of 
 their lesion will be found. It may, therefore, be asserted as a 
 general rule that all scars resulting from wounds and from skin 
 diseases which involve any loss of substance are indelible. 
 A scar on the face is one of the points at issue in the celebrated 
 Hillmon case already mentioned.
 
 TATTOOING. 421 
 
 As the matter of cicatrices is treated in the section on 
 Wounds, further mention here would be superfluous. 
 
 Tattooing. 
 
 Of all the scars that speak, none in judiciary medicine affords 
 better signs of identity by their permanency and durable char- 
 acter and the difficulty of causing their disappearance than 
 those furnished by tattoo-marks. 
 
 The custom of tattooing having existed from the earliest 
 historical epochs is of interest not only from an ethnological 
 but from a medical and pathological point of view, while it is 
 of great importance in its relation to medical jurisprudence in 
 cases of contested personal identification which may be either 
 established or refuted b}' this sign. So trustworthy is it in 
 many instances as to become a veritable ideograph that may 
 indicate the personal antecedents, vocation, social state, certain 
 events of one's life, and even their date. 
 
 Without going into the history of a subject mentioned b}' 
 Hippocrates, Plato, Caesar, and Cicero, it may be pertinent to 
 say that tattooing is prohibited by the Bible (Leviticus xix., 
 28) and is condemned by the Fathers of the Church, Tertullian 
 among others, who gives the following rather singular reason 
 for interdicting its use among women: " Cerhim siouiis 
 Spiritum Sanctum magis masculis tale aliquid subscribere 
 potuisse si feminis siibscripsisset." {De Virginibus velan- 
 dis. Lutetise Parisorum, 1G75, f°, p. 178.) 
 
 In addition to much that has been written b}^ French, 
 German,' and Italian authors, who have put tattooing in an 
 important place in legal medicine, the matter of tattoo-marks a 
 few years since claimed the attention of the law courts of Eng- 
 land, the Chief Justice, Cockburn, in the Tichbourne case, 
 having described this species of evidencfe as of " vital impor- 
 tance," and in itself final and conclusive. This celebrated trial 
 has brought to light about all the knowledge that can be used 
 in the investigation of this sign as a mark of identity. Ab- 
 sence of the tattoo-marks in this case justified the jury in their 
 finding that the defendant was not and could not be Roger 
 
 ' For a few classical citations that Zeitschrift fiir Ethuologie, Berlin, 
 are more erudite than profitable see 1888, xx. , j). 412.
 
 422 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 Tichbourne, whereupon the alleged claimant was proved to be 
 an impostor, found guilty of perjury, and sentenced to penal 
 servitude.' 
 
 The practice of tattooing is found pretty much over the 
 world, notably in the Polynesian Islands and in some parts of 
 Japan. It is, however, not found in Russia, being contrary to 
 the superstitions of the people, who regard a mark of this kind 
 as an alliance or contract with evil spirits. Its use appears to 
 be penal only, and is limited to Siberian convicts. The 
 degrading habit, confined to a low order of development, 
 exists at the present time as a survival of a superstitious prac- 
 tice of paganism, probably owing to perversion of the sexual 
 instinct, and is still common among school-boys, sailors, sol- 
 diers, criminals, and the lowest order of prostitutes living in 
 so-called civilized communities. Indeed, unanimity of opinion 
 among medical and anthropological writers assigns erotic pas- 
 sion as the most frequent cause of tattooing, and shows the 
 constant connection between tattoo-marks and crime. Penal 
 statistics show the greater number of tattooed criminals among 
 the lowest order, as those who have committed crimes against 
 the person ; while the fewest are found among swindlers and 
 forgers, the most intelligent class of criminals. Even amid 
 intellectual advancement and eesthetic sensibility far in ad- 
 vance of the primitive man, such as exists in London and New 
 York, for instance, are to be found persons who make good 
 incomes by catering to this depraved taste for savage ornamen- 
 tation. Persons who have been to Jerusalem may remember 
 the tattooers, w^ho trj" to induce travellers to have a cross tat- 
 tooed on the arm as a souvenir of the pilgrimage. If a writer 
 in the Revue des Deux Mondes, 15th June, 1881, is to be be- 
 lieved, it appears that the Prince of Wales on his journey to 
 the Holy Land had a Jerusalem Cross tattooed on his arm, 
 April 2d, 1862. The " Cruise of the Bacchante" also tells how 
 the Duke of York was tattooed while in Japan. 
 
 The process is now rapidly done, an Edison electric pen 
 being utilized for the purpose, and some of the wretched mar- 
 
 'See "Guj-'s Hospital Report," 1869. A later study on the medico- 
 
 xix., 1874; also " Histoire Medicale legal importance of tattooing may 
 
 de Tatouage " in Aichiv. de Mede- be found in Lo Spallanzani, Roma", 
 
 cine Navale, torn. 11, 12, Paris, 1891, 2s, xx., 169, 208.
 
 TATTOOING. 423 
 
 tyrs have the hardihood to be tattooed from head to foot with 
 grotesque designs in several colors. I know of several in- 
 stances : one of a man in Providence, R. I. ; another of a Por- 
 tuguese barber, who has striped poles, razors, brushes, and 
 other emblems of his calling over the entire body. Another 
 man has likenesses of Abe Lincoln and of Kaiser Wilhelm of 
 Germany on his respective shins. A Nova Scotian, tattooed 
 from head to foot, has among other designs that of " St. George 
 and the Dragon " on his back ; while a Texas ranchman, six 
 feet two inches tall, underwent the torture of eight weeks' 
 profanation of his body in order to appear in blue, brown, and 
 red, with an irreverent image on his back of the Immaculate 
 Conception and thirty-one angels.' 
 
 A singular mixture of erotic and religious emblems is often 
 found among the varied and fantastic signs used in tattooing. 
 I recall the case of a man who had represented on his back a 
 fox-hunt, in which riders followed the hounds in full pursuit of 
 a fox about to take cover in the anus. In another case of a 
 man accused of criminal attempt on two little girls, examina- 
 tion of the sexual organs revealed a tattoo on the back of the 
 penis representing the devil with horns and red cheeks and 
 lips. When the little girls were asked if the accused had 
 shown them his virile member, they answered, " This man un- 
 buttoned himself and said to us: 'I am going to make you see 
 the devil. ' " In the face of such affirmations, the accused con- 
 fessed his crime and was condemned. Other tattoo signs of 
 the grossest emblems of unnatural passion have been found 
 among low prostitutes, pederasts, and tribades. 
 
 Statistics founded on numerous facts, show many cases of 
 tattooing of the penis and even of the labia majora in the low- 
 est order of prostitutes, but these unclean images and revela- 
 tions of lustful instinct do not occur in the same order of fre- 
 quency as those noted on the forearm, the deltoid, or the inferior 
 extremities. So valuable are these marks in their bearing on 
 the class, vocation, character, and tastes of a person that the 
 finding of anchors and ships would indicate a sailor; while 
 flags, sabres, cannon, and other warlike signs would indicate a 
 
 1 According to Lombroso, all who either been among the Pacific Isl- 
 are tattooed on the back or the sex- ands or sojourned in a prison, 
 ual organs have without exception
 
 424 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 soldier, etc. It is also noticeable that in the tattooing prac- 
 tised by lunatics the image relates in some way to the nature 
 of the peculiar form of mental disease from which they suffer, 
 and it is chiefly among the more severe and incurable cases of 
 mental degeneration that these signs are found. (See Dr. Riva's 
 article, "Iltatuaggio nel Manicomio d'Ancona," Cronica del 
 Manicomio d^ Ancona, November, 1888.) 
 
 Almost always the motive that prompts these disfigurements 
 of the skin is the result of impulse, of thoughtlessness, or of 
 orgy, and almost all the tattooed come to repent of their folly. 
 The subject of detatouage has of late taken a polemic turn in 
 some of the Continental journals. There are besides many 
 cases on record of severe accidents and complications following 
 the operation, such as severe inflammation, erysipelas, abscess, 
 and gangrene. Dr. Beuchon gives statistics of forty-seven cases, 
 in which four were followed by mutilation and eight by death 
 either directly or in consequence of an amputation. A certain 
 proportion of what is known as syph ilis insontium is to be found 
 among the reported statistics of tattooing. Dr. Bispham, of 
 Philadelphia, informs me that while at Block] ey Hospital he 
 saw thirty cases of syphilis that had been communicated by the 
 same tattooer. 
 
 Tattooing may sometimes be accidental. I have seen a 
 departmental clerk with an elongated tattoo on the back of his 
 hand caused by accidental wounding with an inked pen. A 
 bursting shell during a naval engagement has caused a char- 
 acteristic tattoo on the face of a well-known ofiScer to be seen 
 any day in Washington. Two cases of the bluish-black dis- 
 coloration of the skin from taking nitrate of silver have also 
 come under my observation. Both occurred in medical men, 
 one of whom lives in Florida, the other in the District of 
 Columbia. Silver discolorations of this kind are indelible, but 
 I learn from one of these gentlemen that large doses of iodide 
 of potassium cause temporary fading of the discoloration, which 
 returns on stopping the medicine.^ 
 
 The indelihilitij of tattoo-marks is such that their traces 
 may be easily recognized in the cadaver, though in a somewhat 
 
 'A paper by Dr. J. N. Hall ou with a report of cases, may be found 
 "The Medico-Legal Value of Pow- in the Trausactions of the Colorado 
 der-Stains in Gunshot Wounds," Medical Society, 1890, xx., 94.
 
 TATTOOING. 425 
 
 advanced stage of putrefaction. The}" have even been recog- 
 nized on a gangrenous limb. Sometimes, however, it is im- 
 possible to recognize at first sight whether there has or has not 
 been a tattoo. A strong light and a magnifying glass and a 
 microscopic examination of the neighboring ganglia to detect 
 the presence of coloring matter may assist in removing doubt. 
 It has been found on the bodies of tattooed cadavers that the 
 ganglia are filled with grains of coloring matter of the same 
 nature as that employed in making the tattoo. Attempts to 
 remove tattoo-marks generally leave a vicious scar that is 
 equally indelible. An efficacious method is to tattoo the mark 
 with a solution of tannin, which is followed by brushing over 
 with nitrate of silver. A red cicatrix follows, and when the 
 epidermis separates the tattoo disappears. A better meihotl, 
 however, is by means of the electric needle already mentioned 
 in speaking of the electrolysis of ngevi. 
 
 That a tattoo-mark may disappear by the effects of time 
 and leave no trace is a matter that Cooper reports after exam- 
 ining the mutilated remains of a cadaver, and the statistics of 
 Caspar. Tardieu, and Hutin place it as high as nine in the 
 hundred. An officer of the United States Revenue Marine 
 lately called my attention to several superficial tattooes on the 
 back of his hand which had disappeared. The deeper ones, 
 however, remained. The spontaneous disappearance of a 
 tattoo seems to be possible when the operation has been done 
 in such a superficial way as not to have passed the rete Mal- 
 pighii, or when the tattooing has been done with some sub- 
 stance not very tenacious, as vermilion, which appears to be 
 easily eliminated. But when the particles of coloring matter 
 penetrate into the fibro-elastic tissue of the derma, the disap- 
 pearance of the tattoo is rare. 
 
 In seventy-eight individuals tattooed with vermilion alone, 
 Hutin found eleven upon whom the tattoo had disappeared. 
 Out of one hundred and four tattooes made with a single color, 
 India-ink, writing ink, blue or back, not a single one had com- 
 pletely disappeared. The results are identical if the tattooes 
 are made with two colors. Thus in 153 tattooes with vermilion 
 and India-ink, one instance showed a fading of the black, in 
 another it had completel}' disappeared, the red being well 
 marked ; twenty times the red was partly effaced, the black
 
 426 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 being well marked ; and in sixteen cases ths red had completely- 
 disappeared, the black remaining visible.' 
 
 A tattoo-mark may sometimes be altered, in which case it 
 proves deceptive as an index. A workman changing his trade 
 seeks to transform the insignia of his first calling into those 
 of the second, or a criminal in order to avoid identity will 
 make a change. In the former instance the transformation is 
 not difficult to detect, but in the latter so much care is re- 
 quired to recognize the change that penal science has relegated 
 the sign to a secondary place. 
 
 As to the length of time since a tattoo-mark has been exe- 
 cuted, authorities are that it is impossible to tell after two or 
 three weeks. Whether a tattoo-mark is real or feigned is easily" 
 settled by simply washing the part. This question, as well as 
 that of the judicial consequences of such marks, is hardly per- 
 tinent to the matter in hand. 
 
 Value of Professional Stigmata. 
 
 The so-called professional signs are of undoubted value in 
 the surface examination for establishing identity, but it does 
 not seem that their importance warrants the extreme prolixity 
 given to them by some Continental writers, and even by one in 
 the city of Mexico, Dr. Jose Ramos. ^ For instance, it is pre- 
 tended that cataract is more common among jewellers because 
 of the fineness of their work; yet out of 952 cataracts, of which 
 a record has been kept, only two cases occurred in jewellers. 
 Besides, there is not one special sign or physical trace left on 
 the body by which a prostitute may be knov/n, notwithstand- 
 ing the fact that in life the collective appearance would seldom 
 deceive an experienced man. 
 
 Only in the case of sodomy, where anal coitus has been 
 frequent, would characteristic signs be found. On anal exam- 
 ination of 446 prostitutes. Dr. Coutagne' found the signs of 
 post-perineal coitus in 180. He cites the case of a young pros- 
 titute presenting the astonishing contrast of a gaping anus 
 surrounded by characteristic rhagades, with the genital parts 
 of an extreme freshness, a very narrow vagina, and non- 
 
 ' Bulletin de I'Acad. de Med., 17 - La Escula de Medicina, Mexico, 
 
 Janvier, 1853, t. xviii., p. 348. 1880-81. » Lyon Medical, 1880.
 
 VALUE OF PROFESSIONAL STIGMATA. 427 
 
 retracted hymen, constituting by their reunion a still firm ring. 
 A fact yet more curious is shown by a specimen in the collec- 
 tion of the museum of the laboratory of legal medicine at 
 Lyons. The genital organs of the cadaver of a woman of 
 twenty-eight or thirty years showed a hymen intact and firm, 
 but on examining the anal region it was surprising to find an 
 infundibuliform deformity with all the signs of sodomitical 
 habits, which of course rectified the opinion that had been made 
 regarding the chastity of this woman. 
 
 Many of the signs enumerated as peculiar to different call- 
 ings have no special anatomical characteristic that is easy to 
 distinguish with precision, consequently they do not present a 
 degree of certainty or constancy sufficient to be invoked as 
 strong medico-legal proof of identity. Moreover, the effects of 
 time or treatment may have caused alteration or disappearance 
 of many of the signs in question, which would at best be of 
 negative rather than of absolute value. 
 
 To arrive at an impartial appreciation of the relative value 
 of the professional stigmata as signs of identity, a certain 
 number of the signs should be thrown aside as illusory. 
 Others, on the contrar}^ are durable, special, and constant, and 
 assist in establishing the identity accordingly as the lesions or 
 alterations are complete or evident; but it should be borne in 
 mind that the physical alterations and chemical modifications 
 resulting from the exercise of certain trades are not in our 
 country so important from a medico-legal point of view as they 
 are in Europe, where class distinctions are more defined. 
 
 VALUE OF STAINS AND DIFFERENT IMPRINTS. 
 
 In the same manner that a very small portion or fragment 
 of the human body ma}" suffice to establish . the corpus delict i^ 
 so will minute remains or traces, as finger-marks, footprints,, 
 and other material surroundings, even smells or traces of per- 
 fume, be of great assistance to justice in determining the iden- 
 tity of both culprit and victim, and at the same time throw 
 light on the attendant circumstances of the deed. The traces 
 of a blood}' hand or foot, smears of tar or paint, the various 
 spots or stains found on fabrics, instruments, etc., may involve 
 questions of great nicety the relativity of which is apparent,.
 
 428 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 especially in criminal trials. Newspapers have familiarized 
 the jjublic with many cases of the kind, in which medical ex- 
 perts have demonstrated blood and other stains with sufficient 
 accuracy and positiveness to satisfy a jur}'. The Cronin case 
 is a notable instance. 
 
 Imprints made by finger-tips are known to be singularly 
 persistent. In four specimens of inked digit marks of Sir 
 William Herschel, made in the years 1860, 1874, 1885, and 
 1888 respectively, though there was a difference of twenty -eight 
 years between the first and last, no difference could be per- 
 ceived between the impressions. The forms of the spirals re- 
 mained the same, not only in general character, but in minute 
 and measurable details, as in the distances from the centre of 
 the spiral and in the direction at which each new ridge took its 
 rise. Sir William Herschel has made great use of digit-marks 
 for the purposes of legal attestation among natives of India.' 
 The extraordinary persistence of the papillary ridges on the 
 inner surface of the hands throughout life has been a theme of 
 discussion by the Royal Society,^ and Mr. Galton has devised 
 a method of indexing finger-marks.' 
 
 The IMPRESS OF A NAKED FOOT covered with blood maj^ 
 serve to direct the investigations of justice. In a criminal 
 affair in France, where eight individuals were implicated, com- 
 parative experiments upon the identity of the foot, made with 
 a view to determine to which of the individuals ought to be 
 attributed the bloody footprints found near a wardrobe, it was 
 shown that a degree of recognition could be established on repro- 
 ducing the footprints with defibrinated blood . From the eight 
 imprints of the left foot of each individual, impregnated with 
 blood, measures and comparisons could be made, thus helping 
 to establish the difference or the resemblance with those found 
 near the wardrobe. . 
 
 Imprints thus obtained may be looked upon as a kind of 
 documentary evidence, but too much importance should not be 
 attached to them as articles tending to prove criminality. The 
 futility of such evidence is shown in the varying sizes of differ- 
 ent impressions of the foot of the same person — first in rapid 
 
 >Med. Press and Circular, May May 28th, 1891. A medico-legal 
 
 30tli, 1888, p. 576. study of imprints maj' also be found 
 
 '^Phil. Trans., B., 1891. in Archiv d'Anthropologie Crimi- 
 
 3 See Proc. Roval Soc, London, nel, 15th July, 1891.
 
 VALUE OF STAINS AND DIFFERENT IMPRINTS. 439 
 
 progression, secondly by standing, and third by slow advance. 
 The results ajDpear less sure in the case of footprints made in 
 mud, sand, dust, or snow. Nevertheless many facts relating 
 thereto may be noted with great certainty. The question has 
 been mooted as to whether or not the impress left upon the soil 
 gives always the exact dimensions of the foot that has made 
 them. One side has contended that the footprints are a little 
 smaller, while the other refutes this opinion and thinks that 
 they are a little larger. The consistency of the soil, which 
 does not seem to have entered into the discussion, doubtless ac- 
 counts for the small differences that have given rise to this 
 discrepancy of opinion. The outline of the sole of the foot and 
 the relative position of the toes are more or less neatly designed 
 as the ground is more or less wet or soft. The means employed 
 for taking impressions of foot or other tracks in mud, etc., 
 show considerable ingenuity on the part of those who have 
 elaborated the subject. To discover foot-marks in mud, pow- 
 dered stearic acid is spread over the imprint and a heat of at 
 least 213° is applied from above. By this means a solid mould 
 may be taken of the imprint. These researches have been ex- 
 tended to the exact reproduction of imprints left upon snow by 
 pouring melted gelatine upon the imprint previously sprinkled 
 with a little common table salt, which rapidly lowers the tem- 
 perature of the snow about fifteen degrees and permits the 
 mould to be taken without too much hurry. The study has 
 been extended to the configuration of the plantar imprints in 
 tabetics, but it does not appear so far to be of much medico- 
 legal value. 
 
 The question may arise as to the length of time since the 
 imprints were made. This would, of course, depend upon 
 many circumstances, as weather, temperature, and the like. It 
 is a fact that in Greenland footsteps in snow have been recog- 
 nized many months after they were made. A few summers 
 ago, on an arctic expedition, I climbed Cape Lisbourne, 
 Alaska, in company with another person. The ground being 
 thawed in many places, our feet left very decided imprints in 
 the mud. A year afterward I visited the same spot, and on 
 again making the ascent was astonished to recognize the foot- 
 steps made the year before. 
 
 Circumstances sometimes direct expert attention to vestiges
 
 430 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 of other animals. The tracks of a dog or of a horse may become 
 the object of a medico-legal inquest. The books record a case 
 in which it was necessary to ascertain whether a bite had been 
 made by a large or a small dog. This question was settled by 
 producing the dogs and comparing their teeth with the scars. 
 Persons familiar with border life know the importance of trails 
 and the minute observation that is brought to bear on them by 
 the experienced frontiersman. In following cattle-thieves and 
 murderers, while with the Fourth United States Cavalrj^ on the 
 Rio Grande frontier, I have known the peculiarity of a horse's 
 footprint in the prairie to tell a tale of great significance. 
 
 Observation in this respect may extend to such apparently 
 trivial objects as the tracks of wheels, as those of a wagon, a 
 wheelbarrow, or a bicycle, or to the singular imprints left by 
 crutches or a walking-stick. The imprint left in the ground 
 by a cane usually occurs in the remarkable order of every two 
 and a half or every four and a half steps. Investigation of 
 such circumstances may result in material facts that may be of 
 great assistance in establishing the relation of one or several 
 persons with some particular act. 
 
 DEFORMITIES AND PATHOLOGICAL PECULIARITIES. 
 
 The existence of deformities or injuries is so apparent in 
 serving to establish identitj^ that it seems almost superfluous to 
 mention them, except for the purpose of deciding whether the 
 wounds were made during life or after death. In the matter 
 of gunshot wounds on persons who took part in the late Civil 
 War, many of whom unfortunately belong to the vagrant class 
 and are often found dead, their wounds sometimes afford excel- 
 lent means of identification. In many instances the multiple 
 character of these wounds is almost incredible. When on duty 
 at the Army Medical Museum, in connection with the prepara- 
 tion of the " Medical and Surgical History of the War of the 
 Rebellion," I saw a man who was literally wounded from the 
 crown of his head to the sole of his foot, the scars being fifty- 
 two in number. 
 
 Wounds made during life might show the suggillation 
 peculiar to bruises or traces of inflammation. Besides, the 
 gaping nature of the lips of the wound, the fact of hemorrhage
 
 DEFORMITIES AND PATHOLOGICAL PECULIARITIES. 431 
 
 having taken place and the coagulation of the blood, the infil- 
 tration of blood into the cellular tissue, etc., are surgical facts 
 that would leave but little doubt as to the infliction of the 
 wounds during life. 
 
 The cause of death is often a difficult matter to determine, 
 as it may have been accidental, suicidal, or the result of homi- 
 cide. The causes relating thereto are, moreover, so many and 
 varied that space and time compel a reference to other headings 
 of this work. In forming an opinion as to the prohahle date of 
 death the extent of putrefaction is the chief g-uide. If death 
 is quite recent, we may be guided by the post-mortem rigidity 
 or the extent to which the body has cooled. The march of 
 putrefactive decomposition would, of course, be regulated by 
 circumstances. It takes place very rapidly in persons who 
 have succumbed to excessive fatigue or to any disassimilative 
 excesses or derangement resulting in ante-mortem change of 
 the tissues, such as those occurring in virulent or infectious dis- 
 eases. The body of an infant decays more rapidly that that of 
 an adult. The course of putrefactive phenomena is also influ- 
 enced by the seasons, the extent of the exposure to air, and to 
 other mesological causes. There is a manifest difference in the 
 special putrefactive change accordingly as a body is buried in 
 the earth, submerged in a fluid, thrown into a cesspool, or 
 buried in a dung-heap. 
 
 In certain cases, especially where the body has been much 
 mutilated, it may be desirable to know whether there was one 
 or several murderers. While no definite rule can be laid down 
 on this point, we are justified in supposing that there were two 
 or more assassins when the body of the victim shows both gun- 
 shot and knife wounds, or that two persons were concerned in the 
 dismemberment and mutilation of a body which shows the 
 simultaneous presence of parts skilfullj^ cut, while others show 
 evident awkwardness. 
 
 Where there is more than one mortal ivound on the same 
 dead body, a question of medico-legal significance maj^ arise. 
 This occurred in the Burton murder case at Newport, R. I., 
 in 1885, which gave rise to discussion of the following abstract 
 question : " Whether it is jsossible for an individual, with sui- 
 cidal intent, and in quick succession, to inflict a perforating 
 shot of the head and another of the chest implicating the heart.
 
 432 IDENTITY — ROSSE. 
 
 Or, reversing the proposition, is it incredible that a person bent 
 on self-destruction can, with his own hand, shoot himself in 
 the heart and in the head?" 
 
 After consideration of the case referred to and reversal of 
 the previous decision of the coroner, the supposed suicide jiroved 
 to be a homicide. Yet if the abstract question of possibilities 
 is alone regarded, there is no doubt of the fact that a suicide 
 could shoot himself in such manner, both in the head and the 
 heart, or, changing the order, of shots in the heart and in the 
 head. The number of cases recorded establishes beyond a 
 doubt the feasibility of the self-infliction of two such wounds,, 
 and make it clear that the theory of suicide may be maintained 
 in such circumstances.' 
 
 JUDICIAL ANTHROPOMETRY. 
 
 Of late years the subject of anthropometric identification 
 has taken such a place before justice that it cannot be ignored 
 by the medical legist. The facts of scientific anthropology 
 have here been applied in such a way as to establish with great 
 certainty both the present and future identity of individuals 
 who attempt dissimulation of their name and antecedents. 
 The method used principally in the identification of criminals 
 and deserters from the army has been adopted in the public 
 service ^ and by most municipalities, with the exception of New 
 York, where the subsequent identification of persons connected 
 with municipal affairs has been and maybe a source of no little 
 embarrassment. 
 
 The system is based on three recognitory elements : photog- 
 raphy, anthropometric measurements, and personal markings, 
 from which a descriptive list is made that gives absolute cer- 
 tainty as to individual identity. 
 
 Owing to the illusory nature of photography and the difii- 
 culty in finding the portrait of any given individual in the 
 large and constantly increasing collection of a " rogues' gallery," 
 the matter has been simplified and facilitated by grouping the 
 photographic collection according to the six anthropological 
 
 ' See Annual of the Universal ^ See paragraph II. , General Or- 
 
 Medical Sciences, 1888, vol. v., pp. ders No. 33, Adjutant-General's 
 1^3-147. Office, April 1st, 1889.
 
 JUDICIAL ANTHROPOMETRY. 433 
 
 coefficients of sex, stature, age, and color of the eyes. Each of 
 these primordial groups is again subdivided in such a way as 
 to reduce the last group to a small number, when the portrait 
 is easily found and verified on comparing the measurements of 
 the head, of the extended arms, the length of the left foot, and 
 that of the left middle finger. 
 
 The photographic proof for each individual consists of two 
 portraits side by side, one of which is taken full face, the other 
 in profile of the I'ight side. On the back of the photographic 
 card is recorded with rigorous precision all personal markings 
 or peculiarities. 
 
 The measurements, which can be made by any person of 
 average intelligence in three or four minutes, are extremely 
 simple. The inght ear is always measured, for the reason that 
 this organ is always reproduced in the traditional photograph 
 which represents the right face. Other special measurements 
 are taken on the left side. The height sitting, dimensions ar d 
 character of the nose, color of eyes, etc., are also noted. 
 
 It is contended that by these measurements alone the iden- 
 tity of an individual whose face is not even known may be 
 established in another country by telegraph. The application 
 of the system has proved of great service in the apprehension 
 of deserters from the United States army (when the authorities 
 have been able to find the card), while it is claimed to have 
 caused the disappearance of numerous dissimulators of identity 
 in the prisons of Paris. The police authorities of that city 
 report that out of more than five hundred annual recognitions 
 by the foregoing means, not one mistake has yet occurred.' 
 
 To avoid a possible source of error mensuration of the 
 organs and the ascertainment of their form may be resorted to 
 in the case of a cadaver that is much decayed, or in one that 
 has been purposel}^ mutilated or burned by the assassin in order 
 to prevent recognition. A sufficient number of cases ma}^ be 
 cited in which the measurement of a limb or a bone of a 
 deceased person known to have been lame or deformed during 
 life has resulted in the establishment of identity or the re- 
 verse. 
 
 A mistake may be prevented in the case of supposed mutila- 
 tion of a drowned body, which may have been caused by the 
 
 ' In 1892 only three failures ai-e recorded. 
 
 28 ^
 
 434 IDENTITY— ROSSE. 
 
 screw of a passing steamer. Other errors may result from 
 carelessness, incorrect observation of signs, and neglect to fol- 
 low the ordinary precautions that should obtain in all researches 
 on identity of the dead body. 
 
 Certain cii'cumstances indicative of the mental state of the 
 culprit may throw light on the identity, A person of unsound 
 mind would certainly be suggested as the perpetrator of such a 
 deed as that of the woman already mentioned, who after killing 
 and cutting up her infant, cooked portions of the remains with 
 cabbage and served them at a meal of which she herself par- 
 took. Equally conclusive should be the inference in the case 
 cited by Maudsley of a person who, for no ascertainable motive, 
 kills a little girl, mutilates her remains, and carefully records 
 the fact in his note-book, with the remark that the body was 
 hot and good. 
 
 The handwriting left by the assassin might also furnish a 
 strong presumption as to the existence of a mental lesion, since 
 the writing of the insane is often characteristic, especially in 
 the initial stage of dementia, I recall the case of a former 
 patient, an aphasia, imprisoned for having stabbed a man in 
 the abdomen and for having wounded his wife in such a way 
 that her arm had to be amputated. Having lost the power to 
 express himself phonetically, this man used a book and pencil, 
 but his writing showed a degree of agraphia which alone 
 Avould establish his identity beyond a doubt. 
 
 While it is quite possible that dishonest transactions, and 
 even theft, may take place by telephone and the voices of the 
 perpetrators may be unmistakable between distant cities, it is 
 more likely that the phonographic registration of speech or 
 other sound by means of a gramophone should become a matter 
 of medico-legal investigation and a possible means that may 
 lend great assistance in establishing personal identity. Al- 
 though no precedent may be cited, it is not going into the 
 domain of theoretical hypothesis to mention a discover}- of 
 such real scientific certainty that for years after death, and 
 thousands of miles awaj^, gives an indefinite number of repro- 
 ductions that cannot possibly be mistaken b}" any one familiar 
 with the voice before it had become "Edisonized." Some 
 gramophone disks lately shown me from Germany registered 
 greetings and messages to relatives in Washington, who were
 
 JUDICIAL ANTHROPOMETRY. 435 
 
 delighted to recognize the exact reproduction of familiar tones 
 and accents of the Fatherland. 
 
 So limitless is the field of research in this direction that 
 there is scarcely an anthropological, biological, or medical dis- 
 covery that may not sooner or later be applied with profit in 
 the investigations of personal identity where the combined 
 efforts of an attorney and an expert are required. 
 
 After the most rigid and scrutinizing anatomical and 
 material examination is made and the closest inquisition entered 
 on, it may often be impossible to give a reasonable explanation 
 for the cause of the physical facts observed. The medical man 
 should remember that his is the one great exception to the rule 
 that rigidly excludes opinions, and that scientific men called as 
 witnesses may not give their opinion as to the general merits 
 of the case, but only as to the facts already proved. This quali- 
 fying rule being altogether reversed in investigations into 
 personal identity, and the physician's opinion as to identity 
 being indispensable, it becomes a matter of most serious import 
 that this opinion should be grounded upon absolute and well- 
 attested facts.
 
 MEDIOO-LEGAL DETEEMI^ATIOJ^ 
 
 OF 
 
 THE TIME OF DEATH. 
 
 BY 
 
 H. P. LOOMIS, A.M., M.D., 
 
 Professor of Pathology in the University of the City of New York; Visiting Physician 
 
 and Curator to BeUevue Hospital, Netv York; Pathologist to the 
 
 Board of Health, New York City; President New 
 
 York Pathological Society, etc., etc.
 
 MEDICO-LEGAL DETEEMIl^ATIOi^ OF 
 THE TIME OF DEATH. 
 
 SIGNS OF DEATH. 
 
 The cessation of respiration and the absence of audible heart- 
 beats are signs generally regarded as sufficient in themselves to 
 determine the reality of death. But persons have been resusci- 
 tated from a state of asphyxia or have recovered from a state of 
 catalepsy or lethargy in whom, to all appearances, the respira- 
 tory and circulatory processes have been arrested. 
 
 So it is advisable that we should be acquainted with some 
 absolute tests of death which are not connected with the heart- 
 sounds or the respiration. 
 
 It is well known that these important functions, although 
 apparently held in abeyance, must be speedily re-established so 
 as to be recognized, or death will rapidly follow. This condi- 
 tion of apparently suspended animation is seen among hibernat- 
 ing animals ; the bear, for instance, will remain for four or five 
 months without food or drink in a state of lethargy — the heart- 
 action and respiration hardly appreciable. Yet it will be suffi- 
 ciently rapid to sustain life during the slow metabolic processes. 
 A number of well-authenticated cases are reported in which 
 persons could slacken their heart-action, so that no movement 
 of the organ could be appreciated. The case of Colonel Town- 
 send, reported by Cheyne, is an example. He possessed the 
 power of apparently dying, by slowing his heart so that there 
 was no pulse or heart-action discernible. The longest period 
 he could remain in this inanimate state was half an hour. 
 
 Instances have occurred in the new-born child where 
 without question there have been no heart-beats or respirator}- 
 movements for a number of minutes, the limit being set at 
 five. 
 
 These are exceptional cases, and it is setting at defiance 
 
 4^9
 
 440 TIME OF DEATH — LOOMIS. 
 
 all physiological experience to suppose that the heart-action and 
 respiration can be suspended entirely when once they are estab- 
 lished, for a period as long. So, then, if no motion of the heart 
 occurs during a period of five minutes — a period five times as 
 great as observation warrants — death may be regarded as 
 certain. 
 
 The respiratory movements of the chest are sometimes very 
 difficult to observe. They can always be better appreciated if 
 the abdomen and chest are observed together. There are two 
 methods to determine whether respiration is absolutely sus- 
 pended or not. First, by holding a mirror in front of the open 
 mouth, observing whether any moisture collects on its surface. 
 Second, by placing on the chest a looking-glass or basin of 
 water, and reflecting from it an image by artificial or sun light. 
 The slightest movement would be registered by a change in 
 position of the image. While the writer considers the absence 
 of heart-beats and of respiratory movement an absolute test of 
 death, still some cases may occur in which the establishment 
 of this test is very difficult, and the following additional tests 
 may be employed : 
 
 1. Temperature of the body same as surrounding air. 
 
 2. Intermittent shocks of electricity at different tensions 
 passed into various muscles, giving no indication whatever of 
 irritability. 
 
 3. Careful movements of the joints of the extremities and of 
 the lower jaw, showing that rigor mortis is found in several 
 parts. 
 
 4. A bright needle plunged into the body of the biceps mus- 
 cle (Cloquet's needle test) and left there, showing on withdrawal 
 no signs of oxidation. 
 
 5. The opening of a vein, showing that the blood has under- 
 gone coagulation. 
 
 6. The subcutaneous injection of ammonia (Monte Verde's 
 test), causing a dirty-brown stain indicative of dissolution. 
 
 7. A fillet applied to the veins of the arm (Richardson's test), 
 causing no filling of the veins on the distal side of the fillet. 
 
 8. " Diaphanous test :" after death there is an absence of the 
 translucence seen in living people when the hand is held before 
 a strong light with the fingers extended and in contact. 
 
 9. " Eye test :" after death there is a loss of sensibility of the
 
 POST-MORTEM CHANGES. 441 
 
 eye to light, loss of corneal transparency, and the pupil is not 
 responsive to mydriatics. 
 
 POST-MORTEM CHANGES. 
 
 The human body after death undergoes certain changes 
 which will be discussed under the following heads; 
 
 1. Cooling of the bodj\ 
 
 2. Flaccidity of the body. 
 
 3. Rigor mortis. 
 
 4. Changes in color due to 
 (a) Cadaveric ecchymoses. 
 (&) Putrefaction. 
 
 Cooling of the Body. 
 
 Immediately after death there is a slight rise of tempera- 
 ture, supposed to be due to the fact that the metabolic changes 
 in the tissues still continue, while the blood is no longer cooled 
 by passing through the peripheral capillaries and lungs. 
 
 The body gradually cools and reaches the temperature of the 
 surrounding air in from fifteen to twenty hours; this is the 
 ordinary course, but the time may be influenced by a variety of 
 causes, such as the condition of the bod}' at the time of death, 
 manner of death, and circumstances under which the body has 
 been placed. 
 
 In certain diseases, as yellow fever, rheumatism, chorea, and 
 tetanus, the temperature of the body has been known to rise as 
 high as 104° F. and remain so for a time. Again, it has been ob- 
 served that when death has taken place suddenh', as from acci- 
 dent, apoplex}', or acute disease, the body retains its heat for a 
 long time. The bodies of persons dying from hanging, electro- 
 cution, suffocation, or poisoning b}' carbon dioxide, do not gen- 
 erally cool for from twentj'-four to forty-eight hours, and cases 
 are recorded where three da3's have elapsed before the body was 
 completely cold. On the other hand, bodies dead from chronic 
 wasting diseases or severe hemorrhage cool very rapidlj'", even 
 in four or five hours. 
 
 In determining the temperature of a dead body the hand is 
 not a reliable guide: the thermometer should always be used.
 
 442 TIME OF DEATH — LOOMIS. 
 
 Flaccidity. 
 
 The first effect of death from any cause is general relaxation 
 of the entire muscular system. The lower jaw drops, the eye- 
 lids lose their tension, the limbs are flabby and soft, and the 
 joints become flexible. 
 
 In from five to six hours after death, and generally while 
 the body is in the act of cooling, the muscles of the limbs are 
 observed to become hard and contracted, the joints stiff, and the 
 body unyielding. Muscles which are contracted in the death- 
 agony do not necessarily become relaxed at any time. 
 
 The muscular tissues in the dead body can be considered 
 as passing through three stages: (1) flaccid but contractile, 
 (2) rigid and incapable of contraction, (3) relaxed and incapable 
 of further contractility. 
 
 Rigor Mortis. 
 
 This is sometimes called cadaveric rigidity , and occurs gen- 
 erally within six hours after death and disappears within six- 
 teen to twenty-four hours. Many theories have been advanced 
 to account for it, but the most probable one is that the rigidity 
 is due to the coagulation of the myosin in the muscles by the 
 weak acids which are no longer removed from the system ; the 
 muscles always give an acid reaction and are opaque instead of 
 transparent; after putrefaction has set in ammonia is devel- 
 oped, the myosin dissolved, and so flaccidity results. 
 
 Rigor mortis occurs first in the muscles of tlie eyelid, next the 
 muscles of the lower jaw and neck are affected, then the chest 
 and upper extremities; afterward it gradually progresses from 
 above downward, affecting the muscles of the abdomen and 
 lower limbs. The rigidity disappears in the same sequence. 
 The period after death when rigor mortis manifests itself, 
 together with its duration, is chiefly dependent upon the previ- 
 ous degree of muscular exhaustion. Brown-Sequard has dem- 
 onstrated that the greater the degree of muscular irritability at 
 the time of death, the later the cadaveric rigidity sets in and 
 the longer it lasts. He has also shown that the later putrefac- 
 tion sets in, the more slowly it progresses.
 
 FLACCIDITY — RIGOR MORTIS. 443 
 
 The more robust the individual and the shorter the disease, 
 the more marked and persistent is this muscular rigidity. It 
 has been noticed that the bodies of soldiers killed in the begin- 
 ning of an engagement become rigid slowly, and those killed 
 late quickly. This explains the reason why bodies are some- 
 times found on the battle-field in a kneeling or sitting posture 
 with weapons in hand. 
 
 If the rigidity of rigor mortis after it is once complete is 
 overcome, as in bending an arm, it never returns ; but if in- 
 complete it may return. This will serve at times to distinguish 
 real death from catalepsy and its allied conditions. While the 
 average duration of rigor mortis has been given as sixteen to 
 twenty-four hours, iu must be remembered that in some cases 
 it has been known to last only a few hours, as in death by light- 
 ning or by electrocution. In other cases it has persisted for 
 seven and fourteen daj^s. 
 
 This long continuance of rigor mortis has been noted in 
 death from strychnine and other spinal poisons, in suffocation, 
 and in poisoning by veratrum viride. 
 
 Atmospheric conditions modify to a large extent the dura- 
 tion of rigor mortis. Dry, cold air causes it to last for a long 
 time, while warm, moist air shortens its duration. Also im- 
 mersion in cold water brings on rigor mortis quickly and 
 lengthens its duration. 
 
 Cadaveric Ecchymosis — Cadaveric Lividity or 
 Hypostasis. 
 
 Within a few hours after death the skin of the body, which 
 is of a pale, ashy-gray color, becomes covered b}^ extensive 
 patches of a bluish or purple color, which are most pronounced 
 and are first seen on the back part of the trunk, head extremi- 
 ties, ears, face, and neck, and are due to the blood, before coag- 
 ulating, settling in the most dependent parts of the body, pro- 
 ducing a mottling of the surface with irregular livid patches. 
 There is also a stagnation of blood in the capillary vessels, es- 
 pecially in those in the upper layer of the true skin or in the 
 space between the cuticle and cutis. The discoloration con- 
 tinues to increase until the body is cold, when it is entirely 
 arrested. Later on, just before putrefaction begins, the color
 
 444 TIME OF DEATH — LOOMIS. 
 
 deepens, and the change appears to proceed from an infiltration 
 of blood pigment into the dependent parts of the body. 
 
 At the same time the discolorations are appearing on the 
 surface of the body, internal hypostasis is also taking place, 
 most marked in the dependent portions of the brain, lungs, in- 
 testines, kidneys, and spinal cord. 
 
 This condition in the brain may be mistaken for so-called 
 congestive apoplexy ; in the lungs, for pulmonary apoplex}' or 
 tlie first stage of lobar pneumonia; in the intestines and spinal 
 meninges, for the beginning of inflammatory changes. 
 
 The position of these hypostases will afford the best correc- 
 tion for this possible error. The appearances presented by 
 cadaveric ecchymoses have often been mistaken for the effects 
 of violence applied during life. Innocent persons have been 
 accused and tried for murder or manslaughter on charges after- 
 ward proved to be groundless. Therefore it is of the utmost 
 importance that the medical jurist should be able to distinguish 
 between ante-mortem and post-mortem ecchymoses. 
 
 The following are the points of difference : 
 
 1. Situation. Post-mortem ecchymoses are seen on that por- 
 tion of the body which has been most dependent, generally the 
 posterior aspect, and they involve principally the superficial 
 layers of the true skin ; ante-mortem ecchymoses may occur any- 
 where, and generally the deeper tissues are discolored. 
 
 2. In cadaveric lividity there is no elevation of the skin 
 and the discoloration terminates abruptly. 
 
 3. After cutting into the tissues where an ecchymosis has 
 been produced by violence, the blood without the vessels is free 
 in the tissue ; this is not so in cadaveric ecchymosis. 
 
 4. Post-mortem ecchymoses are very extensive, ante-mortem 
 generally limited in area. 
 
 A peculiar appearance of cadaveric lividity is observed in 
 bodies which have been wrapped in a sheet and allowed to cool 
 or that have cooled in their clothing. It occurs in the form of 
 bands or stripes over the whole surface, and often gives an 
 appearance as of a person flogged. The explanation of this 
 appearance is that the congestion of the vessels takes place in 
 the interstices of the folds, while the parts compressed remain 
 whole. The unbroken condition of the cuticle, together with 
 the other characteristics just mentioned, are sufficient to distin-
 
 CADAVERIC ECCHYMOSIS — PUTREFACTION. 445 
 
 guish these ecchymoses from those produced by violence. While 
 cadaveric lividity is seen in all bodies after death, it is espe- 
 cially pronounced in those persons who have died suddenly in 
 full health or by violence, as from apoplexy, hanging, drown- 
 ing, or suffocation. It is very slight in the bodies of those 
 who have died from hemorrhage or anaemia. 
 
 The time at which cadaveric lividity appears varies greatly. 
 Casper, who has investigated the subject thoroughly, sets the 
 time at from twelve to fifteen hours after death. 
 
 Putrefaction. 
 
 At a period varying from a few hours to three days after 
 death, certain changes are seen in the human body which show 
 that putrefaction has commenced. A change of color appears 
 first upon the middle of the abdomen and gradually spreads 
 over the rest of the body ; it is first pale green, which gradually 
 deepens, and finally becomes purplish or brown. This change 
 in color is due to the action on the haemoglobin of the gases 
 developed by decomposition. Similar discoloration makes its 
 appearance on the chest, between the ribs, on the face, the neck, 
 the legs, and lastly on the arms, where it is more marked along 
 the large venous trunks, and has sometimes been mistaken for 
 marks of violence. The eyeballs become flaccid, and if exposed 
 to the air the conjunctiva and cornea become dry and brown. 
 Gases are formed, not only in the hollow organs of the abdo- 
 men but also in the skin. Those developed in the cavities of 
 the head and face force frothy, reddish fluid or mucus from the 
 mouth and nostrils, and may cause swelling of the features and 
 protrusion of the eyes and tongue. It must be remembered 
 that the gases while producing distention of the abdomen may 
 also cause changes in the position of the blood and slight dis- 
 placement of the organs; they may also force undigested food 
 into the mouth and into the larynx, and so lead to suspicion of 
 death from suffocation. 
 
 As putrefaction advances, after a period of five or six days 
 the entire surface of the body becomes green or brown, the cuti- 
 cle becomes loose and easily detached ; the tissues flaccid and 
 often bathed in a reddish serum in such situations as the neck, 
 the groin, and the back part of the scalp. The thorax and
 
 446 TIME OF DEATH — LOOMIS. 
 
 abdomen become enormously distended, the features distorted 
 and scarcely recognizable, and the hair and nails loosened. 
 Beyond this, it is impossible to follow the changes leading to 
 disintegration with any degree of certainty. The changes 
 which I have just described as produced by putrefaction are the 
 ordinary ones seen in a body exposed to the air at a moderate 
 temperature, but it must be remembered that the time and 
 rapidity of the development of these changes may be influenced 
 by a large number of factors, and that they are of very little 
 importance in estimating the time of death. I have seen bodies 
 buried two months that have shown fewer of the changes pro- 
 duced by putrefaction than others dead but a week. 
 
 The appearance of a body buried in a coffin will be as 
 follows after a period varying from a few months to one or two 
 years. The soft tissues will have become dry and brown and 
 the face and limbs covered with a soft white fungus. Hard 
 white crystalline deposits of calcium phosphate will be found 
 on the surface of the soft organs, and when found on the surface 
 of the stomach care should be taken not to confound them with 
 the effects of poison. . In time the viscera become so mixed to- 
 gether that it is diflficult to distinguish them. For the most part 
 the changes that take place in a body buried in a coffin are 
 similar, but much slower, to those that occur if the bod}' is 
 exposed to the air or buried in soil. Even under apparently 
 identical circumstances the most varied results have been ob- 
 served, so it is not possible for a medical jurist to fix a definite 
 period of death or the time of burial from the appearance of an 
 exhumed body. For example, Taylor records a case where after 
 thirtj'-four years' interment an entire and perfect skeleton was 
 discovered, surrounded by traces of shroud and coffin, while in 
 an adjoining grave all that remained of a body that had been 
 dead twenty-five years were the long bones and base of the 
 skull. In one case a body was found well preserved after six 
 years' burial and in another after even thirty j'ears' interment. 
 
 This brings us next to a consideration of those factors that 
 favor or retard decomposition.
 
 CIRCUMSTANCES FAVORING PUTREFACTION. 447 
 
 Circumstances Favoring Putrefaction. 
 
 1. Temperature. — Putrefaction advances most rapidly at 
 a temperature between 70° and 100° F, It may commence at 
 any temperature above 50° F., but it is wholly arrested at 32° F. 
 So one day's exposure of a body in summer may effect greater 
 changes than one week in winter. After freezing, putrefaction 
 takes place with unusual rapidity upon the thawing out of the 
 body. A temperature of 212° F. stops all putrefactive changes. 
 
 2. Moisture. — Putrefaction takes place only in the presence 
 of moisture. An excess of moisture, however, seems to retard 
 the process, possibly by cutting off the excess of air. The vis- 
 cera according to the amount of water they contain decompose 
 at different times after death — for instance, the brain and eye 
 rapidly, the bones and hair slowly. 
 
 3. Air. — Exposure to air favors decomposition by carr3^ing 
 to the body the micro-organisms which bring about putrefaction ; 
 absence of air soon arrests the changes : this is seen in bodies 
 hermetically sealed in lead coffins, which remain unchanged for 
 a long period of time. Moist rather than dr}" air favors putre- 
 faction by lessening evaporation. Air in motion retards while 
 still air favors the change. 
 
 It is to be remembered that a body decomposes more rapidly 
 in air than in water or after burial. Given similar tempera- 
 tures, the amount of putrefaction observed in a body dead one 
 week and exposed to the air will about correspond to one sub- 
 merged in water for two weeks or buried in a deep grave for 
 eight weeks. 
 
 4. Age. — The bodies of children decompose much more 
 rapidly than those of adults ; foetuses still more rapidly. Aged 
 bodies decompose slowh", probabl}^ on account of a deficienc}^ of 
 moisture. Fat and flabbj" bodies decompose quickly for the 
 same reason. 
 
 5. Cause of Death. — In cases of sudden death, as from 
 accident or violence, the body decomposes more rapidly than 
 when death results from disease. Putrefaction sets in early in 
 death from the infectious fevers, such as typhus, pyaemia, and 
 typhoid fever, also in death from suffocation bj' smoke or coal 
 gas, by strangulation or after narcotic poisoning. Those parts
 
 448 TIME OF DEATH — LOOMIS. 
 
 of a body which are the seat of bruises, wounds, or fractures 
 decompose rapidl}' ; this is especially seen in parts after a sur- 
 gical operation. 
 
 G. Manner of Burial. — When a body is buried in low 
 ground in a damp, swampy, clay soil, decomposition advances 
 rapidlj', as also when the grave is shallow so the body can be 
 exposed to constant variations of temperature. A porous soil 
 impregnated with animal and vegetable matter favors putrefac- 
 tion, as also burying a body without clothes or coffin ; this is 
 especially seen where infants have been thrown into the ground 
 and loosely covered with earth. 
 
 Circumstances Retarding Putrefaction. 
 
 1. The Temperature.— Below 32° F. and above 212° F. 
 putrefaction is entirely arrested. The rapiditj" of the change 
 considerably lessens as the temperature advances above 100° F. 
 A remarkable instance of the preservative power of cold is 
 given by Adolph Erman, who states that the body of Prince 
 Menschikoff, a favorite of Peter the Great, exhumed after 
 ninety-two years' burial in frozen soil, had undergone hardly 
 any change. Buried in hot sand as is seen in the desert, a body 
 putrefies very slowly and generally becomes mummified. 
 
 2. Moisture. — Absence of moisture retards decomposition. 
 In the dry air of the desert bodies have been preserved for a 
 long period of time. 
 
 3. Air. — If access of air to a body be prevented in any way 
 by its inclosure in a coffin, by closel}^ fitting clothes, or by com- 
 plete immersion in water, putrefaction is retarded. 
 
 4. Age. — Adults and old people decompose more slowly 
 than children. Males are said to change less rapidly than 
 females, lean people than fleshy ones. 
 
 5. Cause of Death.— Putrefaction is delayed after death 
 from chronic diseases unless they are associated with dropsy. 
 Poisoning by alcohol, chloroform, strychnine, and arsenic retard 
 putrefaction. In the latter case the putrefactive changes seem 
 to stop after they have once commenced, and often a result very 
 similar to mummification is seen. Death from the mineral 
 acids, especially sulphuric, appears to delay putrefaction. 
 
 6. Manner of Burial.— Putrefaction is retarded by burial
 
 CIRCUMSTANCES RETAEDING PUTREFACTION. 449 
 
 a short time after death; by interment on high ground, in dry, 
 sandy, or gravelly soil ; by having the grave deep, over six feet 
 in depth if possible ; by the body being well wrapped and secured 
 in a tight coffin, a lead one being the best in this respect. Lime 
 or charcoal applied freely about a body will retard decomposi- 
 tion, as will also injection of the body through the arteries with 
 such substances as arsenic, chloride of zinc, or antimony. The 
 ultimate effect of putrefaction is to reduce all bodies to inor- 
 ganic compounds, chiefly water, ammonia, and carbon dioxide. 
 Three conditions are necessary for its establishment, (1) a given 
 temperature, (2) moisture, (3) free access of air. 
 
 The order in which the various organs and tissues undergo 
 decomposition, as given by Casper, who has investigated the 
 subject carefully, is as follows: Trachea and larynx, brain of 
 infants, stomach and intestines, spleen, omentum and mesen- 
 tery, liver, brain of adults, heart and lungs, kidney, bladder 
 and oesophagus, pancreas, large vessels, and last of all the 
 uterus. 
 
 As the result of putrefaction, fluids, generally blood-stained, 
 collect in the serous cavities of the body, and should not be con- 
 founded with serous effusions occurring during life. So also 
 the softening of the organs and tissue resulting from decompo- 
 sition should be carefully distinguished from those resulting 
 from inflammation. These cadaveric softenings are most fre- 
 quently found in the brain, spleen, and gastro-intestinal mucous 
 membrane. Inflammatory softenings are differentiated by being 
 rarely general but almost always limited, by the substance of 
 the inflamed part being infiltrated with serum or pus and 
 showing traces of vascular injection. In doubtful cases the 
 pathologist should have recourse to the microscope. 
 
 As the result of putrefaction, various changes take place in 
 
 the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines which 
 
 simulate the effects of poisons. The color of the stomach varies 
 
 from red, which becomes brighter on exposure to the air, to a 
 
 brown, slate, or livid purple. We can only presume that these 
 
 color-changes are the result of irritant poisons when they are 
 
 found in non-dependent parts and parts not in contact with 
 
 organs engorged with blood, when they are seen soon after 
 
 death, and when the membrane is covered with coagulated 
 
 blood, mucus, or flakes of membrane. 
 29
 
 450 TIME OP DEATH — LOOMIS. 
 
 Effects on Putrefaction of Submersion in Water. 
 
 There are certain modifications of the putrefactive changes 
 when bodies have been submerged in water. In the first place, 
 the changes are much less rapid ; they often do not show them- 
 selves until about the twelfth day, and then as discolorations 
 appearing generally first about the ears and temples, then on 
 the face, from which they spread to the neck, shoulders, chest, 
 abdomen, and finally to the legs. This is almost the inverse 
 order of the putrefactive changes in bodies exposed to the air. 
 As a result of the formation of gases, the body in a short time 
 becomes buoyant ; after floating on the surface of the water for 
 a time, the gases escape and the body sinks, rising a second 
 time when fresh gas has formed. 
 
 The rapidity of decomposition in water varies, being most 
 rapid when the temperature is from G4° to 68° F. Stagnant as 
 well as shallow water favors putrefaction. If a body becomes 
 coated with mud the change is delayed. Submersion in a cess- 
 pool also retards it, and the conditions are such as to favor the 
 formation of adipocere. 
 
 After a body has been removed froin the water an exposure 
 of a very few hours to the air causes rapid decomposition, so 
 that in twenty-four hours more marked changes may occur than 
 would have resulted from a fortnight's longer submersion. The 
 face soon becomes bloated and black, so that identification is 
 well-nigh impossible. It is quite important in medico-legal 
 cases to estimate the time which has elapsed since death in 
 bodies found submersed in water. The following are the vari- 
 ous changes ordinarily seen at different periods of time, as 
 estimated by Devergie, who has especially investigated the 
 subject : 
 
 First Four or Five Days. — Little change : rigor mortis 
 may persist, particularly if the water is cold. 
 
 Fourth or Fifth Day.— Skin of the ball of the thumb and 
 little finger, also the lateral surface of the fingers, begins to 
 whiten. This whitening gradually extends to the palms of the 
 hands and soles of the feet. The skin of the face will appear 
 softened and of a more faded white than the rest of the bodj". 
 
 Fifteenth Day. — Face slightly swoUen and red ; a greenish
 
 EFFECTS OP SUBMERSION IN WATER — SAPONIFICATION. 451 
 
 spot begins to form on the neck and skin^ of the mid-sternum. 
 The skin of the hands and feet is quite white and wrinkled. 
 The subcutaneous ceUular tissue of the thorax is reddish and 
 the upper part of the cortical substance of the brain of a green- 
 ish tint. 
 
 At One Month. — The face is reddish-brown, the eyelids 
 and lips green and swollen, and the neck slightly green. A 
 greenish discoloration is also seen over the upper and middle 
 part of the sternum. The skin is wrinkled. The hair and 
 nails still remain intact. The scrotum and penis are distended 
 by gas. The lungs become very emphysematous and overlap 
 the heart. 
 
 Saponification. 
 
 When the bodies were removed from the Cimetiere des Inno- 
 cents in Paris, in 1786, Fourcray observed that many of them 
 had been converted into a substance which he termed adipo- 
 CERE. He gave it this name because it resembles both fat 
 {adeps) and wax {cera). Under certain circumstances which 
 will be considered later, it is known to be a late jjroduct of the 
 putrefactive processes. Adipocere is a substance of a cheese- 
 like consistency, yellow or yellowish-brown in color, and com- 
 posed chiefly of a mixture of the fatty acids. Chevreul has 
 shown by analysis that it is a true ammoniacal soap, but that 
 when formed in water impregnated with lime a calcareous 
 may be substituted for an ammoniacal base. This may take 
 place either in a body exposed to river-water or buried in a grave 
 wet by water containing calcium carbonate or sulphate. Sapon- 
 ification can only take place when animal fat is in contact with 
 nitrogenous matter. Neither fat nor fibrin when kept separate 
 will saponify. Skin deprived of all its fat will not be trans- 
 formed into adipocere. 
 
 Saponification commences in the fat of the female breast, of 
 the cheeks and other parts of the body where large accumula- 
 tions of fat are found, such as around the kidneys and in the 
 omentum. As fat is distributed extensively^ throughout the 
 body, nearly all parts may undergo this transformation. Taylor 
 gives the following conditions as favorable to the change : 
 
 1. Bodies of young persons, because the fat is abundant and 
 chiefly external.
 
 452 TIME OF DEATH — LOOMIS. 
 
 2. Bodies of corpulent adults. 
 
 3. Exposure of bodies to the soil of water-closets. 
 
 4. The immersion of bodies in water, the change taking 
 place more rapidly in running than in stagnant water. 
 
 5. Humid soil, especially when bodies are placed in it one 
 upon the other. In this case the lowest of them is first changed. 
 
 When a body has been completely saponified it may remain 
 in this state for years. In one instance, after seventeen years' 
 burial many of the organs could still be recognized. 
 
 The time required for saponification to take place is some- 
 times of medico-legal importance. Three years are usually 
 necessary for bodies buried in the earth. The change occurs 
 more rapidly in water. Cases are recorded where the body of a 
 new-born child was completely saponified in six weeks, and 
 again, the change had commenced in a body which had been in 
 the water about four months ; but these are unusual cases. 
 
 DATA UPON WHICH OPINION AS TO TIME OF DEATH IS 
 
 FORMED. 
 
 The changes which take place in a body before putrefaction 
 sets in may enable a medical jurist to form an opinion as to the 
 probable time which has elapsed since death ; yet it must be 
 remembered, to pronounce the time which has elapsed can only 
 be done approximately, for very many conditions will have to be 
 considered, which will vary in each individual case. The im- 
 portance of considering the minutest detail is well illustrated 
 by the death of Prince de Conde, Duke of Bourbon, who was 
 found dead in his bedroom in the chateau of St. Cyr. When 
 discovered at 8 o'clock in the morning the deceased was found 
 partly undressed, hanging by his cravat to one of the window 
 shutters. The body was cold and the lower extremities rigid. 
 As in asphyxia from hanging the warmth of the body is usually 
 preserved longer than under common circumstances, viz. , from 
 twelve to fifteen hours, before which period rigidity is seldom 
 complete, the medical examiner inferred that the deceased must 
 have died very soon after he retired to his bedroom on the pre- 
 vious night. As this was proven to have been 10 p.m., it fol- 
 lowed that only ten hours had elapsed — a short time for cooling 
 and rigidity to have taken place. It was thus rendered proba-
 
 DATA AS TO TIME OF DEATH. 453 
 
 ble that the hanging took place soon after deceased reached his 
 bedroom. It was alleged that the duke had been murdered, 
 and that his body had been afterward suspended to create a 
 suspicion of suicide. The condition of the body was, among 
 other things, adverse to this opinion. From 10 to 12 o'clock 
 it was proved there were numerous attendants moving about 
 near the duke's apartments. They would have heard an 3^ un- 
 usual noise the duke must have made in resisting his assailant. 
 But no noise was heard in the room at that or any other time, 
 and the presumption of this being a homicide was thus strongly 
 rebutted. 
 
 Cadaveric rigidity, while often it will aid to, is not a 
 reliable guide. When once it is established it may remain 
 two, three, or four days, according to the season of the year and 
 other circumstances, and when it exists there is no rule by 
 which it can be determined whether a body has been in this 
 state three hours or three days. 
 
 Putrefaction, while appearing on an average, under a 
 mean temperature, in from three to six days, is yet influenced 
 by many circumstances. The heat and moisture of the sur- 
 roundings, the age, sex, amount of flesh on the bod}^ mode of 
 death, position and coverings of body, all must be considered. 
 
 The temperature of the body aids us, yet the retention of 
 warmth by the abdominal viscera may be met with in a marked 
 degree twenty hours after death ; in one case, personally known 
 to me, the thermometer registered 76° F. seventeen hours after 
 death. 
 
 The temperature of the body, its rigidity, and the evidences 
 of putrefaction all furnish data from which we can estimate 
 the probable time which has elapsed since death. It must be 
 remembered that no one of them furnishes any positive proof. 
 
 Some medical jurists have attempted to give a more definite 
 character to these changes in the recentlj^ dead body by divid- 
 ing the interval between the stopping of the heart's action and 
 the beginning of putrefaction into three periods. In the first, 
 the warmth, pliabilitj', and muscular irritability remain. In 
 the second, these conditions are lost and the body is cold and 
 rigid. In the third, the body is cold and pliant, the muscles 
 are relaxed, and the joints are flexible, the cadaveric rigidity 
 having entirely ceased.
 
 454 TIME OF DEATH — LOOAIIS. 
 
 There can be no doubt about the existence of these stages, 
 but when we come to define the precise time at which one 
 begins and the other ends, we find it impossible. For example, 
 the first stage embraces a period which cannot be more closely- 
 defined than by stating that the person may have been dead 
 from a few minutes to twenty hours — a statement too vague to 
 be upheld by a counsel who defends a prisoner. 
 
 The changes which take place in these periods and the 
 average time they last have been given as follows by Devergie : 
 
 First Period, Few Minutes to Twenty Hours. — Character- 
 ized by warmth of the body and general or partial relaxation of 
 the voluntary muscles. To what portion of this period the special 
 case belongs must be estimated according to the degree of heat 
 in the trunk and extremities and the degree of' rigidity in the 
 muscles, the neck and the jaws commonly showing this condi- 
 tion first, the legs last. Warmth of the body rarel}^ remains as 
 long as twenty hours ; in general it is sensibly cold in from ten 
 to twelve hours. During this period the muscles are suscepti- 
 ble of contraction under the galvanic current, and in the early 
 stage under the stimulus of blows. 
 
 Second Period, Ten Hours to Three Days. — The body is 
 perfectly cold throughout and rigidity is well marked. The 
 muscles no longer respond to stimuli. The duration of this period 
 seems long, yet in one instance the body will be found cold and 
 rigid nine hours after death. Again, cooling and rigidity may 
 not come on for three or four days. 
 
 Third Period, Tliree to Eight Days. — The body is per- 
 fectly cold. The limbs and trunk pliant and free from cadaveric 
 rigidity. The muscles are not capable of contracting. In sum- 
 mer this period is much shorter ; often it will come on before 
 three days. 
 
 Putrefaction commences when a body is kept under the 
 most favorable conditions, in from six to twelve days, as a slight 
 greenish discoloration of the abdomen which gradually spreads 
 throughout the body. The time at which putrefaction shows 
 itself and the rapidity with which it advances is dependent 
 upon so many factors, many of which it is impossible often for 
 the medical examiner to ascertain, that too much reliance must 
 not be placed upon it. Casper estimates the following to be the 
 average changes generally found in the periods of time given :
 
 DATA AS TO TIME OF DEATH. 455 
 
 Twenty-four to seventy-two hours after death a slight 
 green color is visible over the centre of the abdomen. The eye- 
 balls are soft and yield to external pressure. 
 
 Three to five days after death the green color of the 
 abdomen becomes intensified and general, spreading if the body 
 be exposed to the air or buried in the ground in the following 
 order: genitals, breast, face, neck, upper and lastly lower ex- 
 tremities. 
 
 Eight to ten days after death the discoloration becomes 
 more intense, the face and neck presenting a shade of reddish- 
 green. The ramifications of the superficial veins on the neck, 
 breast, and limbs become ver}' apparent. Finally the patches 
 congregate. Gases begin to be developed and distend the ab- 
 domen and hollow organs and to form under the skin in the 
 subcutaneous and intermuscular tissue. The cornea falls in 
 and becomes concave. The sphincter ani relaxes. 
 
 Fourteen to twenty -one days after death the discolora- 
 tion over the whole body becomes intensely green, with brown- 
 ish-red or brownish-black patches. The body is bloated and 
 appears greatly increased in size from the development of gases 
 within the abdomen, thorax, and scrotum, and also in the cel- 
 lular tissue of the body generally. The swollen condition of the 
 eyelids, lips, nose, and cheeks is usually of such extent as to 
 obliterate the features and to destroy the identity of the body. 
 The epidermis peels off in patches, while in certain parts, more 
 particularl}^ the feet, it will be raised in blisters filled with red 
 or greenish liquid, the cuticle underneath frequently appearing 
 blanched. The color of the iris is lost. The nails easily sepa- 
 rate and the hair becomes loosened. 
 
 Fourth to sixth month after death the thorax and ab- 
 domen burst and the sutures of the skull give way from the 
 development of gases within the head. The viscera appear 
 pulpy, or perhaps disappear, leaving the bones exposed. The 
 bones of the extremities separate at the joints. At an advanced 
 stage the soft parts gradually disappear. 
 
 In giving an opinion as to how long a time has elapsed 
 since death when a body has undergone marked putrefactive 
 changes, we must consider carefully not only the conditions 
 of the organs, but the mode of death and the "surroundings." 
 By these I mean the quantity of clothing worn, the depth of the
 
 456 TIME OF DEATH — LOOMIS. 
 
 grave in which the body has been interred, the season of the 
 year, the heat and moisture of the atmosphere. The question 
 sometimes presents itself to the medical examiner, Of two per- 
 sons found dead, which died first? The importance of this 
 point was well illustrated in the " Lizzie Borden case." By a 
 careful consideration of all the conditions presented by each 
 body in the ways I have indicated, the question will not ordi- 
 narily be a difficult one to decide.
 
 THE 
 
 MEDICO-LEGAL COT^TSIDEEATIOjST 
 
 OF 
 
 WOUNDS, 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 PUNCTITKED AND INCISED WOUNDS, AND AYOUNDS 
 
 MADE BY BLUNT INSTRUMENTS OTHER 
 
 THAN GUNSHOT WOUNDS. 
 
 BY 
 
 GEORGE WOOLSEY, A.B., M.D., 
 
 Professor of Anatomy and Clinical Surgery in the Medical Department of the Uni- 
 versity of the City of New York ; Surgeon to Bellevue Hospital ; Member 
 Medical Society of the County of Neiv York, New York Academy 
 of Medicine, New York Surgical Society, etc. , etc.
 
 AVOUXDS. 
 
 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF 
 
 WOUNDS. 
 
 The surgical and medico-legal ideas of wounds are quite 
 different, the latter including the former as well as other varie- 
 ties of injuries. 
 
 Definitions. — Surgically a ivouncl means a solution of con- 
 tinuity and refers to every such lesion produced by external 
 violence or developing spontaneously. The medico-legal ac- 
 ceptation of the term is much broader and includes any injur}^ 
 or lesion caused by mechanical or chemical means. Vibert * 
 quotes Fodere as defining a wound medico-legally as, " Every 
 lesion of the human body by a violent cause of which the results 
 are, singly or combined, concussion, contusion, puncture, inci- 
 sion, tear, burn, twist, fracture, luxation, etc. ; whether the 
 cause is directed against the body or the body against the 
 cause. " The same author quotes another definition of a wound 
 as, " Every lesion however slight, resulting in concerning or 
 affecting the body or health of an individual." Taylor ^ defines 
 a wound in a medico-legal sense as " a breach of continuity in 
 the structures of the body whether external or internal, sud- 
 denly occasioned by mechanical violence." Thus, the term 
 wound in its medico-legal acceptation includes not only sur- 
 gical wounds but contusions, fractures, burns, concussion, etc. 
 In France at least the voluntary inoculation of syphilis has 
 been considered as coming under the category of wounds.' 
 
 Medico-legallj^, the severity of a wound is much more im- 
 portant than the kind of wound. Thus we may consider 
 wounds according to their comparative gravity, as mortal, 
 severe, or slight. 
 
 ' " Precis de Med. Leg. , " 2d Ed. , ' Arret du tribunal de Lyon, 8 et 
 
 1890. ISdecembre, 1859. 
 
 -"Med. Jurisprud. ," 11th Amer. 
 Ed., 1892.
 
 460 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 A mortal wound is one which is directly fatal to life in a 
 comparatively short time, usually from hemorrhage, shock, or 
 the injury of a vital part. A wound may result fatally with- 
 out being a mortal wound, as when a slight wound causes death 
 on account of some wound infection. 
 
 Severe ivounds, or " wounds causing grievous bodily harm," 
 as they have long been called, do not put life in imminent dan- 
 ger, though they may be inconvenient or detrimental to health. 
 Pollock, C. B., says that a wound causing grievous bodily harm 
 is " any wound requiring treatment. " 
 
 A medical opinion or certificate may be required as to the 
 danger of a given wound, and on this opinion may depend the 
 question of bail for the prisoner. By the danger of a wound in 
 such a case is usually meant imminent danger, as any wound 
 maj^ be remotely dangerous to life. 
 
 Slight wounds, as already stated, may result fatally under 
 certain conditions. Under the French practice a slight wound 
 is one which does not incapacitate one from work for more 
 than twenty days. Looked at in another way, slight or severe 
 wounds may be classified according as they are completely 
 curable, leaving no infirmity or disturbance of function, or not 
 completely curable. The latter are such as are necessarily fol- 
 lowed by permanent or temporary infirmity. 
 
 The question as to the severity of any given wound may 
 sometimes be left to the jury to decide from the description of 
 the wound, or a medical opinion may be required. 
 
 Although the intent of the assailant is often of equal or 
 greater importance than the severity or kind of wound, yet 
 this can only occasionally be inferred from the surgical aspects 
 of the wound. 
 
 The classes of wounds to be treated in the following pages 
 are incised and punctured wounds and wounds with blunt in- 
 struments, some of the characteristics of which we will now 
 consider. 
 
 Incised "wounds are such as are produced by a cutting in« 
 strument, and they are distinguished b}^ the following charac- 
 teristics: They measure more in length than in the other 
 dimensions. They are usually straight in direction, though 
 not infrequently curved, and they may even be zig-zag, espe- 
 cially where the skin lies in folds. The edges of an incised
 
 INCISED WOUNDS. 4G1 
 
 wound are linear, and show no signs of contusion. They are 
 either inverted or everted and the edges and sides of the wound 
 are retracted. The eversion of the skin is due to its elasticity, 
 but in some regions of the bodj', e.g., in the scrotum, etc., the 
 skin is inverted owing to the contraction of the muscle fibres 
 immediately beneath. The gaping of the wound is due to the 
 retraction of the divided muscles and fibrous structures. It 
 varies according as the muscles are cut directly across or more 
 lengthwise, and in proportion to the distance of the wound 
 from the points of attachment of the muscles. 
 
 The fibrous tissues, fascije, and aponeuroses retract less, 
 and so give a somewhat irregular surface to a large wound. 
 
 Ogston ' divides incised wounds into three parts, the com- 
 mencement, centre, and end, of which the end often has two or 
 more serrations differing from the commencement, which has 
 but a single point. There are often one or more slight, super- 
 ficial, tentative incisions situated almost always, though not in- 
 variably, near the commencement.^ The deepest part of the 
 wound is more often near the commencement. If there are 
 angular flaps on the edges their free angles point to the com- 
 mencement of the wound. 
 
 Coagula and clots of blood are to be found in the wound, 
 more or less filling it up if it has not been interfered with. On 
 examination the ends of the divided vessels are found plugged 
 with clots which may protrude somewhat from their openings. 
 
 If the wound is seen very shortly after its infliction, hemor- 
 rhage is in progress, and the divided arteries show their posi- 
 tion by their individual, intermittent jets of blood. The sever- 
 ity of incised wounds depends upon the amount of hemorrhage, 
 which is greater the deeper and larger the wound, and the 
 more vascular the tissues in which it occurs, especially if large 
 and important vessels are concerned. In the latter case an 
 incised wound may be very rapidly fatal. 
 
 Incised wounds present the least favorable conditions for the 
 spontaneous arrest of hemorrhage of any form of wounds. The 
 edges of an incised wound may be quite rough and even dentated 
 or lacerated if the edge of the weapon be rough and irregular. 
 
 The kind and condition of a weapon which has produced a 
 
 '"Lectures on Med. Jurisprud. , " '^ See Figs. 10 and 11. 
 
 1878, pp. 422, 423.
 
 4G2 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 given incised wound may often be learned by an examination 
 of the characteristics of the wound. 
 
 Weapons cutting by their weight as well as by the sharp- 
 ness of their edges, such as axes, etc., may cause a certain 
 amount of contusion about a wound ; they crush the soft parts 
 to a certain extent, and the bones may be indented or even 
 fractured. 
 
 Wounds caused by fragments of bottles, pieces of china, 
 earthenware, or glass, though strictly speaking incised wounds, 
 are often curved, angular, and irregular, and their edges jagged 
 and contused. 
 
 Wounds caused by scissors may sometimes be of the nature 
 of incised wounds. When they present a double wound of 
 triangular shape, with the apex of the triangle blunt, they are 
 more of the nature of punctured wounds. In general a "tail" 
 or long angle in the skin at one end of an incised wound indi- 
 cates the end of the wound last inflicted, and some light may 
 thus be thrown upon the inflicter of the wound. 
 
 Incised wounds present very favorable conditions for healing 
 by primary union, but often fail in this and heal by secondary 
 union. When an incised wound fails to unite by primary 
 union, bleeding continues for several hours or even as long as a 
 da}^ the blood being mixed more or less with a serous dis- 
 charge. The latter continues until the third day or so. By the 
 fourth or fifth day the surface has begun to granulate, and there 
 may be a more or less profuse purulent discharge from the sur- 
 face. The granulating surfaces do not necessarily discharge 
 pus, however. For some days, therefore, after the infliction of 
 an incised wound, or until the surface is covered with granu- 
 lations, the characteristics of the wound permit of a diagnosis 
 as to the nature of the wound. 
 
 The diagnosis of an incised wound is generally without 
 difficulty. Some wounds by blunt instruments, however, in 
 certain regions of the body, resemble incised wounds very 
 closely. Such instances are found where a firm, thin layer of 
 skin and subjacent tissue lies directly over a bony surface or a 
 sharp ridge of bone. These are seen most often in the scalp or 
 in wounds of the eyebrow where the sharp supra-orbital ridge 
 cuts through the skin from beneath. The diagnosis of an in- 
 cised wound can often be made with great probability from the
 
 PUNCTURED WOUNDS, STABS, ETC. 463 
 
 cicatrix. This is especially the case if the wound has healed 
 by primary union and the cicatrix is linear. 
 
 The prognosis in incised wounds is good as to life unless a 
 large vessel has been divided or unless an important viscus 
 has been penetrated. The prognosis as to function varies with 
 the position and extent of the wound, and the circumstance of 
 the healing of the wound. 
 
 Punctured Wounds, Stabs, etc. — These are character- 
 ized by narrowness as compared to depth, though the depth is 
 not necessarily great. They are more varied in character than 
 incised wounds owing to the great variety of form of the weapons 
 by which they may be made. From the form, etc. , of a partic- 
 ular wound we may often infer the variety of weapon by which 
 it was produced. According to the weapon used, punctured 
 wounds have been divided into several classes, of which M. 
 Tourdes distinguishes four: 1st. Punctured wounds by cylin- 
 drical or conical instriiments like a needle. If the instru- 
 ment be very fine like a fine needle, it penetrates by separating 
 the anatomical elements of the skin, etc., without leaving a 
 bloody tract. Such wounds are generally inoffensive, even when 
 penetrating, if the needle is aseptic, and they are difficult to ap- 
 preciate. On the cadaver it is almost impossible to find the tract 
 of such a wound. If the instrument be a little larger it leaves 
 a bloody tract, but it is difficult to follow this in soft tissues, 
 more easy in more resistant structures, such as tendon, aponeu- 
 rosis, cartilage, or serous membrane. 
 
 If the instrument be of any size this variety of punctured 
 wounds presents a form quite different from that of the weapon. 
 Instead of a round wound it is generally a longitudinal wound 
 with two very acute angles and two elongated borders of equal 
 length, showing but little retraction. This is the shape of the 
 wound even when the instrument producing it is so large that 
 the resulting wound resembles that made by a knife (see Fig. 
 2). The direction of the long axis of these wounds varies in 
 different parts of the body and is uniform in the same part. 
 Their shape and direction are explained by the tension of the 
 skin or still more clearly by the direction of the fibres of the 
 skin, just as with the same round instrument in a piece cf wood 
 a longitudinal opening or split would be made parallel to the grain 
 (see Fig. 1). In some regions, as near the vertebrae, the fibres
 
 464 
 
 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 may run in dififerent directions, and the resulting wound is stel- 
 late or triangular in shape as if a many-sided instrument had 
 caused it. As the direction of the fibres of the various tissue 
 layers, such as aponeuroses, serous and mucous membranes, etc.,. 
 
 
 
 Fig. 1.— Direction of the Long Axis of Wounds of the Back caused by Conical Instruments. 
 
 (After Longer.) 
 
 may be different, a deep wound involving several such layers 
 would have a different direction for each layer. In illustration of 
 this, examine the figure of a wound through the wall of the 
 stomach (see Fig. 3) . 
 
 The wounds above described when large are smaller than
 
 PUNCTURED WOUNDS BY INSTRUMENTS. 
 
 4G5 
 
 the weapon, as the splitting of the skin has certain limits and 
 also owing to the elasticity of the skin, which is put on the 
 stretch by the weapon and relaxed on its withdrawal. When 
 
 Fig. 2.— Slit-like Wound caused by a Pointed 
 Conical Instrument 2.5 cm. in Diameter. Nat- 
 ural size. 
 
 Fig. 3.— Wounds of Stomach Wall'by 
 a Conical Instrument, showinf? the Dif- 
 ferent Direction of the Long Axis of the 
 Wounds in Different Layers. 
 
 such wounds are small they are larger as a rule than the in- 
 strument causing them. 
 
 2d. Punctured wounds by instruments both sharp-pointed 
 and cutting, like a knife or dagger. If these wounds are per- 
 pendicular to the surface, they have 
 more or less the form of the weapon 
 used. The angles may show whether 
 the knife, etc., had one or two cut- 
 ting edges, but even though the 
 back of the knife is broad the wound 
 may resemble one caused by a 
 double-edged weapon. Thus stab- 
 wounds from a common pocket- 
 knife show only exceptionally a 
 wedge-shape, but regularly a slit, 
 the edges of which are slightly 
 curved to one another and end in 
 two acute angles. The reason of 
 this lies in the fact that the wound 
 is only caused by the cutting edge of 
 the knife, so that we cannot tell as a 
 rule which angle was occupied by the back of such a knife (Figs. 
 4 and 5) . The depth of these wounds may equal the length of 
 the weapon or be almost any degree less, but the depth may 
 30 
 
 Fig. 4.— stab-Wound of the Skin 
 with a Knife a Few Minutes before 
 Death.
 
 466 
 
 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 Fig. 5. 
 
 -Nine Suicidal Stab- Wounds in the Region of the Heart 
 made by a Knife used for Cutting Rubber. 
 
 even be greater than the length of the weapon by reason of a 
 depression of the parts at the time of the blow. The wound 
 is often shorter and broader than the weapon causing it, 
 __^^__^^^ though more often 
 
 ■•''^ - -- . • :-S:^-ix^;^£L-.'^ ^^ ^g larger than the 
 
 weapon from the ob- 
 1 i q u i t y of the 
 wound and the 
 movement of the 
 weapon on being 
 withdrawn. The 
 wound is smaller 
 than the instrument 
 where the parts are 
 on the stretch at the 
 time the wound is 
 inflicted. 
 
 This variet}' of 
 punctured wounds 
 may resemble the 
 former class in the direction of its long axis, if the cutting 
 edge of the instrument is blunt. The regularity and smoothness 
 of the edges distinguish them from certain contused wounds. 
 
 3d. Wounds tnade by instru- 
 ments with ridges or edges, files, 
 foils, etc. If the edges are cutting 
 the wound presents more or less the 
 shape of the weapon (Fig. 6). But 
 this is not alwaj^s so, probably from 
 the instrument puncturing oblique- 
 ly or from the tissues being unequal- 
 ly stretched (Fig.7) . If the edges 
 are not cutting the wound resem- 
 bles those of the first class, though 
 the edge often presents little tears, 
 and the wound may thus be more 
 or less elliptical with two un- 
 equal angles. The wound of entrance and exit may be different. 
 4th. Irregular perforating instruments, the wounds from 
 which resemble contused wounds. 
 
 Fig. 6.— stab- Wounds caused by a 
 Three-Sided Sharp-Edged Pointed In- 
 strument.
 
 CONTUSIONS AND CONTUSED WOUNDS. 
 
 467 
 
 Contusions and Contused Wounds. — A contusion is a 
 wound of living tissues by a blow of a hard body, not sharp- 
 edged or pointed, or by a fall, crushing, or compression, and 
 without solution of continuity of the skin. A contusion usually 
 involves a moderately large surface in comparison to the two 
 other classes of wounds. Contusions are of all degrees of sever- 
 ity. If the blow or injury is slight, there is only slight redness 
 and swelling of the skin with pain, disappearing in a few hours, 
 and leaving no traces. If the blow be harder it produces more 
 or less crushing of the 
 tissues, accompanied 
 by ecchymosis with or 
 without a wound or ex- 
 coriations of the skin, 
 etc. The contusion 
 may have the shape of 
 the contusing body, 
 such as a whip, the 
 fingers, etc. 
 
 Ecchymosis. — 
 This is characteristic, 
 as a rule, of contused 
 wounds. It consists in 
 the infiltration of blood 
 into the tissues, espe- 
 cially the cellular tis- 
 sues. The source of the 
 blood is from the rupture of blood-vessels, and the size of the 
 ecchymosis varies partly with the number and size of the blood- 
 vessels, or with the vascularity of the part. The size of the ec- 
 chymosis also varies with the looseness of the tissues into which 
 it is infiltrated. This looseness of the tissues may be natural as 
 in the scrotum and eyelids, or it may be due to the attrition of the 
 tissues caused by the blow. An ecchymosis is larger when the 
 contused parts cover a bony or resisting surface, and there may 
 be no ecchymosis whatever, even from a severe blow, where the 
 underlying parts are soft and yielding, as is the case with the 
 abdominal parietes. Here we may have rupture of the viscera 
 without any signs of ecchymosis superficialh'. An ecchymosis 
 may be infiltrative or it may mostly occupy a cavity usually 
 
 Fig. 7.— Stab-Wounds caused by an Eight-Sided 
 Sharp-Edged Instrument. Some show a transition 
 stage to wounds made by a conical instrument.
 
 468 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 formed by a traumatic separation of the tissues ; this is espe- 
 cially the case in the scalp and extremities when the injury is 
 severe. These tumors, which are called liematomata, may be 
 rapidly absorbed or they may remain a long time and occasion- 
 ally suppurate. Sometimes the anatomical conditions, espe- 
 cially of the connective-tissue spaces, allow the extension or 
 migration of the ecchymosis under the action of gravity, even 
 to a considerable distance. When it meets an obstacle it accu- 
 mulates above it, as in the inguinal region for abdominal ec- 
 chymosis and at the knee for those of the thigh. The course 
 along which the ecchymosis travels is indicated externally by a 
 yellowish stain, soon disappearing, so that soon no sign persists 
 at the site of injury, but only below where the blood is arrested. 
 
 An ecchymosis becomes visible at varying times after the 
 injury according to the depth of the ecchymosis and the thinness 
 of the skin, for the ecchymosis is mostly beneath, not in the skin. 
 If the ecchymosis is superficial it shows in one or two hours or 
 even in less time where the skin is very thin, as in the eyelids 
 and scrotum. In such cases it increases for thirtj'" or forty 
 hours and disappears in a week, but may last longer, i.e., as 
 long as fifteen to twenty-five days. 
 
 An ecchymosis may not show at the point struck, at least 
 not until several days have elapsed, or it may only show on the 
 under surface of the subcutaneous fat until it has imbibed its 
 way, as it were, to the surface. This may explain the discrep- 
 ancy in the description of an injury examined by two medical 
 experts at different times. 
 
 If an ecchymosis is extensive and deep, especially if it occu- 
 pies a cavity, there may be nothing to see in the skin for four 
 or five days, and then often only a yellowish discoloration in- 
 stead of a dark blue color. In such cases, too, the appearance 
 in the skin may be more or less remote from the injury, having 
 followed the course of the least anatomical resistance. Between 
 these two extremes, an ecchymosis may become visible at 
 almost any time. Rarely an ecchymosis occurs only deeply be- 
 tween muscles (pectorals, etc.) and not superficially at all. 
 
 The extravasation of blood which forms an ecchymosis has 
 sometimes been given different names, according to its extent 
 or position, for instance, parenchymatous or interstitial hemor- 
 rhages or apoplexies, suffusions, ecchymoses, petechise or vibices.
 
 ECCHYMOSIS. 469 
 
 All such may, however, be called ecchymoses or hematomata. 
 When blood is effused into the serous cavities of the body, 
 special names are sometimes applied according to the position, 
 such as hemothorax, hematocele, etc. 
 
 The color of an ecchymosis is at first a blue-black, brown, or 
 livid red. This color changes first on the edges, later in the 
 darker centre, and becomes in time violet, greenish, yellow, 
 and then fades entirely. This change in color is owing to a 
 gradual decomposition of the haemoglobin of the blood. We 
 can tell the age of an ecchymosis from its coloration only 
 within uather wide limits, for the rapidity of change of color 
 varies widely according to a large number of circumstances, 
 especially according to whether the ecchymosis is superficial or 
 deep. We can only say that the first change, i.e., that to vio- 
 let, in a superficial ecchymosis, occurs in two or three days. 
 
 As an exception to the above color change, we may mention 
 sub-conjunctival ecchymosis, which always remains a bright 
 red, as the conjunctiva is so thin and superficial that the color- 
 ing matter of the blood is constantly oxidized. 
 
 The form of an ecchymosis often reproduces well enough 
 that of the instrument, except if the latter be large it cannot all 
 be equally applied to the surface, and its form is not distinctly 
 shown by that of the ecchymosis. After its first appearance 
 an ecchymosis spreads radially, the edges becoming less clear. 
 This change occurs more rapidly the looser the surrounding 
 tissues, and at the end of a few days the first form of an ecchy- 
 mosis may be changed, so that an examination to determine 
 the nature of the weapon should be made as early as possible. 
 
 Ecchymoses are more easily produced in the young, the 
 aged, and in females, also in the case of such general diseases 
 as scurvy, purpura, hemophilia, etc. In fact, in the last three 
 classes they may occur spontaneously. This fact should never 
 be lost sight of, as the attempt may be made to explain a trau- 
 matic ecchymosis in this way. The diagnosis between the 
 traumatic variety and such cases of spontaneous ecchymoses is, 
 in general, eas}^ for in the latter case their number, form, size, 
 and occurrence on parts little exposed to injury and on the 
 mucous membranes, as well as the general symptoms of the 
 disease, leave little or no room for doubt. 
 
 From an oblique or glancing blow a considerable area of
 
 470 
 
 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY 
 
 skin may be stripped up from its deep attachments forming a 
 cavity which may be filled by a clear serous fluid alone, or with 
 some admixture of blood. These cases have been studied espe- 
 cially by Morel Lavallee and Leser, and the fluid has been 
 thought to be lymphatic in origin, hence the name " lymphor- 
 rliagia.''^ Carriage accidents, especially where the wheels do 
 not pass directly but obliquely across or merely graze the body, 
 are especially liable to show this form of extravasation, which 
 is thought to be more common than is generally supposed, being 
 often obscured by a small qviantity of blood. 
 
 Contused Wounds.— If with the contusion we have a 
 solution of continuity of the skin, then we have a contused 
 wound. This may sometimes resemble an incised wound if 
 
 Fig. 8. — Linear Wound with Nearly Clean-Cut Edges, with Strands of Tissue bridging across 
 at the Bottom and caused by a Fall on the Head on a Smooth Surface. 
 
 the weapon has marked angles or edges, as a hammer, or, as 
 we have already seen, in wounds of the scalp or eyebrow (Fig. 
 8). Careful examination, however, by a small lens if neces- 
 sary, is sufficient to distinguish them if they are fresh. 
 If they are four or five days old and have begun to granulate, 
 it may be impossible to distinguish them. Contused wounds 
 present on examination small tears on the edges which are 
 widely separated and more or less extensively ecchymosed. 
 Contused wounds are often irregular, and have thickened or 
 swollen and ragged borders. They may, like simple con- 
 tusions, show b}'- their shape the form of the instrument 
 which caused them. In contused wounds, unless they be per- 
 fectly aseptic, we usually find sloughing of the contused, 
 necrotic tissues. This leaves a cavity to be filled up by granu-
 
 LACERATED WOUNDS. 471 
 
 lation like wounds with loss of substance. They therefore 
 often present large cicatrices which may be mistaken for those 
 of ulcers. In contused wounds the bone may sometimes show 
 the impression of the instrument causing the wound. 
 
 A variety of contused wounds is that where the wound of 
 the skin consists merely of an erosion or excoriation with an 
 ecchymosis beneath. The wound may reproduce the shape of 
 the weapon, i.e., finger-nails, etc. After death the skin be- 
 comes brownish-yellow, hard, and dry, and then they are called 
 by the French "plaques parcheminees." They are distin- 
 guished, as a rule, from those produced after death, by the 
 ecchymosis beneath. 
 
 Lacerated wounds resemble contused wounds very 
 closely, but are not ecchymosed to any considerable extent. 
 The solution of continuity is sometimes very extensive and 
 irregular, and may present several flaps. The bone or bones 
 are often fractured at the same time. Thej seldom bleed much. 
 The course of repair resembles that of contused wounds as a 
 rule. The prognosis is variable, for there may be slow and 
 extensive cicatrization and impairment of function, etc. These 
 wounds usually result from machinery accidents and accidental 
 tears, etc. They are therefore seldom the occasion of criminal 
 proceedings but more often of a civil suit, and thus require 
 medical examination. 
 
 The injury which causes a contusion or contused wound 
 may not infrequently produce effects far more serious and more 
 or less remote from the contusion. Some of these effects it 
 may be well to particularize. Blows on the abdomen are some- 
 times quicklj^ followed by death without visible lesion to ac- 
 count for it. That authentic examples of this exist has been 
 denied by Lutaud, except for cases of rapid death following 
 contusions of the abdomen which had caused extensive rupture 
 of the viscera and abundant hemorrhage. But Vibert gives 
 two cases from his own experience, which are as follows : 
 
 A young man, twenty years old, received a kick in the 
 stomach at a public ball. Numerous witnesses of the scene 
 testified that he only received this one blow. The man collapsed 
 immediately and died in a few minutes. On autopsy nothing 
 was found but two small ecchymotic spots in the peritoneum 
 covering the intestine, the largest not the size of a bean.
 
 472 WOUNDS — WOOI.SEY. 
 
 In the second case, the injury was also a kick in the stom- 
 ach and the man died almost immediately. Absolutely no 
 lesion was found on autopsy. Both were in full digestion. 
 
 Konig' says: "A number of severe contusions of the 
 belly run a rapidly fatal course without the autopsy showing 
 any definite anatomical lesion of the viscera." He also adds 
 that the less severe cases at first often show .very profound 
 shock, which is out of proportion to the force of the injury. 
 The cause of death has been explained, like that of sudden 
 death from a blow on the larynx, by the theory of inhibition. 
 These cases are often illustrated experimentally on fro^s, where 
 the same result is obtained under similar conditions. Such 
 cases are the more remarkable from the fact that the fatal blow 
 maj' cause no ecchymosis or other mark of injury to appear on 
 the abdominal walls. 
 
 Blows on the head may produce a variety of results besides 
 that of the contusion itself. In fact, death itself may result 
 though the marks of contusion are very slight or even imper- 
 ceptible. Intracranial hemorrhage, laceration with ecchymo- 
 sis of the brain, on the same or opposite side to the injury, and 
 concussion of the brain may result. Of these only concussion 
 will be considered now. 
 
 Concussion has been defined as a shock communicated to 
 an organ by a blow or fall on another part of the body, which 
 may or may not be remote, and without producing a material or 
 appreciable lesion. According to Lutaud,' English pathologists 
 understand by it a temporary or permanent nervous exhaustion 
 resulting from a sudden or excessive expense of nervous energy. 
 Its effect is observed in the function of an organ and especially 
 in the brain. Concussion of the brain causes stupidity, loss of 
 consciousness, amnesia, coma. The intracranial lesion most 
 often associated with concussion is ecchymosis and laceration 
 on the surface of the brain, but there may be no lesion visible 
 even if the case is a fatal one. Fatal concussion has been ob- 
 served where the marks of external violence were very slight or 
 even failed entirely, as illustrated by the two following cases 
 cited by Vibert : ^ 
 
 Vibert made an autopsy on a man who had been struck by a 
 
 ' "Lehrbuch der Speciellen Chi- «" Manuel de Leg. , " 5th Ed., 1892. 
 rurgie. " ^ " Pr^cis de Med. Leg. , " 2d Ed. , 1890.
 
 CONCUSSION. 473 
 
 pitchfork, one of the teeth of which struck behind the ear, the 
 other two in the face, only producing slight skin wounds. 
 The man immediately lost consciousness and died in two days 
 in coma. No lesion whatever was found within the skull, and 
 only three slight ones externally. 
 
 He observed another case where the man fell three or four 
 metres into an excavation, landing on his feet, and died in a 
 short time. On autopsy only slight erosions and no intra- 
 cranial or extracranial lesions were found. 
 
 This case belongs to a rare class where the blow is trans- 
 mitted through the spinal column without sign of injury exter- 
 nally or internally to the head. 
 
 The following case cited by Vibert is even more remarkable 
 in the production of the severe though not fatal concussion : 
 An officer was riding at full speed on horseback, when his horse 
 suddenly stopped short. By great exertion the officer clung to 
 the horse, but immediately lost consciousness. His fall from 
 the horse was broken by those about him, and the concussion 
 he received was not due to the fall, but to the shock of stopping 
 suddenly when his momentum was great. 
 
 As a rule, however, the diagnosis of concussion, especially 
 if it is severe enough to be fatal, is easily made by the marks 
 of external violence with or without intracranial lesions. The 
 effects of concussion may be transient and leave no trace, but, 
 on the other hand, they maj^ be prolonged and severe, i.e., 
 paralysis, aphasia, loss of memory, imbecility, etc. The medi- 
 cal examiner should be on his guard against simulation in 
 respect to these prolonged effects of concussions. One of the 
 most frequent consequences of concussion is temporary amnesia, 
 which ordinarily succeeds immediately after the injury, but 
 sometimes develops more slowly. The following curious case is 
 quoted from Lutaud as cited by Brouardel : 
 
 A woman in getting out of a train at Versailles, where she 
 had gone to attend the funeral of a relative, was struck by the 
 door of the compartment. She fell, but did not lose conscious- 
 ness, and picked herself up, but forgot what she had come for. 
 
 Another result of an injurj^ which has caused a contusion 
 or contused wound may bo a fracture or dislocation. Frac- 
 tures and dislocations of special parts will be referred to later, 
 in considering injuries of the several regions of the body, but
 
 474 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 it seems appropriate here to refer to some of those general con- 
 siderations relating to these injuries which may especially 
 demand the attention of the medical expert. 
 
 Fractures may be produced by blows or falls, or from mus- 
 cular action. The medical witness may be questioned as to the 
 cause of the fracture or, if it was produced by a blow, whether 
 a weapon was used or not, as the defence is likely to assert 
 that it was caused by an accidental fall. The nature of the 
 associated wounds and contusions, if any exist, may, as we 
 have seen, indicate the weapon used. If anything exists to 
 indicate that a fall which caused the fracture was not acci- 
 dental, this should be noted, as the assailant is responsible for 
 the effects of the fall. 
 
 A number of conditions influence the ease with which a 
 fracture is produced and account for a fracture being due to a 
 slight injur}', and so are mitigatorj" circumstances in the case. 
 
 Fractures are more easily produced in the old and young, 
 especialh' the former, than in the adult from the same force. 
 This is due tobrittleness of the bones in the old and their small 
 size in the young. Certain diseases like syphilis, arthritis, 
 scurvy, carcinoma, and rickets make the bones more frangible, 
 and there is a peculiar brittle condition of the bones known as 
 fragilitas ossium, more or less hereditary, in which the bones 
 become fractured from very slight violence. Mercer is quoted 
 by Taylor as stating, but on how good authorit}' it does not ap- 
 pear, that in general paralysis of the insane the bones are 
 particularly liable to fracture. Certain it is that not uncom- 
 monly insane patients are found dead with single or inultiple 
 fractures, but the attendants are generally convicted. 
 
 In some parts, like the orbital plate of the frontal bone, the 
 bone is very thin and brittle, but brittleness from any cause 
 only mitigates, it does not excuse. 
 
 Taj'lor ' reports a case in point where it was proved that the 
 bones of the skull were thin and brittle, and the fractured skull 
 proved fatal from inflammation of the brain. The punishment 
 was mitigated owing to the circumstance of the brittleness of 
 the bones. 
 
 Spontaneous fractures may occur from only a moderate 
 degree of muscular action, and even where there is no disease 
 
 'Taylor: " Medical Jurisprudence, " 11th American Edition (1892).
 
 SPONTANEOUS FRACTURES. 475 
 
 of the bones, but the above-mentioned condition of fragilitas 
 ossium, rendering the bones more brittle, aids in the production 
 of such fractures. The olecranon, patella, and os calcis are par- 
 ticularly liable to such fractures, but the long bones of the ribs 
 and extremities are sometimes so fractured, as instanced in the 
 following cases cited by Taylor : ' 
 
 The humerus of a healthy man has been broken by muscular 
 exertion simply by throwing a cricket ball." In 1858 a gentle- 
 man forty years old, during the act of bowling at cricket, 
 heard a distinct crack like the breaking of a piece of wood. 
 He fell immediately to the ground, and it was found that his 
 femur was fractured. 
 
 Again, in 184C, a healthy man, set. 33, was brought to 
 Gray's Hospital with the following history: He was in the act 
 of crossing one leg over the other to look at the sole of his foot, 
 when something was heard to give way; his right leg hung 
 down and he was found to have received a transverse fracture 
 of the femur at the junction of the middle and lower thirds. 
 
 The writer had a case in Bellevue Hospital during the past 
 winter (1892-93) of a man who stated that he had been well and 
 active until some weeks previously, when, from muscular force 
 alone, he sustained a fracture of the neck of the femur. Some- 
 thing abnormal in the bone may be present in such cases. 
 
 In cases of spontaneous fractures there are no marks of ex- 
 ternal violence which, if present, would remove the idea of 
 spontaneity. 
 
 Fractures of the extremities are not dangerousper se, unless 
 they are compound or occur in old, debilitated, or diseased per- 
 sons, and thej^ are more severe the nearer thej^ are to a joint. 
 The healing of fractures is more rapid in the young than in the 
 old and in the upper than in the lower extremity. It is not 
 proven that adiposity of itself impedes union. 
 
 The question may be asked, how long before examination a 
 given bone was fractured. As a rule, we can only say as to 
 whether the injured person has lived a long or short period 
 since the injury, as the process of repair varies according to 
 age and constitution. No changes occur until eighteen to 
 twenty-four hours, when lymph is exuded. According to Vil- 
 
 ' Taylor : " Medical Jurisprudence, " - London Med. Gaz. , vol. xvi. , 
 
 11th American Edition (1892) . p. 596.
 
 47G WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 lerme the callus is cartilaginous anywhere between the six- 
 teenth and twenty-fifth days, it becomes ossified between three 
 weeks and three months, and it takes six to eight months to 
 become like normal bone. 
 
 The question may also be asked : Has a bone ever been frac- 
 tured? The existence and situation of a fracture can often be 
 recognized long after the accident, by the callus or slight un- 
 evenness due to projection of the edges or ends of the fragments 
 Where the bone lies deeply covered by soft parts, it is difficult 
 and often impossible to tell, long after union has taken place, 
 whether or where a fracture has occurred. 
 
 The answering of this question may sometimes be of im- 
 portance in identifying the dead, especially in the case of skele- 
 tons. In the latter instance by sawing the bone longitudinally 
 we can tell by the thickness, irregularity, or structure of the 
 bone tissue whether a fracture existed, and if it were recent or 
 old at the time of death. 
 
 Dislocations call for a medico-legal investigation less 
 often than fractures. They are less common in the old and 
 where the bones are brittle, when fracture occurs more readily. 
 They are seldom fatal per se, unless between the vertebrje or 
 when compound. They may occur from disease in the affected 
 joint or even spontaneously. The diagnosis of a dislocation is 
 easy until it has been reduced, and then it may leave no trace 
 except pain in and limitation of the motion of a joint besides 
 swelling and ecchymosis. These effects are transient, and after 
 they have disappeared it may be impossible to say whether a 
 dislocation has existed on a living body, unless, as sometimes 
 occurs, especially in the shoulder joint, there may be a tempo- 
 rary or permanent paralysis of a nerve and muscular atrophy. 
 After death, the existence of an old dislocation may often be 
 recognized on dissection by scar tissue in and about the capsule. 
 
 EXAMINATION AND DESCRIPTION. 
 
 The examination of wounds or injuries in a case which is 
 or may become the subject of a medico-legal investigation 
 should be made with particular care and exactness. 
 
 As the examination of the wounded person is to give most, 
 and in some cases all, the information to the medical expert on
 
 EXAMINATION AND DESCRIPTION. 477 
 
 which he is to base his testimony, it should be made with 
 reference to all the possibilities of the case. 
 
 The particular variety of wound as described in the forego- 
 ing section should be noted, and any peculiarities as to its situa- 
 tion, shape, extent, length, breadth, depth, direction, and the 
 parts involved. Besides these points, the condition of the edges 
 of the wound, whether swollen and ecchj^motic, smooth and 
 straight or dentated and irregular, and whether inverted or 
 everted and gaping, are matters of importance. The presence 
 or absence of coagula and clots, the staining of the tissues with 
 blood, the presence of ecchymosis and its comparative age, as 
 shown by its color, should also be noted. 
 
 Many of the above points help us in solving another prob- 
 lem, namely, the form of the instrument used. This question 
 will be discussed in a subsequent section, but the basis for our 
 opinion is founded, of course, on an examination of the partic- 
 ulars of the wound. The solution of still another question 
 which often arises and which will be discussed in the next 
 section, namely, whether a wound was produced before or 
 after death, is based upon particular features of the wound such 
 as the fluid or clotted condition of the blood on the surface, or 
 ecchymosed in the tissues, also the amount of the hemorrhage 
 as compared to the vascularity of the part as well as the greater 
 or less staining of the tissues with blood, and the conditions of 
 the edges, whether inverted or everted and whether or not re- 
 tracted. The question as to whether a wound was directly, 
 secondary or necessarily the cause of death, is determined, in 
 part at least, b}^ examination of the wound. In this connection 
 we take note as to whether a wound has opened or divided a 
 large vein or artery or is situated in such a vascular part as to 
 be fatal from hemorrhage. We also note whether death could 
 have been due to shock from the situation of the wound, or 
 whether an inflammation wdiicli was directly responsible for 
 death was necessarily due to the wound, as in case of a pene- 
 trating wound of the viscera, etc. Further, we note whether 
 one of the manj^ forms of wound diseases from infection of the 
 wound has complicated the case and caused death in the case 
 of a wound not otherwise necessarily fatal. It may be added 
 that often the necropsy aids us in the solution of the ouestion 
 as to whether the wound was the necessary and direct cause
 
 478 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 of death, by showing a healthy or diseased condition of the 
 viscera. 
 
 The question as to which of a number of injuries was first 
 inflicted, also as to the relative position of the victim and 
 assailant, can be answered, if at all, only by an accurate and 
 close examination of the wounds. 
 
 Finally, the most important question of all, from a medico- 
 legal standpoint, namely, the distinction between homicidal, 
 suicidal, and accidental wounds, is decided or inferred from the 
 characteristics of the wound after careful examination. 
 
 All the foregoing questions contribute to the solution of this 
 the most important one. The various questions referred to 
 above will be considered at greater length in the subsequent 
 sections. They have been merely referred to in brief above, 
 to show the various lines of thought a medical examiner must 
 have in mind in making an examination. 
 
 As to the act of examination itself, the phj^sician should 
 conduct it in such a way as not to harm the wounded person. 
 Often simple inspection is the most that can be done, or the 
 examination may have to be deferred altogether until the phy- 
 sician in charge informs the court that an examination may be 
 safely made. It is often necessary for the expert to get infor- 
 mation as to the original lesion from the physician in charge. 
 If the wound has been a fatal one and if we are called in after 
 death, we may examine the wound on the dead body with much 
 more freedom. Here we may examine the depth, direction, 
 etc., of a punctured wound by cutting down on a probe or 
 director. After careful inspection of the wound we may ex- 
 amine it by palpation, and go on to the dissection of the wound 
 and the surrounding parts, tracing and noting the various 
 vessels, muscles, etc., involved in the wound, and looking for 
 the presence of any foreign body in the wound. 
 
 Furthermore, if the cause of death be at all obscure, we 
 should examine not only the wound itself and the parts about 
 the wound, but also, by an autopsy, all the cavities and organs 
 of the body. For death may have been due to natural causes 
 in an organ not examined, if the examination has not included 
 all, and the physician has to disprove it. 
 
 In examining at an autopsy the depth of a wound in refer- 
 ence to the instrument which caused it, it should be borne in
 
 EXAMINATION AND DESCRIPTION. 479 
 
 mind that the wound may be deeper than the weapon owing to 
 a depression of the surface by the handle of the weapon. This 
 may appear especially marked in the case of the movable viscera, 
 as at the time of the accident the viscus may have been as near 
 as possible to the surface, and at the examination as far as 
 possible from the surface, as in the case of a given coil of the 
 intestines. Also the thorax when opened at autopsy enlarges 
 or expands a little, so that the measured depth of a wound may 
 be greater than the weapon which caused it. Vibert * mentions 
 a case of a penetrating wound of the thorax involving the heart, 
 where the measured depth of the wound was 0"'.035 greater 
 than the length of the instrument. This may also be accounted 
 for by a depression or flattening of the thorax by the blow, as 
 in the case of soft parts. It is often difficult in an examination 
 to measure accurately the depth of a wound, for one may find 
 it hard to determine the precise end of a wound. Also, for 
 exact measurement it is necessary to have the parts in the same 
 position as at the time of the accident, and these parts are more 
 or less displaced by the necessary dissection. 
 
 Besides the examination of the wound there are other points 
 the examination of which may aid us in solving the problems 
 presented by a case. Among these, the examination of the 
 clothing or dress is perhaps the most important. This may in- 
 dicate the weapon used in an incised or punctured wound. 
 Contused and lacerated wounds or fractures, etc., may be pro- 
 duced without injuring the clothing. Blood, dirt, or grease on 
 the clothing may throw light on the case. In self-inflicted 
 wounds the wound in the clothing and that on the body may 
 not and often do not correspond, as an intending suicide often 
 (a murderer rarely) opens the clothing to select the spot for the 
 wound. The wound in the dress is then added by a second 
 blow not corresponding to the first. In this way we may 
 sometimes distinguish between a homicidal and suicidal wound, 
 and thus remove a false suspicion of murder or show that a 
 wound was self-inflicted to conceal other crimes or to falsely 
 impute it to another. The suspicion of homicide in accidental 
 wounds maj^ be cleared up by an examination of the dress, as in 
 the following instance related by Taylor : * 
 
 ' Cli. Vibert : " Precis de Medecine '^ Taylor's " Medical Jurispru- 
 
 Legale," 2d Ed., p. 205. dence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 480 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 A woman was found dead in bed with two indentations 
 about the middle of the right parietal bone, a large superficial 
 clot here and three ounces of clotted blood between the dura 
 mater and skull, which latter was fractured over an area of four 
 inches. No other cause of death was found. The evidence 
 brought out the facts that she had been knocked down the 
 evening before, about 7 : 30 o'clock, by a man accidentally run- 
 ning into her. She fell on the back of the head, was stunned, 
 raised up, and stimulated ; she then walked home, ate her supper, 
 and was last seen at 9 o'clock by a fellow-lodger who let her in 
 and noticed nothing unusual. The next morning she had evi- 
 dently been dead some time. Suspicion fell upon the lodger, 
 who had often quarrelled with her, and the two claws of a ham- 
 mer found in his room corresponded more or less closely with 
 the two indentations found in the skull. At the adjourned 
 inquest, however, the bonnet worn by the deceased at the time 
 of the accident was found to have two indentations on the back 
 of it corresponding to those on the woman' s skull and contain- 
 ing dust and dirt, and rendering probable what from the history 
 seemed unlikely, that the fall in the road caused the fatal 
 injury. The examination of the dress thus avoided an unjust 
 accusation of murder. 
 
 Contused and lacerated w^ounds and fractures or dislocations 
 may be produced without injury to the dress, especially if the 
 latter be elastic or yielding. The comparison of the wound in 
 the clothes with that on the body may indicate the position of 
 the body at the time of the blow. The examination of the 
 clothes of the injured person may indicate a struggle which 
 would support the idea of homicide. A blunt instrument may 
 indirectly cause an injury by striking something in or on a 
 person's clothes. Instances have been reported where a wound 
 has been caused by an article in the pocket, or worn outside the 
 clothing, without any trace of an injury to the clothes or pocket 
 lining.' 
 
 The examination of the dress may further show which of 
 several cuts or stabs was first inflicted. This is shown by the 
 staining of the edges of the cuts in the clothing, the edges of 
 the first cut or stab showing no blood-stain or onlj'^ on the inner 
 
 ' London Lancet, Jan. 21st, 1893, and N. Y. Med. Journal, March 11th, 
 1893, and May 13th, 1893.
 
 EXAMINATION AND DESCRIPTION. 481 
 
 surface, as the knife is clean of blood on entering and all that is 
 removed by the clothing on its withdrawal is found on the 
 inner edges. If the edges of the cuts in the outer layers of 
 clothing are bloody, it is evident that the knife was already 
 bloody when used, and the corresponding wound was not the 
 first inflicted. 
 
 The imprint of the bloody hand of the assailant may some- 
 times be found on the clothing of the one injured, and is espe- 
 cially important as evidence, when the hands of the assaulted 
 are not bloody. In the case of a severe wound, especiall}' if 
 it is likely to become the object of a criminal investigation, the 
 physician should always require to see the dress of the wounded. 
 The examination of the clothing which the accused wore at the 
 time the assault took place may give important evidence by 
 showing evidences of a struggle or blood-stains. Absence of 
 the latter would not prove the innocence of the accused, as the 
 clothes actually worn may be destroyed and others substituted, 
 or the marks and stains may be removed. In the latter case, 
 the eye of a medical man may detect traces of blood which 
 otherwise would go unnoticed, and a microscopical and chemi- 
 cal examination would reveal the real character of the stain. 
 
 Besides the examination of the clothing of the accused, the 
 examination of his person may furnish evidence of his being 
 engaged in a more or less desperate struggle by the scratches, 
 marks of nails, contusions, bites, etc., on the face, neck, front 
 of chest, forearms, and hands. If the accused should attempt to 
 explain these wounds and spots, the latter may or may not 
 verify the explanation, and thus additional evidence may be 
 obtained as to the guilt or innocence of the accused. 
 
 It is well for the medical expert, as well as for others, to 
 collect the statements of the wounded person relative to the 
 circumstances of the injury. Also, if the accused will vouchsafe 
 any such statements we may compare these with one another 
 and with the facts indicated by the wound, etc. 
 
 Other points to examine, especially in cases of suspected 
 suicide, may be briefly mentioned. The presence of the weapon 
 in the hand of the victim and firmly grasped in general indi- 
 cates suicide, if it corresponds to the weapon causing the 
 wounds, for otherwise it may have been used for defence. If 
 
 not in the hand, note the spot where the weapon was found. 
 31
 
 483 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 In the case of a suicide, the hand as well as the weapon held 
 by it is likely to be bloody, also in case of murder the generally 
 empty hand is apt to be bloody, as the hand is naturally carried 
 to the wound. 
 
 We cannot further describe the many points which the 
 medical examiner should bear in mind in making an examina- 
 tion in a medico-legal case, without repeating too fully what 
 will be given at greater length in subsequent sections, reference 
 to which should be made for further particulars. Tardieu pro- 
 posed as a basis for examining and studying wounds, (1) to 
 visit the wounded person and see what state he is in, and to 
 determine (2) the nature, (3) the cause, (4) the consequences 
 of the wound. Also if the wounded person is dead (5) to ex- 
 amine the body for the cause of death in order to see if the 
 latter is due to the wound. Also (6) to determine thee ircum- 
 stances of the affray. 
 
 The description of a wound should be given in plain 
 language, avoiding the use of scientific terms or expressions, so 
 as to be readily understood by judge and jurors. Otherwise 
 the usefulness of the medical expert is very much decreased. 
 The description should also be precise and sufficient to justify 
 the conclusions arrived at as to the cause of a wound, its gravity 
 and results, and the weapon used. With a view to exact state- 
 ment in description, it is well to take notes as to the result of 
 the examination and not depend merely on memory. The ob- 
 ject of the witness should be to be understood and not to be 
 thought thoroughly scientific. 
 
 WAS THE INJURY INFLICTED BEFORE OR AFTER DEATH? 
 
 This is a question which may often be asked in cases of fatal 
 injuries, and it is one which must be answered as definitelj' as 
 we are able, for the defence may rest on the assertion that the 
 wound or injury was post mortem and not ante mortem. What 
 are the means we have to enable us to answer the above ques- 
 tion? The most important factor is the condition of the blood 
 and the changes that it undergoes after death. For some hours 
 after death the body retains its animal heat. As long as this 
 is retained rigor mortis does not set in and the blood is more 
 or less fluid. This period varies, but on the average it does not
 
 HEMORRHAGE. 483 
 
 last longer than eight or ten hours. Before this time, however, 
 the blood has begun to undergo certain changes. These changes 
 result in the inability of the blood from a post-mortem wound 
 to coagulate completely. At first the greater part may coag- 
 ulate, but after a time coagulation is less and less complete, 
 and the coagula are not as firm as those from the blood of a 
 living person. The period at which these changes occur also 
 varies, but they may generally be clearly noticed in from three 
 to four hours after death, or even sooner. In the first two to 
 four hours after death, therefore, as far as the condition of the 
 blood is concerned, it may be difficult or impossible to say 
 whether a wound was made before or soon after death. In 
 other words, this difficulty exists as long as the tissues of the 
 body live after the body as a whole is dead. 
 
 There are certain general pathological or occasional condi- 
 tions of the body in which the blood during life does not coag- 
 ulate at all or only imperfectly, as in scurvy and in the case of 
 the menstrual blood. Also blood in a serous cavity, especially 
 if it be abundant or there exists inflammation, is found not 
 to coagulate or onty imperfectly. Post mortem the blood re- 
 mains liquid long after death in cases of death by drowning, 
 asphyxia, etc., and in such cases hemorrhage may be free in 
 a wound made some time after death. Furthermore, after 
 putrefaction has set in the blood again becomes more or less 
 liquid, and may flow away from a wound like a hemorrhage, 
 but it no longer coagulates. 
 
 The principal signs of a wound inflicted during life are (1) 
 hemorrhage, (2) coagulation of the blood, (3) eversion of the 
 lips of the wound, and (4) retraction of its sides. 
 
 1. Hemorrhage varies in amount with the size of the 
 wound, the vascularity of the part, and the number and size of 
 the large vessels involved. In incised or punctured wounds the 
 amount, as a rule, is quite considerable. If there is a free exit 
 most of the blood runs off; the rest stays in the wound, Avhere it 
 soon coagulates with the exceptions mentioned above. But be- 
 sides partly filling the wound in the form of a clot, the edges of 
 the wound are deeph' stained with the coloring matter of the 
 blood, and this stain cannot be removed b}' washing. This 
 staining involves especially the muscular and cellular tissues. 
 
 Further, a hemorrhage during life is an active and not a
 
 484 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 passive one; the blood is forced into the interspaces of the 
 tissues in the vicinity of the wound, and is found infiltrated in 
 the cellular tissue, the muscles, the sheaths of the vessels, etc. 
 It is here incorporated, as. it were, with the tissues so that it 
 cannot be washed away. In an ante-mortem wound the arte- 
 rial nature of the hemorrhage may show by the marks of the 
 jets of blood about the wound or on the clothes or surrounding 
 objects. When a large vessel has been divided and the exit 
 for the blood is free, this may run off without infiltrating the 
 tissues or even staining the edges to any considerable extent, 
 and there may remain but little in the wound. In the case of 
 lacerated and contused wounds the amount of hemorrhage is 
 less, but rarely fails entirely, and if the wound is in a vascular 
 part it is liable to cause death from hemorrhage, though a whole 
 limb may possibly be torn off without much hemorrhage. In 
 the latter case, however, there are usually found clots of blood 
 adhering to the edges of the lacerated wound and the ends of 
 the vessels. In contusions where there is no wound of the 
 skin the blood is prevented from flowing externally, and its 
 accumulation and distribution form an ecchymosis. Here 
 again we see the active power of the hemorrhage which infil- 
 trates between the tissues, stains them deeply, and appears 
 either as a mere stain or in fine clots incorporated, as it were, 
 with the tissues or partly occupying a cavity formed by an 
 extensive displacement of the surrounding parts. The amount 
 of blood varies under the same conditions as in incised wounds, 
 and also according to the greater or less disintegration of the 
 tissues by the blow, allowing a larger or smaller central cavity 
 to be formed. In "bleeders" the amount of the hemorrhage 
 does not vary under the normal conditions, but a fatal hemor- 
 rhage may occur from a very insignificant wound. After hem- 
 orrhage from a wound made during life the veins are empty 
 about the wound, especially those situated centripetally, while 
 normally after death the blood is mostly aggregated in the veins. 
 They are the source of post-mortem hemorrhage, but do not 
 empty themselves to any great extent. 
 
 The hemorrhage from a ivound made after death may be 
 extensive if the blood remains fluid as in the cases mentioned 
 above, i.e., after death from drowning or asphyxia or after 
 the commencement of putrefaction. Otherwise the amount of
 
 CADAVERIC ECCHYMOSES. 485 
 
 hemorrhage decreases with the length of time after death, until 
 the blood loses its fluidity and hemorrhage no longer occurs. 
 In general, it is slight unless a large vein is opened, for the 
 veins are the source of the hemorrhage. There is usually 
 scarcely any hemorrhage after the first two to four hours. This 
 applies also to subcutaneous hemorrhages or ecchymoses. These 
 post-mortem hemorrhages are passive and not active, conse- 
 quentlj' there is less infiltration of blood into the surrounding 
 tissues, which merely imbibe it, and the stain is less deep and 
 may be washed off the edges of the wound, in contrast to the 
 stain of ante-mortem wounds. After putrefaction has set in 
 the hemorrhage may be more abundant, as the blood is driven 
 to the surface by the formation of gas in the abdomen and 
 thorax. At the saiue time, the coloring matter of the blood 
 transudes through the walls of the veins and is imbibed by 
 and stains the tissues, so that it may be impossible to dis- 
 tinguish it from a true ecchymosis. Fortunately these con- 
 ditions are of small moment, as an examination is seldom 
 deferred so long. 
 
 Cadaveric ecchymoses show almost invariably while the 
 body is still warm and the blood more or less liquid, i.e., during 
 the first eight or ten hours after death. They are not due to 
 injury or violence before or after death, but they may closely 
 resemble ecchymoses produced on the living body and be mis- 
 taken for them. This is the more important as they are quite 
 constant on the cadaver. 
 
 In this connection, it may be said that an ecchymosis due 
 to a blow before death may not show till after death, as it 
 requires some time for a deep ecchymosis or even an ecchymosis 
 covered by a thick layer of skin to show superficially. Thus a 
 man kicked in the abdomen died thirty-five hours after the in- 
 jury from peritonitis, due to a rupture of the bladder. No 
 ecchymosis appeared at the site of the injuries until after death. 
 It is not uncommon in cases of hanging to observe an ecchy- 
 mosis along the course of the cord appearing only after death. 
 Huize met with a case of this description. Devergie remarked 
 that on the bodies of those drowned ecchymoses are often hidden 
 for a time on account of the sodden state of the skin, and they 
 appear only after the water has evaporated, which may require 
 some days. Furthermore, it is not necessary to survive long
 
 486 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 after an injury in order that an ecchymosis may show post 
 mortem. If the blood is fluid at the time of the blow and any 
 capillaries or larger blood-vessels are torn, then we may have 
 an ecchymosis though death be almost instant. Casper thought 
 that it required some time before death for an ecchymosis to 
 develop, and that if the person injured by a contusion died soon 
 after the injury, an ecchymosis would not appear after death. 
 There are many well-authenticated cases to prove that Casper's 
 opinion is wrong. Among the most famous of these is that of 
 the Duchesse de Praslin.' She was attacked and killed by her 
 husband while she was asleep in bed. The thirty or so wounds 
 showed a mortal conflict, and she could not have survived more 
 than one-half hour, and yet after death there were 'numerous 
 ecchymoses from the contusions. 
 
 Another case is also mentioned by Taylor.* A young man 
 died suddenly after a blow from a companion, having been 
 struck in the side a fortnight before by a heavy box, which 
 knocked him senseless and nearly killed him. The post mortem 
 revealed an ecchymosis on the side which on the authority of 
 Casper's opinion was attributed to the old injury. The color 
 of the ecchymosis would be sufiicient to settle all such doubts, 
 as the changes of color would have fully developed or the 
 color even disappeared in part in fourteen days' time. 
 
 An ecchymosis made post mortem does not undergo the color 
 changes seen in ecchymoses during life, unless the tissues are 
 oedematous in which the ecchymosis occurs. These changes in 
 color have already been described, the deep blue changing to 
 violet in eighteen to twenty-four hours at the earliest. In sup- 
 port of the foregoing and disproving Casper's views, Christison 
 found that within two Jiours after death severe blows on a dead 
 body are followed by a livid discoloration, similar to those pro- 
 duced by a blow shortly before death. This livid discoloration is 
 due to the effusion of a very thin layer of blood external or super- 
 ficial to the true skin, sometimes in a stratum of the true skin 
 or more rarely into the cellular tissue, staining deeply the par- 
 tition walls of the fat-cells. Of course, a more or less recent 
 contusion or ecchymosis on a dead body was not necessarily 
 produced at the same time as the cause of death. It should 
 
 'Ann. d'Hyg., 1847, t. 2, p. 377. ^ Tajdor : "Medical Jurispru- 
 
 dence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 POST-MORTEM ECCHYMOSES. 487 
 
 be borne in mind in this connection that ecchymcsis is not a 
 necessary result of a blow or contusion. 
 
 According to Devergie, ecchymosis does not appear when a 
 blow inflicted post mortem is received by skin directly covering 
 a bony surface beneath, and rarely appears where there is a 
 large amount of fat and no solid point of resistance beneath the 
 site of the blow. 
 
 We have already referred to the fact which Portal long ago 
 remarked, namely, that the spleen has been ruptured without 
 ecchymosis or abrasion of the skin. The same absence of 
 ecchymosis has been noticed in cases where the liver, stomach, 
 intestines, bladder, etc., have been ruptured as the result of con- 
 tusing blows. 
 
 The following case cited by Taylor ' illustrates this point. 
 Henke reported the case of a man who died of peritonitis a few 
 hours after fighting with another man. There was no mark on 
 the skin or ecchymosis, though there existed peritonitis from 
 rupture of the small intestine. The blow was proven by direct 
 evidence, and though some medical witnesses on account of the 
 absence of external signs thought that no blow could have been 
 struck, others of more experience admitted that it could have 
 been the cause of the rupture. 
 
 Watson "^ reports a similar case of a girl nine years old who 
 received a blow from a shoe on the abdomen. This was fol- 
 lowed by great pain, collapse and death in twenty-one hours. 
 No marks of injury were visible externally, but peritonitis 
 existed from rupture of the ileum. 
 
 A similar case is reported by Williamson,' where peritonitis 
 resulted from complete rupture of the ileum without any trace 
 of injury externally, though the blow was struck by the hoof 
 of a horse. 
 
 Another case was brought into Guy's Hospital * who had 
 been run over by an omnibus. No injury was discoverable, 
 though the wheel had passed over the chest and abdomen. He 
 died of peritonitis, however, which set in on the second day, 
 and on post-mortem examination the liver and small intestines 
 were found ruptured. 
 
 '"Med. Jurisprud.," lltli Amer. ^Med. Gaz.. May, 1840. 
 
 Ed., 1892. •»Guy'sHosp. Gaz., 1873. 
 
 •^"On Homicide," p. 187.
 
 488 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 Christison thought as the result of his experiments and ex- 
 perience that the most reliable signs of an ecchymosis made 
 during life, and distinguishing it from one caused by a blow 
 after death, were as follows : The skin of the ecchymosed area 
 is generally much darkened and discolored from blood infil- 
 trated through its entire thickness; the skin is also much 
 firmer and more elastic from swelling of the part if the contu- 
 sion is received some hours before death. But we may have 
 an effusion beneath and not in the substance of the skin, and 
 the above signs might possibly be due to an injury inflicted 
 only a few minutes after death. The above signs may there- 
 fore be absent, and when present are not absolutely indicative 
 of an injury received dviring life. In general, the effects of 
 severe contusions inflicted soon after death may closely resem- 
 ble those of slight contusions received during life. 
 
 There is little danger of contusion if the blow be inflicted 
 on a dead body after the loss of body heat and the beginning 
 of rigor mortis. 
 
 2. Coagulation of Blood. — As stated at the beginning of 
 this section, blood from a wound inflicted during life coagulates 
 with the exception of that from those suffering from certain 
 pathological or occasional conditions or in certain locations, 
 already mentioned. This coagulation is not immediate, but is 
 complete in about five minutes. The entire amount of blood 
 lost is thus coagulated and the coagula are firm. These coagula 
 (if the wound is not interfered with) occur in the opening of a 
 wound and on its edges, especially at the mouths of the blood- 
 vessels, which are thus plugged. The blood which infiltrates 
 the interspaces of the tissues is coagulated in the form of these 
 interspaces. The same is true of the blood of an ecchj^mosis 
 whether there be a hematoma or only an infiltration between 
 the tissues, or both. These clots represent more or less the 
 form of the space occupied by the blood. In the case of the 
 scalp a subcutaneous clot maj" be mistaken for a depressed frac- 
 ture of the skull from the fact that the edges of the clot become 
 very hard while the centre is still quite soft. A wound in 
 which a large arterj^ has been divided may present very little 
 clotting in the wound if the opening is free and the blood has 
 mostly escaped in a jet. 
 
 In a wound jjroduced soon after death there may be some
 
 COAGULATION OF BLOOD. 489 
 
 clotting, but less in amount, firstly, because there is less hemor- 
 rhage, and, secondly, because not all the blood clots. These 
 conditions increase with the length of time after death, so that 
 after a time a wound made on a cadaver would show very 
 little if any clotting owing to very slight hemorrhage, and lit- 
 tle or no clotting of the blood extravasated. When the body 
 has lost its animal heat and rigor mortis has begun to set in, 
 then there is no more coagulation of the blood and no more 
 hemorrhage, under normal conditions, for the blood has mostly 
 become clotted in the vessels of the body. Consequenth^, with 
 the exception of wounds inflicted very soon after death, we can 
 distinguish an ante-mortem from a post-mortem wound by the 
 condition in which the blood is clotted. If there is any hemor- 
 rhage, the wound being inflicted before the loss of animal Jieat 
 and the blood remains entirely fluid on the surface or in an 
 ecchymosis, we know that the wound was produced after death 
 and some hours after death unless any of those conditions exist 
 in which the blood does not normally coagulate. If the hem- 
 orrhage is slight or quite moderate in amount and venous in 
 character, if the blood is only clotted in part and the clots are 
 rather soft and do not form a plug at the mouth of each artery, 
 and especially if the staining of the walls of the wound can 
 be washed off, then the wound was probably produced post 
 mortem, but not so long after death as in the first case supposed. 
 If the characters of the hemorrhage and the clotting are still 
 more like those normal to a wound inflicted during life, then, 
 as a rule, it is impossible to say from these two features of the 
 wound, hemorrhage and clotting, whether the wound was in- 
 flicted during life or a very short time after death. 
 
 3. EvERSiON OF THE LiPS OF THE WouND. — The edges or 
 lips of a wound inflicted during life may be inverted, instead of 
 everted, if a thin layer of muscular flbres is attached directly 
 to the deep surface of the skin, as is the case in the scrotum. 
 The eversion of the edges of the skin is due to their elasticity, 
 and ceases to occur as soon as the skin loses its vitality. Con- 
 sequently eversion ceases to occur soon after death, within a 
 very few hours. A wound in which the edges are neither in- 
 verted or everted was therefore inflicted after death. If this 
 sign is present and marked, the wound was inflicted during life 
 or within two or three hours or less after death. If this sign is
 
 490 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY, 
 
 present but very slightly marked, the wound may have been 
 made even somewhat longer after death. 
 
 4. Retraction of the sides of the w^ound is also de- 
 pendent on their vitality and ceases to occur when this is lost a 
 few hours after death. In the retraction of the edges of the 
 wound we have all the parts involved, but unequally. The 
 muscles, arteries, skin, and layers of connective tissue all re- 
 tract, varying in the degree of retraction according to the order 
 in which they are named. In different parts of the body this 
 comparative order of retraction is liable to more or less varia- 
 tion. Every surgeon is familiar with this retraction of the 
 tissues, which necessitates certain rules in the technique of oper- 
 ations, especially of amputations. Muscles retract the more 
 the longer they are and the farther the incision is made from their 
 attachment. Without specifying a definite time, we may say 
 that, as a rule, this retraction lasts no longer than about two 
 hours after death, consequently when it is absent we may infer 
 that the wound was inflicted two hours or more after death. The 
 amount of retraction grows less and less after death for about 
 two hours, after which it is very slight if it occurs at all, owing 
 to the loss of elasticity of the tissues. This sign is especially 
 useful in the case of a mutilated body where, by examining the 
 degree of retraction of the muscles, we may infer whether the 
 mutilation was done before or after death. The sides of a cut 
 made on the cadaver are comparatively smooth and even, owing 
 to the absence of the unequal retraction of the various elements, 
 which makes the surfaces of a gaping ante-mortem wound un- 
 even and irregular. Relying on these circumstances in the 
 "affaire Ramus," cited by Vibert,* one was able to recognize 
 the order in which the body had been mutilated. 
 
 Other minor signs of a wound inflicted during life may be 
 briefly mentioned. If the edges of the wound are swollen, or 
 show signs of inflammation or gangrene, or if pus or adhesive 
 material is present on the edges of the wound, we may infer 
 that the wound was inflicted some little time before death. 
 Of course, if cicatrization has commenced, some days must 
 have elapsed before death after the wound was received. If 
 the blow causing a contusion was inflicted some time before 
 death, there will be more or less of a general swelling of the 
 ' Vibert : " Precis de Medecine Legale, " 2d Ed. , 1890.
 
 OTHER MINOR SIGNS. 491 
 
 region, partly due to the blood effused, but also partly due to 
 oedema. 
 
 It is not always easy to say whether a fracture was pro- 
 duced while the body was living or dead. If the body was stiU 
 warm when a post-mortem fracture was produced there is little 
 difference from an ante-mortem fracture, except that there 
 may be a little less blood effused. In a fracture produced after 
 rigor mortis has set in there is little or no blood effused. In 
 the case of fractures the presence of callus, indicating the 
 process of repair, shows that the accident occurred during 
 life, and, as we have already seen, we may form some idea of 
 the length of time elapsed between the injury and the time of 
 death. On the cadaver it is said to be harder to cause fractures 
 and lesions of the skin than on the living body. Casper says 
 that fractures of the Iiyoid bone and the larynx are impossible 
 after death, and he also was not able to rupture the liver or 
 spleen. 
 
 In distinction to the characteristic signs of a wound inflicted 
 during life, we may mention briefly some of the signs of post- 
 mortem wounds when the wound has been inflicted from two 
 to ten or twelve hours or more after death : 
 
 (1) The hemorrhage is slight in amount and may fail alto- 
 gether. 
 
 (2) The character of the hemorrhage is venous, correspond- 
 ing to the source of the hemorrhage from the veins, the arteries 
 being nearly empty after death. 
 
 (3) The edges of the wound are not deeply stained, and this 
 staining may be removed by washing. The spaces between 
 the tissues are not infiltrated with blood. 
 
 (4) The blood remains either entirely fluid or, if there are 
 clots, these are softer than those in an ante-mortem wound, and 
 only a portion of the blood is thus clotted. There are no clots 
 plugging the open mouths of the arteries on the surface of the 
 wound ; the veins may or may not be closed by an imperfect clot. 
 
 (5) The skin of the edges is not everted or inverted. 
 
 (6) The sides of the wound do not gape and their surfaces 
 are smooth and even, as the tissues are not unevenly retracted. 
 
 Resume. — It is very easy from the foregoing to distinguish 
 between a wound inflicted before death and one ten or twelve 
 hours after death.
 
 492 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 If the hemorrhage has been abundant and arterial, if it has 
 infiltrated between and deeply stained the tissues and the stain 
 cannot readily be washed off; if the blood coagulates com- 
 pletely and the coagula are firm and are found lying in the 
 wound, plugging the vessels, and incorporated with the tissues 
 between which they lie ; if the edges of the skin are everted 
 and the sides of the wound are retracted and uneven — under 
 these circumstances, we may be sure that the wound was in- 
 flicted during life or a very short time after death. If, on the 
 contrary, the hemorrhage is slight in amount or almost fails 
 altogether ; if it is venous in character ; if the edges of the 
 wound are only stained by imbibition of the blood, which is not 
 infiltrated between the tissues, and the stain may be washed 
 off; if the blood is not at all or only slightly clotted and the 
 clots' are soft ; if the skin is not everted and the sides of the 
 wound are smooth and lie nearly in contact ; if there are no 
 clots plugging the divided arteries on the surface — then we 
 need have little hesitancy in saying that the wound was pro- 
 duced after death, but probably not later than ten or twelve 
 hours after death. If the wound was inflicted still longer after 
 death and before putrefaction, then we would have a lack of 
 the signs due to hemorrhage, clots, staining, etc. If we find 
 the conditions more or less midway between the first two, we 
 may be left in some doubt as to the date of the injury. Thus 
 if the hemorrhage is moderate, the blood mostly but not alto- 
 gether clotted and the clots moderately firm, the skin slightly 
 everted, and the sides slightly separated and not altogether 
 smooth on their surface ; if the surfaces are fairly deeply stained 
 and the stain cannot be easily washed off — then we can onlj^ 
 say that the wound was inflicted during life or within two 
 hours or so after death, and this fact is often enough for the 
 purposes of the medico-legal inquiry. 
 
 The same is the case with contusions where there is no 
 bleeding externally. If we have a bluish, violet, green, or yellow 
 tumor with or without more or less superficial oedema ; if this 
 tumor fluctuates or is hard, but in either case is elastic ; if on 
 incision the skin and the tissue spaces are infiltrated with blood 
 which is coagulated, or if there is a cavity filled with clotted 
 blood, the coagulum being firm and the entire amount of blood 
 coagulated — then the wound was inflicted during life. If, how-
 
 CERTAIN ACTS AFTER FATAL INJURT. 493 
 
 ever, the surface shows a bhiish or violet color, little or no 
 swelling of the skin, which is of natural thickness, and the 
 ecchymosed area is not tense and elastic to the touch ; if further 
 the blood is found on incision to be fluid or if coagulated only 
 partly so, and the blood is not infiltrated into the tissue spaces, 
 but merely imbibed by the tissues — then the blow was inflicted 
 after death, and probably more than two or three hours after. 
 
 In contusions especially we may have difficulty, as the sign 
 of fluidity of the blood may fail and putrefaction may modify 
 the conditions of the wound unless parts deep beneath the sur- 
 face be examined. 
 
 We see, then, that in some cases it is very easy to say that a 
 wound was inflicted post mortem. If a wound was not inflicted 
 until ten or twelve hours after death or even sooner, we cannot 
 easily mistake it. But in many cases it may be hard or im- 
 possible to say whether a wound was inflicted during life or 
 within an hour or two after death. Here we must be cautious 
 in expressing an opinion which should be guarded. But we 
 should remember that it is important to be able to state that a 
 wound was inflicted before or immediately after death, as no 
 one but a murderer would think of inflicting a fatal injur}" on 
 a body immediately after death. In such cases a well-guarded 
 medical opinion may often meet all the requirements of the 
 case. 
 
 Granted that a given wound was produced before death. 
 There are, then, one or two questions which may arise, and 
 which depend for their answer on the length of time the 
 wounded person could have lived and the phj^siological or mus- 
 cular acts which he could have performed after receiving the 
 injury and before death. The first of these questions may 
 be expressed as follows : 
 
 Could the Victim have Performed Certain Acts after 
 Having Received his Fatal Injury? The term "certain 
 acts " here refers to almost any thing or things which would 
 require time and strength — in other words, the continuance of life 
 with bodily and mental powers for a certain time after receiv- 
 ing a mortal injury. 
 
 This question may be raised in relation to an attempted 
 alibi of the accused, who may have been proved to be in the 
 presence of the victim a moment before death. If after this
 
 494 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 moment the victim has moved from the spot or performed cer- 
 tain acts before death, the attempted alibi may depend upon 
 the answer to the question as to whether the given acts of the 
 victim were compatible with the fatal character of the wound. 
 An alibi can aid in the acquittal of the accused only when the 
 nature of the injury was such that death would be supposed to 
 be immediate or nearl}'- so. Great care should be taken on the 
 part of the medical witness in answering this question, for after 
 very grave wounds, proving speedily fatal, the victim some- 
 times can do certain acts requiring more or less prolonged 
 effort, as shown by numerous examples. Wounds of the brain 
 are especially noticeable in allowing a survival of several hours, 
 days, or even weeks, during which time the injured person may 
 pursue his occupations. Where the survival has lasted da^'S or 
 weeks, the alibi has no importance, but not if the survival is 
 of shorter duration. The following case is cited by Vibert* 
 and may be mentioned in this connection, though the wound 
 was caused by a bullet which traversed from behind forward 
 the entire left lobe of the brain. After the injury the victim 
 was seen by several witnesses to climb a ladder, though with 
 difficulty, for he had right-sided hemij)legia. He was found 
 insensible more than half a mile away, and did not die until 
 six or eight hours after the injury. Severe injury of impor- 
 tant organs is sometimes not incompatible with an unexpectedh' 
 long survival. Devergie cites two illustrations of this which 
 are quoted by Vibert.' A man received several extensive 
 fractures of the skull, with abundant sub-dural hemorrhage, 
 and rupture of the diaphragm with hernia of the stomach. 
 The stomach was ruptured, and nearly a litre of its contents 
 was contained in the left pleural cavity. Notwithstanding all 
 this, he was able to walk about for an hour or so and answer 
 several questions. He died only after several hours. Another 
 man, crushed by a carriage, received a large rupture of the dia- 
 phragm, complete rupture of the jejunum, and rupture and 
 crushing of one kidney. Yet he walked nearly five miles, and 
 did not die until the next day. 
 
 More rarelj' wounds of the great vessels are not immediately 
 fatal. M. Tourdes is quoted by Vibert ' as citing the case of 
 a man who descended a flight of stairs and took several steps 
 1 Vibert : " Precis de Medecine Legale, " 2d Ed. , 1890.
 
 CERTAIN ACTS AFTER FATAL INJURY. 495 
 
 after division of the carotid artery ; also of one who lived ten 
 minutes after a bullet-wound of the inferior vena-cava. 
 
 Even wounds of the heart are not as speedily fatal as is 
 commonly supposed, and often permit of a comparatively long 
 survival. 
 
 Fischer ' found only 104 cases of immediate death among 
 452 cases of wounds of the heart, and healing occurred in 50 
 cases among 401. Vibert^ mentions two striking cases of long 
 survival after wounds of the heart. A woman received a stab- 
 wound which perforated the right ventricle, causing a wound 
 one centimetre long. She did not die until twelve days later, 
 when on autopsy there was found an enormous extravasation 
 of blood in the left pleural cavity and pericardium. The second 
 case, though one of bullet-wound, is equally applicable and 
 instructive in this connection. A man received a bullet-wound 
 which perforated the left ventricle, the bullet being found 
 later in the pericardium. After being wounded he threw a 
 lamp at his assassin which set fire to the room. He then 
 went into the court-3'ard, drew some water, carried it back 
 in a bucket, extinguished the fire, and then lay down on his 
 bed and died. 
 
 In studying the wounds of different regions of the bod}', 
 we may find many other mortal wounds which, though speedily 
 fatal, leave the possibility of more or less activity before death. 
 We see, therefore, that even in those wounds which are com- 
 monly supposed to be immediately fatal, even by man}- medical 
 men where attention has not been called to the exceptions, such 
 exceptional cases are not uncommon in which death is not 
 immediate. Time and even strength may thus be allowed for 
 more or less complicated activity. An alibi cannot, therefore, 
 be allowed without question on the part of the medical expert, 
 who must exercise great caution in expressing an opinion. 
 The second question which may sometimes arise in connection 
 with the last, but having little to do with the subject of this 
 section, is the following: 
 
 How Long before Death had the Deceased Accoji- 
 PLisHED Certain Physiological Acts? For instance, how 
 
 ' Vibert :" Precis de Medecine Le- * Quoted bv Vibert from the 
 
 gale," 2d Ed., 1890. "Traite do pa'thologie extenie " of 
 
 Folliu and Duplay.
 
 496 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 long after a meal did he die? This is hard to answer with pre- 
 cision, as digestion varies with the individual, and digestion 
 begun during life may go on to a certain extent after death. We 
 may be able to say if digestion has just commenced, is well ad- 
 vanced, or has terminated. What was eaten at the last meal 
 may be learned by the naked eye, the microscope, the color of 
 stomach contents and their odor. The state of the bladder and 
 rectum is sometimes called in question. All the above facts 
 have less bearing on the case than those in relation to the 
 former question. 
 
 THE CAUSE OF DEATH FROM WOUNDS. 
 
 The cause of death should be certain and definite. In reality, 
 there is only one real cause, though one or many circumstances 
 may be accessory causes. In most cases of death from the class 
 of wounds which we have been considering, there is no difficulty 
 in determining the cause of death so as to be able to state it 
 definitely. But if the deceased had recovered from the first 
 effects of the wound and then died, or if death seems as much 
 due to disease as to injury, then the real cause of death may 
 be obscure. If the medical witness is in doubt as to which of 
 two causes was the primary cause of death the doubt should be 
 stated at once, as it may weaken the testimony if brought out 
 later. 
 
 Wounds may be directly or indirectly fatal. They are 
 directly fatal if the victim dies at once or very soon after the 
 wound, with no other cause internally in his body or externally 
 from his environment. Wounds are indirectly or secondarily 
 fatal if the injured person dies from a wound disease or com- 
 plication, the direct consequence of the wound, or from a surgi- 
 cal operation necessary in the treatment of the case. Wounds 
 may also be necessarily fatal either directly or secondarily, or 
 not necessarily fatal. In the latter case death may be due as 
 much, if not more, to other causes than the wound, and some- 
 times not at all to the wound itself. Thus death may be due to 
 natural causes, latent disease, an unhealthy state of the body, 
 imprudence or neglect of treatment, or improper treatment, etc. 
 These various degrees of responsibility of a wound as the cause 
 of death we will now consider more at length.
 
 THE CAUSE OF DEATH FROM WOUNDS. 49?' 
 
 I. Was the Wound the Cause of Death Directly? 
 
 If so, it must have caused death in one of the following- 
 ways: 
 
 1. Hemorrhage. — This may act by producing syncope. 
 But the amount of the hemorrhage may not be suflScient for 
 this result, and still cause death by disturbing the function of 
 the organ into which it is effused, as in the brain or in the 
 pleural or pericardial cavities. The blood here acts mechani- 
 cally. Blood in the trachea may also kill mechanically by 
 causing asphyxia. 
 
 The amount of hemorrhage required to produce syncope 
 varies under a variety of circumstances. Less is required in 
 the very young, the aged, and the diseased, also less in women 
 than in men. Young infants may die from hemorrhage from 
 very slight wounds, even from the application of a leech or the 
 lancing of the gums. A sudden loss of blood is much more 
 serious than an equal amount lost slowly. This is the reason 
 that the wound of an artery is more serious and more rapidly 
 fatal than a similar loss of blood from other sources. It is hard 
 to specify the absolute quantity which must be lost in order to 
 cause death by syncope. The total blood in the body is about 
 one-thirteenth of the weight of the body, making the total amount 
 of blood weigh about twelve pounds. Of this, about one-fourth 
 is in the heart, lungs, and large blood-vessels. According to 
 Watson, the loss of an amount varying from five to eight 
 pounds is enough to be fatal to an adult. But less is enough to 
 prove fatal in many cases, as the rapidity of the loss of blood 
 and the age, sex, and bodily condition of the wounded person 
 affect the amount necessary. Though death from a small artery 
 is slower than that from a large one, yet it may occur in time, 
 as shown in the instance quoted by Taylor, ' where a man bled 
 to death in thirty-eight hours from the wound of an intercostal 
 artery. Thus, too, a wound of the branches of the external 
 carotid artery is often enough to cause death, and a wound in 
 a vascular part may cause death from hemorrhage, though no 
 vessel of any size be divided. 
 
 Internal hemorrhage may be fatal from mechanical in- 
 
 '"Med. Jurisprud. , " 11th Amer. Ed., 1892. 
 32
 
 498 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 terference with the function of an organ, as well as from syn- 
 cope. Thus we may have death from syncope due to hemor- 
 rhage into the peritoneal cavity or, after contusions, into the 
 intercellular spaces and the cavity due to the blow, into which 
 several pounds of blood may be extravasated. Internal hemor- 
 rhage is most fatal when due to the rupture of a viscus such as 
 the heart, lungs, liver, kidney. Taylor ^ cites a case of a man 
 run over and brought to Guy's Hospital in November, 1864. 
 He had pain in the back, but there were no symptoms or marks 
 of severe injury. He left the hospital and walked home, where 
 he was found dead in bed a few hours later. His abdomen 
 contained a large amount of blood from the rupture of a kidney. 
 After severe flagellation blood may be effused in large quan- 
 tity beneath the skin and between the muscles, which is just as 
 fatal as if it had flowed externally from a wound. In fact, if 
 the injuries are numerous the loss of much less blood is enough 
 to prove fatal, the element of shock here assisting that of hem- 
 orrhage. 
 
 Hoiv are ive to ascertain tvhether a person has died from 
 hemorrhage ? This may be more difficult in the case of an 
 open wound, for the body may have been moved from the spot 
 where it lay after the wound was received, and the blood on 
 the body, clothes, and surrounding objects may have been re- 
 moved. Then the case may be presumptive only, but we may 
 arrive at a definite conclusion by attention to the following 
 points : If the wound was in a very vascular part and of some 
 size, or if a large vessel or many moderately large vessels were 
 divided and the vessels, especially the veins in the neighbor- 
 hood, are empty, then we may be quite sure of death from 
 hemorrhage. If there is no disease found which could be 
 rapidly fatal the case is still stronger. The body should be 
 pallid after fatal hemorrhage, but the same may be the case 
 from death from other causes. In case the body and surround- 
 ing objects have not been disturbed, then the amount of clotted 
 blood in the wound, on the body and clothes, and about the 
 body, taken in connection with the foregoing points, can leave 
 no doubt. We should remember, however, that not all the 
 blood about the bod}^ was necessarily effused during life, but a 
 little hemorrhage may have occurred after death while the 
 '"Med. Jurispmd.," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 SEVERE MECHANICAL INJURY OF A VITAL ORGAN. 499 
 
 body was still warm and the blood fluid, i.e., during the first 
 four, eight, or ten hours. But the amount thus lost is small. 
 In cases of death from internal hemorrhage we do not have so 
 much difficulty in pronouncing an opinion, as by post-mortem 
 examination we can determine the amount of the hemorrhage. 
 We can judge, too, from its position, whether it iias acted 
 mechanically to interfere with a vital function, and has thus 
 caused death, or whether the latter was due to syncope from 
 the quantity lost. 
 
 2. Severe mechanical injury of a vital organ, such 
 as crushing of the heart, lungs, brain, etc. This crushing 
 may be accompanied by hemorrhage, but death may be more 
 immediate than the hemorrhage would account for. The me- 
 chanical injury done to the vital centres in the medulla by the 
 act of pithing is the direct cause of the sudden death which 
 follows it. Exceptionally slight violence to a vital organ is 
 fatal, but this may be better explained by attributing it to shock. 
 
 3. Shock. — An injury is often apparently not enough to 
 account for the fatal result so speedily. The marks of external 
 injury may fail entirely or be very trifling. Thus more than 
 once persons have died in railway collisions with no external 
 marks of violence. So, too, a blow on the upper abdomen, on 
 the " pit of the stomach, " has been rapidly fatal without any 
 visible injury to the viscera. Death is attributed to the effect 
 on the cardiac plexus, and there may be no marks externally 
 or only very superficial ones. In Reg. v. Slane and Others 
 (Durham Wint. Ass., 1872), quoted by Taylor,' the deceased 
 was proved to have sustained severe injuries to the abdomen 
 by kicks, etc., but there were no marks of bruises. All organs 
 were found healthy on post-mortem examination, but the in- 
 jured man died in twenty minutes. Death was attributed to 
 shock and the prisoners were convicted of murder. 
 
 Death from concussion of the brain is another example of 
 death from shock. This may occur with only a t)ruise on the 
 scalp and with no intracranial hemorrhage or laceration of the 
 brain. The medical witness should be cautious in the above 
 classes of cases in giving evidence, as the defence may rely 
 upon the absence of any visible signs of mortal injury to prove 
 that no injury was done, a principle fundamentally wrong. 
 '"Med. Jurisprud. , " 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 500 WOUNDS — WOOLSET. 
 
 Also a number of injuries, no one of which alone could be 
 the direct cause of death, may cause death on the spot or very- 
 soon afterward. Death in such cases, where there is no large 
 effusion under the skin, is referred to exhaustion, which, how- 
 ever, is merely another term for shock. Such cases are exem- 
 plified by -prize-fighters who, during or after the fight, become 
 collapsed and die of exhaustion. Having sustained numerous 
 blows on the body during the many rounds, the body presents 
 the marks of various bruises, but there may be nothing else 
 to explain the sudden death. No one injury or bruise is mortal, 
 and yet, when the deceased was previously sound and in good 
 health, death must be referred directly to the multiple injuries 
 received in the fight. We have already stated above that if 
 the injuries are numerous, the loss of a smaller amount of blood 
 may be fatal. We see, therefore, that there is not always a 
 specific and visible "mortal" injury to account for death. This 
 is a well-kno\^Ti medical fact, but it does not accord with the 
 erroneous popular prejudice that no one can die from violence 
 without some one visible wound which is mortal. In other 
 words, the non-professional mind leaves out of account the idea 
 of shock, only regarding material injury and not functional dis- 
 turbance. If the circumstances accompanying death are un- 
 known, it is well to be cautious. But if the deceased was in 
 ordinary health and vigor and there was no morbid cause to 
 account for the sudden death, we need not hesitate to refer 
 death to the multiple injuries. 
 
 II. Was the Wound the Cause of Death Necessarily? 
 
 This brings up a number of interesting questions to be con- 
 sidered. In medical jurisprudence there is probably no condition 
 so common as that the injurj'- is admitted, but death is attrib- 
 uted to some other cause. Thus if there are several ivounds it 
 may be hard^to decide on the relative degree of mortality of an}- 
 particular one, so as to be able to say that death was directly or 
 necessarily due to this or that one. The defence may plead that 
 death was not necessarily due to the particular wound attrib- 
 uted to the prisoner. This brings up the question — 
 
 Which of two or more Wounds was the Cause of 
 Death? No general rule can be laid down for all cases, but
 
 WAS THE WOUND THE CAUSE OF DEATH ? 501 
 
 each case must be judged by itself. Another way of put- 
 ting the question is : " Which of two or more icounds ivas 
 mortal?" The questions are not quite synonymous, for two 
 or more of the wounds might be " mortal" but not equally the 
 cause of death. In fact, as we have alread}- seen, no one of the 
 wounds if they are multiple may be of itself mortal, but taken 
 together they are so. Consequently we will suppose that there 
 are but two wounds, and not multiple ones, and the question 
 remains which of these wounds was the cause of death. A 
 wound may be said to be of itself mortal when it is the cause 
 of death directly or indirectly in spite of the best medical as- 
 sistance. In some continental states mortal wounds are divided 
 into two classes, those absolutely and those conditionally mor- 
 tal, the former including those in which the best medical as- 
 sistance is at hand, sent for or timely rendered without everting 
 the result. The mortal result in the second class is conditional 
 on want of treatment, improper treatment, or accidental cir- 
 cumstances. As Taylor says, it is better to look at the effect 
 of the wound and the intent of the assailant, as is done in 
 English law, rather than at accidental relations of the 
 wound. 
 
 To return to the question, we can readily imagine that a 
 man may receive two wounds at different times or from differ- 
 ent persons, and die after the second wound. Taylor ' mentions 
 the following case in which the question arose as to which of 
 two injuries caused death: In Reg. v. Foreman (C.C.C. Feb- 
 ruary, 1873) the prisoner had struck the deceased some severe 
 blows on the head. A fortnight later, having partially recov- 
 ered, another man gave him some severe blows on the head. 
 A fortnight later still he had left hemiplegia, and died a few 
 days later of a large abscess in the brain. The question arose 
 which set of blows had been the cause of the abscess. The 
 prisoner, the first assailant, was acquitted, as the deceased had 
 had no serious symptoms until the second assault, and there 
 was no satisfactory medical evidence as to the relation of the 
 two assaults to the abscess formation. The same author also 
 supposes the following case : A man having received a gunshot 
 wound of the shoulder is doing well, when in another quarrel 
 he receives a penetrating stab- wound of the thorax and abdo- 
 ' Taylor: "Medical Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1893.
 
 502 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 men. He dies after lingering for a timo, under the effects of 
 these wounds. If the wound of the shoulder could be proven 
 to be the cause of death, the second assailant could not be con- 
 victed of manslaughter, and so too with the first assailant if 
 it could be shown that the victim died of the stab-wound. It 
 might be possible for a surgeon to decide the question definiteh' 
 at once if death occurred soon after the stab, which was found 
 to have penetrated the heart, a large blood-vessel, or one of the 
 viscera ; or, on the other hand, if the stab- wound was found to 
 be superficial and not penetrating, and the wound in the shoul- 
 der had suppurated and caused septicemia. 
 
 In either or any case, everything would depend upon the 
 evidence furnished by the medical witness. His knowledge 
 and judgment are required to distinguish the guilty from the 
 innocent. 
 
 Again, sometimes death may appear to be equally the result 
 of either or both wounds, in which case, as far as the medical 
 evidence goes, both assailants would be liable to the charge of 
 manslaughter. Or the second wound may be accidental or sui- 
 cidal, and again the question would arise as to the cause of 
 death. A case illustrating this is told by Taylor * substantially 
 as follows : A grocer's assistant pursued a thief, who had stolen 
 from a cart, into a coal-shed, where he was stabbed twice in 
 the abdomen. The larger wound suppurated, the smaller wound 
 healed up, and the man died of peritonitis. On post-mortem 
 examination the suppurating wound was found not to involve 
 a vital part, while the small healed wound had wounded the 
 liver and gall bladder and had set up the fatal peritonitis. 
 The large suppurating wound had apparently been inflicted 
 purposely; the fatal wound, directed upward and backward, 
 might have been accidental by the deceased rushing upon the 
 knife held more or less in self-defence. The case never came 
 to trial, as the assailant was never found, but it can be readih' 
 Imagined what complications might have arisen. 
 
 Furthermore, the wounded person may have taken poison or 
 been subsequently ill-treated, and he may have died from these 
 causes rather than the injury. But the question arises as to 
 whether the wound was necessarily the cause of death. Here, 
 in order to exculpate the assailant, the supervening disease or 
 'Taylor: " MedicalJurisprudence, " 11th Amer. Ed., 1893.
 
 WAS DEATH DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES? 503 
 
 maltreatment must be such as to account for sudden or rapid 
 death under the symptoms which actually preceded death. 
 
 Was Death Due to Natural Causes? Again, the injury 
 may be admitted, but it may be claimed that death is due to nat- 
 ural causes. It is not unusual for wounded persons to die from 
 natural causes, though the case may appear otherwise to lay- 
 men. This is often seen with suicidal wounds, especially those 
 inflicted during the delirium of a disease, or the disease may 
 supervene later and cause death without relation to the wound. 
 Where the wound was inflicted by another, accurate discrimi- 
 nation is especially important in order to save the accused from 
 imprisonment under false accusation and consequent loss of 
 character. A careful examination is the only way to determine 
 such cases, which depend therefore on the medical testimony. 
 
 Again, the question may arise as between death from 
 WOUNDS OR LATENT DISEASE, the wound perhaps being ad- 
 mitted, but death being attributed to latent disease. Here a 
 close attention to symptoms and a careful post-mortem exami- 
 nation can alone decide. A man may die from the rupture of 
 an aneurism, from an apoplexy or some other morbid condi- 
 tion after receiving a severe wound. Or a man with a hernia 
 may receive a blow upon it causing a rupture of the contained 
 intestine followed by peritonitis and death, or the recipient of 
 a blow may have a calculus in the kidney which ma}' perforate 
 a blood-vessel or the kidney tissue and set up a fatal hemor- 
 rhage as the result of a blow. 
 
 Thus, medically speaking, the result of the injury is un- 
 usual and unexpected, and due to an abnormal or unhealthy 
 state of body of the wounded person. 
 
 If it can be clearly shown by the medical testimony that 
 death was due to the above or anj^- other latent diseases, the 
 responsibilitj^ of the assailant may be lessened or removed. 
 The law looks to this point and is lenient in its punishment 
 in the absence of malice on the part of the assailant. The 
 crime is still manslaughter and may even be murder if the 
 assailant was actuated by malice and the abnormal or unhealthy 
 state of the body of the victim was taken advantage of. 
 Generally there is no intention of murder, but the nature of 
 the wound and the means of infliction will help to show this, 
 which is for the jury rather than the medical witness to decide.
 
 504 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 There is less ground for mitigation of the punishment if the 
 assailant was aware of the peculiar condition of the wounded 
 person, especially in the case of those notoriously ill or of 
 pregnant women. 
 
 Closely allied with this subject are those rare cases where 
 
 ABNORMAL ANATOMICAL CONDITIONS, SUch aS a thin skuU or 
 
 brittle bones, cause a slight injury to be followed by unexpect- 
 ed and untoward results, not to be looked for in the average in- 
 dividual. In such cases the evidence of the abnormal condition 
 furnished by the medical witness may diminish the responsi- 
 bility and mitigate the punishment. 
 
 Furthermore, the responsibility of the assailant may not be 
 altogether removed, for the question naturally arises. Was death 
 accelerated by the wound? This depends upon the circum- 
 stances in each case upon which the medical witness must base 
 his opinion. Maliciously accelerating the death of another is 
 regarded as criminal on the principle that that which acceler- 
 ates causes. The following cases are quoted from Taylor * to 
 illustrate the above distinctions. In Reg. v. Timms (Oxford 
 Lent Ass., 1870) the deceased had been struck on the head by 
 the accused with a hatchet, from which injury he had partly 
 recovered under treatment in twelve days. But six weeks later 
 he was seized with inflammation of the brain, with convulsions, 
 and died. At the autopsy disease of the kidneys was found, 
 and death was referred to this and the inflammation of the 
 brain due to the blows. The prisoner was convicted after the 
 judge had charged the jury that it was manslaughter if they 
 believed that the blows conduced in part to the death of the 
 deceased. 
 
 In the following cases there was no connection between the 
 violence and the cause of death. A man struck his father on 
 the head with a hammer and was sentenced to two months' im- 
 prisonment, as the injury did not appear serious. The father 
 thought the punishment too little, became much excited, and 
 was hemiplegia six days after the wound was inflicted and 
 died three days later. No injury of the brain was found under 
 a fracture of the inner table at the site of the blow, but a large 
 clot was found in the lateral ventricle which, in the opinion of 
 the medical witnesses, was not dependent on the blow, and the 
 1 Taylor: "MedicalJurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 WAS DEATH DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES? 505 
 
 prisoner was acquitted (see Reg, v. Saxon, Lancashire Sum. 
 Ass., 1884). Also in Reg. v. Hodgson (Leeds Sum. Ass., 187G) 
 the prisoner had struck his wife with a belt, a short time after 
 which she fell back and died suddenly. The cause of death 
 was found to be heart disease, and the blow not being causative 
 in producing the fatal result, the prisoner was acquitted. Or 
 again in Reg. v. Thompson (Liverpool Sum. Ass., 1876): The 
 prisoner had stabbed his wife in the cheek. The wound was 
 severe but not mortal. Two days later she was delivered of a 
 child in the infirmary to which she was taken. She died nine 
 days later of puerperal fever. The prisoner was acquitted on 
 the charge of murder, as there was no necessary connection 
 between the wound and the puerperal fever. Acquittals have 
 taken place in cases of death occasioned by terror or dread of 
 impending danger produced by acts of violence, as in the case 
 of Reg. V. Heany (Gloucester Lent Ass., 1875). Here the pris- 
 oner in an altercation with his wife, who was suffering from 
 cancer, held up a knife in a threatening 'manner, but did not 
 touch her. This gave her a shock ; she died two days later 
 from fright. As there was no distinct proof that death was 
 accelerated by this act, the prisoner was acquitted of the charge 
 of murder. Taylor ' found among a large number of cases 
 occurring in England during twenty years that the latent 
 causes of death, as registered in wounded persons, were chiefly 
 inflammation of the thoracic or abdominal viscera, apoplexy, 
 diseases of the heart and large blood-vessels, phthisis, ruptures 
 of the stomach and bowels from disease, internal strangulation, 
 and the rupture of deep-seated abscesses. Sometimes the person 
 was in good health up to the time of injur}', while in other cases 
 there was merely a slight indisposition. It was only by care- 
 fulness on the part of the medical experts that the true cause of 
 death was ascertained. 
 
 Again, it may be claimed that death was not necessaril}' 
 the result of the wound and was avoidable by good medical 
 TREATMENT. There are many cases of wounds not mortal with 
 proper and skilled treatment which might become so by im- 
 proper treatment. They may thus become directly mortal by 
 interfering with a source of hemorrhage which had been ar- 
 rested, or secondarily mortal by infection of the wound by med- 
 » Taylor : " Medical Jurisprudence, " 11th Amer. Ed. , 1893.
 
 506 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 dlesome treatment. It would depend on the medical witnesses 
 to determine whether and how far the treatment had been 
 responsible for the fatal result. If the wound is not of itself 
 mortal and it has only become so from improper treatment, 
 this should be a mitigating circumstance in favor of the ac- 
 cused. Medically speaking, we can seldom make the sharp 
 distinction which Lord Hale did legally between a wound 
 becoming mortal from improper treatment and one in which 
 improper treatment causes death irrespective of the wound. In 
 case of a slight wound this distinction might be possible, but 
 not so in case of severe wounds. Also there would probably 
 be no conviction, as far as the medical evidence is concerned, 
 if the wound was only mortal in consequence of improper treat- 
 ment and not mortal as its usvial and probable result. This may 
 naturally introduce the question of the comparative skill in 
 TREATMENT. If death is entirely or partly due to a wound the 
 responsibility of an assailant is not altered by unskilful treat- 
 ment. The entire question of the relation of the wound to the 
 fatal result and the effect on this result of the treatment em- 
 plo3^ed is left to be determined by the medical experts, and 
 in its solution great care and judgment must be used. Al- 
 though a given fatal wound might not have caused death under 
 the best possible treatment and surroundings, yet, according to 
 the above rule, the assailant is held responsible as long as the 
 fatal result is due partlj^, at least, to the wound. Therefore 
 we see the responsibility of the surgeon not only for the life of 
 his patient, but also for that of the prisoner. He should, there- 
 fore, not deviate from the ordinary and most accepted practice 
 in such cases, as any such deviation is taken hold of by the 
 counsel for the defence. In fact, every point of the treatment 
 is subjected to criticism. 
 
 In a lacerated wound of the foot, if death occurs from 
 tetanus, it may be claimed that death would not have occurred 
 if the foot had been amputated, or, if the foot were amputated 
 and death followed, it may be claimed that amputation was 
 unnecessary and was the cause of death. The surgeon should, 
 therefore, be able to give the best reasons for every step of 
 treatment. 
 
 Again, it may be claimed that death was not a necessary 
 result of the wound and was avoidable but for imprudence
 
 DEATH FOLLOWING SLIGHT PERSONAL INJURIES. 507 
 
 OR NEGLECT on the part of the wounded person. A man after 
 being wounded may refuse to receive medical assistance, or, 
 after receiving it, may disobey instructions or refuse to submit 
 to an operation proposed. Thus with a compound depressed 
 fracture of the skull the patient may either refuse to see a sur- 
 geon, or he may refuse to submit to an operation proposed, or 
 he may with or without operation disobey the instructions as 
 to diet and quiet, and eat or drink heavily and refuse to go to 
 bed. Such a case we can readily imagine might die of menin- 
 gitis, etc. 
 
 If the symptoms of a wound are unfavorable from the start, 
 or if the wound of itself is likely to prove mortal, the responsi- 
 bility of the assailant is unmitigated by imprudence or neglect " 
 of medical assistance by the wounded person. This is not 
 allowed as mitigatorj-, as a sane man is a free agent and is not 
 obliged to call in or submit to medical treatment. Moreover, a 
 medical witness in many cases could not swear that an opera- 
 tion or other plan of treatment would certainly save life. Thus 
 an amputation of the leg for wound of the foot causing tetanus 
 is by no means a certain means of cure. But we can readily 
 imagine a case where the refusal to submit to the treatment 
 proposed might be an important element in causing death. 
 Thus in a compound depressed fracture of the skull with com- 
 pression, the medical witnesses would agree that the operation 
 would in all probability save life. This fact would probably 
 be only mitigatory in diminishing the penalty, and, as stated 
 above, would not secure acqviittal. But it is none the less im- 
 portant for the medical witness to bear these facts in mind and 
 bring out the fa,cts and conclusions clearly in his testimony. 
 
 Death Following Slight Personal Injuries. — Here 
 again the claim might apparently be justified that death was not 
 necessarily due to the trifling injury. And in reality there is 
 commonly some unhealthy state of the body to explain such an 
 unexpected result. When the disease accounting for this un- 
 healthy state of the body is in some other part than the injury, 
 an examination with ordinary care will explain the case. But 
 if the disease and injury are located in the same part, especially 
 in the head, the case is more perplexing, but may be cleared up 
 by careful and thorough examination. Also the usual results 
 of such an injury should be considered, and whether the disease
 
 508 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 would be a usual result of the injury, or whether the sum total 
 of the pathological conditions found would be accounted for by 
 the violence. It shovild be remembered that the presence of 
 chronic disease is no excuse. Thus Taylor ' cites the case of 
 Reg. V. Haj^ley (Lewes Aut. Ass., 18G0), where a boy with 
 chronic disease of the brain suffered from no unusual s3'mptom 
 until he received a severe flogging, which was followed by 
 death in less than three hours. The same author mentions also 
 the following case to show that fatal results may follow very 
 slight and trivial blows. Annan ^ tells of a healthy four- year- 
 old girl who received a slight blow from the shaft of a wheel- 
 barrow on the skin about three inches below the knee. There 
 was even no external mark of violence, and the injury was 
 thought to be so slight as not to require treatment. There 
 was pain, however, which increased on the following day, 
 marked constitutional symptoms appeared, and the child died 
 on the fourth day. Even to the punishment inflicted by school- 
 masters death has been imputed. 
 
 When DEATH occurs from wounds after long periods 
 the injury may be admitted, but it may be claimed that death was 
 not necessarily due to the wound. Medically speaking, death 
 is just as much the result of the injury as if it occurred on the 
 spot. Of course, death must be clearly traceable to the usual 
 and probable results of the injury, and not be dependent on any 
 other cause. An examination of the wounded part and of the 
 whole body will enable the medical witness to determine the 
 cause of death and whether it is clearly traceable to the injury. 
 A doubt on this point may lead to acquittal. Certain forms of 
 wounds or wounds in certain localities are especially liable to 
 end fatally after a long delay, but as the direct result of the 
 wound. These are wounds of the head and of the spine. As 
 to the first class, the injured person may apparently recover 
 and be doing well, when he maj- suddenly die from a cerebral 
 abscess, for instance. This is the result of the injury, but re- 
 mains a longer or shorter time latent. In wounds of the spine 
 the patient is generally paralyzed below the point of fracture, 
 but is apparently in good health. In a longer or shorter time 
 he may die of a pneumonia, cystitis, or bedsores, which are the 
 
 ' Taylor : " Medical Jurisprudence, " ^ Med. Times, 1854, ii. , p. 238. 
 llthAmer. Ed., 1893.
 
 WAS A WOUND THE CAUSE OF DEATH SECONDARILY? 501> 
 
 known and regular consequences of the injury or injured con- 
 dition. Astley Cooper cites the case of a man who was in- 
 jured on the head and died two years later from the effects of 
 the injury, as was clearly made out by the continuance of brain 
 symptoms during the entire period. An interval of eleven 
 years occurred in another head injury between the injury and 
 the fatal result. The first result of the injury was concussion 
 of the brain, and the case is mentioned by Hoffbauer. ' This 
 long interval is unusual. There is a rule in English law by 
 which the assailant cannot be indicted for murder if the victim 
 of the assault lives a year and a day. Practically this makes 
 little difference, as nearly all cases would die within that time; 
 but the principle is wrong as looked at from the medical stand- 
 point. The protracted cases concern, as above stated, mostly 
 injuries of the head, spine, and chest, among which there are 
 some cases, like the examples cited, where, according to Eng- 
 lish law, justice would fail to be done. 
 
 III. Was a Wound the Cause of Death Secondarily? 
 
 A wound is secondarily the cause of death when the victim, 
 having recovered from the first ill effects, dies from some wound 
 disease or accident or from a surgical operation rendered nec- 
 essary in the proper treatment of the wound. There may be 
 much difficulty in establishing the proof of death from a wound 
 ]jy means of secondary causes, for, 1st, the secondary cause 
 must be in the natural course of things ; and, 2d, there must be 
 no other accidental circumstances to occasion the secondary 
 cause. 
 
 The secondary cause may be partly due to the constitution 
 of the deceased from habits of dissipation, which fact would 
 serve as an expiatory circumstance in the case. Among the 
 secondary causes of death may be mentioned septicaemia, pya?- 
 mia, erysipelas, tetanus, gangrene, that is, wound diseases, also 
 the wound accident — as we may call delirium tremens, and sur- 
 gical operations rendered necessary to the treatment of the case. 
 We may add, besides the regular wound diseases, inflammation 
 in and about the wound, septic in character, perhaps not justi- 
 fying the title of septicaemia, but which, with its accompanying 
 fever, may be the " last straw" in a case which might otherwise 
 1 " Ueber die Kopf- Verletzungen, " 1842, p. 57.
 
 510 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 recover. Some of these secondary causes will now be considered 
 more at length. 
 
 Septicemia is a general febrile disease due to the absorp- 
 tion into the system from a wound of the products of bacteria 
 or due to the introduction into the blood and tissues of the bac- 
 teria themselves. Depending on the two sources of origin, we 
 have two forms of septicaemia : 1. Septic intoxication or sapre- 
 mia, due to the absorption of a chemical poison, ptomaines, and 
 often readily influenced and cured by the removal of the source 
 of these ptomaines in decomposing blood-clots, secretions, etc. 
 2. Septic infection comes on less rapidly but is more serious 
 than the former is, if properly and quickly treated, because the 
 source of the trouble cannot be removed, but is in the blood and 
 the tissues. The latter form is the more common one in wounds, 
 though the former may occur in abdominal wounds, especially 
 when a blood-clot is present. The first form begins acutely, the 
 second form more gradually. The infection in septicaemia 
 takes place through a wound and may be due to the weapon 
 which caused the wound, the unclean condition of the parts 
 wounded, or to the subsequent treatment or want of treatment. 
 It may even take place through the intestinal mucous mem- 
 brane as in cases of tyrotoxicon poisoning. It is most likely to 
 occur during the first four or five days before the surfaces of 
 the wound granulate, and it consists in the introduction of bac- 
 teria, especially staphylococci and streptococci. The disease is 
 characterized by severe constitutional symptoms, acute contin- 
 uous fever, inflammation of certain viscera and of the wound, 
 and nervous disorders. A pronounced chill ushering in the 
 fever is generally absent. Prostration is especially marked, the 
 patient finally passing into a typhoid condition indifferent to 
 surroundings. Anorexia and headache are usually present; 
 diarrhoea is common, vomiting is not. The skin is pale and 
 dusky, but not commonly icteric ; at first it is hot and drj^, later 
 moist and finally cold and clammy. The spleen is often en- 
 larged. The pulse becomes weak and rapid and delirium is 
 followed by coma. The prognosis is grave. Antiseptic treat- 
 ment generally prevents and often cures the disease, as is the 
 case with many other of the wound diseases ; hence the failure 
 to employ it may be alleged by the defence in mitigation of the 
 responsibility of the assailant for the fatal result.
 
 SEPTICAEMIA — PYEMIA — ERYSIPELAS. 511 
 
 Pyemia is closely allied to septicaemia. It is due to the 
 setting free of bacterial emboli or septic emboli from a broken- 
 down, septic thrombus in the neighborhood of the wound, and 
 the circulation of these emboli in the blood until they are ar- 
 rested and form the characteristic metastatic abscesses, espe- 
 cially in the lungs, joints, abdominal viscera, and parotid gland. 
 Almost always the source of infection is an infected woimd. 
 Granulation does not prevent the occurrence of pyaemia, which, 
 as a rule, commences at a later stage than septicaemia. It is 
 most important, however, for our purpose to remember that 
 there is such a thing as spontaneous pyaemia. An injury not 
 causing a wound ma}' here be the exciting cause, but the result- 
 ing pyaemia is an unexpected consequence. A bruise of a bone, 
 for instance, by allowing bacteria, which in certain conditions 
 may be circulating in the blood, to find an exit from the ves- 
 sels into the bruised part, may develop an acute osteo-myelitis, 
 which may be a starting-point of a pyaemia. It is but proper 
 to state, however, that spontaneous pyaemia is a rare occurrence. 
 In fact, it is so rare that if pyaemia occurs and we find ever so 
 trifling an infected wound, we can safely attribute the pyaemia 
 to the wound and not to a spontaneous origin. 
 
 Pyaemia begins, as a rule, in the second week of the healing 
 process or even later. It usually begins with a chill, which may 
 be frequently repeated. The fever is very irregular and exacer- 
 bations occur with each metastatic abscess. The skin is icteric, 
 the icterus being hematogenous. The pulse is rapid and be- 
 comes weaker. Infective endocarditis may develop, which in- 
 creases the danger of metastatic abscesses, which may then 
 occur in the brain. Otherwise the mind is clear and unaf- 
 fected until the final delirium and coma. The disease may 
 become chronic, but usually lasts a week or ten days. The 
 prognosis is very grave. 
 
 Erysipelas is a still more frequent complication of medico- 
 legal wounds, and though not so fatal as the two preceding, it 
 is probably more often the secondary cause of death on account 
 of its far greater frequence. It too is an acute infective in- 
 flammation due to the presence of a micro-organism, strepto- 
 coccus erysipelatis. This occurs mostly in the lymphatics of 
 the skin, and effects an entrance through some wound or abra- 
 sion of the skin or mucous membrane, which may be almost
 
 512 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 microscopic in size. Probably there is no such thing as trne 
 spontaneous erysipelas^ though the wound may be often 
 overlooked and only visible on the closest examination. If a 
 wound has been inflicted, the size and severity of it cannot be 
 alleged as a reason why it was not the starting-point of an 
 erysipelas. The erj^sipelas must be clearly traced to the injury. 
 That is, it must occur before recovery from the wound or not 
 later than a week after it has healed, for the incubation is prob- 
 ably not longer than this. It is difficult to connect an erysip- 
 elas with a wound if it occurs some time after it has healed or 
 if it occurs at a different place and not about the wound. 
 Wounds of certain regions, as, for instance, scalp wounds, are 
 especially liable to develop erysipelas, but this is probably owing 
 to the imperfect antiseptic treatment or delay in applying it. 
 Certain individuals are more prone to it than others; thus it 
 has been stated that blondes and those suffering from Bright's 
 disease are more susceptible, though how true this is it is hard 
 to say. It is also probably more prevalent at certain times of 
 the year, particularly in the spring. A wound after it has 
 scabbed over or has begun to granulate, that is, after the first 
 four or five days, is very much less apt to serve as the avenue 
 for infection. Erysipelas usually'' begins with a chill, or a con- 
 vulsion in children. Nausea and vomiting are the rule. The 
 fever is remittent and ranges from 102° to 104° F. , and the tem- 
 perature may be subnormal when the inflammation is subsid- 
 ing. Prostration is marked and the pulse more or less weak. 
 There may be delirium while the fever is high. Locally there 
 is rarely anything characteristic until twent^'-fonr hours or so 
 after the chill. Then we have a reddish blush with some ten- 
 sion, burning and itching of the skin. At first the redness is 
 most marked about the wound, later at the edge of the advanc- 
 ing, serpentine margin. It spreads widely and rapid]}", and 
 after three or four days the part first attacked begins to im- 
 prove. Desquamation follows. The duration may be a week 
 or ten daj^s or as long as a month. The inflammation may be 
 much more severe, involving the subcutaneous connective tissue 
 in phlegmonous erysipelas. 
 
 Facial erysipelas is a common variety and was once re- 
 garded as idiopathic, but a wound on the skin or mucous mem- 
 brane is probably always present. The prognosis of erysipelas
 
 FACIAL ERYSIPELAS — TETANUS. 513 
 
 is usually favorable. Since the use of antiseptics it is far less 
 common than formerly, though still the most common of the 
 infective wound diseases. 
 
 If a man wounded in an assault is taken to a hospital where 
 erysipelas prevails, the question of responsibility arises, for, 
 medically speaking, he is subjected to great and avoidable 
 risks. 
 
 Tetanus is an infective bacterial disease affecting chiefly the 
 central nervous system and almost always, if not always, origi- 
 nating from a wound. Tetanus, like erysipelas, is probably 
 always traumatic and never • strictly idiopathic. The wound 
 may be so slight as to escape notice. When it follows such in- 
 juries as simple fracture internal infection probably occurs, 
 though such cases are extremely rare. It is said that the 
 weather influences the development of tetanus, and that it is 
 more common in the tropics. There are also certain sections 
 where tetanus is much more common than elsewhere and where 
 it may be said to be almost endemic. Punctured wounds are 
 most likely to be followed by tetanus, for they offer the best 
 opportunity for the development of the bacteria, which are an- 
 aerobic. Wounds in dirty parts of the body, like the hands 
 and feet, are more apt to be followed by tetanus than those 
 elsewhere. Tetanus usually appears about the end of the first 
 week after a wound has been received, but it may not appear 
 for a longer period, even three or four weeks, so that the wound 
 may have been some time healed. To connect tetanus with a 
 particular wound, note (1) if there were any symptoms of it 
 before the wound or injury, (2) whether any other cause inter- 
 vened after the wound or injury which would be likely to 
 produce it, and (3) whether the deceased ever rallied from the 
 effects of the injury. Tetanus comes on suddenly without 
 warning. The injured person first notices that he cannot fully 
 open the mouth, he has lock-jaw, and the back of the neck is 
 stiff. The muscles of the abdomen and back are next involved 
 so that the back is arched in the position known as opisthot- 
 onos^ and the abdomen presents a board-like hardness. The 
 muscles of the fauces, pharynx, and diaphragm maj^ next be- 
 come involved, causing difficulty in swallowing and breathing. 
 The thighs may or may not be involved, but the arms and legs 
 almost never. Owing to the spasm of the abdominal muscles, 
 33
 
 514 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 micturition and defecation are difficult and respiration is hin- 
 dered. The muscles are in the condition of tonic spasm which 
 permits the patient no rest, the face bears the " risus sardon- 
 icus, " and the suffering is extreme. If the patient lives more 
 than two or three daj's the tonic spasm partly gives way to 
 increased reflex irritability, in which a noise, jar, or draught of 
 air may give rise to clonic and tonic spasms in the muscles 
 affected. The patient may die at such times from tonic spasm 
 of the respiratory muscles, or he may die of prostration from 
 want of food and sleep, worn out by the suffering and muscular 
 spasm. The mind is usually clear to the last. Fever is not 
 characteristic of the disease. Tetanus may be rapidly fatal ; in 
 two or three days, or it may be or become more chronic. The 
 prognosis of acute tetanus is almost invariably fatal; that of 
 chronic tetanus is grave, but a certain proportion of cases 
 recover. 
 
 Diagnosis. — This is easy. It differs from a true neuritis 
 in the peripheral nerves in that no matter where the wound is sit- 
 uated the first symptom is in the muscles of the jaw and the 
 back of the neck, and not at the site of the injury and distally 
 from this point. Trismus is applied to a milder form of the 
 disease in which only the face and neck muscles are involved 
 and " lock-jaw" is a prominent symptom. Some cases of tetany 
 may be mistaken for so-called spontaneous tetanus. Tetany 
 may follow child-bed, fevers, mental shocks, exposure to cold 
 and wet, extirpation of goitre, intestinal irritation, etc. It 
 consists of painful tonic spasms of the muscles of the arms and 
 feet. The attacks last one-half to two hours or more, and may 
 be preceded by a dragging pain. They may be brought on by 
 pressure on the nerve leading to the muscles affected. Striking 
 the facial nerve often causes contraction of the face muscles. 
 There is no trismus but there may be opisthotonos. The patient 
 seems well between the attacks and most cases recover without 
 treatment. 
 
 Delirium tremens may occur as a secondary consequence 
 of injuries, or necessary surgical operations in the case of those 
 who are habitually intemperate. Those who habitually use 
 opium, tobacco, cannabis indica, or even tea or coffee to excess 
 are said to be subject to it. It may, therefore, be justly alleged 
 that death is avoidable in very many cases, but for an abnormal
 
 DEATH FROM SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 515 
 
 and unhealthy state of the body. The disease is characterized 
 by delirium, a peculiar tremor of the muscles, insomnia, and 
 anorexia. Pneumonia may complicate the case. The patients 
 die in fatal cases from exhaustion due to insomnia, lack of 
 nourishment, and their constant activity of body and mind. 
 The prognosis is usually favorable, taking all cases together, 
 but in delirium tremens secondary to surgical injuries or oper- 
 ations the prognosis is serious. 
 
 Death from surgical operations performed for the 
 treatment of wounds. The operation is a part of the treatment, 
 and if it is done with ordinary care and skill the accused is 
 responsible for the result. The necessity and mode of operation 
 must be left to the operator's judgment. As the defence may 
 turn on the necessity for and the skilful performance of the opera- 
 tion, it is well to wait for the advice and assistance of others if 
 practicable, for death is not unusual from severe operations. 
 The patient may die on the operating-table after losing little 
 blood, from fear, pain, or shock. Or he ma}^ die from second- 
 ary hemorrhage or any of the secondary causes of death from 
 wounds enumerated above. The evidence of the necessity of 
 the operation must, therefore, be presented by the operator. If 
 an operation is necessary and not performed, the defence might 
 allege that death was due to the neglect of the surgeon. An- 
 other question for the medical witnesses to determine is whether 
 the operation was rendered necessary because of improper pre- 
 vious treatment, for if it was the responsibility of the assailant 
 may be influenced. The meaning of the term " necessity" is 
 here a matter of importance. Unless an operation is necessary 
 to the preservation of life, if death occurs there is some doubt 
 whether the assailant is responsible. But, medically speaking, 
 we would not hesitate to urge an operation on a wounded man in 
 order to preserve function, or even to save deformit}- as well 
 as to save life. In the case of operations done under a mistaken 
 opinion, neither necessary to save life nor, as the result proves, 
 to save function or guard against deformity, if death follows 
 the assailant may be relieved from responsibility. Thus an 
 aneurism following an injury might be mistaken for an abscess 
 and opened with skill but with a fatal result. It is also for the 
 medical experts to determine whether an operation was unnec- 
 essary or unskilfuUy performed, for if it were and death re-
 
 51 G WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 suited from it, the responsibility of the prisoner is affected 
 unless the original wound would be likely to be fatal without 
 operation. According to Lord Hale, if death results from an 
 unskilful operation and not from the wound, the prisoner is 
 not responsible. But yet death may occur as the result of the 
 most skilful operation necessary to the treatment of a wound, 
 and not be dependent at all on the wound itseK. If the opera- 
 tion is skilfully performed, and yet the patient dies from sec- 
 ondarj^ causes, such as those above enumerated or any others, 
 the prisoner is still responsible, and the medical testimony is 
 concerned with the performance of the operation and the sec- 
 ondary causes of death. The relative skill of the operator or 
 surgeon i§ probably not a question for the jury in criminal 
 cases, on the ground that the man who inflicts the injury must 
 take all the consequences, good or bad. In a civil suit, for in- 
 stance an action for malpractice, the case is otherwise, and all 
 the medical facts and opinions are submitted to the jury. The 
 law regards three circumstances in death after surgical opera- 
 tions : (1) The necessity of the operation, (3) the competence of 
 the operator, and (3) whether the wound would be fatal without 
 operation. 
 
 Death may occur from ancesthetics used in an operation 
 without any recognizable contributing disease of the patient, or 
 carelessness or lack of skill in the administration of the anaes- 
 thetic. Of course, the question of absence of contributing dis- 
 ease on the part of the patient and of its proper administration 
 must be satisfactorily answered in cases of death from the an- 
 aesthetic in an operation rendered necessary in the treatment of 
 a wound. Death from an anaesthetic may occur before, during, 
 or after an operation itself. Medically speaking, the neces- 
 sity of the use of an anaesthetic in operations cannot be ques- 
 tioned, and in emergencies where an operation becomes neces- 
 sary, and not a matter of choice, its use, with special care, is 
 justifiable even with existing organic disease, which usually 
 contraindicates it. As death may be alleged to be due to the 
 use of a particular anaesthetic, it is always best in operating on 
 account of an injury which may require a medico-legal investi- 
 gation, to use that anaesthetic which is most generally used 
 and indorsed in the particular section of country in question. 
 Of course, it is not lawful to operate against the will of a person
 
 WAS WOUND MADE BY THE INSTRUMENT DESCRIBED? 517 
 
 who preserves consciousness and will. It may be added in this 
 connection that if a medical man be guilty of misconduct, aris- 
 ing either from gross ignorance or criminal inattention, where- 
 by the patient dies, he is guilty of manslaughter, according to 
 Lord Ellenborough. Omissions or errors in judgment, to 
 which all are liable, are not criminal. 
 
 IV. Was THE Wound made by the Instrument Described? 
 
 It is not often necessary to prove that a weapon was used, 
 though it may affect the punishment. For the use of a weapon 
 implies malice and intention and a greater desire to do injury. 
 The prisoner may swear that no weapon was used when the 
 nature of the wound clearly proves that one was used. The 
 explanation of the prisoner of the origin of the wound may thus 
 be discredited. We cannot often swear that a particular weapon 
 was used, but only that the wound was made by one similar to 
 it in shape and size. Thus Schworer tells of the case of a man 
 stabbed in the face by another. The medical witness testified 
 that the wound was caused by a knife shown at the trial which 
 had a whole blade, but a year later the point of the knife which 
 had really caused the wound was discharged from an abscess 
 in the cheek at the site of the wound. The surgeon thus made 
 a too definite statement in regard to the knife shown. 
 
 It is often very difficult to answer the above question. We 
 base our opinion chiefly on two sources: 1st, and most impor- 
 tant, by an examination of the wound, and, 2d, by an examina- 
 tion of the instrument said to have been used. Certain particu- 
 lars of the wound may furnish indications as to the weight, 
 form, and sharpness of the instrument used. There are certain 
 wounds which must have been made by an instrument, namely, 
 incised and punctured wounds. The above question is deter- 
 mined more or less by what has been said in a former section 
 on wounds, but we will now consider what special features of 
 these and other classes of wounds indicate the nature, shape, 
 size, etc., of the weapon used. 
 
 Incised wounds must be made by a cutting instrument. 
 We would here exclude those contused wounds of the scolp and 
 eyebrows which closely resemble incised wounds, but we have 
 already seen that we can diagnose between these wounds and
 
 518 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 incised wounds by careful inspection. But the locality should 
 put us on our guard, so that in case of wounds of these two 
 regions we should be especially careful in making the exami- 
 nation. 
 
 In the case of incised wounds we cannot often tell the shape 
 or size of the weapon, but we are able to tell certain character- 
 istics about it. The sharpness of the instrument may be in- 
 ferred from the clean and regular edges. The depth of the 
 wound may also indicate the sharpness of the weapon. A long 
 " tail" in the wound indicates that the weapon was sharp as well 
 as that this was the part of the wound last made. If the edges 
 of the wound are rough, we may infer that the edges of the 
 weapon were rough and irregular. Wounds caused by bits of 
 china or glass or fragments of bottles, besides having rough 
 and lacerated edges, are characterized by an irregular or angu- 
 lar course in the skin. 
 
 Some cutting weapons, like an axe, act as much by means 
 of their weight as by their cutting edges. Wounds caused by 
 such weapons we can often distinguish by the following signs : 
 The edges are not as smooth as is the case with a cutting instru- 
 ment, and they may be more or less lacerated and show signs 
 of contusion. The wound is often deep in comparison with 
 its length, and the ends of the wound abrupt instead of slanting 
 up from the bottom to the surface. The section of resisting 
 organs and the impression of the edge of the weapon on the 
 bone are further signs of the use of such a weapon. 
 
 The form and direction of a wound may possibly give some 
 indication of the form of the instrument — -for instance, whether 
 it be straight or curved like a pruning-knife, as in the case cited 
 by Vibert ' of a wound of the neck which suddenly became 
 deeper toward its extremity and changed its direction; the 
 whole being explained on the supposition that it was made by 
 a pruning-knife. 
 
 But it is in punctured wounds especially that we are en- 
 abled most often and most accurately to determine the kind of 
 a weapon used. Here from the form of the wovmd we may 
 judge of the form and size of the weapon. In speaking of 
 punctured wounds in a former section we divided them into 
 four groups, reference to which may here be made. In the first 
 ■"Precis de Medeciue Legale," 2d Ed., 1S90, p. 203.
 
 PUNCTURED WOUNDS, 519 
 
 group, or those caused by cylindrical or conical weapons, when 
 tlie Aveapon is very fine it may leave no track at all; if a little 
 larger, we may infer from a linear bloody track that the weapon 
 was needle-like in shape. The length of the instrument or the 
 depth to which it penetrated may be found, as a rule, only by 
 dissection. If the weapon were larger and conical, we have 
 seen that the wounds would be linear with two angles, the 
 length of the wound being parallel to the direction of the fibres 
 in the skin. 
 
 Here we may judge of the form of the weapon from the 
 following circumstances: From a comparison of the depth 
 with the size of the opening, we know that it was a punctured 
 wound. The edges and angles are not smooth and even enough 
 for a stab-wound with a knife, for the edges are torn and not 
 cut, and a stab- wound would be the only form of wound with 
 which we would be likely to confuse it. Furthermore, the di- 
 rection of the long axis of the wound parallel to that of the skin 
 fibres in the region in which it occurs and the very slight re- 
 traction of the edges distinguish it from a stab-wound. By 
 these signs we can almost alwaj^s distinguish such wounds 
 from stab- wounds, and thus tell the form of the weapon used. 
 As to the size of weapon used, these wounds if of any size 
 are generally smaller than the weap6n, for the skin is put on 
 the stretch by the weapon and yields to a certain extent. 
 The actual wound, therefore, is smaller in circumference than 
 the weapon. The size of the wound is smaller than that part 
 of the weapon occupying the wound when the weapon was 
 arrested; it may be very much smaller than the weapon at its 
 largest point. Small wounds of this kind are generally larger 
 than the instrument producing them. 
 
 The second group of punctured wounds, or stab-ivounds, are 
 by far the most common and, therefore, the most important 
 variety of punctured wounds. If the stab- wound is perpen- 
 dicular to the surface the fotnn of the wound may represent 
 pretty closely that of the weapon at the point where the latter 
 was arrested, wb ether it has a single or double cutting edge. 
 But even here there are exceptions. Frequently a weapon 
 with a broad back and only one cutting edge may produce a 
 wound resembling that of an instrument with two cutting 
 edges, the second angle tearing as in the former class. Here
 
 520 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 on close examination we can sometimes distinguish the differ- 
 ence between the two angles, and judge correctly of the shape 
 of the weapon. In fact, wounds made by common pocket- 
 knives are regularly slit-like and not wedge-shaped, as the 
 wound is caused only by the cutting edge of the knife. Again, 
 if the single cutting edge is blunt, in rare cases the wound is 
 produced in the same manner as those of the first group, or 
 conical and cylindrical instruments. We would be led to sup- 
 pose that the wound was produced by such an instrument, as 
 both angles are torn, unless the direcion of the wound might 
 not follow that of the fibres of the skin, in which case we 
 would be left in doubt. Stab-wounds are sometimes angular 
 from the knife being withdrawn in a slightly different direction 
 from that in which it was introduced or from an unequal 
 retraction of the skin (see Fig. 9). If the stab-tvound is 
 obliquely directed, we can still judge of tlie general shape of 
 the weapon, with exception of the cases above mentioned. The 
 dimensions and size of the weapon are here much harder to 
 determine. The di?nensions of a stab-wound in the skin may 
 be the same as those of the weapon, or of that part of the 
 weapon which is arrested in the wound, but often they are not 
 so. To measure the size of a wound exactly so as to get at the 
 exact size of the instrument, we should place the region of the 
 wound in the same position, etc., that it was when the wound 
 was inflicted, and this we cannot often do. As the skin was 
 tense or relaxed at the time the wound was inflicted, so the 
 wound in the skin appears smaller or larger, just as with a 
 sheet of rubber under similar conditions. If the instrument is 
 very blunt, the wound in the skin may be smaller than the 
 weapon whether the skin near the wound is tense or not. Thus 
 Hofmann saw the wound from a blunt bayonet one centimetre 
 shorter than the weapon. 
 
 The wound of the skin may be shorter and broader than the 
 weapon used on account of retraction of the edges of the wound, 
 and this is especially marked when the wound lies transversely 
 to the direction of the skin fibres. On the other hand, the 
 length of the external wound is more often greater than that 
 of the weapon, because the wound is elongated by making pres- 
 sure toward the cutting edge on withdrawal of the weapon, and 
 an oblique wound measures longer than the weapon. If the
 
 PUNCTURED WOUNDS. 
 
 521 
 
 blow is from above downward and the cutting edge of the 
 Aveapon is uppermost, the length of the wound is not so likely 
 to be increased much beyond the measurement of the weapon 
 as when the cutting edge is directed downward. There is but 
 one condition in which a stab-wound is at all likely to corre- 
 spond in dimensions with that of the weapon, and that is when 
 the wound is perpendicular to the surface. Even here the 
 wound may be lengthened on withdrawal of the weapon, and 
 we have to allow for retraction of the edges and try to put the 
 
 i 
 
 ^ -"-^/Z^ 
 
 Fig. 9.— Angular Stab- Wounds of the Anterior CliestWall caused by a Strong Pocket-Knife. 
 
 parts in the same condition of tension or laxity as at the time 
 of wounding. Even in the most favorable case, therefore, we 
 cannot with certainty tell the exact size of the weapon. If a 
 stab- wound be directed obliquely to the surface, then the length 
 of the wound is greater than that of the weapon, unless this in- 
 crease be exactly counterbalanced by the lateral retraction of 
 the wound. The size of the weapon in such oblique wounds is 
 further obscured by the changes of size duo to withdrawal of 
 the weapon, retraction of the edges, and the condition of the 
 tension of the skin at the time the wound was inflicted. 
 
 Dupuytren remarks that stab- wounds are smaller than the 
 weapon owing to the elasticity of the skin, but a lateral motion 
 of the weapon may cause considerable enlargement of the
 
 523 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 wound. If a stab-wound has traversed a part of the body, the 
 wound of exit is smaller than that of entrance. 
 
 The depth of a punctured wound may be any part of the 
 length of the weapon, or it may even be deeper than the 
 length of the weapon owing to a depression of the surface 
 by the force of the blow, or the pressure of the handle of the 
 weapon or the hand holding it. We have already seen that 
 this may occur in a marked degree in penetrating wounds 
 of the abdomen involving one of the movable viscera, also 
 in wounds of the thorax, partly from depression of the sur- 
 face and partly from an expansion of the thorax when 
 opened at the autopsy, thus increasing the measured depth 
 of the wound. Punctured wounds of the third class made by 
 instruments with ridges or edges, like foils, files, etc., pre- 
 sent more or less the shape of the weapon if the edges are 
 cutting, but not always so if the direction of the wound be 
 oblique or the parts unevenly stretched. If the edges are not 
 cutting they cause wounds more or less like the first class of 
 punctured wounds, but we can often distinguish them from the 
 latter by little tears in the edges. The entrance and exit 
 wounds may not be alike. 
 
 Wounds made by bits of glass and earthenivare have irreg- 
 ular and uneven edges. Taylor ' relates a case, Reg. v. Ankers 
 (Warwick Lent Ass., 18-i5), where the wound was attributed 
 to a fall on some broken crockery, but the wound was cleanly 
 incised and the prisoner was convicted. As it may be alleged 
 in defence that a given wound was caused by a fall on broken 
 Crocker}" or other substances capable of producing a punctured 
 wound, it is important to notice whether the edges are lacerated 
 and irregular or smooth and clean. The author quoted above 
 cites another case which occurred to Watson, where the pris- 
 oner alleged that a deep, clean-cut wound of the genitals of a 
 woman which had caused her death was due to a fall on some 
 broken glass. The character of the wound disproved this de- 
 fence. Another feature of such wounds, especially if they be 
 deep in comparison to their length, is that they are very apt to 
 contain small particles of the glass or earthenware which caused 
 them. In fact, in all wounds it is well to search for anj' small 
 fragments which will throw light upon the weapon used. 
 '"JMed. Jurisprud.," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892. 
 
 f
 
 LACERATED WOUNDS — CONTUSIONS. 523 
 
 Wounds caused by scissors are often of characteristic -shape. 
 If the scissors were open we find two symmetrical, punctured 
 diverging wounds, presenting more or less clearly the form of 
 the blades of the scissors. If the blades have been approx- 
 imated there is a triangular interval between the punctures, the 
 apex of which is truncated if any skin remains between the 
 punctures. 
 
 Lacerated ivounds may not indicate the weapon used as 
 clearly as punctured wounds, but the agent which produced 
 them is often indicated by the appearance of the wound. They 
 are generally accidental. But where they occur, as they not in- 
 frequently do, on the bodies of new-born children, they may 
 give rise to the charge of infanticide. In some cases the 
 weapon which caused the wound fits the wound produced, and 
 thus important evidence may be furnished the prosecution. 
 Taylor ' cites the case of Montgomery (Omagh Sum. Ass., 1873), 
 where a bill-hook which fitted the injuries on the skull of the 
 deceased was found buried in a spot to which the prisoner was 
 seen to go. These facts connected the prisoner with the weapon 
 and the weapon with the murder. In other cases the wounds 
 may be so lacerated or contused that the indications of the 
 weapon are obscured. 
 
 Contusions and Contused Wounds. — The shape of a 
 contusing body is sometimes reproduced by the contusion and 
 the ecchymosis. Thus we are enabled to distinguish the marks 
 of a whip, the fingers, the fist, etc. This is best seen when 
 the ecchymosis is fresh, for soon the edges extend and the out- 
 line is less clearly marked. Plaques parcheminees, which we 
 have already described as the marks of contused erosions, may 
 show the form of finger-nails, etc. Contused wounds like sim- 
 ple contusions may show the shape of the weapon. 
 
 If the contusing body has a large area, the whole of this 
 area cannot often strike the body at once, so that the outline 
 of the contusion does not represent that of the weapon. But in 
 general, severe contusions present greater difficulties than the 
 preceding classes of wounds. We must generally be content if 
 we can determine whether the wound was caused by a weapon, 
 including the fist, or by a fall, and we are often unable to say 
 even this. A fall is often alleged by the defence as the cause 
 'Taylor, "Med. Jurisprud.," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 624 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 of the injury, but of course if the prisoner was responsible for 
 the fall he is responsible for the results of the fall. If there 
 are contusions or contused wounds on several parts of the 
 head, or if the wounds are on the vertex of the head, it is pre- 
 sumptive of the use of weapons. We cannot often swear that 
 each and every wound on the head was due to the use of a 
 weapon. On the other hand, the presence of grass, sand, 
 gravel, etc., in a wound is presumptive of a fall and of the 
 origin of the wound in this manner. In case of a fall from a 
 height the wound or wounds might be in almost any part of 
 the body, on the vertex or elsewhere. Such a fall may be the 
 result of accident, suicide, or murder. It is not unusual for 
 female complainants to ascribe their wounds to a fall to excul- 
 pate the prisoner, especially if this happens to be her husband. 
 We should remember that in the scalp or over the eyebrows a 
 contused wound caused by a blunt instrument may resemble an 
 incised wound. As already stated, however, if the wound is 
 fresh careful examination will lead to a correct opinion, and 
 the use of a sharp instrument may be disproved. If the wound is 
 not recent there is great difficulty in judging of the cause. It 
 is well to caution against accepting the interested statements 
 of others in regard to the use of a weapon, unless the character 
 of the wound bears them out very strongly. There may be a 
 bad motive for imputing the use of a certain weapon to the 
 assailant. It is far better to rely solely upon the evidence fur- 
 nished by the wound in such cases. 
 
 It would be useful if we could lay down some general rules 
 to discriminate between wounds caused by the blow of a weapon 
 and those caused by falls, but this we are unable to do so as to 
 cover all cases. Each case must be judged by itself. 
 
 If the question is asked luhich of two iveapons caused cer- 
 tain contusions or contused wounds, we are still less likelj'' to 
 be able to answer it. In such a case we must make an accu- 
 rate examination of the form of the wound and compare it 
 closely with that of the weapon. In such cases also the second 
 source of information on which we base our opinion as to the 
 relation of a weapon to tlie wound may be of use, namely, the 
 examination of the weapon. The presence of blood, hair, cot- 
 ton or woollen fibres on one of two weapons indicates that this 
 was the weapon used. The presence of blood is particularly to
 
 WAS A WOUND SELF-INFLICTED? 525 
 
 be looked for, and in those parts of the weapon from which it 
 could be washed off least easily. We should further note the 
 condition of the point and edge of the weapon, and if the edge 
 is broken or nicked at all, whether this condition is old or 
 recent. The sharpness of the edge should further be noted, 
 and if the edge is sharp note whether it has recently been 
 sharpened. All these points have a certain bearing on the case. 
 Also the location, shape, depth, etc., of the wound should be 
 carefull}' noted to see if an accidental fall would be likely to 
 account for it. For these features of the wound may be such 
 that no fall could cause it. 
 
 We see, therefore, that in incised and punctured wounds the 
 use of a weapon may not be hard to make out, but that in gen- 
 eral the question M^hether a particular instrument caused the 
 wound is often difficult or impossible to answer. Often the 
 best we can do is to say that the wound could have been pro- 
 duced by the weapon. 
 
 IV. Was a Wound Self-Inflicted or was it Inflicted 
 BY Another ? 
 
 In other words, was it suicidal or homicidal f Speaking 
 of suicide in general, its most common cause is alcoholism. 
 It is not infrequent in youth. Lutaud ' states that in fifteen 
 years, presumably in France, there were 1,065 cases of suicide 
 between the ages of ten and fifteen years. This seems to 
 be only explicable on the ground of heredity or of cerebral 
 affections. Among 27,737 cases of suicide, observed in 
 France, the same author gives the following commonest causes 
 in the order of greatest frequence : Drowning, strangulation, 
 pistol-wounds, incised and punctured wounds, poison. The 
 age, sex, and social conditions influence the choice of means. 
 Thus among males drowning is preferred by the young, pistol- 
 wounds by the adult, and hanging by the aged, while among 
 females asphyxia is the favorite method, as there is no pain 
 and no disfigurement. 
 
 While many pathologists consider suicide an act of mental 
 alienation, and though such may be the case in a large number 
 or even in a majority of cases, yet in a considerable number it is 
 'Lutaud: "Mau. d. Med. Leg. , " 5th Ed. , 1892.
 
 52G WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 a voluntary and rationally planned act. The question, Is it sui- 
 cide or homicide? may bo put in all cases of death by cutting 
 instruments, and in many from other kinds of wounds. It is 
 often, if not generall}^, impossible to answer it with absolute 
 certaint}'. It is hardly suitable for the medical witness to try 
 to reconstruct the scene of the crime from the medical facts, 
 for he should abstain from everything not medical and should 
 distinguish that which is positively proven from that which is 
 merely probable. 
 
 Suicides often leave a letter or some such indication to show 
 that the wound was self-inflicted. If such is not the case, the 
 question as to the cause of the wound may or may not be med- 
 ical. If the question is a medical one, there are certain 
 points to notice as to the wound, such as its nature, situation, 
 direction, and the number and extent of the wounds, from 
 which we are to form an opinion. There are also other cir- 
 cumstances which furnish evidence and thus assist us in an- 
 swering the question. This evidence is furnished by the 
 weapon, the signs of struggle, the examination of the clothes 
 and body of the deceased and the accused, the position and 
 attitude of the body, and any organic lesions, etc. , predisposing 
 to suicide. 
 
 The nature of the wound bears upon the question of the 
 homicidal or suicidal origin in the following way: Most sui- 
 cidal wounds are incised or punctured wounds. Incised woiinds 
 of the throat are generally presumptive of suicide, but a homi- 
 cidal wound may be inflicted here to conceal the source of in- 
 fliction of the wound. Such a wound if homicidal would imply 
 malice, on account of the attempt at deception and concealment, 
 and would convict the assailant of murder. Unless the de- 
 ceased was asleep or drunk or was otherwise incapable of resist- 
 ance, such a homicidal wound can often be distinguished from 
 a similar suicidal wound by the form and direction of the 
 wound, by its irregularity, and by other wounds on the hands or 
 person of the deceased. Taylor ' mentions a case in which the 
 peculiar form of the wound, like that made by butchers in kill- 
 ing sheep, led to the suspicion that homicide had been com- 
 mitted by a butcher, who was subsequently arrested, tried, and 
 convicted of murder. The regularity of the wound has been 
 '"Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 THE NATURE AND POSITION OF THE WOUND. 527 
 
 taken to indicate suicide rather than homicide. That it does 
 so is not questioned, but it is more or less fallacious if resistance 
 is impossible, in which case a murderer may easily make a 
 regular, clean, incised wound here. Contused ivounds are sel- 
 dom suicidal, for they are not sufficiently speedily or certainly 
 fatal. They are also more painful and disfiguring. Contused 
 wounds usually indicate murder or accident, though there are 
 not wanting cases of suicide by such weapons as a hatchet or a 
 hammer. There is more difficulty in the case of a contused 
 wound from a fall instead of from a weapon ; for here we have 
 to decide whether the fall was accidental, suicidal, or homi- 
 cidal. The nature of the wound is of little assistance in the 
 case of insane or delirious patients, who may commit suicide 
 in the most unusual and curious manner. 
 
 Taylor' relates the case of a delirious patient in Guy's 
 Hospital, in 1850, who tore away the whole of the abdominal 
 muscles from the lower part of the anterior abdominal wall. 
 If the case had not occurred in the hospital or where there Avere 
 witnesses of the deed, the nature of the wound would have in- 
 dicated homicide except for the delirium. The following case, 
 quoted by the same author, illustrates a wound of very unusual 
 nature and situation, which might have been taken for a homi- 
 cidal wound with intent to conceal as far as the situation of the 
 wound was concerned. The wound was accidental and occurred 
 in the following way. A girl fifteen years old jumped on 
 to her uncle's knee while he was holding a stick between his 
 legs which she did not notice. The stick passed up her anus, 
 but she withdrew it and went on playing, though she com- 
 23lained of pain. On the following night acute S3'mptoms of 
 peritonitis set in, and she died of it in fortj^-eight hours. On 
 post-mortem examination a rent was found in the anterior part 
 of the rectum penetrating the peritoneal cavity. 
 
 The Situation or Position of the Wound. — A suicidal 
 wound must be in such a position that the deceased could have 
 inflicted it himself. Such wounds are, therefore, generally an- 
 teriorly or laterally situated. The " site of election" for suicidal 
 wounds is the neck for incised wounds and the chest, espe- 
 cially in the region of the heart, for punctured wounds. 
 The situation of suicidal wounds, of lunatics, etc., shows all 
 »"Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 528 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 kinds of fantasies. The mere situation does not suffice to dis- 
 tinguish suicidal wounds, as a murderer may simulate a suicidal 
 wound for purposes of concealment. Some regard a wound in 
 the back as proof against suicidal origin, but it is not so much 
 the situation of a wound as the situation taken in connection 
 with the direction which furnishes the proof against suicide in 
 such wounds. 
 
 As a rule, a suicidal wound, besides being in an accessible 
 part of the body, is also in a part commonly known to be rapidly 
 mortal, as the neck and heart. But suicidal wounds are not 
 always in the situation which is anatomically best for being 
 rapidly fatal. Concealed wounds or wounds in inaccessible 
 parts presumptive of murder may be suicidal and so placed 
 to impute them to another and give rise to the suspicion of 
 murder. The blood-vessels of the arms and legs may be selected 
 as the site of a suicidal wound. This situation is often re- 
 garded as uncommon, though the writer has met with it in one 
 or more cases of attempted suicide. It is illustrated in the 
 famous case of Abdul Aziz, the Sultan of Turkey. He was 
 found dead under suspicious circumstances with two oblique, 
 ragged wounds at the bend of each elbow, directed from above 
 downward and from within outward. The joint on the left 
 side was penetrated, while only the skin and veins were in- 
 volved on the right side. Death was due to bleeding from 
 the ulnar artery and the veins. The clothing was soaked 
 with blood and scissors stained with blood were found on 
 the sofa. These wounds were consistent with suicide, though 
 not what would be expected. Nineteen physicians who ex- 
 amined the body agreed in reporting it as suicidal, though, 
 one reason given for this opinion, namely, " that the direction 
 and nature of the wounds, as well as the instrument which 
 might have effected them, lead to the conclusion of suicide," 
 was hardly a valid one, for the wounds were not typical of sui- 
 cide in nature, direction, or position. Such wounds are rarely 
 homicidal, though at least one such case is mentioned. 
 
 Suicidal incised wounds, as has been said, are usually in the 
 neck, where they may sometimes be arrested by the larynx, 
 especially if it be ossified, though the incision often divides the 
 larynx. The situation of the wounds is often between the 
 larynx and the hyoid bone, and then meeting no bony resist-
 
 DIRECTION OF THE WOUND. 529 
 
 ance, they may divide the great vessels and even nick the ver- 
 tebrae. But it is rare to be so deep, at least on both sides at 
 once. As a rule, it is deepest on the side on which it is begun 
 and ends more superficially. As far as the situation of a 
 wound is concerned, there is no wound which a suicide can 
 inflict but what may also be inflicted by a murderer. The re- 
 verse, however, is not true. We cannot always certainly dis- 
 tinguish between suicidal and homicidal wounds from their 
 situation. 
 
 The direction of the ■wound is one of the most impor- 
 tant points to notice. It is considered by some to furnish pre- 
 sumptive evidence for the medical jurist, and taken in connec- 
 tion with the nature and situation of the wound may often 
 lead us to a positive opinion as to the question of the suicidal 
 or homicidal nature of a wound. The evidence from the direc- 
 tion of wounds is only furnished by incised and punctured 
 wounds, rarely by contused wounds. Suicidal incised wounds 
 of the throat are almost always directed from above downward 
 and from left to right if the suicide be right-handed, and in the 
 same direction from right to left if the person be left-handed. 
 Transverse wounds in this situation without obliquity are also 
 compatible with suicide, though perhaps more common in homi- 
 cide, while obliquely transverse wounds from above down- 
 ward and from right to left in a right-handed individual are 
 indicative of their infliction by another. Homicidal incised 
 wounds of the neck inflicted from behind or the right side, if 
 the victim and assailant are right-handed, or from the left side 
 if they are left-handed, may have the same direction as similar 
 suicidal wounds. Such a wound may be inflicted by a mur- 
 derer to deceive as to the cause of the wound by raising the 
 suspicion of suicide. If an incised wound of the throat be in- 
 flicted' b}^ another from in front, then its direction is usually the 
 reverse of a similar self-inflicted wound. 
 
 Homicidal incisions, especially in the throat, may extend at 
 one or the other end beyond the skin wound. In similar sui- 
 cidal wounds at both angles of the wound the skin is the first 
 and the last part injured, and in such wounds the spine is sel- 
 dom reached. It should be borne in mind in this connection 
 that a given suicide may be ambidextrous and this fact may 
 be unknown to the friends of the deceased. This is especially 
 84
 
 530 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 the case in the use of the razor from practice in shaving, and 
 the razor is the usual weapon used in such incised wounds of 
 the throat. Neglect of this point may lead to an unwarranted 
 suspicion of murder. The two following cases cited by Taylor ' 
 well illustrate this fact : 
 
 In the case of Sellis," the man was generally supposed to be 
 right-handed, though he was found dead in bed with his throat 
 cut and the razor on the left side of the bed. In point of fact, 
 he was ambidextrous in the use of the razor. The second case, 
 which occurred in London in 1865, was still more remarkable. 
 
 A publican was found dead in bed with his throat cut in a 
 left-handed manner. He was supposed to be right-handed and 
 there was bloody water in a basin in the room. His wife, who 
 gave the alarm, had marks of bruises on her, and though she 
 said she had found her husband dead in bed after having left 
 it for a short time, suspicion fell upon her, especially as they 
 were in the habit of quarrelling. The suspicions were removed, 
 however, by the explanation that he had been brought up as a 
 wood-carver, which required him to use both hands equallj-, and 
 that he had frequentl}^ threatened to kill himself, and further 
 that the bloody water in the basin was due to a daughter wash- 
 ing her hands after having touched her father. It is even con- 
 ceivable that an ambidextrous person, to avoid suspicion of sui- 
 cide or to impute murder to another, might inflict a suicidal 
 wound from right to left. Notwithstanding all this, the above 
 cases are very rare exceptions, and the rules stated above as to 
 incised wounds in the throat hold in almost every case. 
 
 In the case of stab-wounds of the chest, especially in the 
 cardiac region, the same rule as to the direction holds good, 
 and in these wounds we can often define the direction more 
 accurately than in the case of incised wounds. If the suicide 
 is right-handed the wound is regularly on the front or side of 
 the body and directed obliquely from above downward and from 
 right to left, while it is from left to right in case of a left- 
 handed suicide. A murderer from behind, or from that side 
 the hand of which the victim would use, may inflict a w^ound in 
 the same situation and direction as a suicidal one. Here again 
 this ma}^ be done with the motive of concealment of the nature 
 
 'Taylor: "Med. Jiu-ism-udence, " '■* Willis: "Circumstantial Evi- 
 
 11th Amer. Ed., 1892. " dence," p. 97.
 
 THE NUMBER AND EXTENT OF WOUNDS. 5:31 
 
 of the crime. Homicidal stab- wounds inflicted from in front, as 
 they generally are, are usually directed from left to right, and 
 they may be directed from above downward or in the oi^posite 
 direction. Oblique wounds from above downward may be either 
 suicidal or homicidal; those directed from below upward are 
 almost always homicidal. 
 
 When a wound is caused by an instrument both cutting and 
 puncturing, suicide cannot be admitted unless the direction of 
 the wound is compatible with that which the weapon which 
 inflicted the wound, held in the hand of the deceased, might 
 cause. Ta^'lor recommends to place the weapon in the hand 
 of the deceased to see if the direction of the wound could possi- 
 blj^ correspond with that which could be taken by the weapon 
 in the liand of the deceased with any position possible for the 
 arm and hand. Therefore certain wounds by position and di- 
 rection exclude suicide, but if a wound is possibly suicidal it 
 is also possibly homicidal. 
 
 Though suicidal wounds vaiy, the above points are some- 
 times of real assistance in distinguishing between suicide and 
 homicide, especially if the bod}' has not been moved. 
 
 Evidence Furnished by the Number and Extent of 
 "Wounds. — Multiplicity of wounds, as a rule, indicates homi- 
 cide, and indeed the reverse is true in a majoritj'of cases that a 
 single wound points to suicide. There are many exceptions, 
 however, to both statements. Multiple wounds are possible in 
 suicide, and that, too, with dijfferent weapons; even drowning or 
 hanging may be resorted to after self-inflicted wounds have 
 failed. If several wounds are found, each one of which or more 
 than one of which may be considered grave, it is usual to con- 
 clude that the wounds were not self-inflicted, but the medical 
 expert should not judge too hastily from this fact alone, for 
 most wounds do not kill instantly. With the presence of sev- 
 eral wounds in a case of suicide only one of these, as a rule, is 
 "mortal" in character. This being so, some have asserted that 
 if two mortal wounds are present, especially if one of them is 
 stupefying, such as a wound about the head, such wounds are 
 incompatible with suicide. A definite statement of this kind 
 cannot go unchallenged unless the two wounds are in different 
 parts of the body, and both of such a ^)ature as to be imme- 
 diately or very rapidly fatal. For all cases of suicide or liomi-
 
 532 
 
 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 '■rn ^ 
 
 cide do not die immediately from wounds commonly called 
 mortal ; in fact, this may be said to be the exception rather than 
 the rule. We may safely say, however, that if there are sev- 
 eral distinct wounds on the throat, each involving the large 
 vessels, the inference is plainly murder. 
 
 Several wounds by the same or different weapons cannot, 
 therefore, be proof of homicide. The case of a lunatic suicide 
 is reported who inflicted thirty wounds upon his head. In a 
 case of homicide with multiple wounds the situation or direc- 
 tion of some one or more of them may give evidence as to the 
 origin of the wounds. Ogston, Sr.,' states that especially in the 
 
 case of incised wounds 
 of the throat a suicide 
 may make a number 
 of small or superficial 
 tentative cuts besides 
 the principal one, but 
 these incisions are all 
 usually parallel (see 
 Fig. 10). In the case 
 of multiple homicidal 
 incised wounds of the 
 throat, on the other 
 hand, the wounds are 
 not parallel, o w i n g 
 probably to the resist- 
 ance of the victim in 
 this case and his remaining passive in the former. The 
 extent of the wound refers to the number and importance of 
 the parts injured. In regard to incised wounds of the neck, 
 this point has been thought by some to furnish presumptive 
 evidence of suicide or homicide — of homicide if the wounds 
 are deep, of suicide if they are not. While it is true that 
 suicidal wounds of the neck are, as a rule, not very deep, and 
 that they seldom reach the vertebrae and generally do not di- 
 vide the vessels on more than one side, yet sometimes such 
 wounds are as deep and extensive as homicidal ones.. This 
 may imply a determined purpose not to be foiled in the attempt 
 at suicide. Thus Marc reports a case of suicide by an incised 
 ' "Lectures on Med. Jurisprudence," p. 424. 
 
 
 
 N. 
 
 Fig. 10.— Suicidal Cut Throat from Left to Right, 
 showing the Tentative Cuts at the Commencement and 
 the Serrations at the Termination of the Wound.
 
 EVIDENCE FURNISHED BY THE WEAPON. 
 
 533 
 
 wound of the neck, where the wound was so deep as to reach 
 the vertebrae or their anterior ligaments and to divide the 
 trachea and oesophagus, both carotids and jugular veins. The 
 extent of this wound was greater than in most suicides, but 
 still we can hardly lay down a hard-and-fast rule of much 
 practical value according to M^hich extensive wounds are evi- 
 dence of murder. Such wounds are, however, presumptive of 
 murder taken in connection with other signs pointing that way. 
 
 The question may arise in regard to a wound, whether the 
 victim tvounded himself by precipitating himself on the 
 weapon. This may bo alleged by the defence, but it is diffi- 
 cult to believe if the wound is deep, for the body would natu- 
 rally repulse the weapon. 
 If the wound is deep the 
 weapon must at least have 
 been strongly held, which 
 may or may not be consist- 
 ent with the theory of self- 
 defence. If the direction 
 of" the wound is oblique 
 from above downward, or if 
 there is one external wound 
 and two separate tracts 
 internally, from a second 
 use of the weapon on the 
 part of the person hold- 
 ing it, then the above allegation is doubtful, if not impossible. 
 
 By comparing the relative positions of the deceased and 
 accused, as indicated by the witnesses and accused, with the 
 position and direction of the wound, we may often judge 
 whether the allegation is possible or probable. 
 
 Besides the above points derived from the w^ound itself, 
 there are several other factors which belong to the categor}- of 
 circumstantial evidence, but which come within the province 
 of the medical expert. These latter points of evidence are 
 sometimes almost as important as the former, while taken in 
 connection with them they help to make the evidence far more 
 conclusive. 
 
 Evidence furnished by the weapon as to the origin 
 of wounds. 
 
 Fig. 11.— Homicidal Cut Throat from Right 
 to Left, showing a Tentative Cut at the Coin- 
 iiiencement and the Serrations at the Termina- 
 tiiin of the Wound.
 
 534 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 We have already seen in a former section that we can often 
 tell, by various signs of the wound, with what kind of a weapon 
 it was made. We may thus be able to say that a wound was 
 made by a weapon similar to one exhibited. Also by examina- 
 tion of the weapon itself and from the circumstantial evidence 
 of where and how it was found, we may sometimes say that 
 the wound was inflicted almost certainly with a particular 
 weapon. All this evidence ma}' sometimes be made use of in 
 judging between the suicidal and homicidal origin of a wound. 
 
 The POSITION of the iveapon or the place where it is found is 
 a matter of considerable importance. If it has not been touched, 
 its position should be carefully examined, or inquired about if it 
 has been moved. The presence of a weapon which might have 
 caused the wounds in the hand of the victim is in general proof 
 of suicide. The weapon must not merel}' lie in the hand, it 
 mast be gripped by the hand. One might suppose that the 
 weapon placed and held in the hand until rigor mortis sets in 
 would still be firmly held. Casper says that this is not so, 
 but that the weapon falls from the grasp as soon as the hand 
 is unbound. Also Hofmann's ' experiments proved the satne 
 point. By the use of ligatures and several artificial means he 
 tried to confine a weapon in the hand of a recenth' dead body 
 so that it would be as firmlj' held as hj a contraction of the mus- 
 cles during life. These experiments were entirely unsuccessful, 
 for though the fingers remained closed, the object was simply 
 held and not grasped, and fell from the hand on the release of 
 pressure. 
 
 In suicide the weapon is sometimes held so firmly that force 
 is required to dislodge it. It seems as if the muscular spasm 
 or grip persists after death, as cadaveric spasm, until rigor 
 mortis occurs and sets it, as it were. The murderer, therefore, 
 cannot imitate this grip, and an unsuccessful attempt to do so 
 would indicate murder. It should be borne in mind that the 
 weapon in the hand of the deceased maj have been for the pur- 
 poses of defence ; therefore it is necessary to note whether the 
 wounds on the body correspond to those which could be made 
 by the weapon. Indeed, this fact is most important to note in 
 all cases of suspected suicide where the weapon is found. If 
 the weapon is not in the hand of the deceased, note carefuUy 
 'See "Med. Leg. ,"ti-ad. par Brouardel, p. 601.
 
 EVIDENCE FURNISHED BY THE WEAPON. 535 
 
 where it lies. If death is due to a suicidal or accidental wound 
 which is immediately or very rapidly fatal, the weapon is gen- 
 erally found near the body. If so, it is well to note on which * 
 side it lies, and if it lies near, whether it has apparently fallen 
 or been thrown or placed there. If the relation of the body and 
 the weapon has been disturbed by moving either, the position 
 of the weapon as found by the medical witness is of little value. 
 In cases of suicide the weapon may possibl}^ be found at some 
 distance or even concealed, though this is exceptional. Thus 
 Taylor ' states that the razor in one instance was found shut at 
 the side of the deceased, who had committed suicide by cutting 
 his throat. In another instance the razor was found in the 
 pocket of the deceased, bloody and closed. As a rule, the 
 weapon is found Ijnng at the side of a suicide if it is not grasped 
 in the hand. If the weapon is far from the bod}' and the wound 
 was quickly fatal, especially if the weapon is hid or cannot be 
 found, it is strongly presumptive of murder. If the weapon is 
 found near the body it is well to note whether the edge is sharp 
 or blunt, straight or bent, or notched, as these points maj^ assist, 
 us in forming a judgment as to suicide or murder. 
 
 A weapon belonging to the victim ma}' be substituted by 
 the murderer for the one really used, and the former may be 
 placed by the side of the bodj-. Therefore the weapon found 
 should correspond to the wounds as to length, depth, sharpness, 
 etc., to be compatible with suicide. 
 
 Generally a suicide foiled in the attempt to take his life 
 uses the same weapon over again if he persists in the attempt. 
 But he may not do so ; on the contrary, if the first attempt was 
 made with a knife, the second ma}' be made with a pistol, etc. 
 Several wounds by the. same or different weajwns cannot 
 therefore be an absolute proof of homicide. 
 
 The presence of blood, hair, and other substances 
 on the weapon used, or probably used, is a matter of some 
 importance. Blood is not necessarily found on the weapon used 
 to inflict a mortal wound, especially in the case of blunt instru- 
 ments. In stab-wounds, too, the vessels may be compressed by 
 the blow or the weapon may be wiped as it were on withdrawal 
 by the elasticity of the skin and by the clothing, except for a 
 thin yellowish film. Thus it is that the first stalvwound shows 
 '"Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 636 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 110 blood on the outside of the clothes but only on the inside, 
 but the outside of the second is usually bloody but may be but 
 'little so. To make sure whether or not there is blood on a knife 
 or other weapon it is necessary to examine all the depressions 
 on the instrument, as the blade itself may have been washed, 
 and only those traces of blood remain which are less accessible 
 to cleaning by washing. Blood coagulated on a blade indicates, 
 as a rule, blood from a living animal, but it may not do so. 
 Furthermore, it may be hard to distinguish between a thin 
 layer or spots of dried blood not coagulated or coagulated and 
 dried blood in a similar form. 
 
 If blood is not found on a weapon, hair and other substances 
 which can be identified may be. This is especially the case 
 with blunt weapons, on which, as we have seen, blood usually 
 fails. A fragment of the weapon may break off in the wound, 
 as in stab-wounds, and may be identified as belonging to one in 
 the murderer's possession. 
 
 The signs of a struggle furnish important evidence, as 
 they are not likely to be found in the case of suicide. If the 
 wounds were inflicted by a cutting instrument, the existence 
 of a struggle may be indicated by incisions on the palm of the 
 hand or fingers or on the dorsum (see Fig 12). Such wounds 
 would not be self-inflicted and would indicate a struggle with the 
 murderer. Or if contusions or ecchymoses indicating the form 
 of the foot, fist, fingers, or finger-nails are found on the face, neck, 
 chest, forearm, or hand of the deceased, this again indicates a 
 struggle with the assailant, and goes far to prove murder. The 
 same is true of the imprint of a bloody or dirty hand on the clothes 
 of the victim when the victim's hands were not bloody. Also 
 such an imprint in a position where the deceased could not have 
 reached with the particular hand indicated, as is the case if the 
 impression of a right hand be found on the victim's right arm; 
 this indicates a struggle with a murderer, etc. In one case of 
 murder, on the back of the left hand of the deceased there was 
 found the bloody mark of a left hand evidently not tjiat of the 
 victim himself. The presence of marks of violence about the 
 mouth of the deceased, done to close it to prevent the victim 
 from giving an alarm, especially if surprised during sleep, is 
 presumptive of murder. Sometimes hair or fragments of cloth- 
 ing belonging to the accused are found in the grasp of the de-
 
 THE SIGNS OF A STRUGGLE. 537 
 
 ceased, indicating a desperate struggle, and they are very sus- 
 picious of murder. Thus Taylor ' cites the case of a murder 
 trial in Ireland, in 1877, where hairs found firmly grasped in 
 the hands of the deceased were found to correspond to the hair 
 of the accused. The clothes of the deceased, as well as those 
 of the accused, often indicate a struggle unless the accused can 
 
 Fig. 12.— Incised Wounds of Right Hand in the Struggle of Defence. Homicide. 
 
 satisfactorily account for the condition of his own clothes in 
 some other way. 
 
 The examination of the clothes and body of the de- 
 ceased and the accused may furnish important evidence. 
 
 If suicide is accomplished by a weapon like a knife, it is 
 
 rare for the hand not to be bloody. If it is not bloody we may 
 
 well suspect a case of supposed suicide. The presence of blood 
 
 on the hand does not prove suicide, though its absence may 
 
 '"Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Auier. Ed., 1892.
 
 538 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 disprove it, as the hand is generally bloody in case of murder 
 by being carried to the wound. 
 
 The examination of the clothing of the deceased is of great 
 importance. As we have noticed before, a suicide generally 
 opens them, a murderer rarely. A suicide is often partly or 
 even wholly undressed when he inflicts the wound, while mur- 
 der is usually committed on those entirely dressed. The wound 
 of the clothes should correspond to that of the body in case of 
 murder. In suicide the wounds of the body and of the clothes 
 may not correspond, especially if there exists a motive to falsely 
 impute the crime. The clothes of the deceased as well as those 
 of the accused may indicate a struggle, as we have already 
 noticed. Of course, in regard to the clothes examined, it is 
 necessary to clearly prove that they were worn at the time by 
 the deceased or accused, otherwise serious mistakes may be and 
 sometimes are made. In examining the blood-spots on the 
 clothing, note whether the blood occurs in large patches or 
 sprinkled as by a spurting vessel or by continued violence. 
 
 The body of the accused may present scratches, marks of 
 nails, contusions, bites, or other wounds indicative of a struggle. 
 It would be well to ask the accused how he received the wounds 
 or scars, to see if his explanations tally with the injuries. It 
 is hard to tell when wounds which have cicatrized were in- 
 flicted ; we can only distinguish between old and recent ones, 
 and thus control the statements of the accused. An examina- 
 tion of the finger-nails of the prisoner soon after the crime may 
 reveal blood underneath when the rest of the hands and person 
 are free from it. Note also the site and shape of the blood- 
 spots, if they exist, and whether or not they came from an 
 arterial jet. These spots may be on the body or clothes of the 
 accused. The account of the accused as to these spots may or 
 may not correspond to the facts as indicated by them. The 
 above leads us to the more or less important question : 
 
 Could the Assailant have Escaped without Stains? 
 
 It is possible for the murderer to escape without being spotted 
 with blood, but the probability of this occurrence depends on 
 the nature of the wound and the relative positions of the de- 
 ceased and the assailant at the time the wounds were inflicted. 
 This latter fact is very largely, if not altogether, a matter of
 
 BLOOD-STAINS ON THE ASSASSIN. 530 
 
 speculation as far as the medical evidence goes. It is a popu- 
 lar, though false, idea that a murderer's clothes must be bloody, 
 and the police may be misled in expecting to find them so in 
 every instance. Taylor ' cites several cases in which either no 
 blood was found on the murderer's clothes, or only small spots 
 whollj^ out of proportion to the amount of blood which must 
 have spurted or flowed from the wound. Absence of blood on 
 the prisoner's clothes is often made use of by the defence to 
 prove the prisoner's innocence, whereas, besides the possibilities 
 of having had no spots in the first place, the clothes may have 
 been changed or washed before the examination was made. 
 This has occurred in more than one murder trial. Taylor' 
 mentions the following cases in illustration : 
 
 It was alleged that the absence of blood-stains on the pris- 
 oner's clothing was a strong proof of his innocence in the trial 
 of Sub-Inspector Montgomery for the murder of Mr. Glasse 
 (Omagh Ass., July, 1873). In this case the weapon was a 
 bill-hook which had produced contused wounds on the head. 
 There was blood on the floor about the body, but the w^ounds 
 were not likely to have been accompanied by much spurting. 
 Yet it was assumed that the assailant in this case must have 
 been covered with blood. Much stress was laid upon the ab- 
 sence of blood-stains. On the first two trials the jury could 
 not agree, owing chiefly to the absence of blood- stains, but on 
 the third trial he was convicted and afterward admitted that he 
 had removed the blood -stains from the clothes with cold water. 
 Also in the case of Reg. v. Courvoisier (C.C.C, 1840) the ac- 
 cused, who was tried for the murder of Lord William Russel, 
 had no blood-stains on his clothes. All the vessels of the throat 
 of the deceased had been cut to the vertebra3 while he was 
 asleep. It was contended most strongly that the accused could 
 not possibly have committed the crime, as he had no blood- 
 stains.- But after conviction he confessed that he wore no 
 clothes when he committed the murder, and he only had to 
 wash his hands and the carving-knife he used. Again, in the 
 case of Reg. r. Thompson (Durham Wint. Ass., 180.')) the de- 
 fence mainly relied on the absence of blood on the prisoner's 
 clothing. The wound in the throat of the wife of tlu^ accused 
 was five inches long, directed from left to right, dividing all 
 1 " Med. Jurisprudence, " 11th Amer. Ed. , 1893.
 
 540 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 the vessels and nerves of the neck. The medical witness stated 
 justly that no such wound could be self-inflicted. It was rap- 
 idly fatal. No weapon was found near the body. The prisoner 
 was convicted. 
 
 The same author cites the case of a prisoner on whose 
 trousers worn soon after the murder no blood-marks were found, 
 but the trousers actually worn by him were found with blood 
 upon them. Juries have even acquitted the prisoner apparently 
 only because no marks of blood were found, though the other 
 circumstances were explicable only on the theory' of murder. 
 
 It should be remembered in this connection that blood-stains 
 may be found on the clothing of many, especially on the coarse 
 clothing of working-people. This may be accounted for by the 
 occupation, flea-bites, accidental circumstances, or it may occur 
 without definite explanation. Such persons may be accused of 
 murder and yet the blood-stains be consistent with innocence. 
 Too much importance should not, therefore, be attached to 
 them, even if the accused cannot satisfactorily explain them 
 and if he does not attempt to do so in a suspicious way. That 
 blood on the clothing even under suspicious circumstances may 
 be consistent with innocence is illustrated by the case of a suicide 
 by cutting the throat, in 1872, cited by Taylor.' In this case 
 the son first found his father dead, and thought that he had 
 broken a blood-vessel. He raised the body, staining his hands 
 and clothes, then went for help. At the inquest he was closely 
 questioned as to the presence of the blood-stains, but there could 
 be no doubt that the case was one of suicide. 
 
 In general, we may say that a murderer is much more likely 
 to escape without blood-stains in contused wounds, and more 
 likely in the case of punctured wounds than in incised wounds, 
 for in punctured wounds the bleeding is much less free and is 
 less likel}^ to spurt from the wound. In the case of incised 
 wounds ho is most apt to escape without stains if he is behind 
 or to the side of the victim when he inflicts the wound — in other 
 words, when a part of the body of the deceased was between the 
 assailant and the wound inflicted. Furthermore, the assailant 
 is more likely to escape without blood-stains if there is a single 
 wound than if there are several, and each additional wound 
 makes it more likely that he will be spotted with blood. 
 '"Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 EXAMINATION OF THE GROUND, FLOOR, ETC. 5-il 
 
 The examination of the ground or floor and the furni- 
 ture, etc., may furnish some evidonce as to the nature of the 
 crime, and also help the witness to answer the questions which 
 may sometimes be asked, i.e., At what spot was the victim 
 "svouNDED? and Where did he die? This question is some- 
 times settled by examination of the spot where the deceased la}'- 
 and the furniture, etc., about. Sometimes the floor or ground 
 and the furniture or surrounding objects at a distance give the 
 requisite evidence. The examination of the cracks and corners 
 of the floor and furniture should not be neglected, and Taylor 
 instances a case where the hair of a dog helped to clear up the 
 case. If the bod}^ has not been disturbed the most blood is 
 usually found where the deceased died. If the victim succumbs 
 at the spot where he was wounded, blood is found onh' in the 
 immediate neighborhood, except for arterial jets, which ma}' be 
 as far distant as two metres. The separate blood-spots ©f an 
 arterial jet are circular if the jet strikes-the object perpendicu- 
 larly, oval or wedge-shaped with the larger end away from the 
 body if it strikes the object obliquely. 
 
 If the blood-stains are more diffused and are found in other 
 places, careful notice should be taken as to whether the differ- 
 ent places communicate with one another by traces of blood. 
 If they do not communicate, it goes to show that the body was 
 moved after active bleeding had ceased, that is, after death, 
 but this indication is not absolutely positive. If traces of blood 
 do connect the larger blood-spots, it is of interest and importance 
 to know where the deceased was wounded and where he died, 
 also whether he moved or if he was moved before or after 
 death. This question is not ahvays capable of solution. Some 
 injuries exclude the possibility of active motion. Stupefying 
 contused injuries of the head or an incised wound opening a 
 great artery are both inflicted where there is the greatest 
 hemorrhage, and the spot where the deceased was wounded and 
 died shovdd be identical. In such cases a second large sj^ot of 
 blood, connecting or not with the first wound, indicates that the 
 body has been moved. But if the wound does not bleed much 
 or rapidly, the wounded person may fall at a distance from the 
 spot where he was injured, and death occurs, as a rule, where 
 there is the greatest amount of blood ; for a certain amount of 
 bleeding occurs for a short time after the victim falls or even
 
 542 WOUNDS — WOOI.se Y. 
 
 after death. One can find in many i)laces the signs of arterial 
 jets marking the movement pi the deceased from one blood-spot 
 to another. This is quite different from the tracks caused by 
 dragging a bleeding body. All this it is important to notice, 
 for the dragging or passive moving of the body strongly indi- 
 cates murder. Blood at a distance may indicate the occurrence 
 of a struggle, or that the body was moved, or it may. show the 
 tracks of a murderer. As to the latter point, tJie imprints of 
 the hands and feet, whether bloody or not, may indicate murder 
 and establish the identity of the murderer. We have already 
 seen how they may occur on the deceased and indicate a strug- 
 gle, and thus be presumptive of murder. When the marks are 
 made by the naked foot, it is well to examine it by lining it off 
 in squares, and so to compare it with the imprint of the foot of 
 the accused. Simple inspection can sometimes give the required 
 evidence. We may even get an impression of such imprints in 
 the snow. Imprints of the boots or shoes worn by the accused 
 compared with those imprints found at and near the scene of 
 the crime may sometimes help to clear up the case, but this 
 may perhaps be considered outside of the sphere of the med- 
 ical witness. Such and other signs of a struggle about one of 
 the blood-spots would indicate that the wound Avas received 
 there, though death may have occurred at another spot. In 
 such a case it would be well to examine to see if there was 
 much blood where the body was found, for if there was not it 
 would indicate that the body had been moved there after death, 
 and thus be strongly presumptive of murder. 
 
 As furnishing some evidence which may help to distinguish 
 between suicide and homicide in the origin of wounds, the 
 question may be asked, What was the position of the 
 VICTIM when injured OR DYING? and also. What were 
 
 the relative positions of the VICTIM AND ASSAILANT? 
 
 The position of the victim at the moment of the injury is 
 sometimes indicated by the position of the wound, the direction 
 of its tract, and the direction from the wound of the blood on 
 the body and clothes. On the neck or extremities the course 
 and form of the wound may indicate the position of these parts 
 when the wound was inflicted, for sometimes in flexions of 
 these parts the skin lies in folds, and a wound inflicted when 
 these parts were so flexed would be irregular, wavy, or zig-zag.
 
 RELATIVE POSITIONS OF THE VICTIM AND ASSAILANT. 540 
 
 Further, the position and movement of these parts necessary 
 to restore directness to the woun^ niaj^ indicate the position 
 of the parts when the wound was inflicted. The examination 
 of the relative positions of the wound in the clothes and the body 
 may help to indicate the position of the body when wounded. 
 The position of the blood on the body and the direction of the 
 blood from the wound, whether below or at the sides, etc., 
 tends to show the position of the body when bleeding. Thus 
 if the body was at any time in tlie erect position, some of the 
 blood-stains will be vertically below the wound, or if the victim 
 was lying on the back then the stain would be at the sides only 
 and not below the wound, except such stains as indicate that 
 the}' were produced by arterial jets. Few suicides cut the 
 throat in the recumbent position ; therefore it maj' be consid- 
 ered in the light of an indication of homicide if the blood-stains 
 show that the victim was not erect after the wound was in- 
 flicted. It is well also to note the form, direction, and obliquitj^ 
 of the blood-spot. This would indicate, by comparison with 
 the wound, the relative position of the wounded person and the 
 blood-spot, and thus show whether the body had been moved 
 or not, as, for instance, b}' the murderer for the purpose of 
 robbery. The force of the bleeding is also indicated b}^ the 
 form of the spot, and this would indicate how rapidlj^ death 
 probably ensued. This fact might thus help us to judge 
 whether the victim ];)robably died where he was wounded, and 
 whether other and remote blood -spots would not be presumptive 
 of murder. If the victim is found in night-clothes, this fact 
 would help to show that he was lying down when wounded. 
 The medical evidence as to the position of the victim when in- 
 jured is, therefore, circumstantial and not very positive ; that 
 in regard to the relative position of the victim and assailant 
 is even less positive. We presuppose in this question that the 
 case is one of jnurder. We are not to prove murder or refute 
 suicide. We can rarely be positive as to the relative position 
 of the assailed and the assailant. A wound in the back may 
 be caused by some one in front with an arm behind. The 
 direction of the wound would indicate this, for if the assailant 
 is right-handed and inflicts a wound on the back from in front, 
 a stab-wound would almost always be directed from left to 
 r^ght, an incised wound from riglit to left, both from above
 
 544 WOUNDS — WOOLSF.Y. 
 
 downward. With a left-handed murderer the direction would 
 most likely be from right to left and from above downward for 
 a stab- wound, and from left to right and from above downward 
 for an incised wound. If the assailant were at the back of the 
 victim and wounded him in front, the direction of these wounds 
 would be the opposite of the above, i.e., from right to left for 
 a stab- wound and from left to right and from above downward 
 for an incised wound with a right-handed assailant and vice 
 versa with a left-handed assailant. These wounds occur more 
 commonlj^ than those of the back, and are especially noticeable 
 in incised wounds of the throat. In the case of these incised 
 wounds of the throat inflicted from behind, the direction from 
 left to right and from above downward resembles that of self- 
 inflicted wounds in the same situation. As a general rule, 
 wounds are on the same side of the victim that the assailant 
 was; the facts given above help to show us the exceptions. 
 Thus a wound on one side is presumptive that the murderer was 
 on that side, or possibly at the front or back and only excep- 
 tionally on the opposite side. The presence of wounds on one 
 side only may help to confirm the testimony of a witness that 
 the victim was against a wall or some other obstacle which 
 protected the other side. The question of the relative position 
 of the combatants in duels and the nature of the weapons used 
 as shown by the wounds has sometimes come up, especially in 
 other countries, to determine whether the combat was regular 
 and fair. 
 
 In all cases of suspected suicide, but where a doubt exists 
 between suicide and murder, or even accident, hereditary dis- 
 position and organic affections of the body, such as alcohol- 
 ism, incurable or painful diseases, chronic inflammation of the 
 brain and meninges or of the genito-urinary organs — all such 
 and hereditary predisposition may support the idea of suicide. 
 
 Imputed or Self-Inflicted Wounds. 
 
 Closely allied with the question of the suicidal or homicidal 
 origin of wounds is the question whether a wound imputed to 
 another is self-inflicted or inflicted by another. These wounds 
 are seldom fatal. In discussing the question whether a wound 
 is self-inflicted or inflicted by another, we have referred oc-
 
 IMPUTED OR SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS. 545 
 
 casionaliy to suicidal wounds where the circumstances were 
 such as apparently purposely to imply murder and impute the 
 cause of death to some one else. This happens more often in 
 cases of unsuccessful suicide. Here we have recourse to the 
 same evidence that we have gone over in the present section 
 which helps to distinguish between a suicidal and a homicidal 
 wound. The case may be somewhat more difficult, as the 
 unsuccessful suicide may manufacture evidence against the 
 accused and hide to some extent the evidence of suicide. 
 These cases can usually be decided, however, in connection 
 with the circumstantial and other evidence. The majority of 
 cases of imputed but self-inflicted wounds are very superficial, 
 often not below the true skin. Being self-inflicted the^" have 
 many of the characters of suicidal wounds. Thus they are 
 usually situated in front and on the left or right according 
 as the wounded person is right or left handed, and the direc- 
 tion is usually similar to that in suicidal wounds. Such 
 wounds are generally incised or punctured wounds, seldom con- 
 tused wounds, and in this respect they resemble suicidal 
 wounds. As exceptions to this rule, Bergeret ' mentions some 
 cases where females in attacks of hysteria have inflicted severe 
 contusions on themselves, and have preferred charges of at- 
 tempted murder against innocent persons. Like suicides also 
 the hands are seldom injured, though they may bo much so 
 in resisting homicide. 
 
 In other respects, however, these wounds dift'er from suicidal 
 wounds. . Thus they are not usually situated over a " mortal" 
 spot, and they are often numerous and scattered, sometimes 
 parallel and sometimes not. The wounds in the dress do not 
 correspond even as often as in suicide. In comparing cuts in 
 clothing with those on the body, it is important to find what ar- 
 ticles were worn at the time the assault was alleged to have taken 
 place, and to make sure that the clothes examined were those 
 worn or alleged to have been worn , It may not be necessary- that 
 the clothes examined should have been really worn, for if they 
 were alleged to have been worn and were not, the examination of 
 them will almost always show the deception or the self-inflicted 
 nature of the wounds. Then take careful note of the position, 
 direction, form, and size of the cut and the apparent sharpness of 
 
 'Anu. d'Hyg., 1863, t. 1, p. 463. 
 35
 
 54G WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 the weapon in the several layers, and see if they correspond with 
 one another and with the wounds on the body in those various 
 particulars. In imputed wounds the clothes are generally cut 
 when off the body and can seldom be done so as to deceive a 
 careful examiner. Several wounds cannot exist in the same 
 region of the body without some being bloody and showing the 
 marks of it on the clothes. Even a single wound of the clothes 
 generally shows blood on the inner surface if there is a corre- 
 sponding wound of the body underneath. In simulated and 
 imputed injuries the blood-stain may be on the outside of the 
 clothing instead of on the inside, showing that it was artificial 
 and not natural. An impostor may either do too much or too 
 little, and the medical witness should be on guard against both 
 alternatives. Taylor ' mentions a case which occurred in Lon- 
 don some time ago, in which there were two cuts in the shirt 
 near together exactly alike in size, form, and direction, making 
 it evident that the weapon had gone through a fold of the shirt. 
 This proved that the shirt could not have been worn at the time 
 it was cut, for if the shirt was folded while on the body the 
 weapon must have gone through the fold and then through 
 another layer of shirt, making three cuts instead of two, or five 
 instead of four, before it could have reached the body. This 
 and other facts made self-infliction of the slight wound on the 
 chest probable. The same author cites another case showing 
 the imperfect manner in which the cuts in the clothes are made 
 in imputed wounds, the clothes being off the body at the time. 
 The case occurred in Nottingham in 1872, the accused being 
 charged with wounding the plaintiff on the highwaj' bj" stab- 
 bing him in the arm, though there was no robbery or other 
 motive for the act. The coat and shirt sleeve were found cut, 
 but there was no corresponding cut in the lining of the coat 
 sleeve. The charge was clearl}' false, and was trumped up bj' 
 the youth who was the plaintiff because he wished to leave the 
 place where he had been sent for private studj'. 
 
 In examining a case where the self-inflicted nature of im- 
 puted wounds is in question, the following are some of the 
 many points to keep in mind in the examination and to be 
 ascertained by the examination: (1) The relative position of 
 the plaintiff and the assailant at the time of the alleged attack. 
 ' "Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 WAS A WOUND ACCIDENTAL? 547 
 
 This can be compared with the position as stated by the phxintiff 
 or other witnesses. (2) The situation, direction, depth, nature, 
 and number of the wounds. (3) The situation and direction 
 of blood-marks or wounds on the dress or person of either or 
 both. (4) The marks of blood and the quantity of it at the 
 spot of the alleged struggle. (5) The signs of a struggle and 
 the various other points of circumstantial evidence gone over 
 in considering suicidal and homicidal wounds. 
 
 Though a severe blow may cause a slight mark, it does not 
 follow that a slight mark implies a severe injury, else the excep- 
 tion is made the rule. The inconsistency of the story of the 
 plaintiff is generally so paflpable that imposture is evident, but 
 prejudice and unjust suspicion are often excited against those 
 accused. Thus Taylor ' states that " a strong suspicion was 
 raised against the then Duke of Cumberland, in 1810, in refer- 
 ence *to the death of Sellis, when a skilful examination of the 
 wounds on the deceased would have shown that they might 
 have been self-inflicted." The same author also cites the case 
 of M. Armand, a merchant of Montpelier, whoat Aix in March, 
 1864, was tried for an alleged murderous assault on, or imputed 
 murderous strangulation of, his servant. The excoriation on 
 the back of the neck was so slight as to escape the observa- 
 tion of some medical men, and it was evidently self-inflicted, 
 either accidentally or purposely, as the facts showed. The 
 assertions of a number of medical men were taken by the court 
 to support the servant's story to the effect that his master had 
 struck him a severe blow on the back of his neck, rendering 
 him insensible for many hours from concussion of the brain. 
 The evidence given chiefly by Tardieu for the defence showed 
 the story of the complainant to be a fabrication, and the ac- 
 cused was justly acquitted. 
 
 Was a Wound Accidental? 
 
 In answering this question we must distinguish accidental 
 wounds from those self-inflicted and those inflicted by another. 
 These three classes comprise all wounds. In case of a trial for 
 murder it may be alleged by the defence that the wound was 
 caused by accident or that it was due to suicide from a fall, 
 '"Med. Jurisprudence." 11th Amer. Ed.. 1892.
 
 548 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 falls being a common class of accidental wounds. So we have 
 to judge between accident on the one hand and homicide and 
 suicide on the other hand. The question arises especially in 
 cases where the injury causing death is one commonly due to 
 accident. 
 
 As to the QUESTION BETWEEN ACCIDENTAL AND SUICIDAL 
 
 WOUNDS, they are often easily distinguished, especially if the 
 body has not been disturbed. In suicide there is clear evidence 
 of design, and the circumstantial evidence helps to make the 
 case clear. It may not always be possible to decide, however, 
 as an accidental wound may sometimes resemble a suicidal or 
 homicidal one. Accident is often shown by the nature of the 
 wound. Thus it is rare for an accidental mortal wound to be 
 caused by a knife or similar weapon held in the hand and forced 
 into the body by a fall, the blow of an opening door, etc. But 
 such exceptional cases have been reported. Incised and*punc- 
 tured wounds are, therefore, very rarely accidental, and most 
 accidental wounds are contused wounds or contusions. 
 
 Again, accident is often shown by the situation of the 
 wound, which should be on an exposed part of the body unless 
 the accident is due to a fall from a height, when the wound 
 may be ahnost anywhere. But such injuries are easil}' shown 
 to be due to falls. The fall, of course, may be accidental, sui- 
 cidal, or homicidal. Some wounds in exposed parts forbid acci- 
 dent on account of their nature, i.e., deep incised wounds of the 
 throat. If the deceased has a life insurance, suicide is less 
 probable, as the insurance is not paid in case of suicide. In 
 fine, accidental wounds are distinguished from suicidal by — (1) 
 Their nature; accidental wounds are almost always contused, 
 suicidal very rarely so, only in cases of lunatics and delirious 
 persons and where suicide is accomplished by a fall. ('2) The 
 situation of the wound or wounds indicates their origin. We 
 have already studied the situation of suicidal wounds and have 
 also seen that accidental wounds are only on exposed parts, 
 except when the injury clearly indicates a fall from a height. 
 The evidence from the direction of wounds rarely applies, as 
 this is valuable only in incised and punctured ^vounds, which 
 are seldom accidental. Both kinds of wounds are usually few 
 in number except in case of a fall from a height or a crush, 
 though sometimes suicidal wounds are multiple.
 
 WAS A WOUND ACCIDENTAL? o4y 
 
 The evidence from weapons, if there be any, points strongly 
 to suicide. The signs of a struggle are hardly consistent with 
 either suicide or accident. The only case in which they might 
 occur would be where a struggle occurred to prevent a suicide 
 from throwing himself off a height or .before a vehicle or rail- 
 way train. In such a case accident would be excluded by the 
 signs of a struggle, and the question would lie between homi- 
 cide and suicide. The examination of the clothes of the de- 
 ceased would furnish no evidence unless some letter or paper 
 were found stating the purpose of committing suicide. Little 
 or no evidence would be furnished b}' the position of the body 
 when found in cases which might otherwise be doubtful. Or- 
 ganic lesions or other facts predisposing to suicide would fur- 
 nish presumptive evidence against the wounds being accidental. 
 Of all these various points the first, as to the nature of the 
 wounds, is by itself the most valuable and conclusive. But 
 this gives us no assistance in clearing up a case where it is 
 doubtful whether a fall from a height or a crush by a vehicle 
 or railway train was accidental or suicidal. Some of the other 
 points mentioned may aid us in such a case, and also the fact 
 that such injuries are far more often accidental than suicidal. 
 But in these cases, also, certain circumstances may show that 
 the fall was not the result of accident. 
 
 Accidental wounds are generally caused by a fall or a crush, 
 and the fact of their accidental character is generally estab- 
 lished by the circumstances of the event. Certain accidental 
 wounds present characteristics which allow the true nature of 
 the wounds to be determined. But in some cases a suspicion 
 may arise and the question may be asked as to whether the 
 WOUND WAS ACCIDENTAL OR HOMICIDAL. For instance, if a 
 person receives fatal homicidal injuries, and just before or after 
 death the body is thrown from a height or is run over and 
 crushed, it may be hard to determine the murderous element 
 among the many wounds. This is the case if the homicidal 
 wounds were contusions or were caused by blunt instruments, 
 but rarely, if ever so, if thej^ are incised or punctured wounds 
 or both. But even in the former instance, a close examination 
 of the lesions and of the locality of the injury can often clear 
 up the case. Thus in a case mentioned by Vibert,' as cited by 
 ' Vibert : " Precis ile Med. Leg. , " ~\l Ed. . 1890.
 
 550 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 Hofmann after Taylor, a woman was found dead at the foot of 
 some stairs in a cave. She had died of a fracture of the skull 
 and of the spine, produced by the fall. But about four or five 
 feet above the level of the top step there was found on the wall 
 the fresh marks of an arterial jet of blood. Examination 
 showed a wound in the right temporal region which had opened 
 the temporal artery, and it was therefore thought that the 
 woman was wounded at the top of the stairway and then 
 thrown down, which was afterward proved to be true. In an- 
 other case, reported by M. Tourdes, a man knocked down and 
 killed by an axe, which crushed his skull and caused the brain 
 to exude, was placed in a road frequented at night by heavy 
 wagons. The head was placed in the rut, but the coagulated 
 blood and brain formed a puddle which did not appear on the 
 wheels or their track, and no bloody furrow was caused by 
 their passage. The same author mentions the case of a woman 
 plainly strangulated by the hands and then thrown into the 
 ditch of the fortifications of Paris. 
 
 It is especially with regard to fractures of the skull that 
 the question often comes up as to the accidental or homicidal 
 nature of the injury, as to whether it is due to a fall or a wound. 
 Sometimes a depressed fracture may show the form of the in- 
 strument. An extensive comminuted fracture of the skull may 
 indicate greater violence than would be received from a fall 
 from the little height which the circumstances may allow. As 
 to the slighter degrees of fracture, the disposition of the fracture 
 itself often shows less than the form and site of the ecchymosis, 
 the lesion of the scalp, and the place and position of the body 
 when found. In such cases the traces of a struggle, the exist- 
 ence of other wounds, etc., may be of great importance. In 
 distinguishing between homicide and accident, as in distin- 
 guishing between the fetter and suicide, the most obscure and 
 difficult cases are those where the injury has been caused by a 
 fall from a height or by a crush. 
 
 This is illustrated by the case of Madame de Tourville, which 
 is quoted by Taylor.' She was killed in July, 1876, by a fall 
 from a precipice. Her husband, a lawyer, was accused of mur- 
 der committed by pushing her over a precipice in the Stelvio 
 Pass. The place where her dead body was found was at a con- 
 '"Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1893.
 
 WAS A WOUND ACCIDENTAL y 551 
 
 siderable depth below, and the injury was chiefly in the head, 
 which had been crushed by the fall. The body showed no evi- 
 dence of intentional violence. The prisoner's guilt was estab- 
 lished on the following points: (1) The false and inconsistent 
 statements made as to the occurrence; (2) the marks of the 
 body having been dragged some distance so that a part of the 
 dress was found, in a bloody condition, some way from tl:e 
 body; (3) there were marks of blood on the prisoner's hands 
 and clothing. After a long trial he was convicted, though the 
 sentence was afterward commuted to imprisonment for life. 
 Of course, as we have already stated, if a person is responsible 
 for a fall he is also responsible for the results of the fall. This 
 applies to many of the contused injuries and deaths from falls 
 in prize-fights and drunken brawls. 
 
 We may sum up the points of evidence which help us to 
 distinguish between an accidental and a homicidal injury much 
 as we did when the question lay between accident and suicide. 
 (1) The evidence from the nature of the wound is not quite so 
 conclusive as when the question lies between suicide and acci- 
 dent. For contusions and contused wounds are far more often 
 homicidal than suicidal, and accidental wounds are almost 
 always of this class. If, however, the wounds are incised or 
 punctured, this fact points almost certainly to homicide. (2) 
 As to situation, a homicidal wound ma}- be situated almost any- 
 where ; an accidental wound, except in falls from a height, only 
 on an exposed place. (3) The direction of the wound can sel- 
 dom help us in the case of contused wounds which, practically, 
 are the on\y ones in question, though it ma}^ possibly be incom- 
 patible with accident. (4) As to the number of wounds, homi- 
 cidal wounds are far more apt to be multiple either in a small 
 area or scattered in such a way that an accident could hardly ac- 
 count for them all. (5) A weapon may give evidence more often 
 here than when suicide is in question, for a weapon may be 
 used to inflict contused wounds which may resemble those re- 
 ceived in a fall. The evidence furnished by a weapon or blood, 
 hair, etc., on the weapon, etc., is strongly in favor of murder. 
 (6) The evidence from a struggle is also more important be- 
 cause it is more often found. A struggle may occur in homi- 
 cide, and only in homicide, as a rule, so that signs of a struggle 
 are strong evidence of murder and against the idea of accident.
 
 553 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 (7) The examination of the clothes and body of the deceased 
 may give valuable evidence, showing, as it may, signs of a 
 struggle or other marks of an assailant and indicating murder. 
 
 (8) Examination of the position and attitude of the body and 
 of the spot where it lay and the ground around, may furnish 
 more or less proof of murder, as in the case quoted above. 
 Thus the track of the murderer may be discovered or the body 
 may have been interfered with and moved or robbed, all indi- 
 cating homicide. 
 
 In any case, whether it is desired to distinguish accidental 
 from suicidal or homicidal wounds, those cases present the most 
 difficulty which result from falls from a height or crushes. 
 But, as the crse of Madame de Tourville shows, the above given 
 and other circumstances may often show even then that the fall 
 or the crush was not the result of accident. 
 
 Falls from a height may, therefore, be the result of sui- 
 cide, homicide, or accident. The injuries are similar in all 
 three cases. A fall of six to eight metres causes, as a rule, 
 numerous lesions, and shows such a traumatism that the case 
 usually excludes the possibility or, at least, the probability that 
 the wounds resulted from blows. Sometimes, however, the 
 gravit}^ of the lesion is not i)roportional to the height of the fall. 
 Thus Vibert ' relates the case of a man, afterward emploj'ed 
 for several years in the Ecole de Medicine, who jumped from 
 the top of the column of the Bastile, a height of fifty metres. 
 He rebounded on to some canvas stretched at the foot of the 
 monument, then fell to the ground, and was able to get up and 
 walk away. Curiously enough, he killed himself later by jump- 
 ing from the top of an omnibus in motion. In the case of falls 
 from a height, it is especially true that with grave lesions in- 
 ternally the skin may be intact or only slightly ecchymosed or 
 eroded, or the ecchymosis may be only deeplj' seated so as not 
 to appear superficially. In the latter case, if life had continued 
 the ecchymosis might have shown itself at some spot on the 
 surface in a few days, but these falls from a height are fatal 
 as a rule. In falls from a height, besides ecchj'moses, which 
 may occur where there are no other injuries or may fail where 
 there are many injuries, the lesions consist of fractures of bones 
 and ruptures of internal organs, with or without surface 
 ' " Precis de Med. Leg. , " 2d Ed. , 1890, p. 264.
 
 INJURIES FROM A FALL. 553 
 
 wounds. The fractures may be of a number of bones, and 
 especially of those which first touched the ground, though the 
 skull may be fractured at some part whether or not it was 
 struck»in the fall. These fractures are often comminuted, espe- 
 cially fractures of the skull and pelvis, and when the fall is 
 from a great height. Ruptures of muscles may occur with the 
 fractures. 
 
 Ruptures of internal organs are not rare in such cases. Ac- 
 cording to Vibert,' the order of frequency of rupture of the 
 various organs is as follows : liver, spleen, kidnej^s, lungs, heart, 
 stomach, intestines, bladder, brain. Rupture of the liver occurs 
 especially on the anterior and inferior surfaces and the bleeding 
 is rather abundant. The healthy spleen does not rupture read- 
 ily, except from a severe traumatism, but if it is hj-pertrophied 
 it may rupture spontaneously from muscular violence. The 
 lung may be ruptured internally without showing the rupture 
 on the surface and with the ribs intact. Two such cases are 
 mentioned by Vibert,^ and he refers to others mentioned by 
 Nelaton and Holmes. Rupture of the brain without fracture 
 of the skull is ver}" rare, though cases have been observed and 
 reported, among others by Casper-Liman. In falls from a 
 height the rupture of the aorta, mesentery, diaphragm, and 
 larynx have been noted. It should be remembered in this con- 
 nection that rupture of the liver, intestine, bladder, etc., may 
 be caused by contusions without sign of violence externally, and 
 such cases cannot, therefore, be attributed to falls unless there 
 are other signs of the latter. 
 
 In crushes caused by a heavy vehicle, the lesions resemble 
 in many respects those due to a fall from a height. Thus we 
 find fractures and internal ruptures, but we more often and 
 regularly find subcutaneous ecchymoses and ecchymoses be- 
 tween the muscles. The skin is often stripped up extensivelj- 
 and the injuries are generally limited to the region injured. It 
 is rare to find that the cause of the injury leaves no trace on 
 the skin, for it usually gives the form to the erosions or ecchy- 
 moses. Sometimes, for instance, the marks of a horseshoe are 
 clearly visible. Ruptures of internal organs maj' occur here 
 too when there are slight external marks of violence or even 
 
 '"Precis de Med. Leg.," 2d Ed., -"Precis de ]\Ied. Leg.." 2d Ed., 
 
 1890. 1890, 1). 246.
 
 554 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 none at all. Thus Vibert ' relates the case of a man with the 
 head crushed, but with no signs of injury to the trunk save 
 a few erosions at the level of the sternum, who had not only 
 rupture of the kidneys, the liver, and the spleen, but also of 
 the lungs and of the heart. In the heart the apex was com- 
 pletely detached and floating in the pericardium, which was 
 intact. There was no fracture of the ribs nor subcutaneous 
 or sub-muscular ecchymoses. The age of the subject was 
 thirty-two, so that the costal cartilages were not probably ossi- 
 fied, which may have accounted for the absence of fracture of 
 the ribs. 
 
 Crushes by the fall of heavy tveights resemble the latter 
 class of crushes, and differ from falls from a height in the fact 
 that the wounds are usually limited to one region. The lesions 
 themselves are more or less similar. Similar internal lesions 
 may be caused by the compression of the chest and body by the 
 knee of a murderer, which may occasion rupture of the internal 
 organs, fractures of ribs, etc. Thus, too, from the pressure of 
 a crowd the ribs may be fractured and the lungs injured. It is 
 particularly in these cases of injury from crushes or falls from 
 a height that we may have most difficulty, as far as the medical 
 evidence goes, of distinguishing between accident, suicide, and 
 murder. But the various points and considerations mentioned 
 above will sometimes enable the medical witness to clear up 
 the case. In some cases the non-medical evidence, circum- 
 stantial and otherwise, may be suflQcient of itself, or at least in 
 conjunction with the medical evidence. 
 
 In falls from a less high place the difficulty is somewhat 
 different, for here there may arise the question between a fall 
 and a contusion or contused wound, and the question generall}^ 
 lies between accident and murder, or, very rarel}^, between ac- 
 cident and suicide. We have referred to both of these ques- 
 tions above, and from the facts mentioned the case can often 
 be solved. 
 
 Of more than One Injury which was the First In- 
 flicted ? 
 We can sometimes tell the order in which wounds were re- 
 ceived, but the question is rarely answerable with certainty, 
 ' "Precis de Med. Leg.," 2d Ed., 1890.
 
 THE CONSEQUENCES OF WOUNDS NOT FATAL. ooJ 
 
 If one wound is mortal and one or more are not, whether the 
 wounds are suicidal or homicidal, it has sometimes been con- 
 sidered that the former must have been inflicted last. But we 
 cannot admit that as a general rule the most grave wound was 
 the last inflicted. For the murderer or suicide, especially the 
 former, may go on wounding after the infliction of a mortal 
 wound, especially as it is the exception, and not the rule, to die 
 instantly after a mortal wound. Several assailants may have 
 inflicted wounds at the same time, which would still further 
 increase the difficulty. The question might then arise. Which 
 assailant had inflicted the mortal wound or which had first 
 inflicted a mortal wound? Under such circumstances, it would 
 not be easy to give a specific answer. There are several signs 
 which may indicate which wound was first inflicted in certain 
 cases. An instrument may become duller or even bent or 
 twisted after and on account of the first wound, and the subse- 
 quent wounds would vary accordingly. The wound of the 
 clothes corresponding to the first stab- wound may be and often 
 is only bloody internally, while the second and following 
 wounds are bloody on both sides. The following case quoted 
 by Taylor ' from the Annales d ^Hygiene, 1847, p. 401, illustrates 
 this point. A man received three stabs from an assailant, one 
 in the back at the level of the eighth rib, traversing the lung 
 and heart and causing rapid death, and two on the left elbow, 
 cutting the coat and shirt but only grazing the skin. The first 
 one was evidently the first inflicted, for both the wounds in the 
 clothing on the arm were bloody externally at the edges, al- 
 though there was no blood effused here. The correctness of this 
 opinion was confirmed at the trial. 
 
 The point of a knife arrested and broken off in a bone may 
 show that this was the last wound. The amount of bleeding 
 may show which was the first wound. Thus if several severe 
 wounds have been inflicted, all or several of which would nat- 
 urally cause profuse hemorrhage, and one showed signs of such 
 hemorrhage while another did not, the former would be likely 
 to be the first wound inflicted. Or if one showed slight hem- 
 orrhage where much would be expected, this fact would indicate 
 that it was one of the last inflicted. The absence of the signs 
 of spurting blood may tell which of two or more fatal wounds 
 '"Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 556 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 were first inflicted, for this would indicate that this wound was 
 inflicted when the heart action was weakened by loss of blood 
 or even after death, and the other wound or wounds which did 
 not present this sign would have been the first received. In 
 fact, if any of the signs are present about a wound which we 
 have seen to indicate that a wound was inflicted at any time 
 after death, this would show that this wound was not the first 
 received, and that the other or others were inflicted earlier. 
 
 Questions as to the consequences of wounds not fatal 
 may often be brought up in civil actions for damages. In cer- 
 tain countries the question of the consequences as to incapacity 
 may determine whether an injury shall be the ground of a 
 criminal as well as of a civil action. Thus in France an injury 
 which involves an incapacity of twenty days or more subjects 
 the assailant to a criminal action. The term " incapacity" in 
 this instance refers to general incapacit}" and not to incapacity 
 for fine and i^rofessional work. The latter, however, comes in 
 under the civil action which may be instituted against the as- 
 sailant or those directly or indirectly responsible for the injury. 
 The amount of the incapacity, its causes, whether duewhoUj- or 
 partly or not at all to the given injury, the probable duration of 
 the incapacity, the treatment which it has and will necessitate, 
 and many other such questions form part of the medical testi- 
 mony required in such cases. Sometimes with slight wounds 
 the results, accompaniments, and complications may prolong 
 the incapacity very greatly, as also the state of health and the 
 habits of the wounded person, the neglect of treatment, improper 
 treatment, etc. 
 
 Any bodily or mental infirmity or ill-health which may 
 result from an injury and its necessary treatment in the past 
 and future, all these questions and many more unnecessary to 
 mention may be required of the medical witness. No general 
 rules can be laid down for all such cases. In giving his testi- 
 mony the medical man must depend in any particular case upon 
 his knowledge, judgment, and experience. 
 
 We can seldom give a precise solution of the question of 
 sui'vival to determine the succession or inheritance if several 
 of a family die together in an accident. In case of death from 
 inanition, cold or heat, or in drowning especially, if some have 
 wounds more or less grave in themselves, we can sometimes
 
 INCISED AND PUNCTUBED WOUNDS. 55? 
 
 form an opinion. With wounds we cannot often do so, al- 
 though in case of murder, the nature of the wounds, the posi- 
 tion of the bodies, the examination of the spot of the accident 
 or tragedy, may sometimes help us to form an opinion. 
 
 INCISED AND PUNCTURED WOUNDS AND WOUNDS OF 
 BLUNT INSTRUMENTS REGIONALLY CONSIDERED. 
 
 The several varieties of wounds which we have been con- 
 sidering vary considerably in their nature, their effects, their 
 danger, and in many other ways according to the region of the 
 body in which they are situated. Some of these varieties are 
 common in one situation and almost never occur in others. 
 Although the nature of wounds found in the several regions of 
 the body is not as important for a medical jurist as their danger 
 and their influence in causing death, we will now consider the 
 differences they exhibit on account of the region in which they 
 occur. 
 
 WOUNDS or THE HEAD. 
 
 These are often characterized by their apparent harmlessness 
 and their real gravity sooner or later. We might almost make 
 the opposite statement and say that those apparently grave 
 are often virtually harmless, though this would be true only in 
 a limited sense and in certain cases. 
 
 As to their nature, we find punctured wounds extremely 
 rarely, incised and lacerated wounds often, while contusions 
 and contused wounds are still more common. Incised and 
 lacerated wounds of the head involve the scalp almost exclu- 
 sively. These wounds heal remarkably well, even when the 
 attachment is merely by a narrow pedicle, owing to the abun- 
 dant blood-supplj-. Hemorrhage from the incised wounds is 
 often free, for the vessels cannot retract, but it is seldom dan- 
 gerous unless the wounds are very extensive. The only way 
 in which they differ materially from similar wounds elsewhere 
 is in the greater frequency of complicating erysipelas here than 
 elsewhere. This is probably owing to the presence of septic 
 conditions, as the head is generally dirtier than other parts of 
 the body, and slight wounds especially are neglected. If the 
 scalp is shaved over a wide margin and cleaned like other parts
 
 558 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 • 
 
 of the body, erysipelas is found little or no oftener than with 
 similar wounds elsewhere. The density of the scalp is so great 
 that the redness and swelling accompanying intiammations is 
 comparatively slight. If erysipelas follows slight wounds of 
 the head, there is some reason to suspect constitutional predis- 
 position or careless treatment. From infection of such wounds 
 of the scalp abscess or diffuse cellulitis of the scalp may develop 
 as well as erysipelas. The constitutional symptoms in such a 
 case may be marked or even severe, but the prognosis is favora- 
 ble. In very rare cases necrosis of the skull may result or the 
 inflammation may even extend to the brain. These incised and 
 lacerated wounds of the scalp are usually accidental or inflicted 
 by another; they are rarely self-inflicted. Contusions and 
 contused u'ounds are the most common forms of injury to the 
 head. These two kinds of injuries are almost invariably in- 
 flicted by another or are accidental. We have already seen 
 that contused wounds of the scalp or over the eyebrow may 
 closely resemble incised wounds in these localities. This fact 
 should be borne in mind, as careful examination can usually 
 distinguish them if they are fresh and until they begin to gran- 
 ulate. These wounds are liable to the same complications as 
 incised wounds, in fact more liable, as the contusion makes the 
 wound more susceptible to inflammation and the edges are more 
 apt to be infected at the time of the injur}'. 
 
 One of the results of contusions of the head is the extrava- 
 sation of blood, most often between the aponeurosis of the 
 occipito-frontalis inuscle and the pericranium. These extrav- 
 asations are usually in the form of a hematoma. Such hema- 
 tomata often present a hard circular or oval rim with a softer 
 centre, and may readily be mistaken for fracture of the skull 
 with depression. The diagnosis between hematoma and de- 
 pressed fracture is not usually difficult, however, for with 
 hematoma the ridge is elevated above the level of the skull and 
 is movable on the surface of the skull ; also the wounded edges 
 often pit on pressure. With depressed fracture, on the other 
 hand, the edge is at or about the level of the rest of the skull ; 
 it is sharper, more irregular, and less evenly circular. Contu- 
 sions and the resulting hematoma maj' occasionally end by 
 suppurating, but this event is rare. Contusions and contused 
 wounds may occasionally show the marks of a weapon, indicat-
 
 WOUNDS OF THE HEAD. 559 
 
 ing that they were inflicted bj' another. Also the position of 
 the injury will indicate its origin, whether it is accidental or 
 inflicted by another, for the former would not naturally occur 
 on the vertex unless the fall was from a considerable height. 
 
 Another result of injuries to the head, especially of contu- 
 sions and contused wounds, is fracture of the skull. This 
 ma}' be simple or compound, depressed or not, etc. Fractures 
 are serious inasmuch as they imply a degree of violence which 
 may do damage to the brain. The fracture itself, especially if 
 properly treated, affords a good prognosis, irrespective of any 
 brain lesion. One variety of fracture of the skull ofl^ers an 
 exception to this favorable prognosis, and that is fractures of 
 the base of the skvill. These may be fatal directly from injur}" 
 of the vital centres at the base of the brain or soon fatal from 
 hemorrhage in these parts. Or the fatal result may be second- 
 ar}- to an inflammation or meningitis which good treatment is 
 often unable to prevent. It should not be considered that these 
 fractures are uniformly fatal, for quite a considerable proportion 
 recover. Fracture of the base usually occurs as the result of 
 a fall. The injured person may land on the feet or buttocks, 
 and yet receive a fracture of the base of the skull, the force of 
 the fall being transmitted through the spine to the base of the 
 skull. Fracture of the base of the skull usually occurs from 
 an injury to the vault, not by contre coup, but by extension of 
 a fissure found higher up in the skull. This extension takes 
 place in the same meridian line of the skull with that of the 
 force which produced the fracture, and in this waj' the base of 
 the skull is fractured in different parts according to the point 
 and direction of the application of the force. Thvis in case the 
 force compresses the skull antero-posteriorly the fracture will 
 pass antero-posteriorly toward the base from the front or the 
 back, whichever received the blow (see Fig. 13). Fractures of 
 the vault of the skull occasionally occur opposite to the point 
 struck ; this may occur by contre coup, but not always so, as 
 not infrequentl}' in such rare cases a close examination may re- 
 veal an extension of a fissure from the point injured to the oppo- 
 site pole of the skull. The shape and rarely the size of a fracture 
 of the skull, especially if punctured in character, may show the 
 shape and more rarely the size of the instrument or object 
 which produced it. Apart from fracture of the base, the prog-
 
 500 
 
 WOUNDS — AVOOLSEY. 
 
 nosis in fracture of the skull is serious, mainly on account of 
 the danger of inflammation, which is greater in compound frac- 
 tures, and also on account of the more remote danger of irrita- 
 tion from depressed fragments causing epilepsy, insanity, etc., 
 at a later period. 
 
 A circumstance that Taylor ' says is connected with fracture 
 of the skull with depression — namely, that the person, sensible 
 as long as the object producing the fracture remained wedged 
 
 Fig. 13.— Several Fractures of the Left Half of the Base of the Skull, Running Paral. 
 lei to One Another and Approaching One Another, also Separation of the Mastoid Suture. 
 The injury was caused by a fall on the left side of the back of the head. 
 
 in, became insensible and began to manifest other fatal symp- 
 toms as soon as it was removed — must be extremely exceptional. 
 It may be explained, if it occurs, by the occurrence of hem- 
 orrhage after the object which occluded an open vessel by its 
 presence or its pressure was removed. For it should be remem- 
 bered that the symptoms of compression in a depressed fracture 
 of the skull are very rarely due to the compressing effect of the 
 depressed bone, but rather to an injury of the brain, intracra- 
 
 ' "Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892, p. 334.
 
 CONCUSSION. 
 
 5G1 
 
 nial hemorrhage, or a local and temporary interference with the 
 circulation. 
 
 AVe may trul}' say that wounds of the head are dangerous 
 in proportion as thej^ affect the hrain. The existence of affection 
 of the brain may be hard to tell from 
 the appearances, for an injured person 
 may recover from the first effects of a 
 comparatively slight wound and yet 
 die suddenly later. 
 
 Concussion is the name applied 
 to one of the effects on the brain of a 
 more or less violent blow directlj' on 
 the head or transmitted indirectly to 
 the head. Though the term " concus- 
 sion" implies a functional rather than 
 an organic lesion, yet in the majority 
 of cases it is equivalent to laceration 
 of the brain. With laceration of the 
 brain there is usually more or less effu- 
 sion of blood which may be limited to a very thin layer. Con- 
 cussion may exist without laceration of the brain. Even death 
 has been known to occur from concussion of the brain without 
 any visible signs of injury to the brain, so that the concussion 
 
 Fig. 14.— "Terraced" Fracture 
 of the Left Parietal Bor.e near 
 the Sagittal Suture, caused bj- the 
 Lower Part of the Kim of a Rouud- 
 Headed Hammer. The blow was 
 struck from the right side. ]4 
 natural size. 
 
 -^^. 
 
 Fig. 15.— Fractures of the Skull caused 
 by a Four-sided Hammer, One caused by 
 tlie Corner, the Other by the End of the Head 
 of the Hanmier. 14 natural size. 
 
 Fig. 16.— Four-sided Fraetiu'e caused by 
 a Hatchet-Shaped Instrument, the Edjres 
 Formed by Depression of tlie Broken Outer 
 Table of the Skull. 
 
 must have been functional and the fatal result due to shock of 
 the nervous system. Fatal concussion does not, therefore, ne- 
 cessitate the existence of compression or visible injury of the 
 brain. Concussion may sometimes be due to a violent fall upon 
 
 the feet, in which case the shock is transmitted through the 
 36
 
 562 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 spinal column to the head with or without fracture of the base 
 of the skull. It was in this way that the Duke of Orleans, the 
 son of Louis Philippe, died. 
 
 The symi^toms of concussion show all degrees of severity'. 
 Thus the injured person may become confused and giddy with 
 or without falling, he may become pallid and nauseated and 
 may vomit, but after a short period he recovers gradually. 
 
 With a more severe injur}", with which there is generally 
 some laceration of the brain, the injured person falls and lies 
 quiet and relaxed, apparently unconscious, though often he can 
 be partly roused. Paralysis and anaesthesia are absent. The 
 
 Fig. 17.— Fracture of I'arictal Bone with Depression, caused by the Blow of an Axe. 
 
 heart is feeble and fluttering, the skin cold and clammy. The 
 pupils, as a rule, react to light, but otherwise vary considerably. 
 Urine and fseces may be passed involuntarily. As he begins 
 to regain consciousness, vomiting usually occurs. Conscious- 
 ness usually returns within twenty-four or forty-eight hours, 
 when headache and indisposition to exertion are complained 
 of, and this may last for a long time. Occasionall}" the symp- 
 toms instead of abating increase, and coma supervenes, often 
 indicating meningitis, encephalitis, or intracranial hemorrhage. 
 In other cases the person irvs.j die almost immediately on the 
 spot where he fell, while in still others apparent recovery takes 
 place and death occurs later either suddenly or after a reap-
 
 ABSCESS OF THE BKAIN. 
 
 563 
 
 pearance of symptoms. In such cases, abscess of the brain 
 may occur and be the cause of the fatal result. These abscesses 
 are the result of the injury, which may be almost anything 
 from a compound fracture to a slight contusion not leaving any 
 scar. The abscess may occur within a week * or not until after 
 months or years. This interval of apparent recovery may lead 
 to the false supposition that death was not due to the injury, 
 but to some intervening cause. It is well to bear in mind that 
 about half of the cases of abscess of the brain are not trau- 
 
 FiG. 18.— Wounds of the Vault of the Cranium caused by Artillery Side- Arms, followed 
 by Death shortly after. 
 
 matic. A large majority of these are due to suppuration in the 
 middle ear, a few to septic diseases or tuberculosis. The situ- 
 ation of the abscess often distinguishes between the traumatic 
 and non-traumatic varieties. The traumatic variety is usuall}' 
 found beneath the injury or sometimes directly opposite, where 
 the brain is injured by a kind of focussing of the radiated effects 
 of the blow. The cases of abscess of the brain due to ear dis- 
 ease are usually found in the temporal lobe of the brain lying 
 over the position of the ear or in the cerebellum behind it. The 
 uncertainty of the nature and the extent of the cerebral injury 
 'Londou Lancet, 1873, i., p. 697.
 
 564 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 in so-called contusion of the brain renders it necessary to be 
 very careful in giving a prognosis. Any injury should be con- 
 sidered serious which has produced unconsciousness, for such 
 an injury may produce enough laceration of the brain to render 
 serious danger possible or even probable. We have seen that 
 as a rule the symptoms of concussion come on immediately, but 
 it is possible that symptoms at first so slight as to escape notice 
 ma}' become serious in a few hours or days. A gradual hemor- 
 rhage may sometimes account for this. The knowledge of 
 certain acts performed or a conversation held at the last mo- 
 ment before the injury may be retained after recovery from con- 
 cussion of the brain. This is not necessarily the case, for in- 
 stead of remembering up to the moment of the injury, the 
 injured person may remember only up to a certain time shortly 
 before, or a part and not everj^thing may be remembered. 
 
 The diagnosis of concussion of the brain from alcoholism 
 is sometimes a matter of medico-legal interest or importance. 
 Concussion may be so slight as to simulate intoxication. The 
 history often clears the case up. The history of a blow or a fall 
 or the presence of marks of violence on the head indicates con- 
 cussion, though the blow or fall may not have caused the symp- 
 toms, which may be due to alcoholism. The odor of the breath 
 may indicate alcoholism, but here too we may have both 
 present and the concussion may be responsible for the symj)- 
 toms. Or again the alcohol may have been given as a heart 
 stimulant after the accident. This combination often occurs. 
 If there is no odor in the breath, the presumption is in favor 
 of concussion. As mistakes are still not infrequently made in 
 diagnosis, those cases in which there is any ground for doubt 
 should be carefully watched for developments. In general, the 
 existence of concussion is more often overlooked than the coex- 
 isting alcoholism, so that if there is any doubt in a given case 
 it should be treated as one of cerebral injury-. The injury 
 which causes the concussion in such cases is often due to the 
 alcoholism. We may be able to verify this supposition if the 
 injury is such as would be likely to be caused by a fall. There 
 may be nothing found in the brain after death to distinguish 
 between concussion and alcoholism. A bruise on the head only 
 indicates a probability of concussion, for the bruise and alco- 
 holism may both be present, the former perhaps due to the
 
 EXTRAVASATION" OR EFFUSION OF BLOOD. o65 
 
 latter. The presence of alcohol in the stomacli would indicate 
 the existence of alcoholism. 
 
 Another effect of an injury which has caused concussion of 
 the brain is an extravasation or effusion of blood. Extrav- 
 asation of blood in or on the brain is one of the commonest 
 causes of death from injur}" to the head. It may occur with or 
 without marks of external injurj^. A person suffering from 
 such an extravasation of blood may recover from the first 
 effects of the injury, and at a varying time afterward the 
 symptoms may return and increase so as to result fatally. In 
 such a case the opening of the bleeding vessel may have be- 
 coine plugged until some exertion, emotion, or excitement on 
 the part of the injured person has loosened the plug. A hemor- 
 rhage ma}^ have ceased from partial sj^ncope and return with a 
 stronger heart action due j^erhaps to the administration of alco- 
 hol. This effusion may occur on the surface of the brain in 
 connection with a superficial laceration of the brain or just be- 
 neath or outside the dura mater and not involving the brain 
 directly. The latter cases are almost alwaj^s due to the effects of 
 violence, though there is at least one case of apparently sponta- 
 neous rupture of the middle meningeal artery. The violence 
 which causes a rupture of the branches of this artery may be 
 so slight as to leave no bruise or so severe as to cause fracture 
 of the skull. The most important symptom of such extradural 
 hemorrhage is a period of consciousness after recovery from 
 the first effects of the injury, then stupor ma}- appear and deepen 
 into coma. A subdural hemorrhage ma}' cause almost the 
 same symptoms, though the injury is usually such as has pro- 
 duced a depressed fracture. This hemorrhage is most often 
 due to the rupture of a number of small vessels under the frac- 
 ture, though if one larger vessel is rujatured it is most often the 
 middle cerebral. A thin layer of hemorrhage in connection 
 with a superficial laceration of the brain is of frequent occur- 
 rence with or without the other two forms of intracranial 
 hemorrhage. If the brain is lacerated we may have convulsions 
 in addition to other symptoms. Death occurring during or soon 
 after a prize-fight may occur from some of the above classes of 
 intracranial extravasations. It ma}^ be questioned whether the 
 blows or a fall caused the hemorrhage. It is generally due to 
 a fall in such cases, but may be due to blows, but tlie guilt is
 
 566 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 the same unless the fall was accidental. As the result of severe 
 traumatism the vessels of the interior of the cerebrum may be 
 ruptured or hemorrhage may occur into the ventricles of the 
 brain. In such cases the symptoms will resemble those of 
 ordinary apoplexy, only the cause is different from the latter 
 and the injury is usually so severe as to leave no doubt as to 
 the existence of a traumatism. The following question may 
 arise in cases of intracranial hemorrhage and especially in the 
 latter class of such cases, i.e., in cerebral hemorrhage: 
 
 Was the Extravasation of Blood due to Disease 
 OR Violence? — It may be alleged in defence that the hemor- 
 rhage was the natural result of disease. Where the hemor- 
 rhage is extradural or subdural or in connection with a super- 
 ficial laceration of the brain, the cause is almost always 
 traumatic. We have referred to one case of extradural hem- 
 orrhage from spontaneous rupture of the middle meningeal 
 artery.' Subdural hemorrhage may occur from Pachymen- 
 ingitis hcemoi^rhagica interna, but this condition is readily 
 diagnosed on post-mortem examination and often with consid- 
 erable certainty during life. A history of alcoholism, head- 
 ache, impaired intellect, unsteady gait, occasional losses of 
 consciousness, stupor increasing to coma, etc. , indicates such a 
 condition. 
 
 It is in cases of cerebral hemorrhage that there is the most 
 difficulty in discriminating between that due to disease and 
 that due to injury. It may be alleged that the hemorrhage 
 was from diseased vessels, or that the effects of a blow, which 
 cannot be denied, were aggravated by disease of the cerebral 
 vessels or by excitement due to intoxication or passion. Cere- 
 bral hemorrhage from disease is rare before 40 j^ears of age, 
 except in alcoholics. When the hemorrhage is due to disease 
 the blood-vessels are diseased. The most frequent site of such 
 hemorrhages is the course of the lenticulo-striate artery in the 
 ganglia of the base or the white substance of the centrum 
 ovale. 
 
 When injury is the cause of the hemorrhage it is usually 
 
 found beneath the point injured or directlj^ opposite to this. 
 
 External signs of the blow are generally visible if it be severe 
 
 enough to cause a cerebral hemorrhage. The vessels may be 
 
 ' "An American Text-Book of Surgery, " p. 496.
 
 WAS EXTRAVASATION OF BLOOD DUE TO VIOLENCE? 567 
 
 perfectly healthy and the victim (^uite young if the hemorrhage 
 is due to an injury, also the ruptured vessels may be jjlainly 
 torn. The most difficult cases are those where there is the 
 history of an injury and at the same time such a condition of 
 disease of the cerebral vessels, etc., as would account for spon- 
 taneous hemorrhage. Where the injury was slight in the case 
 of alcoholics or aged people the medical witness should be 
 especially careful in stating that a cerebral hemorrhage was 
 due to the injury. Then, too, in the act of falling from the 
 occurrence of a cerebral hemorrhage due to disease the head 
 may be injured and show marks of violence. It should bo 
 borne in mind that an injury to the head may be inflicted when 
 disease of the brain, vessels, or membranes already exists. In 
 such a case a slight blow might cause extensive hemorrhage, 
 but as that which accelerates causes, death, even though it 
 might sooner or later have occurred in the same manner with- 
 out injury, is due to the injury inflicted. 
 
 From the above considerations we see that spontaneous 
 cerebral hemorrhage and that due to disease are not always 
 easily distinguished from that due to violence. In severe in- 
 juries the structure of the brain is plainly bruised, etc., but the 
 greatest difficulty exists in cases of slight violence where 
 arteritis of the cerebral blood-vessels coexists. The spontaneous 
 extravasation of blood in or upon the brain from excitement 
 does not usually occur except with diseased vessels, old age, or 
 alcoholism. It is rare, therefore, in the young and healthy. 
 If there is any doubt as to the origin of the hemorrhage, the 
 medical witness should state the cause most probable in his 
 judgment. Taylor ' supposes the case of a man excited by pas- 
 sion, alcohol, or both, who becomes insensible and dies after 
 being struck a blow so slight that it would not have affected a 
 healthy person. If examination reveals a quantity of blood 
 effused into the substance of the brain, there can be little doubt 
 in the mind of the medical man that the excitement was the 
 principal cause of the effusion. On the other hand, if a severe 
 blow or a violent fall on the head had been received in a per- 
 sonal conflict with another and it is found that death was due 
 to an effusion of blood upon the surface, there can be little 
 doubt in the mind of the medical examiner that death was due 
 '"Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 18fl2.
 
 568 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 to the blow, which would satisfactorily account for the condi- 
 tions found without reference to coexisting excitement, etc. 
 In fact, in all cases where a question is raised as to the cause 
 of the hemorrhage, it is most important to consider whether the 
 violence was not sufficient to account for the hemorrhage with- 
 out the coexistence of disease or excitement. It is also most 
 important to bear in mind that after severe injuries, as after a 
 fall, causing extensive fracture of the skull, followed or not 
 with extravasation of blood, the injured person may walk about 
 and die some distance from the place of the accident and where 
 no chance for a similar accident exists. In this way the 
 suspicion of murder may be occasioned, as illustrated in the fol- 
 lowing case cited by Ta3dor : ^ A man was accused of the 
 murder of his cbmiDanion, who was found dead in a stable with 
 fracture of the temporal bone which had caused rupture of the 
 middle meningeal artery. The accused stated that the deceased 
 had been injured b}^ falling from his horse the day before. 
 After the fall, however, the deceased had gone into a public- 
 house, where he remained some time drinking before returning 
 to the stable. The extravasation had here taken place gradu- 
 all}', as is characteristic of hemorrhage from the middle menin- 
 geal artery, and perhaps the excitement due to the drinking 
 had influenced it. 
 
 The date of an effusion op blood may sometimes 
 be a matter of importance in determining whether a given ex- 
 travasation of blood in or on the brain w^as caused by a recent 
 blow or had existed previoush*. The color and consistence of 
 these effusions indicate whether the}' are old or recent ; the pre- 
 cise date we cannot state, but the information we can give is 
 often all that is required. The color of recent effusions is red, 
 which changes after some daj's to a chocolate or brown, which 
 generally turns to an ochre color (see Plate I.). This latter 
 color may be met with from twelve to twenty- five days after 
 the injury. The consistence of the coagula also becomes firmer 
 with age, and as the coagula become firmer they are more or 
 less laminated and the expressed lymph may lie between the 
 laminae or around the coagula. 
 
 On account of the many laj^ers of the brain coverings, a 
 rough diagram of the coverings as given bj' Taj-lor ' may be of 
 '"Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE— PLATE I. 
 
 Extravasations in several portions of the Arachnoid, with hemorrhages in neighboring 
 
 PORTIONS OF the BRAIN. DEATH IN FOUR DAYS. 
 
 Cerebral abscess. Epilepsy, Paresis. Death 3m years after the injury. 
 
 RECENT AND OLD CEREBRAL EFFUSIONS. 
 
 ilkelmtLilJioColl.?.
 
 WOUNDS OF THE BKAIX AND FACE. 
 
 5G9 
 
 Fig. 19.— Diagramalie Repre- 
 sentation of the Skull and IMem- 
 branes of the Brain for Exhilii- 
 tion in Court, a. Skull with 
 outer and inner tables and dip- 
 loe ; 6, dura mater ; c, arachnoid 
 membrane ; d, pia mater. 
 
 much use to the medical expert in ilhistrating his evidence so 
 as to make it clear to the court (see Fig. 19). 
 
 Wounds of the brain vary very widely in their imme- 
 diate results according to the part of the brain injured. Thus 
 sometimes a slight wound of the brain may be instantly fatal 
 and often a severe wound in another 
 part is not so. Extensive wounds may 
 occur especially in the frontal lobes 
 with remarkably slight disturbance. 
 If a person with a wound of the brain 
 survives the first effects of the injury 
 the danger of inflammation remains. 
 This danger may not be removed for 
 a long time, for the inflammation may 
 develop very slowl}', not showing 
 itself for "from throe to ten weeks or 
 even later. Thus Taylor ' cites the 
 
 case of a child who was accidentally shot through the brain. 
 The symptoms of inflammation did not appear until the twenty- 
 sixth day and death occurred on the twenty-ninth da3\ 
 
 Wounds of the face heal remarkably well on account of 
 its great vascularity. If severe they may leave great deformity 
 or disfigurement, which may be the ground of a civil suit and 
 thus require the testimony of a medical expert. If the wound 
 involves the orbit or its contents it ma}^ be more serious, either 
 from a fracture of the thin upper or inner wall of the orbit, 
 separating it from the brain, or from extension of a secondar}- 
 inflammation of the contents of the orbit to the brain. Wounds 
 of the eyebrow may cause supraorbital neuralgia or amaurosis 
 from paralysis of the upper lid. Some fractures of the nose, 
 especially those due to severe injur}' near the root of the nose, 
 maj' be more serious than they appear. For in such cases, of 
 Avhich the writer has seen several, the fracture is not confined 
 to the nose, but involves also the ethmoid bone and its cribriform 
 plate forming part of the base of the skull. In such a case a 
 fatal meningitis is a common result. 
 
 Wounds of the neck are verj" rarely accidental, more 
 often homicidal, but most often suicidal. In nature they are 
 most often incised wounds. As we have alread}' seen, the kind 
 '"Meil. Jurispviulence," 1 1th Amer. Ed. . 1892.
 
 570 
 
 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY, 
 
 ■%>,. 
 
 -# 
 
 V: 
 
 and condition of the weapon used is often indicated by the 
 character of the wound. We have also seen that in many cases 
 a suicidal wound of the neck can be distinguished from a 
 homicidal one with more or less probability or even certainty. 
 Wounds of the neck are often dangerous, and they may be 
 rapidly fatal if they divide the main vessels, especially the 
 
 carotid arteries. Wounds of the 
 larynx, trachea, and oesophagus are 
 grave and often fatal from entrance 
 of blood into the air-passages or 
 from subsequent oedema or inflam- 
 J^, mation occluding the air-passages. 
 Wounds of the sympathetic and 
 pneumogastric nerves may be fatal, 
 and those of the recurrent laryngeal 
 nerves cause aphonia. The situa- 
 tion of the average suicidal or homi- 
 cidal cut-throat wound is in front, 
 generally across the thyro-hyoid 
 membrane, sometimes dividing the 
 cricoid-thyroid membrane, and not 
 at the side of the neck where the 
 great vessels lie and would be more 
 easily divided. The force is ex- 
 pended, as a rule, before the great 
 vessels are reached. The epiglottis 
 may be cut or detached and the in- 
 cision may even reach the posterior 
 wall of the pharynx, but the ma- 
 
 Thyroid and Cricoid Cartilages of the jority of the Suicidal CaSCS rCCOVCr 
 Larynx, from the Blow of a Plat- Iron. . , i , , i. nm i • 
 
 r With proper treatment, i he homi- 
 
 cidal cases are more often fatal from division of the great ves- 
 sels, though, as-already stated, in either class of cases a fatal 
 result may occur if the air-passages are opened from the en- 
 trance of blood into them and the consequent asphyxia. 
 
 Contusions of the neck may be so severe as to cause un- 
 consciousness or even death. The latter may be due to a 
 reflex inhibitory action, as in cases of death from a blow upon 
 the pit of the stomach. As a result of such contusions we may 
 have a fracture of the larynx usually confined to the thyroid 
 
 V- 
 
 Fig. 20.— Double Fracture of the
 
 CONTUSIONS OF THE NECK, 571 
 
 and cricoid cartilages (see Fig. 20). This may be followed by 
 hemorrhage from the larynx, some of which may pass down into 
 the trachea and threaten death from asphyxia. Later emphy- 
 sema often develops throughout the tissues of the neck, and there 
 is great danger of oedema of the larynx. The prognosis is 
 serious unless tracheotomy is performed early or the case is 
 closely watched. It is most serious where the cricoid cartilage 
 had been fractured, as this requires a greater degree of violence. 
 Whereas incised wounds of the throat are most often suicidal, 
 contusions are most often accidental or inflicted by another. 
 Among the latter class of injuries may be included the so-called 
 garroting, by which a person is seized violently around the 
 throat, usually from behind, and generally with a view to 
 strangle and rob. In such cases the larynx or trachea may be 
 injured in the same way as by a contusing blow. 
 
 WOUNDS AND INJURIES OF THE SPINE AND SPINAL CORD. 
 
 Injuries of the spine resemble more or less closely those of 
 the head. Fractures op the spine generally occur in com- 
 bination with dislocation, as fracture-dislocation. Thus dis- 
 placement is generally present and causes a fatal compression 
 or crushing of the cord. When the cord has once been crushed 
 at the site of the displacement of the fracture-dislocation there 
 is no hope of its ever healing. Therefore the lower end of the 
 cord is never again in functional connection with the brain. 
 These injuries are more rapidly fatal the higher up they are. 
 If the injury is above the fourth cervical vertebra death is 
 nearly immediate, for then even diaphragmatic breathing is 
 impossible, and the injured person dies of asphyxia. Fracture 
 of the odontoid process of the axis, which .regularly occurs in 
 hanging, may occur from falls on the head, etc., and is not 
 alwaj's immediately fatal. Thus in one case* the person lived 
 fifteen months and in another case sixteen months. In the 
 latter case the fracture was due to the patient turning in bed 
 while his head was pressed on the pillow. In some cases it 
 may be questioned how far this injury may result from disease 
 of the bones or ligaments. Therefore a careful examination of 
 these parts should be made after death, which will usuallj" 
 'Edin. Med. and Surg. Jour., Oct., 1845, p. 527.
 
 572 AVOUNDS— WOOLSEY. 
 
 enable us to answer this question, which may be brought up by 
 the defence. It is hardly necessary for our purpose to enumer- 
 ate the symptoms of fracture-dislocation of the spine. Of 
 course the patients are almost always unable to walk and so 
 are bed-ridden. A marked feature of fracture-dislocation of 
 the spine is the length of time intervening between the injury 
 and the fatal termination, and yet the injury is wholly respon- 
 sible for the death of the injured person. This delay may 
 last for months or even for years with careful treatment. But 
 sooner or later the case generally ends fatally, though not 
 necessarily so. Where the cord has been entireh' crushed the 
 result is almost alwaj's fatal ; where the cord is not so injured 
 recovery may and often does occur. According to Lutaud,' 
 fractures of the spine are sometimes followed by secondary' 
 paralysis coming on after healing of the fracture. At the out- 
 set we can seldom give a de^nite prognosis, which can onlj- bo 
 given after watching the developments of the case. The prog- 
 nosis is more favorable in fracture of the arches alone or when 
 the injury is in the lower part of the spine and not very severe. 
 The commonest cause of fracture-dislocation of the spine is 
 forced flexion of the spinal column. Injuries to the spine are 
 generally the result of falls or blows on the spine, especial!}" in 
 its lower part. Lutaud ^ states that after forced flexion of the 
 spine without fracture paraplegia may sometimes occur, which 
 is attributed to forced elongation of the cord. This paraplegia, 
 which may seem to be grave, is completelj^ recovered from as 
 a rule. 
 
 Incised or punctured wounds of the spinal cord are rare, as 
 it is so well protected except in the very highest part behind. 
 Here between the occiput and the atlas and between the latter 
 and the axis, and to a less extent between the axis and the third 
 cervical vertebra, the cord is more exposed, owing to the nar- 
 rowness of the laminae. It is here that pithing is done, which 
 is almost instantly fatal, as the medulla oblongata and upper 
 part of the spinal cord are the parts injured, and they con- 
 tain the respirator}' and other vital centres. Pithing may 
 be done with such a small needle-like instrument as to leave 
 scarcely sinj trace. Only a slightly bloody streak may persist, 
 which may' appear superficial if the instrument is introduced 
 '."Manuel de Med. Leg.," 5th Ed., 1892.
 
 WOUNDS OF THE SPINE AND SPINAL CORD. 573 
 
 obliquely. Such a mark in this location with no other apparent 
 cause of death should always lead to an examination of the upper 
 part of the cord, which will always reveal the cause of death 
 in such cases. Pithing is practised especially in infanticide. 
 
 As with the brain, so with the spinal cord, we ma}^ have 
 CONCUSSION due to the shock of a contusing blow. Concussion 
 of the spinal cord, as of the brain, may be fatal without showing 
 scarcely a mark of violence externally or internally. As the 
 cord is so well protected from injury, it must be extremely rare 
 to have concussion of the cord without some actual lesion of its 
 substance. As concussion of the cord is not often the result of 
 the injuries of which we are treating, but rather of railroad 
 injuries and the like, it will not be considered at length in this 
 connection. As a result of a blow or fall on the spine or com- 
 municated to it, hemorrhage may occur in the substance of the 
 cord or around it between or outside its membranes. In very 
 rare cases such a hemorrhage may occur spontaneousl}' as the 
 result of disease, of which the writer has seen one case. It 
 may be associated with concussion or laceration of the cord. 
 It may destroy life directly by extension or indirectly by lead- 
 ing to a spreading inflammation. Hemorrhage in or about 
 the cord causes a gradual compression of the cord, and in cases 
 of fracture of the spine often adds to the compression due to 
 the displacement of the bones. In hemorrhage into the sub- 
 stance of the cord paralysis comes on early or immediately and 
 may be complete while symptoms of irritation fail. The latter 
 sj'^mptoms are most marked in meningeal hemorrhage in which 
 paralysis is delayed in appearance and generally incomplete. 
 The products of an inflammation due to an injury may com- 
 press the spinal cord in the same way that hemorrhage does. 
 
 Wounds and injuries of the varieties we are considering, 
 affecting the spine and spinal cord, are generally accidental, less 
 often homicidal, and almost never suicidal. * 
 
 WOUNDS OF THE THORAX AND THORACIC ORGANS. 
 
 Wounds of the thorax caused by incising, punctur- 
 ing, or blunt instruments. These wounds are most often 
 punctured wounds; contused wounds are common 'and incised 
 wounds are not rare. They are perhaps most often homicidal
 
 574 WOUNDS— WOOLSEY. 
 
 in origin or at least inflicted by another, and the accidental 
 origin of these wounds is probably the least common. 
 
 Incised or punctured non-penetrating wounds of the thoracic 
 wall are rarely grave. Bleeding, as a rule, is not serious, 
 though it may be quite free. Such wounds may be accompa- 
 nied by emphysema, though not penetrating, owing to the 
 movements of the chest and a valve-like action of the edges of 
 the wound. Contused wounds of the thorax are more danger- 
 ous, especially if the violence was great, owing to the compli- 
 cating fracture of the ribs, rupture of the thoracic viscera, etc. 
 
 Fracture of the ribs is a' common result of contusions 
 of the chest. It is more dangerous when due to a direct blow 
 or injury, as then the splintering occurs internally and may 
 wound the lungs, heart, or large vessels, while with fracture 
 from indirect violence, from compression of the chest, the 
 splintering of the ribs occurs externally. Fracture of the 
 upper ribs requires more force than that required to fracture 
 the lower ones, and consequently the former is the more dan- 
 gerous. The diagnosis of fracture of the ribs is generally quite 
 easy by means of crepitus felt or heard, false motion, local ten- 
 derness, etc. Fracture of the sternum may be serious if 
 depressed on account of the wounding of the viscera behind it. 
 Devergie ' cites such a case where the depressed portion of the 
 sternum produced a transverse non-penetrating wound of the 
 heart about an inch in length, which had caused death in 
 thirteen days. Simple fracture of the sternum without dis- 
 placement of the fragments is rarely serious unless injury of 
 the thoracic viscera is produced by the same violence. Wounds 
 or injuries of the thorax are grave or not according as they 
 penetrate or injure the thoracic viscera or do not do so. A 
 wound may just penetrate the thoracic wall without wounding 
 the thoracic viscera, and is then serious as a rule only when 
 followed by inflammation. In fact, many of the penetrating 
 wounds of the thorax wounding the viscera are onh^ grave on 
 account of consecutive inflammation. We have alread}' seen 
 that various characteristics of wounds of the thorax, especially 
 of stab- wounds, enable us to determine the kind of weapon used, 
 its size, sharpness, etc., and sometimes to identify the weapon 
 itself. In much the same way we can often determine whether 
 i"Med. Leg.," t. 2, p. 343.
 
 WOUNDS OF THE LUNGS. 575 
 
 the wound was suicidally or homicidally inflicted. The cause 
 of death in wounds of the thorax may be directly due to the 
 wounding of one or more of the thoracic viscera, or it ma}' be 
 due to the inflammation occasioned b}' it. Wounds of the 
 lower part of the thorax may involve at the same time the 
 thoracic cavity proper and its contained viscera, the diaphragm 
 9nd the abdomen and its viscera. This is the order in which 
 the different parts would be met with in a Avound from behind 
 forward ; the order might be the reverse of this in a wound 
 from before backward. Penetrating wounds of the thorax 
 may involve the lungs, heart, or great blood-vessels. Of these, 
 the lungs are most often injured, which is easily accounted for 
 b}" the greater size of the lungs. In wounds of the lungs 
 the immediate danger is from hemorrhage. The hemorrhage 
 appears externally through the wound and from the mouth, 
 being coughed up. Where the lungs are injured by a blow, 
 fall, or crush without external injury, blood appears in the 
 mouth only. The blood coughed up from the lungs is bright 
 red and frothy, and it ma}- also be frothy at the external 
 wound. Hemorrhage from the external wound may be slight, 
 especially if the wound is oblique and acts as a valve. In 
 wounds of the lungs most of the blood may collect in the pleura 
 or in the lungs, and thus, b}- compression from without or by 
 displacement by the blood within it, prevents air from entering 
 the lungs and produces asphyxia, which may be fatal. More 
 or less dyspnoea usually occurs at first. Emphysema is gen- 
 erally present in the cellular tissues, but this latter symptom 
 may also occur at times with non-penetrating wounds of the 
 chest. If death does not occur speedily from hemorrhage by 
 compression of the lungs or heart, there are good hopes of 
 saving the patient, but the prognosis should be reserved. 
 For even when the first effects of the wound of the lung are 
 survived, the patient may die from the effects of inflammation, 
 recurring hemorrhage, or a too sudden relaxation of regimen. 
 Thus, for instance, if too much food, talking, or exertion are 
 indulged in the case may on this account terminate fatally, and 
 such aggravating causes of death may mitigate the sentence. 
 
 Wounds of the heart are among the most fatal. Al- 
 though it was once considered, and is usually thought now by 
 laymen, that wounds of the heart must be necessarily and in-
 
 576 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 stantly fatal, the facts are otherwise. If the wound is small 
 and obli(iue life may bo prolonged, and cases are recorded ' in 
 which wounds of the heart were not directly fatal, and in some 
 of which recovery would have probably resulted if not for other 
 diseases. Cases in which the heart wall was wounded but not 
 penetrated, and in which healing took place, are not very rare.'' 
 Thus Callender removed a needle from the substance of the 
 heart. But there is perhaps onl}' one case ' on record in which 
 a wound penetrating the cavities of the heart was recovered 
 from. It is the rule rather than the exception that wounds of 
 the heart, penetrating or not, are not immediately fatal. Thus 
 in a series of twenty-nine cases of penetrating wounds men- 
 tioned by Devergie,' as collected b}" Ollivier and Sanson, only 
 two ended fatally within forty-eight hours, the rest in periods 
 ranging from four to twenty-eight days. This delay in the 
 fatal result has been attributed to the arrangement of the muscle 
 fibres crossing one another and tending to close the wound, or 
 at least to make it smaller. As to the various parts of the 
 heart wounded, the right side, especially the ventricle, is most 
 often wounded. Thus out of fifty-four cases of wounds of the 
 heart, Taylor ' states that the right ventricle was wounded in 
 twenty-nine cases, both ventricles in nine, the right auricle in 
 three, and the left auricle in one case. This greater frequency 
 of wounds of the right side of the heart is easily accounted for 
 by its more exposed position anteriorly, just beneath the chest 
 wall in a part of its extent. The rapidity of death depends 
 largely upon the site and extent of the wound. Lutaud ^ states 
 that out of twenty-four cases of wounds of the right ventricle 
 only two were fatal within forty-eight hours, and out of twelve 
 cases of wounds of the left ventricle three were not immediately 
 fatal. Wounds of the auricles are generall}" fatal immediately, 
 especially if the cavitj" is extensively laid open. It is the 
 general opinion that wounds of the auricles are most rapidly 
 
 iBeck, vol. ii., pp. 329, 333; 1861, p. 292. Case of bullet in heart 
 
 Wharton and Stille, 2d Ed., p. 580; wall for twenty years. 
 
 N. A. Med. and Chir. Review, ^Edin. Med. and Surg. Jour., 
 
 March, 1859, p. 299; N. Y. Med. Oct., 1844, p. 557. 
 
 Times, Apr. and May, 1855; Amer. -"'Med. Leg.," t. 2, p. 253. 
 
 Jour. Med. Sciences, Julv, 1861, p. '^•'Med. Jurisprudence," 11th 
 
 292, and Aug., 1829. p. 307. Amer. Ed., 1892. 
 
 -Amer. Jour. Med. Sci., Julv, •*" Manuel Med. Leg.," 5th Ed., 
 
 1892.
 
 WOUNDS OP THE HEART. 577 
 
 fatal, next those of the right ventricle, and lastly those of the 
 left ventricle. This difference is probably due to the compara- 
 tive thickness of the walls of these parts. Thus the wall of the 
 left ventricle is so thick as to tend to close a wound unless it be 
 extensive. In wounds of the heart death rarely occurs from 
 external hemorrhage, which ma}^ be quite slight or even alto- 
 gether wanting where the wound is due to a crush or fracture 
 of the ribs. Death is usually due to the compression of the 
 heart by the blood in the pericardium. This usuall}'- causes 
 syncope, or a slighter pressure may be fatal by causing cerebral 
 or pulmonary anaemia or shock. Death may occur suddenly 
 in this manner or not until after some time. Thus in penetrat- 
 ing stab- wounds little or no blood probably escapes at first, in 
 most cases, but it ma}- ooze or, later on, suddenly burst out into 
 the pericardium. Therefore after a wound of the heart the 
 patient does not, as a rule, die immediately, as formerly and 
 often at the present time erroneously supposed. This fact is 
 of little importance as a rule in surgery, for the patients gener- 
 ally die sooner or later, but it is of importance in medical 
 jurisprudence, for upon it may hang the solution of questions of 
 murder, suicide, or justifiable homicide. It also accounts for 
 the fact that the injured person can exercise voluntary power 
 after the injur}'. Thus Watson ' met with a case where a man 
 ran eighteen yards and died six hours after a stab-wound of 
 the right ventricle. The coronary artery was divided and the 
 pericardium was filled with blood. Also Boileau met with an 
 accidental penetrating stab-wound through both ventricles in a 
 soldier who ran two hundred yards, then fell and died in five 
 minutes. A boy admitted to Guy's Hospital in 1879 lived 
 forty-two hours with a bayonet-wound transfixing the right 
 auricle, the septum, the left ventricle, the mitral valve, and 
 entering the left auricle. 
 
 Minute wounds of the chest are sometimes made by needles, 
 etc., in the region of the heart with the intention of killing 
 infants or children. Taylor" also mentions the case of a fatal 
 wound of the heart from a needle, the result of accident. We 
 have already cited the case of a needle lodged in the heart wall 
 
 ' Quoted by Taylor, "Med. Juris- '-"Med. Jurisprudence," 11th 
 
 prudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892, p. Amer. Ed., 1892, p. 351. 
 340. 
 
 37
 
 578 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 and removed by Callender by operation. That the puncture of 
 the heart by a small instrument is not necessarily serious is 
 proved by the experiments of Senn,' by which he found that 
 "the heart can be punctured with a perfectly aseptic, medium- 
 Sized aspirator needle without any great immediate or remote 
 danger." 
 
 In cases of rupture of the heart the question may 
 come up as to whether it was the result of disease or violence. 
 We have already seen that rupture of the heart may occur from 
 falls or crushes without marks of violence to the chest. In 
 general, we may say that in rupture of the heart from violence 
 the right side and base are most often involved, while in rup- 
 ture from disease the left ventricle is generally ruptured, 
 especially near the apex. The exciting causes of rupture of a 
 diseased heart are often violent emotions or exertion, which 
 majT" both be present in a quarrel with another and cause rup- 
 ture without direct violence. The cause need be but slight if 
 the heart is diseased, whether the cause is a natural one or out- 
 ward violence. Rupture from disease may therefore excite 
 suspicions of murder, but those cases can usually be satisfac- 
 torily solved by examination of the organ post mortem. A 
 slight degree of violence may cause rupture of a diseased heart 
 about ready for rupture from natural causes. When a diseased 
 heart ruptures during a quarrel, the symptoms of rupture of the 
 heart may be observed to come on suddenly before and without 
 the infliction of any violence. 
 
 Wounds of Arteries and Veins, especially within the 
 thorax. — Wounds of large trunks are generally speedily mortal. 
 In the chest we may occasionally meet with wounds of the in- 
 tercostal or internal mammary vessels or the vena azygos veins. 
 These wounds are often serious and ma}' be fatal. We have 
 a,lready seen that blood in the large cavities of the bod}", like 
 the chest, is commonly not coagulated, or at least the greater 
 part of it. We have already seen, too, that after wounds of the 
 carotid artery the victim may preserve the power of locomotion 
 for a short time, but not the power of struggling. This fact 
 may be important to help distinguish between murder and 
 suicide. In such wounds of the carotid the voice may be lost, 
 as the trachea is often divided. Death from wounds of large 
 'Senn, "Experimental Surgery." 1889.
 
 WOUNDS OF THE ARTERIES, VEINS, AND DIAPHRAGM. 579 
 
 vessels ma}" be due to loss of blood, and if this danger is passed 
 the case may still terminate fatally, as in a case where the 
 brachial was tied for injury and death occurred in three days 
 from gangrene. The wounds of comparatively small vessels 
 may prove fatal from hemorrhage, etc. 
 
 In wounds of blood-vessels death may occur from the en- 
 trance of air into them. In some cases where this is supposed 
 to have occurred it is quite probable that death was really due 
 to hemorrhage. A considerable quantity of air may enter the 
 circulation, especially the arterial circulation, without a fatal 
 result. When death does occur it is owing (1) to "mechanical 
 over-distention of the right ventricle of the heart and paralysis 
 in the diastole," or (2) to "asphyxia from obstruction to the 
 pulmonary circulation consequent upon embolism of the pul- 
 monary artery." Senn found that fatal air embolism could 
 hardly occur spontaneously in a healthy jugular vein, as the 
 walls collapse readily from atmospheric pressure. 
 
 Wounds and Ruptures of the Diaphragm. — These 
 may be due to weapons, fracture of the ribs, falls or crushes, 
 and disease. They also occur as the result of congenital mal- 
 formation, though these cases seldom survive long. These 
 injuries are generally homicidal or accidental in origin. As 
 a rule, the viscera are wounded at the same time, or, if not 
 Avounded, at least herniated, and may thus become strangulated. 
 It is therefore hard to estimate the danger in such cases, but 
 the prognosis is at all times serious. The most serious cases 
 of such injury to the diaphragm are due to violent contusions 
 or falls when the stomach and intestines are full. The hemor- 
 rhage is usually slight, but hernia of one or more of the ab- 
 dominal viscera usually occurs in such cases, and is said to be 
 more readily produced during inspiration when the fibres are on 
 the stretch. According to Devergie, rupture of the diaphragm 
 with hernia is more common on the left side in the central 
 tendon in front of the crura and at the junction of the left mus- 
 cular leaflet. Also on either side of the ensiform cartilage and 
 especially on the left side there occurs an area of the diaphragm 
 which may be congenitally weak or even absent, and here too 
 rupture and hernia are likely to occur. Phrenic or diaplirag- 
 niatic hernia occurs especially after lacerated wounds, even 
 ' Senn, "Experimental Surgery," 1889.
 
 580 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 after the wounds have apparently healed. If hernia occurs 
 long after the injury was inflicted, it may be asked whether 
 the wound was the cause of the hernia, and so of death. This 
 can only be determined by examination. Almost any or all of 
 the movable abdominal viscera may be found in a diaphrag- 
 matic hernia. It was once supposed that this accident would 
 be immediately fatal, but this is far from the truth. Devergie 
 relates the case where a person lived nine months with the 
 stomach and colon in the chest and died from another cause. 
 Thus a person may have a phrenic hernia and die from another 
 cause, or having had a rupture or wound of the diaphragm he 
 may suddenly acquire a diaphragmatic hernia by reason of a 
 blow or sudden exertion, or the latter may strangulate an exist- 
 ing hernia. A person with a diaphragmatic hernia may have 
 the power of moving or walking, but is more or less incapaci- 
 tated owing to the compression of the lungs which exists and 
 the consequent dyspnoea, etc. 
 
 WOUNDS AND CONTUSED INJURIES OF THE ABDOMINAL 
 WALL AND VISCERA. 
 
 Such wounds and injuries of the abdominal wall may be in- 
 cised, punctured, or due to blunt instruments, etc. They are 
 usually homicidal or accidental, seldom suicidal except in 
 delirious patients or lunatics. The cause of death in such cases 
 may be due to hemorrhage, shock, etc., or to secondary inflam- 
 mation, which is especially likely to occur in penetrating 
 wounds. The kind of weapon used may often be judged from 
 the nature of the wound. Incised and non-penetrating punc- 
 tured wounds are usually simple and not grave, but may be 
 otherwise from hemorrhage from the deep epigastric artery, or 
 from inflammation in or between the muscles, or in the sub- 
 peritoneal connective tissiie. In the latter case peritonitis may 
 occur, but is rare. A ventral hernia may, however, result 
 later on, as also from a cicatrix, especially if it is transverse. 
 In such cases the question arises whether the natural results of 
 the wound were aggravated by unskilful or improper treat- 
 ment or even wilful neglect on the part of the patient or 
 practitioner. 
 
 Contusions of the abdomen are more serious often than 
 those of the chest, for there is less power of resistance. We
 
 WOUNDS OF THE ABDOMINAL WALL AND VISCERA. 581 
 
 have already seen that death may occur from a contusion of 
 the abdomen too slight to show a mark of ecchymosis or a 
 serious injury internally. This has been attributed by some to 
 an effect on the solar plexus or reflexly on the cardiac plexus 
 causing a fatal inhibition. Lutaud and others have expressed 
 the doubt whether the cases reported by Travers, Allison, 
 Watson, Cooper, Vibert, and others were carefully examined, 
 and have inferred that some visible organic change must have 
 been present. Some such cases, however, have been examined 
 with especial reference to this point, and no physical injuries 
 and no other cause of death elsewhere has been found. There 
 is no ground, therefore, for a jury to doubt that a contusion of 
 the abdomen was the cause of death because there are no visible 
 marks of injury. 
 
 Again, it is a well-known fact that the blows severe enough 
 to cause rupture of the abdominal viscera may sometimes leave 
 no trace of violence in or on the abdominal wall. On the other 
 hand, it must be remembered that effusions of blood may be 
 found post mortem in the sheaths of muscles without indicat- 
 ing violence, so that blood ma}" be found effused in considerable 
 quantity in and around the abdominal muscles without violence 
 having been done. In such cases, therefore, we should note 
 whether abrasions or ecchymoses of the skin are absent or not. 
 If they are absent and there is no other evidence of a blow, the 
 medical witness should hesitate to attribute such an effusion of 
 blood between the muscles to an act of violence. 
 
 As in the case of the chest, so wounds of the abdomen are 
 serious, as a rule, mainly as they involve the abdominal viscera. 
 The viscera may be wounded by a penetrating wound or by 
 rupture, and the fatal result is due sometimes to internal hemor- 
 rhage or to shock, but generally to secondary septic peritonitis, 
 which may be fatal in a few hours or onl}' after days or weeks. 
 Occasional!}^ wounds of the abdominal viscera undergo sponta- 
 neous cure without surgical interference and with or without 
 medical treatment. But as a rule they are fatal unless the}' 
 receive proper surgical treatment. A wound of the abdominal 
 wall may be penetrating without wounding any of the viscera. 
 Such wounds may be fatal if they are infected, otherwise they 
 usually heal readily and witliout danger unless they are exten- 
 sive and the abdominal contents are exposed to the air. The
 
 582 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 gravity of penetrating wounds varies somewhat with the par- 
 ticular viscus or viscera injured. It is well not to examine 
 wounds of the abdomen by the finger or probe too freely unless 
 a laparotomy is anticipated; for a simple wound or penetrat- 
 ing wound without wounding of the viscera may thus be in- 
 fected. Enough examination is necessary to diagnose between 
 a simple and a penetrating wound of the abdominal wall. 
 
 RUPTURE OR WOUNDS OF THE ABDOMINAL VISCERA. 
 
 The Liver is most often wounded of any of the abdominal 
 viscera, with the possible exception of the intestines, because of 
 its size, and it is most often ruptured partly because of its size, 
 but mostly owing to its friable consistence. Such injuries 
 most often involve the right lobe, as it is much the larger of the 
 two principal lobes. The anterior surface and inferior border 
 is the most frequent site both of wounds and ruptures of the 
 organ. Ruptures rarely pass entirely through the organ, but 
 are generally not more than an inch or two in depth. They 
 are usually directed antero-posteriorly or obliquely, rarel}^ trans- 
 versely, and the lacerated granular edges are not much separated 
 as a rule (see Fig. 21). Rupture of the liver may be due to a 
 blow, crush, or fall, or even to sudden muscular action if the organ 
 is large and fatt}^. Thus Taylor ' relates the case of a woman 
 who died after child-birth of ursemic convulsions, and in whom 
 there was quite an extensive hemorrhage into the liver beneath 
 its capsule, and apparently due to violent muscular contraction. 
 As we have already seen, the liver may be ruptured without 
 the abdomen showing the marks of external violence. Rup- 
 ture or wound of the liver is one of the causes of the fatality of 
 wounds and injuries of the abdomen. The fatal result ma}' be 
 and often is due to hemorrhage; in other cases it is due to 
 shock or the occurrence of peritonitis. Wounds of the liver 
 heal readily and hemorrhage is arrested at once, as a rule, by 
 the approximation of the edges. There may be little blood in 
 and about the wound, but it collects in the right iliac region or 
 in the pelvis and is not wholly coagulated. Unless the wound 
 or rupture involves the vena cava, portal vein, or a large branch 
 of either of these, the hemorrhage is apt to be slow and the 
 '"Med. Jurisprudence," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892.
 
 RUPTURE OR WOUNDS OF THE ABDOMINAL VISCERA. 583 
 
 victim may survive hours or even clays, except for active exer- 
 tion or repeated violence. Two cases illustrating the slowness 
 of the hemorrhage have occurred in Guy's Hospital. In one ' 
 the man, showing no urgent sj-mptoms at the time, was sent 
 away, and died a few hours later in a police-station. In this 
 
 Fig. 21.— Ruptures of the Liver from a Fall from a Considerable Height, causing Imme- 
 
 diat« Death. 
 
 case the liver was ruptured nearly through its thickness, and a 
 basinful of blood had been effused, causing death. In the other 
 case,'' which occurred to Wilks, the patient survived the acci- 
 dent ten days, and Taylor ' cites a case which was reported to 
 
 'Med. Times and Gazette, 1864, '"'Med. Jurisprudence," 11th 
 
 ii., 527. Amer. Ed., 1892, p. 347. 
 
 ' Med. -Chir. Rev. , 1836, p. 296.
 
 584 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 have ended fatally eight years after the accident. As a rule 
 the injury is fatal, without treatment, within forty-eight hours. 
 Not being immediately fatal as a rule, the victim of a rupture 
 or wound of the liver can walk about, and may be capable of 
 more or less severe muscular exertion after the injur}', though 
 the fact of such exertion has sometimes been used by the defence 
 to prove that the rupture was not due to the particular violence 
 in question. 
 
 Wounds and ruptures of the gall-bladder result in the 
 effusion of bile. While rupture of the liver is not necessarily 
 followed by peritonitis, rupture of the gall-bladder with the 
 effusion of bile generally causes peritonitis, and is fatal in this 
 way and not from hemorrhage. Rupture of the gall-bladder 
 may be favored by the presence of gall-stones, but the result is 
 still attributable to the injury. 
 
 Spleen. — Ruptures of the spleen may be due to a bruising 
 violence in this region, and here too the skin may not show the 
 marks of the contusion, though this fact is still employed b}' the 
 defence to try to disprove the connection between the injury 
 and the result. It is important to remember, from a medico- 
 legal point of view, that an enlarged and softened spleen may 
 be ruptured from a comparatively slight muscular exertion. 
 This might occur in a sudden movement to avoid a blow, and 
 the charge of manslaughter might be affected by the mode of 
 the production of the injury and the previous abnormal condi- 
 tion. Only direct violence is liable to rupture the healthy nor- 
 mal spleen. Rupture and wounds of the spleen may be and 
 generally are fatal from hemorrhage, owing to the vascularity 
 of the organ ; more rarely are they fatal from shock. Peritoni- 
 tis is not a result to be expected. 
 
 The hemorrhage accumulates in the lower and left side of 
 the abdomen or in the pelvis, and coagulation is imperfect if 
 present at all. 
 
 Kidneys. — These are occasionally ruptured from violence, 
 but more often from accident. Wounds of the kidney are rare, 
 owing to the depth from the surface at which they lie. They 
 are more accessible from behind. A wound from behind is 
 generally extra-peritoneal unless it perforates the organ; not 
 so a wound from in front. Accidents in which the lumbar 
 region is forcedly flexed are most apt to be followed by injury
 
 SPLEEN — KIDNEYS — BLADDER. 585 
 
 to the kidney. The injury may cause no prominent symptoms, 
 but usually lumbar pain and tenderness, frequent micturition 
 and hematuria, and in severe cases the symptoms of hemor- 
 rhage and shock are present. The injury may be speedily fatal 
 from hemorrhage or collapse, or more slowlj'- fatal from peri- 
 tonitis, when the peritoneum is involved, or from abscess and 
 septic infection, or from uraemia if the other kidney is diseased. 
 Slight injuries are generally recovered from. As is the case 
 with the liver and spleen, so after injuries of the kidney the 
 victim may walk about, etc. , unless there is copious and imme- 
 diate hemorrhage. 
 
 The bladder may be wounded directly through the hypo- 
 gastrium, vagina, or rectum ; it may be punctured by a broken 
 fragment of the pelvis, especially the pubis, or it may frequently 
 be ruptured from blows, crushes, or falls. The latter accident 
 occurs especially where the bladder is distended. The bladder 
 may also rupture spontaneously from over-distention, which 
 may or may not be favored by disease of the bladder wall, in 
 which case rupture occurs more easily, Medico-legally the 
 question may arise whether the rupture was spontaneous or due 
 to injury. In this connection it should be remembered that the 
 injury may leave no external mark of violence, and a case is 
 recorded in which the bladder was ruptured by a fall in wres- 
 tling ; but the question can be determined only by an examination 
 of the bladder. If the wall of the bladder is thinned by the pres- 
 sure of a calculus or from other causes, or if it is weakened by 
 tubercular, syphilitic, or carcinomatous deposits or ulcerations, 
 it may be spontaneously ruptured from slight distention or a 
 slight degree of violence may rupture it. If violence has been 
 employed it is responsible for the rupture, though the diseased 
 condition may act as a mitigating circumstance ; not so a dis- 
 tended bladder, as the latter is not abnormal. In spontaneous 
 rupture from over-distention without disease of the bladder 
 wall, stricture, hypertrophied prostate, or some such condition 
 must be present to account for the over-distention. Spontane- 
 ous rupture of the bladder can, therefore, only occur when 
 either disease of the bladder wall or obstruction of the urethra 
 is present. No condition excludes rupture from violence. If 
 there is an injury followed by the symptoms of rupture of the 
 bladder and death and the bladder and urethra are healthy,
 
 58G WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 there can be little doubt that death was due to the injury. 
 Wounds or rupture of the bladder may be extra-peritoneal or 
 intra-peritoneal. Rupture from disease of the bladder wall 
 occurs at the site of the diseased and weakened spot, which is 
 most often at the base of the bladder. Rupture of the bladder 
 from violence occurs most often on the postero-superior wall, 
 running downward from the urachus, in which case the peri- 
 toneum would be involved. A punctured wound of the bladder 
 wall may be so minute that the leakage is very slow and the 
 customary symptoms may be obscured, or the opening may be 
 valvular in character, perhaps allowing escape of urine only 
 when the bladder is not distended. The symptoms consist of 
 pain, inability to micturate, and the presence of blood in the 
 little fluid which can be drawn by a catheter. Fluid injected 
 is not all returned and the bladder cannot be distended. After 
 a time varying from a few hours to a few days, depending upon 
 the size of the opening and the condition of the urine, peritoni- 
 tis or peri-vesical cellulitis is set up, the former being generally 
 fatal, the latter not necessarily so. Prompt surgical treatment 
 may save the patient's life by avoiding peritonitis. Extra- 
 peritoneal ruptures are far less dangerous than intra-peritoneal, 
 as in the former case cellulitis and abscess in the cellular tissue 
 around the bladder, which may subsequently be treated by oper- 
 ation and drainage, take the place of peritonitis in the latter 
 case, for which prevention is the only safe treatment. In extra- 
 peritoneal rupture death, if it occurs, is generally due to septi- 
 caemia ; in the intra-peritoneal variety it is due to peritonitis. 
 These cases of injury to the bladder may die suddenly and 
 speedily from shock or from peritonitis in three to seven days, 
 or not until fifteen days or so. In punctured and incised 
 wounds the urine escapes more slowly, peritonitis develops less 
 early, and death is longer delayed. Hemorrhage in injury to 
 the bladder is not visually serious; the blood is found partly in 
 the bladder, partly in the pelvis, where the fluid extravasated 
 by peritonitis is also found. The victim of a wound or rupture 
 of the bladder may often walk about for some time after the 
 injury. 
 
 Stomach and Intestines.— Punctured wounds, or, more 
 rarely, incised wounds of the abdomen may involve these 
 organs, or they may be ruptured by blows, crushes, and falls, or
 
 STOMACH AND INTESTINES. 587 
 
 from disease. Stab-wounds of these viscera may be multi- 
 ple from a single stab, the instrument traversing one coil, 
 perhaps, and then wounding others, though this is less often 
 the case than with gunshot wounds. Ruptures too may be 
 multiple, though less often so than wounds. The ileum is most 
 liable to rupture, though several cases of rupture of the jeju- 
 num are on record. Like the bladder, the stomach and, to a less 
 extent, the intestines are more liable to be ruptured when dis- 
 tended. Ruptures of the stomach or intestines are seldom 
 attended with much hemorrhage, while wounds may occasion- 
 ally cause a serious and fatal hemorrhage from the wounding 
 of a large blood-vessel. The principal danger lies in the leakage 
 of the contents of the stomach and intestines, which almost 
 always sets up a septic peritonitis. This may sometimes be- 
 come localized and go on to spontaneous cure, though as a rule 
 it becomes general and is fatal. In such cases early operation 
 may avoid the fatal peritonitis. A punctured wound may be 
 so small as to be closed by the mucous membrane, avoiding the 
 escape of the contents of the gut. Or a wound may not entirely 
 penetrate the wall of the stomach or intestines, which only 
 gives way some days, perhaps, after the injury, though the in- 
 jury is entirely responsible for the delayed result. These in- 
 juries are sometimes fatal immediately or very speedily from 
 shock, while in other cases of very extensive injury there may 
 be almost no shock, and the victim is aware of no serious 
 injury. It is an important point to remember medico-legally 
 that spontaneous rupture of the stomach or intestines may occur 
 owing to ulceration due to disease. This can be determined by 
 a careful examination of the wall of the stomach or intestines at 
 the site of the rupture. A slight injury may also cause rupture 
 if the wall of the gut is weakened by disease, as the disease 
 causes greater liability to rupture. Here too it is to be remem- 
 bered that a severe injury causing rupture may leave no mark 
 of violence on the abdominal wall. The power of walking or 
 other muscular exertion after such injuries of the stomach or 
 intestines is not infrequently preserved, as recorded in numer- 
 ous cases.' The prognosis in such injuries of the stomach and 
 intestines is always extremely grave. 
 
 'Lancet, 1873, ii., p. 10.
 
 588 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 Incised, Punctured, and Contused Wounds of the 
 Genital Organs. 
 
 These are not common as medico-legal cases. Self -castra- 
 tion or mutilation is sometimes practised by lunatics, idiots, 
 or even intoxicated persons. Thus a man who, while intox- 
 icated, cut off his genital organs and died the next day from 
 the effects of hemorrhage was seen by Demarquay.' Circum- 
 cision in infants is also sometimes fatal from phlegmonous in- 
 flammation. ° 
 
 Incised, lacerated, or contused wounds of the female genitals 
 may be fatal from hemorrhage from many small vessels. 
 Deeply incised wounds of the female genitals proves wilful and 
 deliberate malice ; accident is out of the question and suicide 
 is improbable in such cases. But we sometimes have to deter- 
 mine between accidental, self-inflicted, and homicidal wounds 
 of these parts, as accidental wounds may occasionally resemble 
 those made by design and so may furnish more or less difficulty, 
 unless all the circumstances are known. Thus Tajdor ' relates 
 the case of a child in whom a sharp-pointed stick entered and 
 passed through the posterior wall of the vagina as she fell from 
 a tree. The stick was removed by a woman, and the child died 
 in a little over a day from peritonitis. Unless the circum- 
 stances were known, this case might have caused suspicion of 
 homicide. 
 
 Lunatics, idiots, and drunkards sometimes inflict on them- 
 selves wounds unlike ordinary suicidal ones.* In other cases the 
 various points we have enumerated in a previous section to 
 distinguish between suicide, homicide, and accident may be 
 applied to solve the case. 
 
 Contused wounds, such as kicks, etc., of the female genitals 
 may be fatal from hemorrhage due to the laceration of the parts. ^ 
 Like the wounds of the eyebrows, contused wounds of the vulva 
 may sometimes resemble incised wounds owing to the sharp 
 bony surfaces beneath. Careful examination allows a discrimi- 
 nation to be made from incised wounds. If hemorrhage occurs 
 
 ^Lancet, 1870, ii., p. 471. ^"Med. Jurisprud.," 11th Amer. 
 
 -See Taylor, "Med. Jurispru- Ed., 1892. 
 
 deuce," 11th Amer. Ed., 1892, p. ■» See Taylor, "Med. Jurisprud.," 
 
 348. 11th Amer. Ed., 1892, p. 351.
 
 WOUNDS OF THE GENITAL ORGANS AND EXTREMITIES. 589 
 
 a long time after the alleged violence, it is probably due to 
 natural causes, especially in cases of metrorrhagia, etc. It may 
 be alleged in defence that contused wounds of the female geni- 
 tals were inflicted post mortem, but besides the other features 
 which we have already seen help to distinguish between ante- 
 mortem and post-mortem wounds, we may add that kicks and 
 other contusions of the vulva, if fatal, are so from hemorrhage 
 or effusion of blood, and no post-mortem hemorrhage is enough 
 to cause death. 
 
 INCISED, PUNCTURED, AND CONTUSED WOUNDS OF THE 
 EXTREMITIES. 
 
 These may be fatal if a large blood vessel or vessels are 
 opened, or sometimes if a compound fracture or wound of a 
 joint becomes infected. They ma}^ also in some cases be 
 fatal from shock, from the severity of the injur}''. As a rule 
 they are the cause of civil suits, not of criminal ones. The 
 various injuries may cause disability for a longer or shorter 
 time, or even permanently, and more or less deformity may also 
 remain. This may be the case with fractures, especially if they 
 occur near the joints, in which case great caution should be 
 exercised in giving an opinion or prognosis. It is a common 
 mistaken idea of the laity that a fractured or dislocated limb 
 can be made in every case as good as before the injury. On 
 the contrary, they not infrequently leave a slight deformity and 
 impairment of function, sometimes even under the best treat- 
 ment. Dislocations may also leave a lasting disability or 
 weakness, often owing to the carelessness of the injured person. 
 
 Wounds of an arter}'- or vein, or both, may result in an 
 aneurism or an arterio- venous aneurism. Wounds of nerves 
 may cause paralysis and anaesthesia of the parts supplied. 
 Wounds of muscles or tendons may cause weakness or com- 
 plete loss of motion of particular joints. Wounds of the soft 
 parts, if infected, may lead to cellulitis and phlegmonous in- 
 flammation, which may result in much injur}-. Wounds of 
 joints, if penetrating, are serious, for without the proper treat- 
 ment they may result in suppuration in the joint, disorganiza- 
 tion of the joint, and final ankylosis. Before the use of antiseptic 
 treatment such wounds were not uncommonly fatal. Fractures,
 
 500 WOUNDS — WOOLSEY. 
 
 simple or compound, or contusions of bone especially in young 
 subjects, may be followed by osteo-periostitis and its conse- 
 quences, which may require a long time for recovery after the 
 fracture is entirely recovered from, and a still longer time be- 
 fore the limb can be used. These and many other of the vari- 
 ous results of wounds and injuries of the extremities, causing 
 deformity or disability, or both, can often be cured or improved 
 by surgical treatment or operation.
 
 THE MEDICO-LEGAL COIsrSIDERATIO]^ 
 
 OF 
 
 GUNSHOT WOUNDS. 
 
 BY 
 
 ROSWELL PARK, A.M., M.D., 
 
 Professor of Surgery in the University of Buffalo; Attending Surgeon to the Buffalo 
 General Hospital; Fellotoof the German Congress of Surgeons: of the Ameri- 
 can Oi-thopasdic Association; of the American Genito-Urinary 
 Surgeons'' Association; of the New York Academy 
 of Medicine, etc. , etc.
 
 GU]:^SHOT AYOTJE'DS. 
 
 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 
 
 Few medical men there are who have long engaged in prac- 
 tice who have not been compelled to take part in some medico- 
 legal controversy in cases of accidental or alleged homicidal 
 gunshot wounds. So soon as death occurs the surgeon ceases 
 to work as such, but may continue to work as a medical jurist, 
 and in preparation for this event must be read}' to answer any 
 questions bearing upon the case which, though possibly ridicu- 
 lous in surgery, are or may be necessary in law. He may be 
 called upon to testify as to the precise nature of a wound in- 
 flicted upon the body of a man seen before or after death ; as to 
 the means by which it was inflicted ; whether the purport was 
 suicidal or homicidal ; how much blood was lost ; whether the 
 weapon was near to or at a distance from the body when fired ; 
 whether it were possible that the deceased could have fired it 
 himself ; whether after the reception of the wound the person 
 could have moved or performed any act — in other words, whether 
 death was instantaneous. He may be asked also as to genuine 
 or spurious blood-stains, whether genuine blood-stains were 
 human or from some other animal; whether possibly they were 
 from the body of the deceased. He will be expected to tell 
 from what direction the bullet or missile was fired ; which the 
 wound of entrance and which of exit, and many other things 
 possible concerning the circumstances under which death oc- 
 curred. It is unnecessary to state that questions of this nature 
 call not only for conventional surgical skill, but for the highest 
 degree of shrewdness and general information, as well as some- 
 times for expert knowledge with regard to small-arms and their 
 ballistics. 
 
 It has been well said that the first duty of a medical jurist 
 is to cultivate a habit of minute observation. When this is com- 
 bined with a knowledge of what the law requires and with the 
 38
 
 594 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 results of a technical education, he will be able to meet all or 
 nearly all of the scientific questions which may be asked of 
 him. A learned judge once said that " a medical man when he 
 sees a dead body should notice everj^thing. " Certainly he 
 should make a minute scrutiny of the body to note whether 
 there are upon the dress or hands of the deceased marks of 
 blood, or whether blood-stains are noted in different parts of 
 the room ; whether the body or any part of it is cold or warm ; 
 whether the limbs are cold or rigid or pliant, since by these 
 means the accurate date of death may be more accurately deter- 
 mined. 
 
 EXAMINATION AND DESCRIPTION. 
 
 In determining facts attending a suspicious case of gunshot 
 wound, there should be noted, if known, 1st, the exact time of 
 death, as well as of infliction of the wound; 2d, location and 
 attitude of the body ; 3d, condition of clothing ; 4th, anything 
 of importance in its environment ; 5th, external appearance of 
 the body, as well as state of countenance ; 6th, exact description 
 of all marks of violence and of blood-stains; 7th, the presence 
 of cadaveric rigidity and the surface upon which cadaver has 
 been lying, as well as its age and condition of general nourish- 
 ment ; 8th, time when deceased was last seen alive or known to 
 have been alive ; 9th, time after death at which examination is 
 made ; 10th, all physical circumstances corroborating or arous- 
 ing suspicions of suicide or homicide; 11th, account of an ac- 
 curate internal post-mortem examination, in which direction 
 of the bullet or missile is noted, along with a careful description 
 of parts disturbed or injured in its course, large vessels or nerves 
 cut across, efifusions of blood, and in every way as accurate a 
 description as possible of the exact damage done. To this also 
 should be added a minute scrutiny of other parts, in order to 
 establish clearl}' that death was due to the alleged injury, or on 
 the other hand that it may have resulted from natural causes, 
 and that the injurj^ in question was only a consecutive and 
 contributing cause. Especially should there be examined those 
 organs in which occur the most common causes of death, 
 namely, the brain, the heart and great blood-vessels, and the 
 viscera. Moreover, if an operation has been performed the 
 post-mortem examiner should be prepared to speak with reason-
 
 EXAMINATION AND DESCRIPTION. 595 
 
 able positiveness as to whether said operation was, in the first 
 place, necessary if life were to be preserved, and, in the second 
 place, whether death were due to the injury proper or to the 
 attempt to save life thus made necessarj^. For the determina- 
 tion of all this, obviously the best time for the performance of 
 the examination is the earliest possible moment after death. 
 ISTevertheless, bodies are sometimes exhumed for this purpose, 
 and much information is obtainable even after a considerable 
 interval of time. 
 
 If death has been caused by a bullet which has not passed 
 through the body, but lodged, it should by all means be obtained, 
 since evidence of the greatest value ma}^ inhere in it. More- 
 over, in first noting the position of the body, the direction of 
 the wound, or the location of a blood-clot upon the floor or 
 clothing or elsewhere, may indicate to the surgeon or other 
 astute person the point at which the bullet may be found con- 
 cealed or buried in some soft or hard object. This bullet should 
 be recovered, if possible, at all events, although if taken from 
 the body itself the evidence it conveys may possibly weigh more 
 heavily than if removed from some object outside the body. 
 The exact number of gunshot wounds with a minute description 
 and location of each should be committed to paper at once, as 
 well as any statement, if at all reliable, concerning the number 
 of shots fired, since valuable deductions may be reached as to 
 the number of bullets which have passed through or which have 
 lodged within the body. It is well sometimes, also, before dis- 
 secting out the bullet- wound, to insert first a stiff and then a 
 flexible probe or something which shall, if possible, follow the 
 bullet-track, since occasionallj" a question comes up of the direc- 
 tion in which it was fired. Even though surgeons weU know 
 that such questions are impossible of satisfactory answer, owing 
 to the manner in which a bullet is diverted in its course b}'^ the 
 various tissues of the body, it will nevertheless create a good 
 impression as to the thoroughness and exactness of an exami- 
 nation should it be brought out, in answer to questioning, that 
 this had been done. Many an excellent surgeon has been sur- 
 prised upon the stand by the question from one of the counsel 
 as to whether he knew that some certain writer had stated that 
 it was always well, in trying to determine the course and direc- 
 tion of a bullet, to put the patient or the body, as the case might
 
 596 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 be, in the exact position in which it was when the shot was 
 fired, providing this be known. The accomplished surgeon 
 knows that this is a matter of very trifling import, but the 
 witness' status will be much better established with the jury if 
 he can show himself familiar with this possible method of ex- 
 amination. 
 
 When a suspected person is brought before a magistrate, 
 accused of homicidal attempt, it is very likely that the judge 
 will require a written statement or opinion from the surgeon in 
 attendance as to the extent and danger of the victim's injuries, 
 and especially as to whether these are of a character dangerous 
 to life. The meaning of these words is left entirely to the 
 sagacity of the surgeon. A mere naked declaration of this fact 
 is insufificient. He must, if called upon by the court, give his 
 grounds for his belief, and these may be rigorously examined by 
 counsel. He will also probably be asked as to the presumable 
 duration of life and possibly the effect of operation. Thus the 
 prisoner's immediate liberty or restraint may depend upon the 
 surgeon's words. Perhaps the only advice which can be offered 
 here is to qualify between injuries directly dangerous to life and 
 those in which life is endangered merely by possible complica- 
 tions, such as sepsis, gangrene, etc. Still, aside from wounds 
 which are either fatal or may be nearly completely recovered 
 from, there is another quite large class of those causing griev- 
 ous bodily harm in which it is a question for the jury always 
 to decide what was the intent of the accused. A medical wit- 
 ness may thus in such a case be of great assistance to the court 
 by giving an account of the injury devoid of technicalities, and 
 of its possible consequences. It should also always be stated, 
 if known, whether the patient was under the influence of liquor 
 or any narcotic at the moment of injury. 
 
 In the examination of wounds either of the living or dead 
 body, it should always be determined for medico-legal purposes 
 whether there is about them fluid or coagulated blood or ecchy- 
 mosis, that is, livid discoloration of the skin from effused 
 blood. The color of the ecchymotic spot will give a valuable 
 clew as to the time between the infliction of the wound and 
 death. Putrefaction of such a wound must not be mistaken 
 for gangrene. In giving reports on such cases care should be 
 taken to distinguish between facts and inferences. In fact,
 
 EXAMINATION AND DESCRIPTION. 597 
 
 the inferences had better be kept unreported or confined to a 
 separate statement. 
 
 Should there be any possible suspicion of a combination of 
 poisoning and gunshot wound, the stomach-contents should be 
 carefully preserved and sealed up in the presence of witnesses 
 before turning over the same to the analytical chemist, whose 
 receipt for the package, with a careful description of the same, 
 will probably have to be placed in evidence. Any fact on the 
 condition of the stomach with regard to digestion is always 
 worth noting. In the case of Reg. v. Spicer (Berks Lent As- 
 sizes, 184G) a most important point hinged on the examination 
 of the stomach. The bod}^ was found at the foot of a stairway. 
 The prisoner stated that after he and his wife had had their 
 dinner he heard a fall. The woman had died instantaneously 
 and the death occurred about the dinner-hour. Upon exami- 
 nation the stomach was found empty, without a trace of food. 
 It was, therefore, clear that a part at least of the prisoner's 
 story was untrue. 
 
 Evidence as to whether the wounds were superficial or deep 
 may be of value. If the edges are swollen or large, or if gran- 
 ulation or cicatrization have commenced, it is evident that the 
 person must have lived some hours or some days after their 
 reception. The same is true of suppuration, adhesion, or gan- 
 grene. It must also be remembered in this connection that xevy 
 few gunshot wounds will show much change in less than ten or 
 twelve hours save that due to the extravasation of blood. 
 Should the question come up as to whether a gunshot wound 
 had been inflicted before or after death, we may remember the 
 principal characteristics of a wound inflicted during life, which 
 are more or less eversion, more or less hemorrhage with diffu- 
 sion of blood into the tissues, and the presence of clots. In a 
 wound made after death little or no blood is effused, unless it 
 come from some vessel very near the surface, in which case it 
 will be venous in character and will not coagulate as does that 
 which is poured out of a wound in the living. The track of 
 the bullet also will not be found filled with coagula. In these 
 respects a little will depend upon whether the body has lost its 
 animal heat or not. The gunshot puncture of a divided arterj- 
 in a dead body will present a very different appearance from 
 one inflicted before death, even though it be the cause of death.
 
 598 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 Bleeding after death is exclusively venous, and there does not 
 occur extravasation of blood in the cellular tissues, nor does it 
 coagulate. Questions of this character come up sometimes in 
 the case of multiple wounds or injuries, and it is, at times, of 
 importance to be able to determine whether the assault or injury 
 has been continued after death. Changes in color of an ecchy- 
 mosed spot rarely begin until after the expiration of twenty- four 
 hours, when its dark margins become lighter, and as time goes 
 on the whole area passes through successive shades of violet, 
 green, and yellow; its area may also increase sometimes to 
 remarkable proportions, but the central portions are always 
 darker than the periphery, the darkest spot corresponding to 
 the centre of violence. Ecchymosis is longer in disappearing 
 in the old than in the young. Its various features also will 
 vary a little in accordance with the tissues bruised. 
 
 Gunshot wounds pertaining to spurious suicidal attempts 
 are usually found not to involve vital parts, while they will have 
 most of the characteristics of injuries inflicted from a weapon 
 near at hand. The skin or the clothing will show powder- 
 marks, and if a wad is a feature of the cartridge used, it may 
 be found in one place or the other. In these cases there is also 
 relatively more laceration and bruising, while sometimes the 
 hand which held the weapon may be blackened or burnt by the 
 discharge of the same. Self-inflicted wounds, in other words, 
 must necessarily partake of the character of near wounds. 
 
 EVIDENCE FROM THE SITUATION OF THE WOUND. 
 
 It has been generally noted that suicidal wounds are for the 
 most part confined to the front or lateral parts of the body ; 
 gunshot wounds of this character being found usuall}^ in the 
 region of the heart, the face, and the temples. The presence of 
 an injury to these parts is not necessarily indicative of suicide, 
 but the existence of such injuries in other parts of the body is 
 at least negative evidence of homicidal attempt. Moreover, 
 Orfila has observed that it is not so much the situation as the 
 direction of the wound which gives evidence for or against the 
 presumption of suicide. The question has been raised whether 
 it were possible to have a gunshot wound without external evi- 
 dence. There has been recorded more than one case where a
 
 EVIDENCE FROM THE SITUATION OF THE WOUND. 599 
 
 bullet entering through the open mouth has penetrated the brain 
 without passing through the vertex of the skull and has killed 
 instantly without leaving any external mark. 
 
 It is very necessary to establish, if possible, the direction of 
 such a wound, and this may be coupled with a knowledge of 
 the right-handedness or the left-handedness of the person who 
 inflicted it, or may shed light in this way upon some personal 
 peculiarity which may lead to the detection of the guilty person. 
 Thus it is said of Sir Astley Cooper that in one instance he 
 remarked that a certain wound could not have been inflicted 
 except by a left-handed person, and that his observation led to 
 the detection of the murderer. It has been stated that for the 
 detection of the weapon or instrument used it should be placed 
 first in one hand of the deceased and then in the other, while 
 the other extremities are so manipulated that it may be clearly 
 determined whether suicidal attempt were possible or no. There 
 is ordinarily little difficulty experienced in distinguishing sui- 
 cidal from accidental wounds. In the former case extraneous 
 signs and circumstances point more clearly to the intent of the 
 deceased than do, perhaps, the peculiarities of the wound itself. 
 This is to be settled mainly by the evidence of those who find 
 the bod}^; in other words, by circumstantial evidence. 
 
 In suicides ordinarily one wound only is met with. At any 
 rate, probably one only that has destroyed life. Consequently 
 the presence of several wounds, each of which was necessarily 
 fatal, constitutes almost conclusive evidence of murder, the 
 strength of the same depending upon the necessary fatality 
 of more than one of these. Thus it is hardly conceivable that 
 a suicide should shoot himself through the heart and through 
 the brain; the coexistence of two such wounds would be almost 
 conclusive of homicide. The existence of multiple wounds is a 
 rather strong presumption of insanit}' or drunkenness of the 
 person who inflicted them. Men who kill when under the in- 
 fluence of liquor not infrequently inflict injuries enough to be 
 several times fatal. 
 
 The coexistence of wounds made by cutting weapons, as 
 well as firearms, is not unknown. These are occasionally sui- 
 cidal, ordinarily thej" betoken murderous attempt. If suicidal 
 the deceased will ordinarily be found to have been a lunatic. 
 
 But evidence is to be obtained also from signs and circum-
 
 GOO GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 stances separable from the wound itself. Thus the position of 
 the body may be such as to invalidate the theory of accident or 
 suicide. The position of the weapon, too, is something to be 
 noted with great care. Whether, for instance, this be firmly 
 held within the hand of the corpse, or whether it had been 
 simply placed there after his death ; whether it be found where 
 it would seem to have been most naturally dropped after its 
 discharge, or found somewhere M'here it could scarcely have 
 been placed or thrown by the deceased ; whether it be found at 
 such a point that it is clearly evident from other signs it could 
 not have been dropped by the deceased, since death must have 
 been caused too quickly for him to have traversed the interven- 
 ing space. 
 
 EVIDENCE FROM THE WEAPON AND PROJECTILE. 
 
 Evidence of great value may be obtained often from the 
 weapon itself. First of all, from the position in which it is 
 found, as stated above ; second, from a careful examination of 
 itself. It should be noted whether there be any blood upon it, 
 and whether this be so fresh as not to have caused any rust; 
 whether it may possibly be so smeared with blood as to indicate 
 a hand-to-hand conflict; or whether any part of the weapon 
 may have been used as a club or bludgeon, as would be 
 shown by the presence upon it of hair entangled in dry blood. 
 When such blood is removed from the weapon it should be 
 carefully examined with the microscope, since from the detec- 
 tion and identification of hair or fibres of fabric evidence of the 
 greatest value may be adduced. Next it should be ascertained 
 whether a weapon shows signs of having been recently dis- 
 charged or whether it be evident that it could not have been so, 
 and such determination of the time element as ma}^ be afforded 
 by a study of this kind should be contrasted with that made 
 after a study of the wound. If the weapon be a revolver or 
 a repeating arm of any kind, it should be determined if possible 
 how man}^ cartridges or bullets have been fired, and whether at 
 or about the same time, and this information should be com- 
 pared with the evidences obtained from the body and from the 
 room or localitj^ in which the suicide or murder occurred. If, 
 for instance, it be determined that three cartridges have been
 
 EVIDENCE FROM THE WEAPON AND PROJECTILE. 601 
 
 fired and but two bullet-wounds are found in the body, an 
 examination of the room may show where went the third bullet. 
 Next the calibre of the weapon should be noted and the weight 
 of the ball which it discharged and its dimensions should bo 
 comjiared with any which may be found in or about the body. 
 The weight of the bullets attached to cartridges of various sizes 
 and makes is usually stamped upon the packages in which they 
 are sold, or can readily be obtained from the makers of the 
 same. A bullet taken from a body weighing after its removal 
 more than do the other bullets undischarged in the weapon by 
 which an injury is alleged to have been inflicted i^ rather pre- 
 sumptive evidence against the injurj^ from that source. 
 
 Can a Bullet Lose in Weight between the Time 
 WHEN IT Leaves the Bore of a Gun and its Discovery 
 IN A Body? — Here springs up a question upon which some very 
 interesting evidence has been adduced in different trials. To 
 discuss this matter completely the question should be divided 
 into two, the first being : 
 
 Does a Bullet Suffer Loss of Weight during its 
 Course through the Piece and the Air before it comes 
 IN Contact with the Body? — A personal letter received from 
 Captain Charles Shaler, of the Ordnance Department of the 
 United States Army, in reply to certain questions, tends to fully 
 settle that a lead bullet suffers a certain loss of weight in the 
 barrel due to the friction between the bullet and the bore; this 
 is known as " leading" and varies according to circumstances. 
 " Patching" the bullet is often resorted to in order to reduce the 
 leading; lubrication is also practised. The fusing of a bullet 
 takes place especially with lead bullets. A ball which has been 
 partly fused in the bore will lose the fused portions in the bore 
 or in flight, and will move irregularly on account of the result- 
 ing ii'regularity of form. A .45-calibre, 500-grain service bul- 
 let, lead alloyed with tin, was weighed without lubricant and 
 was found to weigh 500.5 grains. It was then lubricated in tlu' 
 cannelures and was fired into a butt composed of three barrels 
 placed end to end and filled with sawdust. The bullet was 
 recovered, no lubricant being found in the cannelures, and re- 
 weighed, the weight obtained being 485.5. The loss of weight 
 was, therefore, 15 grains or three per cent, some of which may 
 have been due to the bullet penetrating the sawdust. A Ger-
 
 G03 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 man-silver "jacketed" .30-calibre bullet, weighing before firing 
 231 grains, fired without lubrication, when recovered and re- 
 weighed was found to have suffered a loss of weight of one-half 
 grain or one-quarter of one per cent. The other part of the 
 main question is : 
 
 Does the Bullet Lose in Weight in its Course 
 THROUGH the Body? — This is, of course, intended to pertain 
 only to those instances in which there is no evidence of splitting 
 or division of the bullet, and refers only to the effect of friction 
 or attrition. June 5th, 1878, in Saratoga County, Mrs. Jesse 
 Billings was accidentally killed by a bullet. Her husband was 
 arrested and tried for murder. On the first trial he was ac- 
 quitted. A second trial, however, was held, and some very in- 
 teresting expert testimony was brought out on matters pertain- 
 ing to these questions. The medical evidence is published in 
 full bj" Dr. Lewis Balch, of Albanj-, in the Transactions of the 
 Medical Society of the State of New York for 1881. The rifle 
 from which the bullet was supposed to have been fired was 
 found in a well, and was sworn to have belonged to Jesse 
 Billings. In it was found a cartridge of the type known as the 
 Commercial Long No. 44. This gun became an important 
 factor in the case, and most of the evidence as to whether it 
 was the weapon with which the murder had been committed 
 was referred to the medical experts. The defence in the first 
 trial claimed that all the lead fired was found in Mrs. Billings' 
 head. On the second trial the same claim was not made, but 
 that it was a smaller bullet than a .44 and its weight less than 
 220 grains; that in consequence this rifle could not have been 
 that from which the shot was fired, for it only called for a .44 
 ball, and that it would have thrown a bullet with such force 
 that it must have gone entirely through the head. They further 
 claimed that powder-marks and grains of powder were found 
 in the window-sash, showing that the weapon was fired near the 
 window, and that the hole in the glass was not large enough 
 to admit a full-sized .44 ball. The verdict was mainly won upon 
 these statements. A question for the medical experts to answer 
 was, what would be the effect upon the skull of a .44-calibre ball 
 fired from a Ballard rifle, the ball weighing 220 grains and the 
 charge of powder being 28 grains? also what would be the 
 effect upon the ball? Experts from the Ordnance Corps and
 
 EVIDENCE FROM THE WEAPON AND PROJECTILE. 603 
 
 from the rifle factories were able to testify that the bullet found 
 in Mrs. Billings' head was originally a .44-calibreball; also that 
 its markings showed the peculiar left-handed twist used in 
 rifling this particular arm. The defence maintained that it 
 could not have been a .44, claiming that the hole in the window- 
 pane showed that. The original window produced in court 
 was no criterion, since from repeated handling the hole made 
 by the bullet had become enlarged and changed in shape. Both 
 of the experts for the defence believed that the ball could not 
 make a hole smaller than itself when passing through glass. 
 This necessarily supposes that the ball after being fired is the 
 same calibre as before, which, as shown above, is not always 
 the case. So Dr. Balch fired forty- five rounds from the Billings 
 rifle with 220 grains of lead and 28 grains of powder. The 
 shots were fired through glass set in sashes, the glass being 
 28x13^, double thick and American make. The rifle was dis- 
 charged at varying angles and at distances varying from two 
 to seventy feet, and he obtained one shot where the hole made 
 would not admit a full-sized ball. His summary was as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 Balls unable to pass through 1 
 
 Balls partly passed 3 
 
 Balls passed 18 
 
 Cartridge passed 21 
 
 Glass broken out 2 
 
 Total 45 
 
 Other rounds were fired from a Colt's navy revolver, old 
 stj'le, .30 calibre, at distances varying from ten to twenty feet. 
 The holes made were so large that the barrels and ramrods 
 could be passed without touching. The examination of the one 
 instance noted above where the aperture in the glass was smaller 
 than the ball is explained by Balch as follows : " A ball conoidal 
 in form, passing with great velocity, strikes glass, penetrates, 
 but does not break the glass at the point of entrance. The point 
 struck is instantly disintegrated, and so rapid is the stroke that 
 it has not time to call upon the surrounding particles for sup- 
 port; hence the smallness of the hole. As glass is made it 
 varies in elasticitj'- ; some parts which are to bo cut into panes 
 cool faster than others. A bullet striking the portion of the 
 glass which has cooled quickly strikes an object which will
 
 604 
 
 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 yield somewhat to the force; in doing this a hole will be made 
 smaller than if that more brittle had been struck. Further- 
 more, all rifles taper more or less from breech to muzzle, that 
 is, the muzzle will measure one or more thousandths or hun- 
 dredths less than the breech. The bullet being forced through 
 the narrow aperture yields to the pressure and becomes smaller. 
 The gun under consideration was measured at the New York 
 Armorj^, and found to be .44 at the breech or chamber and 
 .423 at the muzzle. Considering these various facts, statements 
 that a ball of known size will make a hole through glass smaller 
 than the size of the ball when fired do not admit of doubt as to 
 their verity. Some statements bearing on this same point con- 
 tained in a recent letter from Captain Shaler, of the United 
 States Armj^, deserve mention here. The following experiment 
 was made in Washington by Captain Lyon in October, 1880: 
 
 " Noticing a statement in a newspaper to the effect that a 
 ball fired from a rifle would, in passing through glass, make a 
 round hole smaller than the diameter of the ball used, the fol- 
 lowing experiment was made : 
 
 "Service ammunition used, in a calibre .45 Springfield rifle 
 to penetrate glass. 
 
 Time Fired. 
 
 Size of Hole made 
 in Glass, inches. 
 
 Remarks. 
 
 1 
 
 
 0.570 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 0.550 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 0.600 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 0.600 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 0.575 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 0.575 
 
 The frame holding the 
 
 7 
 
 
 0.590 
 
 glass was placed 25 
 
 8 
 
 
 0.620 
 
 vards from the muzzle 
 
 9 
 
 
 0.600 
 
 of the gun. 
 
 Average size of hole 
 
 
 0.586 
 
 
 Calibre of bullet 
 
 
 0.458 
 
 
 Difference 
 
 0.125 
 
 
 " From the above it will be noted that there is no uniformity 
 in the size of the holes and that they all exceed the diameter of 
 the bullet. 
 
 " These experiments were supplemented by some made re- 
 cently in which a sash containing six panes of ordinary window-
 
 EVIDENCE FROM THE WEAPON AND PROJECTILE. 605 
 
 glass was placed at twenty-five yards from the firer and the 
 glass was successively penetrated (a separate pane being used 
 in each case) by bullets from a service .45-calibre Springfield 
 rifle, a .30-calibre Springfield rifle, a .45-calibre Colt's revolver 
 and a .22-calibre revolver. In every case the hole made was 
 much larger than the bullet making it." 
 
 With reference also to the effect of a ball being smaller than 
 its original diameter after it leaves the piece, Captain Shaler 
 states : " All very compressible bullets forced by inertia lose a 
 certain amount even though they also gain force by slugging. 
 Forcing by inertia tends to shorten the bullet and increase 
 the diameter, while slugging tends to lengthen the bullet and 
 reduce its diameter. Whether the bullet is smaller after it 
 leaves the piece depends upon the bullet used and the method of 
 forcing employed." 
 
 To return to the Billings case, it was claimed that the bullet 
 was also too small. It weighed 165 grains, 55 less than when 
 it was fired from the rifle. Balch found in firing at human 
 skulls, the subjects in all the trials but two being placed in a 
 sitting posture, sometimes with a sash like the Billings window 
 in front of the subject, that the ball lost lead in accordance with 
 the resistance it met with and the amount of bone ploughed in 
 its passage. These experiments conclusively prove that the 
 weight of a ball taken from a body after being fired, it having 
 traversed a bone in its flight, is b}^ no means evidence of its 
 weight before firing ; in other words, a ball always loses some 
 lead when passing through bone. With the same rifle as that 
 produced at the trial he made a series of experiments in the 
 dissecting-room, endeavoring to make a bullet enter the skull 
 at the same point and in nearly as possible the same direction 
 as in the case of the murdered woman. In six such experi- 
 ments there were var3'ing losses of lead, all the bullets used 
 being the same general weight. In two trials the distance was 
 but ten feet from the muzzle, yet more lead was lost than in 
 any of the other four. The least loss recorded took place at 
 the longest distance, thirty-five feet. This in part accounts for 
 the loss of lead, for at ten feet the bullet has not acquired its 
 greatest penetrating power, for he showed bj^ experiment that 
 a 220-grain bullet fired at a human skull will lose more lead 
 than was missing from the Billings bullet, thus disposing of
 
 606 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 -the question raised by the defence that a ball could not have 
 weighed 220 grains before being fired. 
 
 Just how to account for the missing lead has never been 
 clearly established. We have to remember that a few grains 
 may be left in the bore of a rifle, especially if rust}^ ; that in 
 passing through glass another portion is lost, and finally it is 
 scarcely conceivable that any bullet should penetrate an adult 
 skull, especially in the neighborhood of the mastoid processes, 
 without losing quite a perceptible percentage of its mass by 
 friction. 
 
 It was also claimed by the defence that the ball taken from 
 Mrs. Billings' head had been fired from a weapon of low veloc- 
 ity, which was held to account for the fact that the ball failed 
 to pass out of the skull. The rifle when tested at the Govern- 
 ment Arsenal showed a mean velocity of 999 feet per second. 
 Had it been as high as was supposed by the defence, namely, 
 1,300 or 1,400 feet, the argument that a bullet driven with this 
 force would always go through the skull would have more 
 weight, but with the velocity found by actual test the energy 
 of the ball was lessened to nearly one-half of that supposed. 
 The bullet which killed Mrs. Billings did not pass entirely 
 through the skull. It ploughed into the opposite side and broke 
 before it a triangular piece of bone which broke the skin exter- 
 nally. This shows the resistance of external fascia against per- 
 foration. A study of the lines of fracture in this particular 
 case proved very interesting, but perhaps would be somewhat 
 irrelevant here. A measurement of the skull and of the bullet- 
 track through it shows the former to have been of more than 
 ordinary thickness and density, and the channel ploughed in the 
 bone by the bullet along the base of it to have been nearly two 
 inches in length. Dr. Balch gives the following conclusions 
 to his very interesting evidence : 1st. A leaden ball passing 
 through bone loses lead in proportion to the amount of bone 
 traversed. 2d. If the petrous portion of the temporal bone be 
 the part struck by the ball and struck squarely at the base, 
 that portion of the bone is crumbled or broken in such exceed- 
 ingly'' fine pieces as to defy restoration. 3d. That if the ball 
 struck any part of the skull the petrous portion will be broken, 
 but can be usually recognized and generally put together again. 
 4th. That a ball of given calibre fired through glass may make
 
 EVIDENCE FROM THE WEAPON AND PROJECTILE. 607 
 
 a hole enough smaller than the full size of the ball before firing 
 to prevent an unfired ball of like calibre passing. 
 
 In all this kind of experimentation upon cadavers for the 
 purpose of eliciting evidence by reproducing as nearly as possi- 
 ble ante-mortem injuries, we must not forget that Casper has 
 strongly insisted that " it is extremely difficult to break up the 
 organic cohesion of dead organs. ... If we endeavor to frac- 
 ture the skull of a dead adult we shall find that an amount of 
 force which if applied in life would indubitably produce fissures 
 if not fracture, or complete crushing of the skull, leaves the 
 dead skull quite uninjured. . . . The most powerful blows 
 struck down upon the body, laid down horizontally, were with- 
 out result, and only after repeated violent blows were we able 
 to produce perhaps one or a few fissures in the occipital or 
 parietal bone, or in the temporal bone (squamous portion), and 
 usually in the latter. We were unable to produce more consid- 
 erable effects, such as complete smashing of the skull or fissures 
 of its base, even in one single instance. The dead skull seems 
 to have considerably more power of resistance, and after its 
 removal fissures of the bone were more easily produced by simi- 
 lar blows" (Vol. I., p. 245). And again: "The result of my 
 experiments on the dead body in regard to gunshot wounds 
 could only be to make more complete the proof of the resistance 
 of the dead corporeal tissues, in contradistinction to the tissues 
 wheix d-live. After I had already learned this peculiarity from 
 my experiments with contused wounds, this peculiar resistent 
 property was found to be confirmed in a most remarkable 
 manner" ("Forensic Medicine," Vol. I., p. 271). 
 
 If the number of bullets known to have been fired, or, more 
 important still, which have been found exceeds the number 
 which could have been discharged from the weapon in ques- 
 tion, a very large element of doubt and uncertaintj" is introduced 
 which must be quieted by other and more circumstantial evi- 
 dence. Should two different weapons be in question, it is very 
 necessary to establish from which of them the bullets have been 
 discharged. This can be done mainly by weight and evident 
 calibre of the bullets, or some other peculiarity; possiblj^ in 
 disputed cases even by analysis of the metal. 
 
 Wounds by Shot-Guns. — In most of what has been said 
 it has been supposed that the injury has been inflicted by an
 
 60S GUNSHOT WOUNDS— PARK. 
 
 arm of the kind commonly described under the terms pistol, 
 revolver, or rifle. Gunshot wounds are, however, occasionally 
 inflicted with shot-guns and a charge of shot varying in size 
 from small bird-shot up to that generally known as buck-shot. 
 It is characteristic of such missiles that they separate after 
 their discharge from the gun, and a determination of the degree 
 of their separation is approximately a determination of the dis- 
 tance of the mark from the muzzle of the weapon. In suicide 
 or accidental discharges of a shot-gun the muzzle is so near the 
 body that the charge of shot acts very much as would a single 
 buUet of the size of the bore of the gun, and near wounds thus 
 inflicted, wlrile necessarily large, have about them a minimum 
 laceration and disturbance of tissue, so that perhaps only by 
 their size could one say, viewing the wound alone, that the 
 weapon used had been a shot-gun. On the other hand, at a 
 distance of a few feet the shot begin to separate to such an 
 extent that there is much more laceration of tissue, and after 
 separation to an indeterminate, because variable, number of 
 feet we get such marks as individual shot may make. This 
 distance is indeterminate because it is predicated on the size 
 of the gun, the dimensions of shot, and the weight of the 
 charge of powder. The writer, for instance, has recently seen 
 one case where the muzzle of the gun could not have been more 
 than two feet away from the surface of the foot at which it was 
 discharged, the consequence being a round and very slightlj" 
 ragged hole through the mid-tarsal region from dorsum to sole. 
 
 It is possible for a single grain of shot to produce death. Such 
 a case is related by Ollivier d' Angers : a thief scaling a wall 
 received at a distance of fifteen paces a charge of shot from 
 a fowling-piece; he fell dead immediately. The charge had 
 struck him in the breast, centring over a space of three or four 
 inches, but one shot had penetrated the aorta over the attach- 
 ment of the sigmoid valves, and another had traversed the en- 
 tire wall of this vessel. 
 
 Powder-Marks. — A very important part of evidence in 
 case of near wounds of gunshot character pertains to the pow- 
 der-marks upon the clothing and skin. Naturally every one 
 knows that when a weapon is discharged near a given surface 
 there will be more or less powder-marking upon that surface, the 
 same being due to particles of gunpowder which are incom-
 
 POWDER-MARKS— DIMENSIONS OF PEKFORATIOXS. GO.!) 
 
 pletely or not at all consumed, and which are black because of 
 the charcoal they contain ; but the circumstances under which 
 powder-marks of a given character can be inflicted are so ex- 
 tremely variable that no statistics or information of value in a 
 general way can be given. Thus the fineness of the marks will 
 depend upon the fineness of the powder, and the area covered and 
 the depth of the marking upon the same, upon the distance of 
 the muzzle from the surface ; and the only way to make out the 
 exact distance of the muzzle from the surface at the time of the 
 infliction of a given wound is to use the same weapon, if possi- 
 ble, with cartridges or charges out of the same lot as that used 
 at the time of injury. Distances could, perhaps, «be stated in 
 round numbers, but their value would only be remotely approx- 
 imate, and in a given case the best evidence is to be obtained 
 by experiment with the fire-arm in question. 
 
 Dimensions of Perforations. — Atdifl^erenttimesa great 
 deal of weight has been attached to the dimension of the per- 
 foration through such objects as wood, glass, or even through 
 the bones of the body, made by the bullet which is supposed or 
 known to have destroyed life. Wrong inferences have been 
 drawn sometimes from a study of undischarged bullets or car- 
 tridges similar, at least before firing, to that which has been 
 taken from a given body. It has been stated, for instance, that 
 such a bullet was too large to have passed through such an 
 aperture or to have made such a hole, or that it was so much 
 smaller than a certain hole that it was not the particular mis- 
 sile which made that perforation. Upon this matter has hinged 
 a great deal of uncertainty and consequently a good deal of 
 study. The size of opening which a bullet of given calibre will 
 make through wood depends upon the distance of the weapon, 
 the firing charge, the velocity of the bullet, the extent to which 
 its shape has been altered by passing through the given barrier, 
 by the heat of the explosion, by the im})act of the air upon the 
 heated and consequently softened metal, and by the density and 
 thickness of the wood, as well as by the resistance which it 
 may have offered mainly from its being fixed in place or mova- 
 ble. There is, however, ordinarily less question about the size 
 of a similar hole through a piece of glass or bone. It is gen- 
 erally supposed that a bullet passing through a window-pane 
 
 will shatter it. This depends, however, mainlv upon the per- 
 
 3<J
 
 GIO GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 fection of fixation of the glass in its resting-place. If for pur- 
 poses of experiment panes of glass be tacked into a shutter and 
 bullets be fired at them from varying distances, they will be 
 practically invariably shattered. It is, however, quite different 
 if the pane of glass be firmly fixed in a frame by means of 
 putty which has become old and hard, and especially if the 
 window-frame itself be closely fitted in the casing. Under 
 these circumstances a bullet will often make a clearly punched 
 hole, or one with very few radiating lines of fracture. Experi- 
 ment, therefore, to secure evidence should be made under cir- 
 cumstances exactly parallel to those which necessitate such 
 evidence. 
 
 EVIDENCE FROM EXAMINATION OF THE DEAD BODY. 
 
 Fractures. — Considerable evidence of great interest with 
 respect to the effect of a bullet-wound upon the skull and the 
 possibility of fractures being produced at the base by contre 
 coup will be found in the statement of the case of The People?;. 
 Elisha B. Fero, published by Dr. Charles T. Porter, of Albanj-, 
 in the Journal of Psychological Medicine, April, 1870. Mrs. 
 Fero was murdered while in her bed and was found to have 
 been bruised about the head and body, her husband claiming 
 that the deed was that of a robber who had attacked them both. 
 He was found with slight bruises or scratches about the face 
 and black marks as if from burnt powder between the middle 
 fingers of his right hand. The first autopsy appears to have 
 been carelessly made, but a flattened conical ball weighing 
 twenty-six and one-half grains was found lodged in the middle 
 of the right cerebral hemisphere. It had not gone completely 
 through the brain. Its base fitted the shells of the metallic 
 cartridges used in Fero's revolver. Eight days after death a 
 second examination was made, after which the head was re- 
 moved and preserved in 95,^ alcohol. A theory of the prosecu- 
 tion was that Mrs. Fero was murdered by her husband ; that he 
 shot her, as well as struck her numerous blows upon both sides 
 of the head and its front and back with some broad, heavy, 
 and elastic body, making fractures found on autopsy. Not the 
 least interesting part of the testimony is that referring to the 
 condition of tissues alleged to have been bruised after long
 
 EVIDENCE FROM EXAMINATION OF THE DEAD BODY. 611 
 
 preservation in alcohol. The expert testimony in this case 
 appeared to show that such fractures as were found, without 
 reference to the fact of external bruises, were due to the unskil- 
 ful manner in which the skull-cap was removed. In this con- 
 nection it is well right here to emphasize the fact that fresh 
 fractures can be produced in the skull by too forcible or injudi- 
 cious efforts to remove the calvarium when making autopsies, 
 or that fractures previously existing can be extended or compli- 
 cated in the same way. Shaw in his "Manual of Anatomy" 
 says : " The question whether there has been a fracture of the 
 cranium previous to death is sometimes more difficult to decide 
 than a person not accustomed to make dissections might imag- 
 ine. If the fracture has occurred immediately before the patient's 
 death, there will be found coagulated blood upon the bones and 
 in the fissures. If the patient has survived for some time, there 
 will be marks of inflammation and, perhaps, pus in contact 
 with the skull, but if a fracture has been made in making the 
 examination, which sometimes happens in even very careful 
 dissectors' hands, the blood in the fracture will not be coagu- 
 lated, nor will there be any effusions around the portions. In 
 Beck's Medical Journal, Vol. XXII., p. 28, Mr. Alcock some 
 time since stated in a public lecture in London that he had known 
 a fracture of the base of the skull produced by the awkward and 
 violent tearing of the upper portion by the saw in penetrating 
 enough to divide the bones, and this to be mistaken by the 
 inexperienced operator for fracture of the skull producing death. 
 Being a medico-legal case, it might have led to melancholy 
 consequences had not the error been detected by an observer." 
 That an extensive and often complicated fracture by contre 
 coup can occur as the result of gunshot injuries of the skull is 
 a fact well known to all surgeons of experience and laid down 
 in all text-books and illustrated in all large museums. 
 
 In view of these well-known facts, it would always bo well 
 to insist in cases of this kind that the saw alone should be used 
 and not the hammer nor the chisel. When a cranial bone is 
 fractured blood is poured out from the ruptured vessels, as is 
 always the case with any bone. Its amount varies indefinitely 
 with the number and size of the ruptured vessels, the activity 
 of circulation, the length of time a person lives, etc. The blood 
 maj' collect in circumscribed masses or become infiltrated in
 
 G12 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 the surrounding tissues, although usually both phenomena are 
 observed. The extent to which infiltration takes place depends 
 upon the quantity of blood and the nature of the surrounding 
 tissues. In loose tissues like those about the orbit infiltration 
 is much more rapid and extensive. 
 
 Examination of the "Weapon. — French medical jurists 
 have tried to indicate how we may determine the time elapsed 
 between the death of a person and the discharge of a weapon 
 found near the body, but exact statements in this matter are 
 utterly out of the question. Certain facts bearing on the sub- 
 ject are these : When recently discharged there will be found 
 adhering to the barrel of the piece and consisting of the fouling 
 of which sportsmen complain, a quantity of potassium sulfid 
 mixed with charcoal. This is shown by its forming a strong 
 alkaline solution Avith water, evolving an odor of hydrogen 
 sulfid, and a dark precipitate with a solution of acetate of lead. 
 Depending upon the degree of exposure to air and moisture, 
 after some hours or days this sulfid becomes converted into 
 potassium sulfate, which forms a neutral solution with water 
 and gives a white precipitate with acetate of lead ; but if a con- 
 siderable time has elapsed since the discharge of the piece oxid 
 of iron (iron rust) with traces of sulfate may be found {Ann. 
 cV Hygiene, ISS-t, p. 458; 1837, p. 197; 184-2, p. 308). 
 
 Was the Weapon Fired from a Distance or Near 
 By? — A gunshot injury from a bullet implies at least one 
 wound, namely, that of entrance, and perhaj^s another, that of 
 exit. It does not always happen that the bullet passes through 
 the body. The appearance of the wound of entrance is usuall}' 
 one of irregular circular puncture, its edges perhaps slightly 
 torn or lacerated, with a purplish or dark areola, varying in 
 width from a line or two to one-half inch. When the weapon 
 is fired close to the body. there are likely to be more or less 
 powder-marks, and possibl}" actual burning from the heat and 
 flame of the gunpowder. If the part of the body injured had 
 been covered by clothing at the time, the marks of powder and 
 of burning would probablj" be confined to the same. Bleeding 
 is usuall}" slight and occurs more commonly from the wound of 
 entrance than from that of exit. Regularity of either of these 
 wounds depends in large measure upon the angle at which the 
 bullet has struck the surface. When striking very obliquely
 
 EXAMINATION OF THE WEAPON — POWDER-MAKKS. G13 
 
 the wound may be more oval or the buhet may have ploughed 
 a furrow or a channel, b}' a study of which the relative position 
 of the assailant and the assailed at the moment of injury may, 
 perhaps^ be determined. It is of importance to determine if 
 possible the approximate distance at which the bullet was fired, 
 since the question of self-defence, fcr instance, may hinge upon 
 evidence of this character. The charge of powder and the 
 weight of the bullet being known, one may sometimes estimate 
 this distance by the depth of penetration or the appearance of 
 the bullet. Still, the nature of the tissues must figure largely 
 in such consideration. Manj^ suicides who shoot themselves in 
 the head show only one wound of entrance and none of exit. 
 
 Experiments Testing Pcwder-Marks. — Powder-marks 
 and burns from weapons ordinaril}' used will scarcely appear 
 when the distance has exceeded ten or twelve feet. LaChese, of 
 Antwerp, found that in firing a gun even from a distance of 
 only four feet the skin was only partiallj" blackened. 
 
 As the result of experiments made with a Ballard rifie, old 
 style, .4:4: calibre, with bullets of 220 grains and 28 grains of 
 powder. Dr. Balcli, of Alban}-, found that powder-marks were 
 made at distances as follows : 
 
 At two feet, particles too numerous to count, with some of 
 the lubricant blown upon the board ; 
 
 At four feet the same ; 
 
 At six feet the same ; 
 
 At eight feet, nine grains of powder ; 
 
 At ten feet, five grains of powder in one case and six in 
 another. 
 
 That these were powder-grains were shown in court by 
 picking some of them out, placing them on a glass, and igniting 
 them with a galvano-caustic point. From those at ten feet no 
 distinct flash could be elicited ; from those obtained at eight feet 
 distinct flashes were seen (Trans. New York State Med. Soc, 
 1881). 
 
 In the celebrated case of Peytle, brought in 1839 for the 
 murder of his wife, who had been killed by two buflets entering 
 near the nose, the eyebrows, lashes, and lids were completely 
 burned, and a large ninnber of powder grains were imbedded 
 in the cheeks. Experiments being made in order to ascertain 
 the distance necessary to produce these effects, it was found
 
 G14 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 that the weapon must have been held within a distance of 
 twelve inches. 
 
 Wounds of Entrance and of Exit. — A great deal has 
 been written in time past about the peculiarities of the wounds 
 of entrance and of exit, much of which cannot be maintained 
 under expert criticism. It is true that the wound of entrance 
 will usually be well defined, the skin slightly depressed and 
 appearing as above noted. It is true also that powder-marks 
 will appear about this wound rather than that of exit. Usually, 
 too, the orifice of exit is larger, less regular, its edges everted 
 slightly, with more or less laceration of the skin, and quite 
 free from any powder-marks or evidence of burning. The de- 
 pression at the border of the wound of entrance differs after 
 some days, by which time the contused margins slough away, 
 and its appearance is daily changed by a process of granulation 
 providing the individual recover or live long enough. Accord- 
 ing to Dupuytren, the hole in the clothing is smaller than that 
 made by the same buUet in the skin. These are all points 
 worth remembering when fitting bullets into wounds which 
 they are supposed to have made ; but the conditions under which 
 gunshot punctures occur are constantly varying, and the sig- 
 nificance of local markings is mainly the product of experience, 
 care, observation, and reasoning. Thus the shape of either of 
 these wounds will depend naturally upon the integrity of the 
 bullet and its original shape and dimensions. Matthysen's 
 experiments give the following : A pistol fired at twelve paces 
 distance, with a ball 15 mm. in diameter, made a wound in 
 chest of 8| mm. diameter, and at its point of exit at the back 
 one of 10 mm. In two experiments at the same distance 
 as above, the entrance wound was 4 mm. larger in diameter 
 than that of exit, and when a larger ball with a diameter 
 of 17 mm. was used the same results were preserved, both 
 wounds being less in size than the ball which made them. A 
 spherical ball will usually cause more loss of substance than a 
 conical, while the latter will cause usually more irregularity of 
 outline and may even give the wound of entrance a slit-like 
 appearance. Complications may also occur from other sources ; 
 a single wound of entrance may give rise to two or more wounds 
 of exit due to splitting of the bullet, or if the bullet have been 
 divided and the larger part lodged in the bone, only the smaller
 
 COURSE OF THE PROJECTILE. G15 
 
 portion passing out, the wound of exit may in reality be much 
 smaller than that of entrance. Again, a bullet may split into 
 fragments before striking the body, and of these one may enter 
 the body, or one or more of them lodge. Multiple wounds are 
 possible even from one bullet, as when it passes through two 
 different parts of the body. Again, when two wounds, for in- 
 stance, are discovered, one of them maj^ be regarded as that of 
 exit, when in reality they may be two wounds of entrance, 
 neither bullet having left the bodj^. So while it is possible in 
 some cases to decide which is which, too much dependence 
 should not be placed upon appearances of this kind, least of 
 all until after a careful autopsy has been made. 
 
 Course of the Projectile. — When a bullet traverses a 
 body the two apertures may be nearly opposite to each other, 
 although the bullet may not have taken a direct course between 
 them, having been deflected by tissues of varying density in its 
 course. This leads to the mention of the effect of animal tissues 
 upon the course of bullets, with which works on militar}" surgery 
 deal extensivelj'. 
 
 The following is a remarkable illustration, yet authentic, of 
 a devious path of a ball. In a duel with pistols between two 
 students at Strasburg one fell, apparently mortally wounded in 
 the neck, but recovered without feeling an}" inconvenience from 
 his wound. It was found that the bullet had strnck the larj^nx 
 and had gone completely around the neck. It was taken out 
 by simply making an incision over it. Other instances may be 
 cited where bullets have made a circuit around the head, thorax, 
 or abdomen. The ball may make a half circuit of the bodj^ and 
 lodge or emerge at a point opposite that at which it entered, 
 thus leading one to suppose that it must have passed directly 
 through (Wharton and Stille). 
 
 As the writer of a chapter on the effect of projectiles of small- 
 arms, in the Third Surgical Volume of the " Medical and 
 Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion," p. 709, says: 
 " Such bullets attain great range and effectiveness as oppose least 
 frontage of resistance to air; their velocity consequently is 
 greater. Rotation upon their long axes tends to give them 
 steadier flight and more direct course. By their pointed apices 
 they pierce more easily the structures opposed to them. Such 
 buUets, owing to the elasticity of the skin, make a wound of
 
 GIG GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 entrance perhaps a trifle smaller in diameter than themselves, 
 while spherical balls are more likely to carry a portion of the 
 integument in with them." 
 
 The differences of structure and density of the muscle tissues 
 and their aponeuroses encountered by a bullet in its passage 
 materially influence the directness of its course unless its veloc- 
 ity be very great, while round bullets are the more easily de- 
 flected from their course. The track of a small conical bullet 
 passing swiftly through a muscle is more cleanly cut than that 
 made by a round bullet, but in all gunshot wounds there is usually 
 found a regular canal, with lacerated walls, with more or less 
 destruction along the area of injury, shading off concentrically 
 until lost in healthy tissue. There is always loss of substance 
 dependent on muscle tension or direction of the bullet, whether 
 transverse or obliquely to the direction of the muscle fibres ; the 
 more fibrous structures are torn and lacerated or simply per- 
 forated, mainly owing to their different tension at the instant ; 
 their openings seldom correspond to those of the muscle tissues 
 or those upon the surface of the body, because of the constant 
 change in the relation of the parts due to muscle action. This 
 makes it often difficult to follow the course of a bullet with 
 accurac}'. The irregularity of a bullet-track due to these causes 
 constitutes one of the great sources of danger, since cavities and 
 pouches thus formed give lodgment to foreign matter driven in 
 with the bullet, by retention of which a fertile source of sepsis 
 is maintained. Gunshot injuries of bone may be classified as 
 contusions, simple fractures, partial fractures, penetrations, per- 
 forations, and complete fractures with more or less comminution 
 or loss of substance, all of these, of course, in the surgical sense 
 compound. These are all manifestations of mechanical force 
 acting in accordance with established laws. On autopsy these 
 will be ascertained, while one or more portions or all of a bullet 
 may be found imbedded in or attached to some bone. The best 
 illustration of such accidents will be found in the " Medical 
 and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion." 
 
 Such questions as pertain to the position of the wounded 
 person when shot or that of his antagonist, and other similar 
 inquiries, can only be settled by reference to particular circum- 
 stances of individual cases. Position of the wound may help a 
 little, A bullet- wound directly in the centre of the top of the
 
 WOUNDS BY SMALL SHOT. Gl T 
 
 head could scarcely be received by a person standing unless his 
 assailant occupied an elevated position. If accompanied by 
 evidence of severe blows by which the deceased might have 
 been knocked down, it might show that he had been shot after 
 falling. 
 
 Wounds by Small Shot. — Small shot rarely traverse the 
 entire body unless discharged from such proximity as to make 
 a clean, round opening. Paley relates the following instance : 
 A boy was shot in the neck by the accidental explosion of his 
 own gun, No. 8 shot. He died instantly. He was lying for- 
 ward of the muzzle so that it was nearly in contact with the 
 skin of the neck. A large round hole was produced, in diame- 
 ter one and one-half inches, whose edges were slightly darkened 
 by powder. The wound of exit at the back of the neck, at the 
 third vertebra, was a mere slit in the skin scarcely an inch in 
 length with the diameter placed vertically. The smallness of 
 this aperture may have been owing to the greater part of the 
 charge being lodged in the body. Dr. Lowe states that in some 
 experiments it was found that a round aperture might be pro- 
 duced by a discharge of small shot at a much greater distance 
 than that assigned b}' Dr. LaChese, namel}', ten to twelve 
 inches. Even admitting such exceptional instances, it will 
 scarcely ever occur that a wound from a small shot can be mis- 
 taken for one produced by a leaden bullet. 
 
 De Vergie has shown that when the ball enters a portion of 
 the body well covered with fat, this often protrudes between the 
 edges of the wound and may alter its character. If clothing 
 have been carried in some shreds of it may show upon the 
 wound, and such fragments of texture will nearh' alwaj^s 
 characterize the wound at once as that of entrance. 
 
 Wounds by Blank Charges. — Experience has shown 
 that no matter with what the piece is charged, it is capable, 
 when fired close b}^ of producing a wound which may prove fatal. 
 Thus a gun loaded with wadding or gunpowder only may 
 cause death. A portion of clothing may be carried into the 
 wound and lead to death from hemorrhage, or death may occur 
 from many secondary causes, such as tetanus or sepsis. Ac- 
 cidents so frequently occur from weapons discharged in sport, 
 not loaded with ball or shot, that it is worth while to bear this 
 in mind. It has been observed, for instance, that persons at-
 
 618 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 tempting to commit suicide have forgotten to put a bullet in 
 tlie pistol, nevertheless the discharge of the weapon into the 
 mouth has sufficed, from the wadding alone, to produce a con- 
 siderable laceration and hemorrhage (Taylor). Many fatal ac- 
 cidents have taken place by the discharge of wadding from 
 cannon. LaChese has ascertained by experiment that a piece 
 charged with gimpowder alone is capable of producing a pene- 
 trating wound somewhat resembling that produced by gun-shot, 
 when the piece is large and fired within six feet of the body 
 {Ann. d' Hygiene, 1836, p. 368). This arises from unexploded 
 grains of powder acting as pellets of small shot. Sweet has 
 experimented with pistols loaded with gunpowder and wadding 
 in order to determine the effect of their discharge at different 
 distances. At twelve inches he found that the clothing was 
 lacerated and the skin abraded, but the wadding did not pene- 
 trate ; at six inches the clothes were lacerated and the wadding 
 penetrated to the depth of one-half inch ; at one and one-half 
 inches from the chest the wadding passed into the thoracic cavity 
 between the ribs, and at a second experiment carried away a 
 portion of the ribs. 
 
 It is probable that an ordinary wadding such as loosely 
 wrapped paper, rag, or similar material, especially as prepared 
 by one not accustomed to military use of a weapon, would not 
 produce a wound which would resemble that made by a bullet, 
 and it is doubtful whether such a wound could be produced at 
 a greater distance than six inches from the body. 
 
 It is on record that in Paris, in 1858, a circus cannon of four 
 inches bore, loaded with three ounces of grain powder retained 
 by a wad of old theatre bills loosely folded together and rammed 
 home with only moderate force, was discharged in the direction 
 of the boxes at a distance of about one hundred and fifty feet. 
 A man seated in one of these boxes opposite the muzzle of the 
 gun, leaning forward, his arms crossed upon the handle of his 
 umbrella, had his arm broken above the elbow immediately 
 upon its discharge. Several portions of wadding were found 
 beneath the place where the man sat, but no marks existed upon 
 his clothing nor upon the anterior part of the arm, which must 
 have been inaccessible to any projectile that did not first strike 
 the forearm. It was concluded that the fracture had been 
 caused by the violent and sudden starting of the man backward,
 
 THE MANNLICHER RIFLE. 019 
 
 which must have brought his arm against the hard part of the 
 partition. An experiment tried with the cannon proved that 
 any wadding that could be made with paper was dispersed in 
 passing, or lost all power of mischief, at much less distance 
 than one hundred and twenty feet {Annales d^Hygiene, 1859, 
 p. 420, Wharton and Stille). 
 
 The Mannlicher Rifle. — It may be of interest here to note 
 the effects of the rifle-bullets used in the most recently invented 
 improved arms. The last new projectile used in the German 
 army, 1892, with the Mannlicher rifle, has an inner core of lead 
 inclosed in a casing of steel or firm metal, which prevents the 
 lead, even when softened by heat, from becoming deformed and 
 enlarged by contact. The weight of the bullet is much less than 
 any of the old, but to its higher rate of velocity and its pointed 
 shape, which is preserved, must be ascribed its greater perforat- 
 ing power. Owing to this immense velocity and the small sur- 
 face of contact, it meets with little resistance on striking a person, 
 has no time to stretch the various tissues it encounters, causes 
 little or no commotion of the neighboring parts, and merely 
 punches a hole, carrjnng the contused elements before it clear 
 out of the wound without seriously damaging the surrounding- 
 wall of the bullet-track. This absence of contusion must lead 
 to more frequent deaths from hemorrhage, while when this arm 
 is used we shall hear very little of deflection or deviation of the 
 bullet from its path, since it has sufficient power to pass directly 
 through awy part of the body which it may meet on its way. 
 The result in battle will be a reduction of the list of wounded, 
 but a terrible augmentation of that of the dead. 
 
 IDENTITY FROM A FLASH OF GUNPOWDER. 
 
 Taj'lor states the following: " Among the singular questions 
 which have arisen out of this subject is the following : whether 
 the person who fires a gun or pistol during a dark night can be 
 identified by means of the light produced during the discharge. 
 This question was first negativel}" answered by a class in phys- 
 ical science in France, whereas later a case tending to show 
 that their decision was erroneous was subsequently reported by 
 Fodere. A woman positive!}' swore that she saw the face of 
 the prisoner, who fired at another during the night, surrounded
 
 -620 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 by a kind of glory, and that she was thereby enabled to identify 
 him. This statement was confirmed by the deposition of the 
 wounded party. Desgranges, of Lyons, performed many experi- 
 ments on this subject, and he concluded that away from every 
 source of light the prisoner who fired the gvm might be identified 
 within a moderate distance ; if the flash were very strong, the 
 smoke very dense, and the distance great, the person firing 
 the piece could not be identified. The question was raised in 
 England in the case of Reg. v. White at the Croydon Autumn 
 Assizes, 1839. A gentleman was shot at while driving home 
 on a dark night, being wounded in the leg. When he saw the 
 flash of the gun he saw that the piece was levelled toward him, 
 and the light of the flash enabled him to recognize at once the 
 features of the accused. In cross-examination he said he was 
 quite sure he could see the prisoner and was not mistaken as to 
 his identity; but the accused was skilfully defended and he 
 was acquitted. A similar case was tried at the Lewes Lent 
 Assizes, 18G3, Reg. v. Stapley. The prisoner shot at the pros- 
 ecutor on a dark December evening, and the latter swore that 
 he distinctly saw the prisoner by the flash of the gun and could 
 identify him by the light on his features. His evidence was 
 corroborated and the man was convicted. A case is also quoted, 
 Rex V. Haines, in which some police officials were shot at by 
 a highwayman during a dark night. One of these stated that 
 he could distinctly see from the flash of the pistol that the robber 
 rode a dark-brown horse of remarkable shape, and that he had 
 since identified the horse at a stable in London. He also was 
 positive that the prisoner had on a rough brown great-coat. 
 
 There seems to be enough evidence in this direction to show 
 that identification under these circumstances is occasionally 
 possible. 
 
 GENERAL MEDICO-LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS. 
 
 The result of the wonderful advance in the practice of sur- 
 gery made during the past fifteen years has been in a large 
 measure to revolutionize the treatment of gunshot wounds, and 
 inasmuch as the result of many homicidal attempts will depend 
 in large measure upon what the surgeon can do for the victim 
 of assault, it may not be amiss to very briefly epitomize in this 
 place something of what modern surgeons believe with regard
 
 GENERAL MEDICO-LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS. 621 
 
 to the best treatment of bullet-wounds, expressed in a general 
 way. They have learned, among other things, that the harm 
 which a bullet does is done by it during its flight, and that 
 after it has come to a stop it is, per se, an almost invariably 
 harmless foreign body. This is practically always the case 
 unless it has carried in with it foreign material which may 
 serve as a source of septic infection. 
 
 In time past there has always been a strong feeling, which 
 had, however, nothing scientific to justify it, that every gun- 
 shot wound was a poisoned one. Of late, since bacteriology 
 has attained the proportion of a science, it has been held that 
 bullets were necessarily sterilized by the heat of the discharge 
 of powder behind them. Very recently Dr. B. Von Beck, 
 Medical Director of the 14th German Army Corps, has made 
 experiments upon the amount of heat imparted to leaden and 
 other bullets after firing. After making an allowance for 
 specific heat and the conductivity of the different metals used, 
 he found that even when the projectiles encountered resistance 
 from three to four times greater than that offered by the human 
 body the results were as follows: Temperature of leaden bul- 
 lets of .45 calibre, when recovered, G9° C. ; of .30 calibre, covered 
 with steel, when recovered, 78° C"; of .30 calibre, covered with 
 copper, when recovered, 101° C. He states that these experi- 
 ments disprove the theory that certain lesions in wounds can 
 be in any wa}^ attributed to the heat imparted by the bullet. 
 
 While these experiments prove that the bullets may be heated 
 to the above degrees when recovered, the}' by no means prove 
 that they are so heated at the time when they inflicted the 
 wound. During the j^ear 1892 some very interesting experi- 
 ments were carried on by Dr. Lagarde, of the Armj' Medical De- 
 partment {Neiv York Medical Journal, Oct. 22d, 1892, p. 458). 
 He experimented by deliberately infecting bullets and then 
 firing them into cotton, and animals as well, studying the effect 
 both on the bullets themselves and upon the animals. Some of 
 these bullets were taken from the original packages, while others 
 had been intentionally rolled in dirt. The experiments were 
 carefully carried out and appear reliable, and the conclusions 
 given by the author, which interest us here, are as follows: 
 
 (1) The vast majority of cartridges in original packages are 
 sterile or free from septic germs because of the disinfection
 
 622 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 and absolute cleanliness observed in the process of their man- 
 ufacture. 
 
 (2) The majority of gunshot wounds are aseptic because the 
 vast majority of the projectiles inflicting them are either sterile 
 or free from septic germs. 
 
 (3) The heat developed by the act of firing is not sufficient 
 to destroy all the organic matter of the projectile, the cherished 
 notions of three centuries or more to the contrary notwith- 
 standing. 
 
 The results as set forth justify the assumption that a septic 
 bullet can infect a gunshot wound. The average bullet-wound, 
 however, is sterile so far as infection from the bullet is con- 
 cerned, and in accordance with this view of its usual innocence 
 there need be no longer the clamor for removal of the missile 
 which the fears of previous generations have nearly always 
 called for; and the best practice among military surgeons 
 of to-day is rather to let the bullet remain where lodged than 
 to make a more serious wound for its removal. Exceptions to 
 this rule occur only in cases where operation is called for on 
 account of injury done by the bullet while still in motion. It 
 is also held to be a violation of simple physiological and surgi- 
 cal rules to probe or carelessly search for a bullet whose location 
 cannot be made out from a study of signs and symptoms in 
 a given case. The act of probing breaks up blood-clot, often 
 brings on fresh hemorrhage, is in a majority of cases unsatis- 
 factory, frequently introduces specific elements from without, 
 and reallj" gives little, if any, more information than can be 
 gathered from a stud}^ of the case without the use of the probe. 
 If every ordinary bullet-wound which did not call for imme- 
 diate operation because of injury to some essential or vital part 
 — such as a large blood-vessel or nerve- trunk, or some of the 
 viscera — were antiseptically and hermeticalty sealed at the very 
 outset, there would be a much smaller percentage of death from 
 gunshot wounds, either in civil or military practice, than now 
 obtains. And it might be a matter upon which to go to the 
 jury whether violation of such rules, to-daj^, does not mitigate 
 the offence of the accused. 
 
 Recent discoveries in so-called cerebral localization have 
 instigated numerous operations upon the skull and brain for 
 the relief of pressure, as from blood-clot, or for removal of de-
 
 GENERAL MEDICO-LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS. 023 
 
 pressed bone or a bullet which twent}^ years ago would have 
 been impossible. The brain is no longer the terra incognita 
 of the past generation of medical men, and it is now often pos- 
 sible for the surgeon to intervene in such a way as to save life 
 in cases previously considered hopeless; in fact, such is now^ his 
 duty when consent can be gained, and it should be held that he 
 is culpable when deficient in general knowledge in this respect. 
 
 In wounds of the thoracic cavity it should now be held that 
 so long as air has entered through a bullet -w^ound there are 
 cases where free incision, even with removal of ribs, can 
 scarcely increase the dangers, while permitting ojiijortunity 
 for much more accurate exploration and determination of 
 life-saving methods. The experiments of numerous investiga- 
 tors, the writer included, have shown that bullet-wounds of the 
 heart need not be always and invariably fatal, and have afforded 
 an element of hope from the possible surgery of even this organ. 
 The writer looks forward to the time when some accomplished 
 yet daring surgeon, getting the right patient at the right time 
 and in the right place, i.e., where conveniences are at hand, 
 shall, in some case of perforating wound of the pericardium or 
 of the heart itself, resect some portion of the anterior thoracic 
 wall, lay open the pericardium, maintaining meanwhile artifi- 
 cial respiration if necessary, and suture a wound in the heart- 
 substance, thereafter closing the pericardium and external 
 wound, and save life which would otherwise be surely sacri- 
 ficed. With others he has done this upon animals, hence why 
 may it not be done in man? 
 
 In the mean time for, first, the recognition and, second, the 
 surgical treatment of perforating wounds of the abdominal 
 viscera, American surgeons have w^on for themselves the great- 
 est credit, and an already long list of successful laparotomies 
 after gunshot wounds of the intestines, wnth intestinal suture 
 or resection, has shown the very great value of this procedure, 
 even though it has kept some would-be murderers from the 
 gallows. 
 
 These lines are inserted here because the time and effort 
 wdiich surgeons have devoted to this kind of surgery deserve 
 only the highest encomiums and encouragement from the legal 
 profession, although to our deep regret they have not always 
 met with the same.
 
 624 GUNSHOT AVOUNDS— PARK. 
 
 OF THE VARIOUS CONDITIONS WHICH COMPLICATE 
 GUNSHOT WOUNDS AND MAKE THEIR RE- 
 SULTS UNCERTAIN, 
 
 Delirium Tremens is one of the commonest and must 
 always be regarded as one of the most serious. It is well 
 known to surgeons that a slight injury even, and often a severe 
 one, is enough to provoke manifestations of this character in in- 
 temperate persons. The medico-legal question under these cir- 
 cumstances is this: Would the same amount of injury have 
 been likely to cause death in a person of ordinary health and 
 vigor? The law as applied to these cases has been stated by 
 Lord Hale : " It is sufficient to prove that the death of a person 
 was accelerated by the malicious acts of the person, although 
 the former labored under a mental disease at the time of the 
 act. The intent of the accused may often be judged by the 
 character of the wound and the means of its infliction. Drunk- 
 enness of the victim admits of no excuse when his assailant is 
 aware, or ought to have been aware, of the condition of his 
 victim. It is held that the assailant ought to have known that 
 violence of any kind to such a person is likely to be attended by 
 dangerous results. It is known also that a wound which accel- 
 erates death causes death." The commissioners who were ap- 
 pointed to define criminal law on the subject of homicide have 
 thus expressed themselves : " Art. 3. It is homicide although 
 the effect of the injury be merely to accelerate the death of one 
 laboring under some previous injury or infirmit}', for although 
 if timely remedies or skilful treatment had been applied, death 
 might have been prevented" (Taylor, p. 327). 
 
 Death from Surgical Operations Necessitated by- 
 Gunshot Wound. — The modern treatment of serious or so- 
 called penetrating gunshot wounds where the cranium, tho- 
 racic viscera, or the abdominal viscera, especially the intestines, 
 have been perforated one or more times, calls for surgical pro- 
 cedures which are of severity and danger in proportion to the 
 gravity of the w^ound which necessitates them, and w^iich, while 
 they often save life, must necessarily often fail. Indeed, such 
 operations may prove fatal upon the operating-table, i.e., pa- 
 tients may die before the conclusion of the operation. The 
 question may, therefore, arise whether the person who inflicted 
 the wound should be held responsible for his act, or whether b}^
 
 DEATH FROM SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 625 
 
 the intervention of the surgeon the responsibility may not at 
 least be shifted from the shoulders of the accused. The law in 
 this respect is explicit and regards such operation as the out- 
 come of necessity and a legitimate part of treatment, so that if 
 it be undertaken in good faith, with reasonable care and skill, 
 the accused will be held responsible, be the result what it may. 
 The question of necessity and the plan of operation are left to 
 the judgment of the surgeon in charge. Considering the re- 
 sponsibility involved in such cases and the possibility of a suit 
 being raised, we should always advise the operator to secure 
 the counsel c2 other surgeons or practitioners in his vicinity. 
 The verdict of such a counsel of talent will always stand. Ac- 
 cording to Lord Hale, when death takes place from an unskil- 
 ful operation under such circumstances, and not from the 
 wound, the responsibility of the prisoner naturally ceases, but 
 the burden of proof that such has been unskilfully performed 
 rests naturally with the defence. It is much better also in 
 these cases that the primary responsibility be borne by one sur- 
 geon from the beginning of the case, though he may associate 
 with himself as many others as he chooses, since the ends of 
 justice have more than once been defeated by a division of such 
 responsibilities. Should it be made to appear that the surgeon 
 in charge has not availed himself of such means as are supposed 
 to be in the hands of exerj competent practitioner and has 
 neglected ordinary antiseptic precautions, it would not be diffi- 
 cult to show that the operation had been unskilfully performed, 
 and the prisoner would naturally get the benefit of such defence. 
 At the present date of writing there exists a large class of the 
 profession who still continue to do surgery according to the 
 views and practices of twenty or thirty years ago, and who, 
 while perhaps carrying out some of the forms of antiseptic 
 surgerj^, are still ignorant of its fundamental principles and 
 consequently guilty of neglect, since there is now no reason 
 why all should not practise them. The writer holds to the view 
 that if it can be shown that these precautions were not adopted 
 when others would have adopted them, it constitutes criminal 
 neglect. 
 
 On the other hand, circumstances maj^ arise where a simple 
 or a more serious operation would have saved life, as, for in- 
 stance, in cases of hemorrhage, and where a surgeon from 
 40
 
 626 GUNSHOT WOUNDS — PARK. 
 
 timidit}^ or carelessness has failed to take the necessary steps. 
 Such neglect as this should inure to the benefit of the accused, 
 but when at any time it can be shown that the possible benefits 
 of operation have been offered to the deceased before his death 
 and have been declined, the surgeon at least is relieved of all 
 further responsibility. Among the dangers of operations under 
 these circumstances are of course to be reckoned those pertain- 
 ing to the use of anaesthetics. The surgeon in charge, however, 
 is responsible for the selection of his assistants, at least when 
 assistants are at hand, and must be regarded as equally com- 
 petent in this as in other features of the operation ; and even 
 though the patient die from collapse or the antesthetic, the bur- 
 den of proof must rest with the defence to show that it had 
 been unskilfully administered. 
 
 Note. — The assistance which the microscope may afford in 
 the procurement of evidence in cases of gunshot wound is 
 beautifully illustrated in the expert testimony reported by Dr. 
 James, of St. Louis, in the presidential address before the 
 American Society of Microscopists, in Washington, August, 
 1891, printed in Vol. XIII. of its Transactions. It occurred in 
 St. Louis, in the case of The People v. Vail, who had a pistol in 
 his pocket at the instant when his wife fell from a wagon 
 against him, knocking him, as he claimed, against the wheel of 
 the wagon, the pistol being discharged by accident. By a mi- 
 nute study of the fibres of the various textures making up his 
 overcoat and of the effect of the explosion of powder upon textile 
 fabrics almost in contact with it, he was enabled to establish 
 the accident and secure the acquittal of the accused.
 
 DEATH 
 
 BY HEAT AND COLD, 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 INSOLATION IN ITS MEDICO-LEGAL ASPECTS. 
 
 BY 
 
 ENOCH V. STODDARD, A.M., M.D., 
 
 Emeritus Professor of Materia Medica and Hygiene in the University of Buffalo; 
 
 Member of the Medical Society of the State of New York and of the Central 
 
 New York Medical Association; Fellow of the New York Academy 
 
 of Medicine and of the American Academy of Medicine; 
 
 Late Surgeon 65th Regt. N. Y. Vols, ; Late 
 
 Health Commissioner, Rochester, 
 
 N. Y. ; etc. , etc.
 
 DEATH BY HEAT ANJ) COLD. 
 
 TEMPERATURE OF THE BODY. 
 
 The production and regulation of heat in the body is a 
 problem by no means elucidated. We consider heat production 
 to be of internal origin, by a complex process involving tissue 
 metamorphosis, chemical changes in nutrient elements, mus- 
 cular movements, etc. Heat regulation is accomplished, not 
 only by variation in the loss of heat by the body, but by what 
 is more important, variations in the amount of heat generated. 
 It is an accepted physiological conclusion that there exists in 
 the body a thermotaxic nervous mechanism which controls its 
 normal, as well as its abnormal, manifestations of heat. 
 
 The average temperature of the body in health is 37° C. 
 (98.6° F.), in the axilla. Taken in the vagina or rectum, .9° C. 
 (1.3° F.) higher is noted. The daily average range of varia- 
 tion is about 1° C. (1.8° F.). 
 
 In disease or injury considerable variations occur; very 
 high, as well as very low, temperatures are met. In severe 
 neuroses and some forms of malarial disease a temperature of 
 42.2° C. (115° F.) has been recorded, and after an injury 71° 
 C. (122° F.).' 
 
 Very low temperatures are reported in several cases of acute 
 alcoholism, accompanied by exposure to cold, where a tempera- 
 ture of 28.8° C. (75° F.) in the rectum was noted, recovery 
 following. * 
 
 Such extreme temperatures, though authentic, are excep- 
 tional. 
 
 Very high temperatures in febrile conditions are borne be- 
 cause remitting; and low temperatures, subject to periods of 
 elevation, are met in wasting and other conditions. Very 
 high and very low temperatures are also noted, just before 
 
 'Reported by Teale, Lon. Clin. '^Reineke. Brit, and For. Med. 
 
 Society, Feb. 26tli, 1875. and Surg. Rev., April, 1876.
 
 (330 HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 death, in acute diseases and conditions specially involving the 
 nervous system. 
 
 The degree to which the temperature may be raised without 
 destroying life has been investigated by Berger, Bernard, 
 Chossat, and others.' 
 
 Their experiments show that if an elevation of temperature 
 of the body 7.20° C. (13° F.) be maintained for any length of 
 time in warm-blooded animals, death ensues. Depression of 
 the temperature of warm-blooded animals 12° C. (20° F.), or 
 even less than these degrees below the normal, results fatally. 
 Portions of the bod}" may be frozen and yet, under appropriate 
 treatment, recover. But freezing of the whole body must nec- 
 essarily prove fatal. 
 
 Great differences in ability to endure extremes of heat and 
 cold appear among different nations and in different individ- 
 uals. The very young and the very old are unable to bear ex- 
 posure to extreme cold. In both, the capacity for heat produc- 
 tion is low and the vital powers are soon enfeebled to a critical 
 degree. The healthy adult can, with proper precautions, safely 
 endure great extremes of heat and cold. The experience of 
 arctic explorers in the expeditions of Kane, Nares, Greely, and 
 others has demonstrated the power of endurance, for a consid- 
 erable period, of a temperature from 00° to 100° F. below the 
 freezing-point. On the other hand, laborers employed in pottery 
 and other establishments, using ovens raised to 148° to 315° C. 
 (300° to 600° F.) or higher, are often exposed for some time 
 without injury to temperatures approaching these intense 
 figures. 
 
 EFFECTS OF EXTREME COLD. 
 
 Legal inquiry into the conditions of death from cold occurs 
 almost entirely in cases of unintentional exposure. Cold has 
 been employed, however, with homicidal intent. The depress- 
 ing influence of continued low temperatures is observed in the 
 death-rates of cities, in winters of protracted severity, where 
 the proportionate mortality among infants, the aged and en- 
 feebled shows marked increase. While age is a prominent 
 predisposing and contributing factor, other causes exist. Ex- 
 
 ' "Experiences sur les effets de chaleur, etc.," Jour, de Physique, Ixiii., 
 p. 77. Paris, 1805.
 
 EFFECTS OF EXTREME COLD. 631 
 
 haustion from severe and prolonged exertion, deprivation of 
 food, intoxication, former illness, and other conditions of depres- 
 sion lessen the powers of the body to resist cold. Thus an 
 exposure which might be safely borne in perfect health might 
 result fatally in the same person in conditions of depression 
 just referred to (Case 1). 
 
 Investigation may be demanded in case of the death of 
 
 A. Young children. 
 
 B. The injured. 
 C The insane. 
 
 A. In Young Children.— This may be in the new-born 
 or older children. 
 
 In the new-horn exposure to cold soon causes death, as 
 warmth is essential to the life of the young being. The length 
 of time necessary to a fatal issue is modified b}' several condi- 
 tions. In the immature or prematurely born infant the resist- 
 ing power is much less than in the child born at full term and 
 otherwise healthy. In cases of suspected infanticide by ex- 
 posure the question of the maturity of the child at birth is to 
 be decided. Careful examination of the place in which the 
 body was discovered should be made as to its lack of warmth ; 
 and the degree of external cold at the time of probable ex- 
 posure should be recorded. The circumstances as to whether 
 the exposure was inadvertent or accidental, as in cases of pre- 
 mature or unexpected delivery, or whether from intentional 
 and deliberate purpose or from culpable neglect, should be care- 
 fully considered. The post-mortem examination should decide 
 whether the appearances and conditions of the body are those 
 peculiar to death from cold (Case 2). 
 
 Death ma}^ occur from culpably careless exposure to cold, 
 as a contributory if not as a direct cause, in such conditions of 
 enfeeblement. Criminal neglect to provide medical attendance, 
 food, and other essentials has been proven in some cases of the 
 so-called "faith cure" or "prayer cure." Exposure may be 
 resorted to with deliberate homicidal intent. It ma}', in some 
 cases of death, become an important legal question to decide 
 whether a studied and persistent neglect of this nature may 
 not have been followed, with the purpose of getting rid of a 
 troublesome care (Cases 2 and 13). 
 
 B. Exposure of the injured or -wounded, thereby in-
 
 632 HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 ducing some grave condition or complication which under 
 proper care would have been avoided, may raise an important 
 question in injuries inflicted by another, with or without crimi- 
 nal intent. It is undeniable that serious or fatal results may 
 follow a slight wound, otherwise trivial, where the injured person 
 was subjected, accidentally or intentionally, to extreme cold for 
 a considerable period. "While such cases are comparatively 
 rare, they may demand investigation, 
 
 C. Exposure of the Insane. — While it must be admitted 
 that the insane subject is usually indifferent to matters of tem- 
 perature, death from exposure to cold may call for special 
 examination. Carelessness, incompetence, or wilful neglect on 
 the part of nurses or keepers of insane hospitals, or deliberate 
 criminal intent in such or others having the care of or an in- 
 terest in the death of an insane person may lead to a judicial 
 inquiry. 
 
 Sudden death has been reported as occurring, in several 
 cases, after the ingestion of large quantities of cold water 
 when the person was greatly heated. It is somewhat difficult 
 to explain all such cases reported on a single line of causation. 
 Some observers have attributed death to syncope or asthenia by 
 the shock produced, in the sudden effect of the cold upon the 
 sympathetic nervous system inducing heart failure. This 
 seems the most natural explanation. 
 
 Others consider the causative factor to be the formation of 
 thromboses in the capillaries of the brain, lungs, and other 
 organs, inducing active and obstructive congestions causing 
 death by apnoea or coma. Others regard these cases as similar 
 to "heat apoplexy." 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 Under the influence of external cold, the vessels of the skin 
 are contracted and the internal splanchnic areas dilated. Thus 
 the surface of the body contains less blood and the internal 
 organs a larger proportion. This vascular change is one of the 
 important factors in maintaining the uniform temperature of 
 the body. The thermometer, placed in the mouth, in such con- 
 ditions frequentl}' indicates a rise of temperature. This is 
 probably due, not only to the increased volume of blood collected
 
 TREATMENT. 033 
 
 in the internal organs, but also to an increased production of 
 heat through a thermogenic action. 
 
 In exposure for a time to severe cold the nose, ears, cheeks, 
 hands, feet, and other portions of the body, after the first ap- 
 pearance of dusky lividity, become bloodless and white, lose 
 sensation, and become congealed ; a condition known as " frost- 
 bite." From this, recovery without injury is possible under 
 appropriate treatment, by which the temperature is gradually 
 raised and the circulation restored. Where the latter result is 
 not secured, the part becomes gangrenous and is ultimately re- 
 moved by a process of inflammation and sloughing. 
 
 If the application of cold be protracted and the temperature 
 extreme, the loss of heat becomes rapid and symptoms of de- 
 pression of the heart's action appear. Painful sensations of the 
 surf ace and other portions of the body are experienced, succeeded 
 by impaired sensation and ansesthesia. The skin acquires a 
 dusk}', reddish, and livid appearance, with the formation oc- 
 casionally of vesicles or blisters. With the lessened sensation 
 stiffness of the limbs appears, due to failing muscular contrac- 
 tility. The congestion of the central portions of the nervous 
 system induces a condition of advancing stupor, resulting in 
 complete coma with ultimate suspension of respiration and the 
 heart's action. 
 
 Death from exposure to cold maj' be rapid or slow. In cases 
 of recovery the period of reaction is a critical one. The de- 
 pression of the heart is apt to continue, and gangrene of parts 
 of the body is likely to occur. Ulcers and sores healing with 
 difficulty develop in some cases. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 In the treatment of those who are suffering from the effects 
 of extreme cold, the restoration of the congealed or " frost-bit- 
 ten" portions of the body should be gradually accomplished. 
 Raising the temperature rapidly is liable to induce the death 
 and destruction of the affected parts. Ice or snow should, at 
 first, be rubbed upon the frozen part, to be succeeded later by 
 cold water. The patient should be placed in a cool room and 
 distant from the fire or source of heat. As soon as warmth 
 begins to return the part should be enveloped in wool, cotton.
 
 634 HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 or some substance of poor conducting powers. If the whole 
 body be chilled, frictions of the surface with stimulating lotions 
 are of benefit, wrapping the person in woollen or fur coverings 
 or garments afterward. 
 
 Hot coffee or alcoholic stimulants are of value as restora- 
 tives, but the latter are to be avoided during an exposure to 
 cold. 
 
 PosT-MoRTEM Appearances. 
 
 The appearances indicative of death from cold are suffi- 
 ciently marked to enable one to decide whether exposure to cold 
 was the chief determining cause of death, provided that a care- 
 ful consideration of the circumstances of season, temperature, 
 place, and other conditions be also had. 
 
 In the examination of a body in a case of apparent death 
 from cold, the limbs and internal organs may be found frozen. 
 It must be remembered that this occurs after, not before, death ; 
 and the frozen condition must not be mistaken for "rigor 
 mortis. " 
 
 In cases where a body is found, in freezing conditions of 
 atmosphere, showing commencing putrefaction, the death must 
 not be hastily attributed to cold, which prevents putrefaction. 
 It is evident that if cold was the cause of death the tempera- 
 ture of the body had been raised since that event, or, more prob- 
 ably, death occurred from other causes and the body remained 
 some time before becoming frozen. 
 
 The finding of a body in the snow or frozen in severe 
 weather must not preclude the search for other causes of death, 
 such as apoplexy, etc., which may have occurred anterior to the 
 freezing. 
 
 Observers generally have agreed upon the presence of cer- 
 tain post-mortem conditions in cases of death from cold. 
 
 Externally. — Upon the skin are found dusky reddish 
 patches, irregular in outline, which are in sharp contrast with 
 the general pallor of the surface. Krajewskey,' Ogston,° Die- 
 berg,^ and others, in the several series of cases reported by them, 
 all describe this condition. The skin otherwise is pale. 
 
 ' Henke's " Zeitschrift, " 1860. ■' Caspar's " Vierteljahrsclirift, " 
 
 ■' Brit, and For. Med. -Chir. Rev. , 1864. 
 1855.
 
 EFFECTS OF EXTREME HEAT. (335 
 
 Internally. — The viscera, including the brain, are con- 
 gested. The heart contains a large quantity of blood in the 
 cavities of both sides, and the large vessels leading from it are 
 also full. The color of the blood is a bright red, resembling its 
 arterial hue. This condition has been generally noted and de- 
 scribed ; but some excellent observers have not referred to it. 
 
 EFFECTS OF EXTREME HEAT. 
 
 The application of moderate heat to the surface of the body 
 causes dilatation of the cutaneous capillaries. In such applica- 
 tion the exhalant and perspiratory function of the skin is in- 
 creased, by which means a rise in general body temperature is 
 prevented. If, however, severe physical exertion accompany 
 the exposure, a more pronounced result is induced and a de- 
 pressing effect upon the nervous system becomes manifest. If 
 the degree of heat be raised and the exertion increased and 
 prolonged, marked depression ensues. Under circumstances 
 of quiet and rest a high degree of temperature is borne by man 
 without depression or discomfort, but with continued and severe 
 muscular effort the rise in animal temperature is productive of 
 distress and depressing conditions. In the Turkish or Russian 
 baths, in the healthy subject, a temperature of 48.8° to 54.4° C. 
 (120° to 130° F.) produces profuse perspiration but no depres- 
 sion, and a plunge in or affusion of cold water is not only 
 borne with impunity but is acceptable. In conditions of heat 
 accompanied by phj^sical exhaustion, such sudden exposure to 
 cold would prove extremely dangerous. 
 
 In the condition of rest, exposed to external heat, the ten- 
 dency to elevation of body temperature arises from the external 
 causes alone, which in no way specially modify the nutritive 
 functions. But in the second condition the internal processes 
 of nutrition, which have been subject to great stimulation, are 
 suddenly embarrassed by suppression of the compensating 
 activity of the cutaneous surface, and severe organic and ner- 
 vous derangements follow. 
 
 In the summer season the temperature rises to 32.3° C 
 (90° F.) and even much higher in certain localities. During 
 the prevalence of such heat, tlie mortality among young chil- 
 dren, the aged and enfeebled is ver}- marked ; these two periods
 
 636 V HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 of life being very susceptible to the depressing effects of heat. 
 A high temperature is easily borne if the air be pure and the 
 atmosphere be not saturated with moisture. Telluric electric 
 conditions also have a modifying influence, undoubted though 
 obscure. 
 
 In certain occupations an intensely heated atmosphere is 
 endured with impunity for a considerable time, provided the 
 air be maintained in a condition of purity and water be sup- 
 plied to the person exposed. The stokers upon ocean steam- 
 ships, where a forced draught is employed, are subjected to ex- 
 treme heat, sometimes reaching 60° C. (140° F.). Resort to 
 forced and continuous ventilation of the stoke-roums, with short 
 hours of duty, renders tolerance of the high temperatures 
 possible. 
 
 SUNSTROKE. 
 
 The terms "sunstroke,'^ "insolation," "coup de soleil," 
 are applied to conditions induced, not alone by exposure to the 
 rays of the sun, but rather by a combination of great heat with 
 other exciting causes. They are used to designate attacks oc- 
 curring in very hot weather after exposure to solar or other 
 sources of extreme heat. The striking and usual phenomena 
 are exhaustion, unconsciousness, stertorous respiration, and 
 death, occurring by syncope, within a few moments or hours. 
 In a number of cases the symptoms of cerebral apoplexy with 
 death by coma are present. 
 
 In others, the condition seems one of complete exhaustion. 
 The majority of cases seem to be a combination of these several 
 conditions, with death resulting from syncope. 
 
 The ordinary phenomena of the attack are pain in the head, 
 hurried respiration sometimes stertorous, violent beating of the 
 heart with failing of its power, oppression within the chest and, 
 occasionally, nausea and vomiting. The pupils are sometimes 
 dilated and sometimes contracted, but in all cases exhibit less- 
 ened sensitiveness to light. The suddenness of the attack mod- 
 ifies the symptoms developed. 
 
 Pathological Conditions. 
 
 These are exhaustion with syncopic tendency and a rapid 
 rise in the temperature of the body to a point destructive to
 
 TREATMENT. 637 
 
 the activity of the nervous centres. This is accompanied by 
 an abnormal condition of the blood, resulting from loss of its 
 watery portions, with retention of effete products and impaired 
 aeration. A tendency to general stasis, specially marked by 
 congestions of the lungs and brain, is present. The change in 
 the blood is a very important factor. In some cases, not fatal 
 at the outset, this induces a septic condition. 
 
 The greatly elevated temperature of the body undoubtedly 
 produces certain modifications which type it, in some respects, 
 as a febrile disease; but this, with the septic tendency due to 
 blood changes, is not sufficient to designate it as a purely 
 " thermal fever^" as some have claimed. It is something 
 more than this. 
 
 Sunstroke occurs more commonly in tropical than temperate 
 climates ; ' and usually in the day-time, at the period of greatest 
 solar activity, those attacked being engaged in labor involving 
 considerable exertion. It occasionally, though rarely, occurs at 
 night. The military service affords abundant opportunity' for 
 observation. Here the seizures are on the march, rarely in 
 camp. Fatigue, prolonged and extreme exertion, ill-adjusted 
 clothing and accoutrements, with the deprivation of cool water, 
 are fully as active factors as the heat of the sun. The death- 
 rate ranges between forty and fifty per cent, the mild cases 
 being excluded. Death in some cases is marked by syncope, 
 in others by apnoea, though the majoritj'' seem to die by a com- 
 bination of both, as in most cases the pulmonarj" congestion is 
 more or less pronounced. Undoubtedly the character of the 
 symptoms and mode of death are influenced, in many cases, by 
 individual tendencies leading to apoplectic conditions or to car- 
 diac or other complications. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 This must be adjusted to the pathological conditions of the 
 patient. As already indicated, two classes of cases are met: 
 one marked by exhaustion, with tendency to death by syncope", 
 the other, a state of or tendency to cerebral congestion or apo- 
 plectic conditions. Exactly opposite methods of treatment are 
 
 'Fliut, " Practice of Medicine, " p. 685; Aitken, "Practice of Med- 
 icine," vol. ii., p. 388.
 
 638 HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 demanded. In the first, frequenc}' and feebleness of the heart's 
 action, with faintness of the heart sounds and embarrassment 
 of respiration, indicate the tendency to death by nervous ex- 
 haustion, and must be met by placing the patient in a condition 
 of absolute rest and quiet in a cool place. Stimulants must be 
 promptly administered, though cautiously on account of the 
 tendency to nausea and vomiting. Hypodermic injections of 
 alcohol or ether, or rectal enemata of turpentine, alcohol, or 
 other stimulants, afford means of securing speedy effects when 
 the stomach is irritable. Carbonate of ammonia and other 
 cardiac stimulants are recommended. Depleting agents, or 
 such as prove depressing, are to be avoided. In some cases, 
 hypodermic injections of small doses of morphine prove bene- 
 ficial. Individual cases must modify therapeutic procedures. 
 
 In the second class of cases the tendency to cerebral conges- 
 tion indicates sedative and depleting procedures. Blood-letting 
 has been recommended by some authors, if employed with ex- 
 treme judgment and discrimination.' Cold applied to the head 
 and also to the whole body by rubbing with ice '^ or by effusion 
 and the wet sheet, or other means, is indicated if the tempera- 
 ture is high (104:° to 105° F.). Active catharsis, by promptly 
 acting purgative enemata, is also to be resorted to in most 
 cases. The convulsions occurring in some cases are success- 
 fully modified and controlled by inhalations of small quantities 
 of chloroform. 
 
 PosT-MoRTEM Appearances. 
 
 These, though not clearly characteristic, are pronounced. 
 In some cases no distinct conditions are found. ^ Local conges- 
 tions are present in nearly all cases. Upon the skin are found 
 petechial and livid spots, pallor being occasionally noted. Ec- 
 chymoses and subserous hemorrhages are also common. These 
 conditions have been described as resembling those of spotted 
 typhus (Levick). 
 
 Rigor mortis is marked and occurs early, putrefaction be- 
 ginning soon after death. The lungs are highly congested and 
 
 'Flint, "Practice of Medicine," -Levick, Amer. Jour. Med. 
 
 p. 685 ; Aitken, " Practice of Med- Sciences, Oct. , 1866. 
 icine, "vol. ii., p. 391. ^Katzenbach, New York Med. 
 
 Jour., vol. xvii., p. 91.
 
 BURNS AND SCALDS. G39 
 
 often oedematous, and effusions of serum are frequently found 
 in the pleural cavities/ 
 
 The heart is usually changed in color and consistence, with 
 the left ventricle contracted and the aorta empt}', while the 
 right ventricle and pulmonary arteries are dilated and engorged. 
 The blood is fluid and dark." The large vessels of the pia and 
 dura are full of dark blood. Congestion of the cerebral mass 
 is not always noted. The ventricles contain serum; and ex- 
 travasations of blood into the cervical sympathetic ganglia and 
 vagus are sometimes found. The kidneys are usually moist 
 and oedematous ; the liver and spleen congested and dry. 
 
 BURNS AND SCALDS. 
 
 For all purposes of practice it is unnecessary to draw any 
 distinction between a burn and a scald, for in reality none ex- 
 ists, except as regards the nature of the causative agent. In 
 some cases requiring investigation, this may prove to be a mat- 
 ter of much importance. 
 
 Definition. — A burn is an injury produced by the apjolica- 
 tion to the body of a heated substance, flame or radiant heat. 
 
 A scald is an injury produced by the application of a 
 liquid at or near its boiling-point. 
 
 Appearances as Indicating Origin. 
 
 A hot body maj- produce a burn of any intensity, ranging 
 between reddening of the skin and complete charring of the 
 tissues, according as its temperature is elevated and the period 
 of contact prolonged : the shape of the object and its size being 
 indicated by the form of the burn. Metallic substances heated 
 to a temperature of 100° C. (212° F.) are capable of producing 
 redness and vesication and other injurious effects. At this 
 temperature the albuminous elements of the blood and other 
 fluids undergo coagulation. Some bodies require to be heated 
 to redness, or nearly so, in order to produce a defined burn. 
 
 Very hot and partiallj^-fused solids cause burns of greater 
 severity than where the heated body is of a character favoring 
 
 ' Wood, Phil. Med. Times, Aug. ■ Hanfield Jones, Brit. Med. 
 
 5th, 1876. Jour., July, 1870, p. 35.
 
 640 HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD, 
 
 prompt removal. In such cases their adhesion to the skin in- 
 volves the tearing away of the superficial portions of the derma 
 in their removal, or they by their adherence prolong the con- 
 tact of the heated body, thus intensifying their destructive 
 action. 
 
 Metals in a state of fusion produce burns which can- 
 not be easily distinguished from those caused by solid bodies. 
 Such burns are classed as scalds. Their effects may vary in 
 any degree between slight redness and complete destruction of 
 the tissues with charring. Burns caused by melted solids are 
 less regular in form and outline than those caused by heated 
 solids. They are usually of greater severity on account of the 
 high temperature to which they have been raised.' 
 
 Boiling Water. — Scalds by boiling water maybe so slight 
 as to produce redness only, or they may be so severe as to cause 
 marked and characteristic symptoms. Those noted in severe 
 cases are an ashy hue of the skin, accompanied by a soaked or 
 sodden appearance and the production of blisters. Occasion- 
 ally these features are not easily distinguished from those of 
 burns from other sources. Blackening of the skin and charring 
 of the tissues never result from burns by boiling water. As in 
 all burns, a large surface involved renders an early fatal issue 
 probable. In severe cases, not necessarily fatal, gangrene of 
 the parts injured sometimes occurs. Most of those met with 
 are accidental, yet cases of scalding by hot water with intent 
 to injure are not uncommon, aside from injuries and death 
 resulting from explosion of boilers, bursting of steam-pipes, etc. 
 Occasional instances are recorded of death of children, the in- 
 sane or feeble persons by inadvertent immersion in a bath of 
 hot water (Case 21). 
 
 Severe and fatal burns of the mouth, fauces, and larynx in 
 j'-oung children occur from inhaling steam or swallowing boil- 
 ing water from a teapot or kettle in an attempt to drink 
 (Case 5). 
 
 Burns by burning oil produce effects and appearances 
 similar to those b}' melted metals. 
 
 Burns by flame are specially characterized by scorch- 
 ing of the surface. Hairs upon the part actually burned are 
 scorched and usually also those in the vicinit}^ of the burned 
 
 ' Pouillet, Comptes Reudus, 1836, p. 782.
 
 APPEARA^XES AS INDICATING ORIGIN. 641 
 
 patches. Such conditions could not result from scalds by hot 
 water, boiling oil, or from a hot body only. 
 
 Burns by petroleum or its derivatives resemble the 
 burns from flame, except that the injured portions of the body 
 are not only scorched but blackened and are usually burned 
 more severely than by flame alone, as the clothing holds the 
 burning substance in contact with the parts. The odor of the 
 agent is also very noticeable. 
 
 Burns by Acids and Corrosive Agents. — The injury 
 produced by a mineral acid, the caustic alkalies, etc., has fre- 
 quently been the source of judicial inquiry. " Vitriol-throwing, " 
 as it has been termed, has been and occasionally is resoited to 
 with malicious intent to injure. No case of death resulting 
 directly and solely from this cause is recorded, but grave in- 
 juries, involving loss of sight, etc., have resulted. A case is 
 referred to by Taylor ' where sulphuric acid was poured into 
 the ear of a woman while asleep by her husband. Death en- 
 sued, after six weeks, from disease of the brain resulting in- 
 directly from the use of the acid. 
 
 The appearances of a burn by a mineral acid are distin- 
 guished from heat burns with little difficulty. The eschar 
 which results is not dry and leather}^, as in a burn by heat, but 
 soft and readily sloughing away. There is no redness around 
 the site of the injury, the color of the burn being uniform, and 
 no blisters are formed. There is no blackening of the skin and 
 the hairs are not scorched. The color of the skin around the 
 injured portion may afford valuable evidence of the nature of 
 the agent employed. Nitric acid produces a yellow stain, sul- 
 phuric acid a dark brown, and chlorohydric acid a brownish- 
 yellow stain. "^ The clothing also is capable of affording char- 
 acteristic evidence b}^ the discolorations produced; and the 
 destructive agent employed may be determined by a chemical 
 analysis of the fabric.^ 
 
 It is not possible to distinguish a post-mortem from an ante- 
 mortem burn by an acid when no vital reaction has taken 
 place. 
 
 'Taylor, "Med. Jurisprudence," '^ Chainbert, Annales d' Hygiene. 
 
 8th Amer. Ed., p. 444; also the 1859. 
 
 Med. Gazette, vol. xviii., p. 89. ^Buchner, Prager Vierteljahr., 
 
 i., p. 139. 
 
 41
 
 642 HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 THE CLASSIFICATION OF BURNS. 
 
 A classification of burns according to the severity of the 
 injury inflicted is the most practical course. Upon this plan, 
 1)arns may be divided into four general classes: 
 
 I. Burns in which the skin or subcutaneous cellular tissues 
 only are injured. 
 
 II. Burns which involve the muscles, nerves, and blood- 
 vessels. 
 
 III. Burns involving the internal organs and bones. 
 
 IV. Burns in which the other three classes are variously 
 mixed. 
 
 Class I. — The skin in cases such as may occur from a 
 brief contact with a hot body or water near the boiling-point 
 shows a slight redness or scorching with no enduring mark. 
 Pain is considerable. 
 
 Class II. — In the mildest cases the cutis is destroyed in its 
 whole thickness, and the parts injured are occupied by eschars 
 of a yellowish -gray or brownish color. The surrounding skin 
 is reddened, and the formation of blisters occurs either imme- 
 diately or after an interval of a few hours. In these cases a 
 shining cicatrix remains after the healing, without contraction 
 of surrounding parts. In the severer cases the subcutaneous 
 cellular tissue and underlying muscles and nerves are destroyed. 
 The blackish eschars formed are insensible and separate by sup- 
 purative process, leaving a granulating surface below. Ex- 
 tensive redness of surrounding tissues, with more or less vesi- 
 cation, is usuall}" noted. The resulting cicatrices, together 
 with the skin and adjoining structures, are prone to contraction, 
 resulting in considerable deformity, according to location and 
 extent. So great is the deformity in injuries of the extremities, 
 or even some parts of the head and trunk, that extensive sur- 
 gical operations become necessary to relieve it. 
 
 Class III. — Burns of this class are so severe that an imme- 
 diately fatal issue is usually the result. Such instances in- 
 volve a prolonged exposure to flame or to a source of intense 
 heat. The appearances described as belonging to the preceding 
 class are in part found here with the addition of charring or 
 carbonizing the parts destroj^ed.
 
 EFFECTS OF BURNS. G43 
 
 EFFECTS OF BURNS. 
 
 The effects of burns may be considered as I., Locals and 
 II., Constitutional. 
 
 Local Effects. — In different instances the effects vary in 
 accordance with the extent and severity of the burn. Redness, 
 bhsters, destruction of the cuticle and of the subcutaneous cel- 
 hilar tissue, blackening of the skin, scorching of the hair, and 
 roasting of portions of the body are met with in varying 
 degrees. In some severe cases all these are found upon a sin- 
 gle body. The redness produced varies in intensity and extent, 
 according to the nature of the agent producing the burn, its 
 form, and the length of time the part was exposed. 
 
 Very soon after the infliction of the burn a special lino of 
 redness appears between the burned parts and the uninjured 
 skin. This red line of demarcation is formed by intensely 
 injected vessels and becomes a very important medico-legal 
 sign in some cases. The vesication may be single or multiple, 
 consisting of one or two large and full blisters or a number of 
 large and small ones, scattered over the portions burned, some 
 unbroken and still holding their contents, others broken and 
 denuded of cuticle or with breaks from which their serum has 
 escaped upon the surrounding parts. In some cases of burning 
 cracks or fissures in the skin occur, due to the effect of the 
 heat, making it dry and brittle and causing it to rupture by the 
 movements of the patient (Case 8). These fissures are most 
 frequently noted in proximity to the joints.' They resemble 
 wounds, and it occurs occasionally that it is important to accu- 
 rately distinguish their character. In some cases the skin only 
 is fissured ; in others the subjacent tissues are also involved. 
 This difference depends upon the depth of the burn. In the 
 first condition the skin splits, leaving the subcutaneous fat 
 exposed, which in some instances is partially melted by 
 the heat and flows out over the edge of the crack upon the 
 surrounding skin (Cases 8, 13). The blood-vessels in such 
 cases usually are not burned and, owing to their elasticity, 
 remain stretching across the fissure (Case 14). The smaller 
 may be seen by careful examination with a lens : they should 
 'Tidy, " Legal Medicine, " vol. ii., p. 124.
 
 644 HEAT AND COLD— STODDARD. 
 
 always bo looked for. In the second class of injuries the ves- 
 sels are involved in the burn and break with the cracking of 
 the skin. The importance of careful observation of these fis- 
 sures is emphasized in cases of apparent wounds associated 
 with burning. It may be necessary to decide whether the 
 wounds are the result of the action of heat as above described 
 or were caused by some sharp instrument or weapon. Careful 
 inspection of the edges of the wounds will show whether they 
 are ragged, as the result of fissure, or clean-cut by some sharp 
 instrument. The absence of evidences indicating hemorrhage 
 upon the surrounding parts and the detection of uncut blood- 
 vessels extending across the fissure will establish the differen- 
 tial diagnosis. Wounds of the above character resulting from 
 the action of fire may exist on the same body with wounds of 
 actual violence. It is important, therefore, in all cases to ex- 
 amine each wound with special care and record its position, 
 shape, depth, and other characteristics. 
 
 Constitutional Effects. — As in all sudden and violent 
 injuries, the effect of a severe burn upon the nervous system is 
 very marked. This is manifest in the symptoms of "shock," 
 with pallor and coldness of the surface of the body, a feeble 
 pulse, chills or shivering, and a tendency to collapse. In other 
 cases, proving immediately fatal, these symptoms are followed 
 by obstructed respiration with death from coma succeeding. 
 In other cases convulsions precede death, while in such as are 
 not immediately fatal a reaction more or less imperfect ensues 
 upon the first constitutional symptoms. 
 
 Death from cerebral congestion or effusion may result be- 
 fore any definite evidence of reaction aj)pears. In some in- 
 stances pulmonary congestion or oedema occurs, with or with- 
 out pleural effusion, terminating in death before reaction. This 
 period usually covers the first two days. In some cases im- 
 mediate death results from the depression produced bj' the 
 severity of the pain. During the subsequent two weeks a 
 period of inflammatory reaction succeeds, when inflammations 
 of the thoracic and abdominal viscera, with ulcerative processes 
 in some organs, are developed and induce a fatal termination 
 (Cases 10, 11, 16).
 
 causes of death. (345 
 
 Causes of Death. 
 
 The causes of death are due to several conditions. This fact 
 is explained in part by the relation which exists between the 
 cerebro-spinal and sympathetic nervous systems, and of the 
 nervous supply of the surface to that of the internal organs, 
 which in cases of extensive injury proportionately modify the 
 conditions of the visceral organs. As death in burning results 
 from various causes, it is convenient to consider them under 
 two classes : 
 
 1st. Those immediately fatal. 
 
 2d. Those fatal after an interval. 
 
 The FIRST DIVISION would include cases in which the 
 deprivation of fresh air and the presence of asphyxiating pro- 
 ducts of combustion (carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide) 
 were the immediate causes of death by suffocation or asphyxia 
 (Cases 9, 18). 
 
 Accidents in endeavoring to escape or injuries by falling 
 walls or timbers may cause death immediately, and burning 
 the body occur subsequently. 
 
 Immediate death may result from syncope or collapse from 
 the violence of the shock to the nervous system by the pain 
 resulting from the burns. 
 
 The second DIVISION includes those conditions where death 
 may result early, from a series of causes less immediate than 
 those just mentioned. 
 
 Cerebral congestion and effusion, resulting in death from 
 coma, is not unusual (Case 15). In this connection Ta3'lor ' 
 cites a case of alleged poisoning by opium, in the treatment of 
 a burn, in a child dying comatose, and emphasizes the unde- 
 sirability of administering opium or its preparations to chil- 
 dren in cases of burns of any severity. The danger claimed to 
 exist is hardly to be considered. In the case referred to, Aber- 
 nethy, who was a witness in the case,' ascribed death to coma 
 induced by the effect of the burn. The powerfully depressing 
 influence of the pain in sensitive organizations and liability 
 to death from shock therefroni must be remembered. 
 
 Inflammatory conditions of the respiratory tract or organs 
 
 'Taylor, "Med. Jurisprudence," 8th Amer. Ed., p. 407.
 
 646 HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 are common resuha ; pneunionia, broiichitis, and sudden con- 
 gestion or oedema of the lungs are frequent (Cases 11, 15, 
 16). 
 
 Inflammation of the intestines, inducing peritonitis and 
 ulcerations of the intestines with or without resulting hemor- 
 rhage, occurs as a, frequent lesion (Case 10). 
 
 Gangrene or sej:)ticcemia causes death in other instances. 
 
 Exhaustion, from extensive and prolonged suppuration or 
 from severe and long-continued pain and other conditions, ter- 
 minates other cases (Case 12). 
 
 Legally, burns and scalds are included among injuries en- 
 dangering life, but are not described as wounds. -They may bo 
 considered dangerous according to the extent of surface which 
 they cover, rather than the depth to which they involve the 
 tissues. 
 
 The extensive injury to the sensory nerve structures and the 
 suspension of function or destruction of a considerable portion 
 of the perspiratory tracts render large superficial burns far more 
 fatal than those confined to a small part of a limb, for example, 
 which may be deeply burned. From a medico-legal point it 
 is desirable to establish the fact of how large a surface must 
 be injured to prove fatal. The effort to reduce the subject to 
 a statement of an exact minimum area of square inches seems 
 very objectionable and liable to lead to erroneous conclusions. 
 
 It is possible to make a general statement, subject to some 
 qualifications, which may serve as a basis of conclusion, as 
 each individual case must be considered in its own circum- 
 stances. 
 
 A burn involving two-thirds of the body may be regarded 
 as necessarily fatal ; but the injury of a much less proportion, 
 even one-fourth of the surface, has resulted in death. The 
 qualifications to be made in burns of less extent are pro- 
 nounced. The parf q^ecfed is of much importance. Burns of 
 the trunk are more fatal than those of the extremities; and 
 those of the genital organs ' and lower par^j of the abdomen 
 are especially so (Case 7). 
 
 The character of the burn, whether single and continuous 
 or multiple and scattered over various portions of the bod}", is 
 a very important modifj^ing circumstance, involving the ques- 
 
 'Tidy, "Legal Medicine," vol. ii., p. 99.
 
 TREATMENT — POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES. 647 
 
 tions of excessive pain and the difficulty in insuring necessary 
 treatment for all parts injured. 
 
 The physical condition of the patient and sensitiveness of 
 the nervous system to pain exert a powerfully determining in- 
 fluence. Burns in children and sensitive, nervous females are 
 specially serious and call for an unfavorable prognosis. 
 
 Spontaneous Combustion. — Spontaneous combustion of 
 the human body has been seriously discussed in this connection, 
 and explanations of popularly reported cases have been at- 
 tempted. The writer refers to the subject here for the sole pur- 
 pose of stating that no trustworthy evidence of the possibility 
 of any such condition or result exists. 
 
 j Treatment. 
 
 In cases of severe burns the constitutional as well as the 
 local conditions demand attention. Locally, a great variety of 
 applications has been employed : starch, gum, oxide of zinc, 
 solution of caoutchou, collodion, cotton wadding, a mixture of 
 linseed oil and lime-water on cotton or lint, and many other 
 agents are used. The important consideration is to exclude 
 the air from and to afford a protective covering for the injured 
 surface. The constitutional treatment varies in different cases ; 
 but its main object is to relieve pain, induce reaction from the 
 shock, and support the depressed nervous system. 
 
 For the first opium or its preparations in proper doses is 
 indicated. Alcoholic stimulants in some cases are demnnded 
 in addition. After the stage of reaction has occurred the 
 therapeutics must be governed by inflammatory conditions ; or 
 later by the exhaustion from continued pain, suppuration, etc. 
 
 Post-Mortem Appearances. 
 
 In the external post-mortem examination of a burned 
 body careful note should be made of the sex, probable age, and 
 every circumstance leading to the establishment of the identity 
 of the individual. The parts burned should be specially exam- 
 ined as to their condition, whether exhibiting redness, vesica- 
 tion, or charring. The amount of surface covered by the burns 
 should be computed ; also the relation of the burned parts to
 
 G48 HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 those uninjured, whether separated by a sharply marked line of 
 redness or merging into the sound skin without a line of 
 demarcation. The condition of the blisters should be examined 
 as to whether they are full or empty and their contents as to 
 whether consisting of clear or turbid serum. 
 
 Internally. — In some cases no lesions are found on exam- 
 ination. These are usually cases where death occurred from 
 shock or severe pain (Case 12). Ordinarily the mucous mem- 
 brane of the respiratory tracts is congested. In some instances, 
 however, no redness has been discernible. Where death oc- 
 curred by suffocation and asphyxia, the trachea and bronchial 
 tubes have been found to contain a dark smoky or sooty mucus' 
 (Case 9). 
 
 The serous membranes of the brain, thorax, and abdomen 
 are in many cases found reddened with effusions, more or less 
 considerable, into the ventricles of the brain and the pleural, 
 pericardial, and peritoneal cavities from the sudden inflow of 
 blood from the surface, caused by the local injuries. 
 
 When the body has been badly charred or incinerated the 
 skeleton usually remains, and it is possible to determine the 
 age from the size and development of the bones and the sex 
 from the shape of the bones of the pelvis. Careful search 
 should be made for special articles of identity. False teeth," a 
 watch and chain, buttons, etc., have alone been sufficient to 
 identify the incinerated remains (Case 23). Where the whole 
 body and even the bones have been reduced to ashes, some por- 
 tions of bone, etc., may be found on careful search. Sifting 
 the ashes will give some pieces of bone, etc., which may be 
 sufficient to disclose the presence of human remains^ (Case 
 24). A chemical analysis of the ashes also will aid in estab- 
 lishing this fact. In cases where cremation of the body has 
 been resorted to to conceal crime, the length of time necessary 
 to entirely consume the human body may become an important 
 question. A period of less than ten hours has been proven 
 sufficient.^ 
 
 'Caspar, "Forensic Medicine," ^Report of the "Druse Case." 
 
 vol. i. , p. 314; Schjerning, Vier- Trans. New York State Med. Soci- 
 
 teljahr. fiir gericht. Med., xli., 1884. etj'. 1887, p. 417. 
 
 -The "Parkman Case, " Boston, •* See the Druse Case above. 
 1850.
 
 PERIOD OF THE OCCURRENCE OF DEATH. (JiO 
 
 Period of the Occurrence of Death, 
 
 As already indicated, death may occur from direct causes 
 during the first forty-eight hours after the infliction of the 
 burn, or may take place during a period extending from the 
 second daj' to the fifth or even the sixth week. In the great 
 majority of cases the fatal result occurs during the first five or 
 six days. In some instances it may be important to establish 
 the fact as to how long after the infliction of the hum the 
 person may have survived. 
 
 Inflammation and suppuration would not ordinarilj' begin 
 until about the third day, hence the existence of this condition 
 would indicate that the person had probably lived two days or 
 more; and the state of advancement of these processes would 
 afford some further evidence. The existence of intestinal in- 
 flammations and ulcerations, which require some days for their 
 appearance and development, would also give some indication 
 of the probable time elapsing. 
 
 WAS THE BURN ANTE MORTEM OR POST MORTEM ? 
 
 In describing the anatomical characters of a burn occurring 
 during life, vesication, the formation of blisters, is regarded 
 as a marked symptom. 
 
 While it is not an invariable result in a burn of the living 
 bod\% it is so constant as to become one of the most important 
 factors in answering the question as to the ante- or post-mortem 
 infliction of the burn. Where the burn has been caused by a 
 scalding fluid, or by burning of the clothing, or the direct ap- 
 plication of flame, blisters are more likel}^ to occur than where 
 contact with a highly heated body has taken place. In the 
 formation of a blister the cuticle is raised from the derma or 
 true skin by the effusion of a highly albuminous serum, and 
 the surrounding skin is of a bright or copper}^ red color. The 
 time of the appearance of such a blister is not fixed. It may 
 occur almost immediatel}' or may not do so for several hours, 
 an interval sufficiently long for death to occur from shock. It 
 must be remembered that a burn inflicted in a condition of 
 great depression of the vital powers with insensibility may be
 
 GoO HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 followed by no vesication or redness, but upon reaction and 
 return of sensation both redness and blisters may appear 
 (Case 17). In the absence of blisters, therefore, it cannot be 
 decided that for this reason the burn was post mortem. 
 If from a blister formed on the living body the cuticle be care- 
 fully removed, the site of the blister will present an intensely 
 reddened base. In the dead body, if the cuticle be removed, no 
 red base appears, but the surface of the blister becomes dry and 
 of a grayish color. 
 
 On the other hand, if the presence of blisters is noted, can 
 it be concluded that the burn was ante mortem? While their 
 presence affords reason for an affirmative answer, careful exam- 
 ination of the blisters as to their character and contents must 
 be made in order to decide ; the presence of apparent blisters is 
 not alone sufficient (Cases 20, 18; Plate II.). 
 
 Elaborate experiments have been made in order to decide the 
 possibility of producing blisters post mortem. 
 
 Leuret,' in experiments upon dropsical subjects twenty-four 
 hours after death, shows the possibility of raising a blister 
 post mortem, but one which can be distinguished from one of 
 ante-mortem production, in that it contains a reddish serum 
 very slightly albuminous. He urges extreme care in deciding 
 this question. 
 
 Christison ' found it impossible to produce a blister a few 
 hours after death. In a patient unconscious from narcotic 
 poison, heat applied four hours before death produced a blister 
 and a red line was formed around the burns. In the burns pro- 
 duced half an hour after death, in the same patient, blisters 
 formed in two places only, and these were covered by dry skin 
 and contained air. No redness appeared around them. 
 
 Champouillon ^ agrees with Leuret in his conclusions, from 
 experiments upon dropsical subjects. 
 
 Kosack ^ considers blisters with albuminous contents diag- 
 nostic of burns during life, but states the necessity for care in 
 deciding in the absence of other signs of reaction. 
 
 Wright ' was able to produce blisters three and a half hours 
 
 ' Annales d'Hygiene, 1835, ii., ^ Friedrich's Blatter f. gericht. 
 
 p. 387. Med., 1877, Heft iii., p. 210. 
 
 '^Edinb. Med. and Surg. Journal, ""Path. Research, on Vital and 
 
 Tol. XXXV., p. 320, April, 1831. Post-Mortem Burning, " 1850. 
 
 2 Ann. d'Hygiene, 1846, i., p. 320.
 
 WAS THE BURN ANTE MORTEM OR POST MORTEM? 651 
 
 after death containing a small quantity of pale serum. On 
 the same body, similar experiments fifteen hours after death 
 produced blisters containing no serum. 
 
 Caspar ' states, as a result of experiments, that blisters may 
 be produced b}^ flame after death ; that they result from vapor- 
 ization of the fluid beneath the cuticle by the heat employed ; 
 that they are not found to contain serum and no line of redness 
 is found at their base. The presence after death of vesications 
 containing serum and surrounded by a reddish base is an evi- 
 dence that the burn was inflicted ante mortem. He distinctly 
 says : " It is quite impossible to confound a burn inflicted dur- 
 ing life with one inflicted after death. " 
 
 Woodman and Tidy,^ in an extended series of experiments, 
 conclude that while blisters can be produced post mortem, they 
 are readily distinguished from those formed ante mortem in 
 containing no serum; and even in dropsical subjects, where 
 blisters containing some fluid were formed, the presence of but 
 a mere trace of albumin was shown; and, in all, no redness 
 about the base of the blisters was produced, nor any appearance 
 of redness after removal of the cuticle, 
 
 Taylor ^ has never observed vesications in post-mortem ex- 
 periments on infants. He cites a case of drowning where the 
 person, "pulseless and apparently dead,"' was imprudently 
 placed in a hot bath. Blisters containing blood}^ serum were 
 formed over several portions of the bod3^ He concludes that 
 hot water on the living and recently dead body, so far as vesi- 
 cation is concerned, produces similar effects. 
 
 In experiments on the dead body immediately after death 
 the writer has failed to produce any blister containing serum 
 or fluid. The so-called blisters are produced by the rapid ex- 
 pansion and evaporation of the fluid beneath the cuticle over 
 the portion to which the heat was applied, and differ distinctly 
 from blisters caused during life, in the absence of serum or any 
 redness of adjacent or subjacent parts (Plate II.). 
 
 Chambert^ concludes that in living bodies and in dead 
 bodies within twenty-four hours after death blisters can be 
 produced, and that less heat will develop them in the living. 
 
 '■'Forensic Medicine," vol. iv. , ''"Med. Jurisprudence," Amer. 
 
 p. 399. Ed., lyyo, p. 40S. 
 
 -"Forensic Medicine," Ed. 1877, ^ Aniialos d'Hygiene, 1859, 2d 
 
 p. 886. ser., xi., 343, 379.
 
 652 HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 He specially emphasizes the difference, in the albuminous char- 
 acte: of the contents, of a blister formed ante mortem and of 
 one formed post mortem. 
 
 Jastrowitz ' emphasizes the difference between blisters formed 
 during life and those occurring in oedematous conditions. 
 
 Blisters are to be distinguished from the bullae arising from 
 putrefaction. There is little danger of confounding such cases. 
 In conditions of putrefaction no redness or line of demarcation 
 exists, and the green discoloration and other conditions of the 
 skin will suffice to establish the diagnosis. 
 
 Schjerning ^ considers blisters containing highly albuminous 
 serum as diagnostic of burns produced during life. In some 
 conditions of depression of nutrition blisters occasionally form, 
 but are not liable to be confounded with those caused by 
 burning. 
 
 A second anatomical feature of much importance, even more 
 so than vesication, is the condition of the skin to which the 
 heat was applied. It assumes a dusky red color and a dry 
 and parchment-like condition (Case 8). Surrounding this is 
 an area of grayish-white skin bounded by a sharply defined 
 and deeply injected red line, which in turn shades into the 
 color of the surrounding skin. These features are more or less 
 pronounced according to the degree of heat applied and to the 
 length of time of contact ; or, in other words, to the depth and 
 severity of the burn (Plate I.). 
 
 MEANS OF DISTINGUISHING ANTE-MORTEM FROM POST- 
 MORTEM BURNS. 
 
 Differentially, a distinction is to be made between the sur- 
 rounding redness and the line of redness. The redness due 
 to capillary distention is transient, disappears under pressure 
 during life, and fades after death. The line of redness is per- 
 manent, changing but little under pressure, and remains after 
 death. It is a vital reactionary effort, a true line of separation 
 between living and dead tissue, formed in the same manner as 
 the line of demarcation in sphacelus or gangrene. This line 
 of redness, developed only during life and permanent after 
 
 ' Vierteljahr. f . gericht. Med. , - Eulenb. , Vierteljahr. f . gericht. 
 
 Bd. xxxvi., Heft i., 1880. Med., xii., 1885, xlii., 1887.
 
 MEANS OF DISTINGUISHING BURNS. 053 
 
 death, is of great significance in cases with a medico-legal 
 bearing. It has been already stated that in persons in a con- 
 dition of depressed vitality the appearance of redness and vesi- 
 cation is sometimes very tardy and imperfect, and that death 
 from shock or pain may occur before their development at all. 
 They are vital processes and require time for their appearance 
 in proportion to the activity of the powers of reaction. Hence 
 in cases of burning resulting fatally where vesication and red- 
 ness do not appear, the circumstances must be carefully con- 
 sidered before deciding that the burns produced were post 
 mortem. With these qualifications, it may be stated that the 
 presence of the red line is almost uniform in burns inflicted 
 during life and absent in those occurring after death. 
 
 If upon a body bearing evidences of exposure to heat there 
 be found blisters containing highly albuminous serum, and such 
 blisters, after the removal of the cuticle, present a bright red 
 base surrounded by a bright and sharp line of demarcation, 
 with redness of adjacent surface, we are justified in concluding 
 that the burns were inflicted ante mortem or, at farthest, within 
 a few moments of death. If, on the contrary, the red line is 
 absent and the blisters contain a thin watery fluid, with a yel- 
 lowish and dry condition of their base after removal of the 
 cuticle, the presumption is that the burning occurred post 
 mortem. 
 
 Where a number of burns are found upon a body, the ques- 
 tion whether they were produced simultaneously may be 
 raised. This can be answered by examination as to their con- 
 dition. If some show signs of recent infliction, while others 
 are in conditions of suppuration or other changes which only 
 occur after an interval, a difference of time in production would 
 be probable. But if all present mainly the same conditions, 
 the probability of their occurring at the same time may be con- 
 cluded (Plates I. and II.). 
 
 The Condition of the Blood.— Special examination of 
 the blood of persons dying from the effect of bums has been 
 made by competent observers. While it is not at present 
 possible to define an exact and constant condition, speciallj'- 
 characteristic, some features of interest have been recently 
 recorded. 
 
 The color of the blood has been variously reported ; in some
 
 654 HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 cases as being of a dark color and in others of a bright ar- 
 terial hue. Death by asphyxia or suffocation, by the depriva- 
 tion of oxygen, and by the products of combustion, would be 
 accompanied by a dark or venous hue of the blood. An atmos- 
 phere containing an excess of carbon monoxide, resulting from 
 combustion, would cause death by apnoea with an arterial hue 
 to the blood.' But other influences must be considered. Ac- 
 cording to Schjerning,^ it is difficult to deduce positive conclu- 
 sions from the condition of the blood. The changes induced by 
 the spleen and kidneys, as well as the varying intensity of the 
 degree of heat to which the body may be subjected, tend to 
 render positive and constant conclusions from this source dif- 
 ficult. 
 
 Falk ^ refers to the bright red color of the blood found in 
 some cases, and explains this condition in part by the influence 
 of chemical changes in the tissues surrounding the vessels. 
 
 Wertheim * describes certain conditions observed by him 
 and mentions an increase in the number of the leucocytes, to- 
 gether with the presence of haemoglobin and melanin. 
 
 Hoppe Seyler meets with similar results and arrives at the 
 same conclusions in his observations. 
 
 Ponfik,'on the contrary, is doubtful of the constant presence 
 of some of these conditions and also of their diagnostic value. 
 
 Seliger " confirms the conclusions of Wertheim, in that he 
 describes the presence of crystalline bodies and of dark dis- 
 colorations (melanin). 
 
 Some spectroscopic analyses have disclosed the presence of 
 bands additional to those of normal blood. The lack of uni- 
 formity of conditions described and of conclusions reached 
 leaves the subject in a position of uncertainty. Examination of 
 the blood of those dying from burns has not been so exten- 
 sively and minutely followed as to enable us to decide questions 
 which may arise in any case. 
 
 ^Tidy, "Legal Med.," vol. i., p. -iWien. med. Presse, 1868, pp. 
 
 108 ; also Buzzard, London Lancet, 309, 605. 
 
 vol. i., p. 60, 1863. ^Berliner klinische Wochen- 
 
 «Euienberg's Vierteljalir. f. ger- schrift, 1876, No. 17: 1877, No. 46. 
 
 icht. Med., xli.,p. 4A et seq. ''Eulenberg's Vierteljahr. f. ger- 
 
 3 " Die Verbrennungen und Ver- icht. Med. , xlii. , p. 47. 
 briihungen. "
 
 EXPLANATION OF PLATE IL 
 
 FIGURE 1.— ANTE-MORTEM BURN. 
 
 Scald by steam from a boiler bursting, July, 1892. 
 
 From a photograph taken sixty hours after the accident. The in- 
 jury covered one-half of the surface of the body. The red line is 
 sharply marked ; the extensive blisters formed are broken and their 
 contents have escaped ; the serum drying has produced yellowish dis- 
 colorations; the blush of redness on adjacent parts is well marked. 
 Death resulted on the fifth day. 
 
 FIGURE 2.— POST-MORTEM BURN. 
 
 Exp. 1. (Appearances after application of a tin can containing 
 boiling water.) The cuticle was raised by expansion. The blisters 
 contained no serum and no red line is developed 
 
 FIGURE 3.— POST-MORTEM BURN. 
 
 Exp. 2. (Appearances after the application of iron at a dull red 
 heat.) No proper blister formed; the cuticle was raised, as in pre- 
 vious experiment. There was no serum and no red line or redness 
 of adjacent parts. The cuticle is charred at one point, where the iron 
 was brought into contact with it.
 
 MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE— PLATE 
 
 "5^1^ ^^ 
 
 Burn, Two hours after death, by Iron at a dull red heat. 
 
 ■<« jS' 
 
 Burn, Two hours after death, by Tin Can containing boiling water. 
 
 tftiOL 
 
 Burn by Steam, Sixty hours after injury. 
 POST-MORTEM AND ANTE-MORTEM BURNS.
 
 WAS DEATH ACCIDENTAL? 657 
 
 WAS DEATH ACCIDENTAL, SUICIDAL, OR HOMICIDAL ? 
 
 Nearly all deaths occurring from burning are accidental, 
 very few homicidal, and hardly more than a few exceptional 
 cases suicidal. 
 
 It is important in cases of legal investigation to note the 
 position of the body when found and its relation to the ap- 
 parent source of fire; the parts of the body and clothing burned, 
 etc. ; evidences of violence should be carefully observed, such 
 as contusions, fractures of bones, wounds of the soft parts, 
 evidences of strangling, etc. (Case 22). These should be spe- 
 cially sought in the site of the burned portions, as burning and 
 cremation of the victim are sometimes a resort to conceal homi- 
 cide. In considering the character of the apparent wounds, it 
 must be remembered that extensive injuries, resembling wounds, 
 may result from the effects of fire,' and these must be carefully 
 distinguished. 
 
 Inability to detect special marks of violence need not preclude 
 the possibility of its commission and of its being a possible cause 
 of death (Case 19). The parts burned, the character and 
 depth of the burns, and their relation to the apparent source of 
 burning, with consideration of their probable simultaneous ex- 
 posure, are all circumstances of weight in forming an opinion. 
 The position of the body in relation to the fire should also be 
 considered. In accidental burning, except in cases of intoxica- 
 tion, epileptic seizures, or other sources of helplessness, the vic- 
 tim is quite likely to be found at a distance from the fire, owing 
 to his efforts to escape. 
 
 CASES. 
 
 Case 1. Death from Cold. Accidental (Dr. Hilty in Caspar's 
 Vierteljahrschrift, II., 1865, p. 140). — Male, a!t. 52; intoxicated. 
 Severe winter weather ; death from exposure. Post mortem : Blood 
 crimson ; both sides of heart full ; internal organs congested. 
 
 Case 2. Criminal Exposure to Cold {Ann. d' Hygiene, 1868, 
 Vol. II., p. 173). — Girl, unmarried; sudden delivery when at stool. 
 She stated that she had fainted, and found the child dead when she re- 
 
 'See page 043 of this section 
 42
 
 658 HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 covered. The child had breathed and the cord was cut. No marks of 
 violence. Evidence of death being caused by wilful exposure. Im- 
 prisoned. 
 
 Case 3. Ill-Treatment and Criminal Exposure (Ann. d'' Hy- 
 giene, Vol. VI., p. 207, 1831). — Man and wife tried for manslaughter 
 of a child, aet. 11. Wife the stepmother. Starvation and ill-treatment 
 by mother, followed by forcing the child, in a cold December day, to 
 get into a barrel of cold water and remain there. Though removed by 
 a servant, she was again placed in the cold water by the mother, death 
 resulting. The woman was sentenced to life imprisonment. 
 
 Case 4. Sunstroke, High Temperature, etc. (Dr. A. Flint, Jr., 
 Neiv York Med. Jour. , 1872, p. 168 ; Dr. Katzenbach, New York Med. 
 Jour., 1873, p. 93). 
 
 Case 5. Scald, Drinking from a Tea-kettle. Accidental (Mr. 
 Sympson, Brit. Med. Jour., 1875, June 19th, p. 809).— Boy, set. 2k 
 years, drank boiling water from spout of tea-kettle. Inflammation of 
 pharynx and glottis. Tracheotomy ; recovered. 
 
 Case 6. Fatal Scald of Insane Person in a Bath (Brit. Med. 
 Jour., April, 1871, p. 456). — ^An insane patient fatally scalded in a bath, 
 through carelessness of an attendant. The charge of manslaughter 
 brought against the attendant. 
 
 Case 7. Fatal Burn of Genitals. Accidental (Caspar, "Forensic 
 Med.," Vol. I., p. 315).— Female child, 2h years, fell on a hot flat- 
 iron. Genitals burned ; died in eleven days. Vagina gangrenous ; 
 blood fluid ; lungs aneemic and pale ; trachea bright red, etc. 
 
 Case 8. Red, Parchmenty Skin, Cracks, etc. (Caspar, "Forensic 
 Med.," Vol. I., p. 307). — While a chimney-sweep was cleaning a chim- 
 ney a fire was lighted below. Death. The entire skin was of a coppery 
 red color, with yellow patches. No carbonization. Skin parchmenty, 
 with fissures upon the edges of which the fat had melted and flowed 
 out. 
 
 Case 9. Asphyxia. *Soo^?/ Mwcits, eic. (Caspar, "Forensic Med.," 
 Vol. I., p. 314). — Two children, aet. 3 and 7, burned; death from 
 asphyxia. The youngest, the girl, burned externally ; the boy was 
 not. Post mortem in both showed the trachea to contain frothy and 
 sooty mucus. Lungs and vessels of thorax and abdomen distended 
 with dark and fluid blood. Brain congested, etc. 
 
 Case 10. Burn of Body. Inflam,mation of Stomach (Ainer. Jour. 
 Med. Sciences, Jan., 1861, p. 137). — Superficial burn of lower part of 
 hody. Death on the thirteenth day. Post-mortem examination 
 showed the stomach inflamed and the intestines also. 
 
 Case 11. Accidental Scald. Pleurisy (Caspar, " Forensic Med.," 
 Vol. I., p. 312). — Female child, a?t. 6; scalded with a pot of boiling 
 coffee overturned upon the side of neck, right axilla, thorax, and right 
 arm. Death on the eighth day. Post-mortem examination revealed 
 inflammation of right jfleura, pericardial effusion, etc. Body ansemic.
 
 CASES. 659 
 
 Case 12. No Internal Lesion Found (Guy's Hospital Reports, 
 1860, Vol. VI., p. 146). —Female, ait. 9. Burn of upper part of chest 
 and arms by clothing taking fire. Death on the ninth day. Post- 
 mortem examination revealed no lesion of the internal organs. 
 
 Case 13. Cracks and Fissures of Skin (Caspar, " Forensic Med.," 
 Vol. I., p. 314).— Male, aet. 83. Clothing caught fire; death. Body 
 carbonized. On right side were fissures opening into the abdomen ; 
 the viscera could be seen, etc. 
 
 Case 14. Fissures, Vessels Crossing, etc. (Taylor, " Med. Jurispru- 
 dence," Vol. I., p. 696). — Boy, set. 2; death in three-quarters of an 
 hour.- On legs were fissures and lacerations near each knee. On 
 right thigh a laceration 2f inches long, \ inch deep and \ inch wide ; 
 fatty tissue seen beneath. No blood efi'used ; small vessels could be 
 seen stretching across the fissures. 
 
 Case 15. Brain Congested, etc. (Caspar, " Forensic Med.," p. 316, 
 Vol. I.). — Boy, aet. 1^ years, set fire to his clotliing. Death in 1^ 
 days. Post-mortem examination showed congestion of the brain, in- 
 flammation of the trachea, engorgement of the lungs with hepatization 
 of the lower part of the right lung. 
 
 Case 16. Burn of Loicer Part of Body. Death (same reference). — 
 Woman, tet. 81 ; burn of lower part of body, including the gluteal re- 
 gion, the perineum and genital organs (external). Death after several 
 days. Post-mortem examination showed the upper lobe of left lung 
 in a stage of red hepatization, etc. 
 
 Case 17. Tardy Appearance of Redness and Vesication (Tidy, 
 "Legal Med.," Vol. II., p. 124, Case 15).— Woman, insensible from 
 cold, had hot water applied in tins to her sides and feet. The flannel 
 coverings became displaced and the hot tins came in contact with the 
 body. No redness or vesication could be detected two hours after- 
 ward. The next day, when consciousness had returned and recovery 
 from insensibility had taken place, the parts had become reddened 
 and vesicated. 
 
 Case 18. Were the Burns Ante Mortem or Post Mortem f (Caspar, 
 "Forensic Med.," Vol. I., p. 317). — Woman intoxicated; clothing 
 caught flre ; death due to asphyxia. Some burns apparently caused 
 during life and some after death. The case was decided upon the 
 character of the vesications and their contents. Lungs and other or- 
 gans normal. Right side of heart engorged with dai-k blood. 
 
 Case 19. Murder. Body Burned (Dr. Duncan, Med. Gazette, 
 Lond., Vol. VIII., p. 170). — Man chai'ged with the murder of his wife 
 and attempting to burn the body afterward. The body was so exten- 
 sively burned as to remove all means of deciding the cause of death. 
 The man claimed that her clothing took fire when she was intoxicated. 
 Persons in the same house had heard sounds of a struggle before 
 smelling smoke and fire. Furniture was not burned, nor the house. 
 The prisoner was found guilty of murder.
 
 GCO HEAT AND COLD — STODDARD. 
 
 Case 20. Blisters. Was the Scalding Ante Mortem f (Taylor, 
 "Med. Jurisprudence," 8th Am. Ed., p. 411). — The body of an infant 
 found in a saucepan, boiled. The prisoner admitted that the child had 
 breathed. The boiling water had destroyed the means of positively 
 deciding whether the child had breathed. Blisters found upon it con- 
 tained yellow serum. Was the child living when put in the water ? 
 The prisoner was acquitted. 
 
 Case 21. Scald of a Lunatic in a Bath (Taylor, ' ' Med. Jurispru- 
 dence," 8th Am. Ed., p. 411). — Insane patient placed in a hot bath. 
 Temperature 123" F. Death in collapse next day (1879). 
 
 Case 22. Criminal Burning, Strangling (Report of Profs. Liebig 
 and Bischoff, of Giessen, March, 1850). — The man StauflF was tried at 
 Darmstadt for the murder of the Countess of Goerlitz, whom he had 
 attacked and murdered in her chamber, and then fired the furniture 
 in order to conceal the crime. It was uncertain whether she had died 
 from injury to the head or from strangulation. The tongue protruded 
 and was swollen, as in cases of strangling, and maintained this con- 
 dition. He was convicted chiefly on circumstantial evidence. After 
 conviction he confessed that he had strangled her and then set fire to 
 the furniture, which he had piled up about her. 
 
 Case 23. Murder. Body Burned. Identified ("Report of the 
 Trial of Prof. Webster," etc., Boston, 1850).— Prof. Webster kiUed Dr. 
 Parkman and then burned the body, in portions, in a furnace in 
 his laboratory. Search among the cinders of the furnace disclosed 
 pieces of human bones and a set of false teeth which the dentist who 
 made them recognized as made by him for Dr. Parkman, etc. 
 
 Case 24. Murder. Body Eyitirely Burned. Identified (the 
 "Druse Case," Trans. New York State Med. Soc, 1887, p. 417).— 
 Mrs. Druse, with the compulsory aid of her children, killed her hus- 
 band with an axe. The body was burned in a wood stove, with pine 
 shingles. Tlie ashes were thrown into a swamp near by. They were 
 found and carefully sifted. Pieces of bone of various sizes, identified 
 as human, were found, as also a few porcelain buttons, etc. A few 
 hairs found, with stains, completed the identity. Experiments in this 
 case showed that the body could have been consumed within ten 
 hours. The prisoner was convicted of murder.
 
 THE MEDICO-LEGAL RELATIONS 
 
 ELECTRICITY. 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM N. BULLARD, M.D.
 
 MEDICO-LEGAL RELATIONS OF 
 ELECTRICITY. 
 
 As the frequency of accidents caused by electricity is rap- 
 idly increasing, we have of late years been enabled to general- 
 ize in a manner never before possible in regard to their results, 
 and although our present conclusions must be recognized as 
 provisional and perhaps temporary — to be changed or modified 
 in accordance with future knowledge — yet we have obtained a 
 basis of fact on which we can securely rely. The general laws 
 of injury and accident through electricity have been fairly well 
 determined, although many of the details are not 3'et thoroughly 
 worked out or understood. The advances of knowledge in this 
 direction are so rapid that an article on this subject, if it deals 
 too closely with details, is liable to become out of date almost 
 before it has left the press. Like all large subjects when first 
 made objects of general interest and investigation, and in 
 regard to which we are on the threshold only of knowledge, the 
 facts discoverable may lead us at any time in unexpected 
 directions and open out new fields of thought and inquiry. We 
 shall try to limit ourselves here, as far as possible, to proved 
 facts, and leave questions doubtful or in dispute to be settled 
 later; contenting ourselves merely with pointing them out and, 
 perhaps, in some cases giving the facts on either side. 
 
 Electrical accidents and injuries may be divided into those 
 which are caused by the atmospheric electricity — lightning 
 proper, globes of fire, St. Elmo's fire — and those produced 
 through the agency of mechanical or artificial electricity — elec- 
 trical machines, batteries, dynamos, etc. The effects caused 
 by these different agents probably vary only in degree: the 
 atmospheric electricity in the form of lightning, etc., being so 
 much more powerful than the charges usually produced artifi- 
 cially as to cause some difference in the results.
 
 664 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 BESULTS OF ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES FROM ELECTRICAL 
 MACHINES AND CONDUCTORS. 
 
 Medical Electricity. — In the ordinary use of the mild 
 forms of electricity employed for medical purposes, certain 
 phenomena may at times occur, which, although not of any 
 serious import or of long duration, may yet cause considerable 
 inconvenience, pain, or discomfort to the patient or others, and 
 may even be of some importance from a medico-legal point of 
 view. We shall not enter here into the discussion of the proper 
 methods of application of medical electricity, nor do more than 
 point out that if these be not followed with care the patient 
 may be not only not benefited, but made worse, and may even 
 suffer considerable injury. The increase of pain caused b,y the 
 improper application of certain currents is usually temporary 
 and of minor consequence. But serious and lasting inflamma- 
 tions may be caused by the careless, ignorant, or injudicious use 
 of the stronger currents internally, and metritis and peri-uterine 
 inflammations have been not infrequently reported from the 
 unskilled practice of the methods of Apostoli. These subjects, 
 however, scarcely come under the scope of this article. 
 
 In addition, however, to these troubles we may have ex- 
 ternal injuries produced. Even in cases where the current 
 amounts to not more than a few milliamperes burns may be 
 caused by the ordinary electrodes of the galvanic battery. The 
 faradic current when medically used does not, as a rule, pro- 
 duce any external injuries. Such might be caused by a spark 
 from a static machine, but it would be due to gross carelessness, 
 and is very unusual. Burns, however, from the use of the 
 galvanic current are not very uncommon. They usually occur 
 under the electrode after it has been for a few moments station- 
 ary in contact with the skin. They occur in certain patients 
 with extraordinary readiness, especially in those with organic 
 spinal lesions, and where the sensation is somewhat diminished, 
 and where also some trophic lesion might be supposed to exist. 
 They are not confined, however, to this class of cases, but may 
 occur in any one if the electrode be retained too long in any one 
 place, and especially if it be allowed to become dry. These
 
 INJURIES FROM ELECTRICAL MACHINES. 665 
 
 burns are peculiar in appearance and can usually be recognized 
 at once. They are circular, as if punched out, about the size of 
 a common pencil or a little smaller, comparatively deep, gray 
 with perhaps a dark ring at the circumference, and frequently 
 surrounded by a reddened area. The edges are sharp. Their 
 peculiarit}^ consists (1) in their painlessness and (2) in their 
 size, regular form, their depth in comparison to their extent, 
 and the sharp limitation of the area of tissue destroyed. One 
 or more may occur under a broad electrode, and they are prob- 
 ably produced at those points where the contact is imperfect or 
 the conduction in some other way impeded. They heal without 
 much difficulty and leave no serious results. 
 
 Other unpleasant symptoms produced by currents in medi- 
 cal use may be mentioned for the sake of completeness, and also 
 as an introduction to the more serious symptoms caused by 
 stronger currents. Dizziness, vertigo, tinnitus, nausea, vomit- 
 ing, and syncope are readily caused by even slight currents. 
 The sensation of light in the eyes and the metallic taste in the 
 mouth are the results of medical currents of ordinary strength 
 when applied to the head or in its neighborhood, and stronger 
 currents applied at greater distances cause these sensations. 
 All the above symptoms may be readily caused by even slight 
 currents, whether galvanic or faradic, passed through the head. 
 The syncope thus produced is to be carefull}' differentiated 
 from the syncope caused psychically by excitement or fear of 
 the application of electricity. Hysterical women, and even 
 persons who show no special signs of nervous instability, may 
 faint at the suggestion of the application of electricity. I have 
 seen a large, strong, well-built Italian man, perfectl}' sound phys- 
 ically, so far as could be detected, except some slight local neu- 
 ralgia, faint from pure fright when the electricity was to be 
 applied. But even the application of moderateh' severe shocks 
 from the ordinary medical batter}^ are not likely to produce 
 serious results. These shocks are ordinarily caused by the 
 opening or closing of the galvanic current, and are most severe 
 when the current passes through some portion of the head. A 
 still more powerful shock may be given bj' reversing the cur- 
 rent in a galvanic battery by means of the commutator.
 
 666 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 Currents of High Tension — Strong Artificial 
 Currents. 
 
 Passing on now to the consideration of the stronger cur- 
 rents, we come to those used for mechanical purposes, for elec- 
 tric lighting, electric railways, and other analogous objects. 
 These currents start from dynamos or from storage batteries, 
 and accidents are caused by them whenever they are diverted 
 from their proper course and are caused to come in contact 
 with or to pass through any portion of the human body in any 
 considerable strength. Accidents not infrequently occur from 
 direct contact with the batteries or dynamos, but still more fre- 
 quently they are produced in their circuit along the wires or 
 transmitters. They maj' also be caused, as some of the most 
 fatal have been, by contact with metallic or other readily 
 conducting objects which have themselves accidentally come in 
 contact with some portion of an electric circuit (usually wires) 
 and have diverted the whole, or more usually a portion, of the 
 current to themselves. Thus was killed a young man in New 
 York, the clerk in a store, who while lifting the metal-edged 
 cover of a show-case brought it in contact with the charged 
 wires of an electric light and received an immediately fatal 
 shock. As a rule, those meeting with accidents from dynamos 
 or electric machines directly are employees of electric com- 
 panies, who are presumed to have more or less knowledge of the 
 risk of carelessness, or they may be workers in institutions or 
 factories in which such machines are in use. Many of the 
 accidents due to wires also occur to linemen and other em- 
 ployees of electric, telephone, or telegraph companies or of elec- 
 tric railway companies in charge of wires or electric outfit. So 
 long as the current transmitters and terminals (wires, etc.) are 
 properly insulated and in their proper position in relation to 
 other conductors, it is unusual for accidents to occur, except in 
 cases of gross ignorance or carelessness. Unfortunately, how- 
 ever, proper insulation is not always accomplished, and fre- 
 quently wires and other transmitters are removed from their 
 proper positions by accidents and otherwise. So long as and 
 wherever the system of overhead wires exists, if there be among* 
 these wires any which are the transmitters of strong electric
 
 CURRENTS OF HIGH TENSION — INSULATION. 667 
 
 currents, there is alwaj's a risk, and often a very serious one, 
 that at some time or other one of these current-bearing wires 
 will come into contact with some other non-current-bearing and 
 ordinarily harmless wire in such a manner that the current of 
 the first should be diverted, in whole or in part, on to the ordi- 
 narily innocuous wire, which thereby becomes at once charged 
 and dangerous. Such an accident may be due to the displace- 
 ment of either wire or to any other cause which brings the two 
 in contact, either direct or indirect, at a point where the current- 
 bearing wire is not sufficiently insulated. The current having 
 once passed out of its proper circuit will, of course, follow the 
 paths of best conduction, and may hence suddenly appear in 
 unexpected quarters and produce the most dangerous and even 
 fatal effects. It is accidents of this character which most fre- 
 quently occur among the people who are neither employees of 
 electric companies nor engaged in factories or buildings where 
 electrical machines are em^^loyed. 
 
 Insulation of Wires and Other Electrical Trans- 
 mitters.— We cannot mention here the various methods em- 
 ployed to insidate wires, as the general principles of insulation 
 are well known. Electric wires even with very strong currents 
 can be insulated and can be kept insulated if sufficient pains be 
 taken and sufficient money be expended. But this is very ex- 
 pensive and in many cases is not done. Only partial insula- 
 tion is attempted, and even this is not always carried to the 
 degree intended or stipulated. Hence so long as overhead wires 
 of various kinds exist, accidents from the transmission of 
 strong electric currents along ordinarily harmless wires are 
 liable at any time to occur, as practically little or no attempt at 
 keeping the current-bearing wires covered with a thoroughly 
 insulating material is in most cases made. It is usually deemed 
 sufficient that glass or other insulators should be so placed that 
 under ordinary conditions the wire will not come into contact 
 with any conductor which may cause any essential part of its 
 current to diverge. In most cases a so-called insulating mate- 
 rial is placed over the wire itself, but this usually is insufficient 
 at the outset or becomes so before very long and is then not 
 renewed. 
 
 It must not be supposed, however, that undergromid electric 
 wires or transmitters cannot produce accidents. On the con-
 
 668 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 traiy, the current may be diverted from them to the gas or 
 water pipes or to any other conductors which come into contact 
 with them or can attract to themselves a portion of their cur- 
 rent. Severe shocks have been experienced by persons attempt- 
 ing to draw water at their faucet from causes of this character. 
 At the same time, so far as mere safety is concerned and free- 
 dom from electrical accidents, it would seem that underground 
 wires are preferable to overhead wires. 
 
 Electrical wires have not infrequently come in contact with 
 telegraph and telephone wires causing unpleasant results. Tel- 
 ephone boxes have been set on fire, and also telegraph boards 
 and tables, and in certain cases what might have been serious 
 conflagrations have been started in this manner. By means of 
 proper arrangements on the telegraph and telephone circuits 
 these dangers can be at least partially avoided, but there is 
 always the risk that the automatic alarms and other contriv- 
 ances do not act, and the still greater one that persons or things 
 may come into contact with these charged wires and receive 
 dangerous or serious injuries. 
 
 Electric Cars. — The danger from the overhead wires in 
 the trolley system of electric cars would not be great were these 
 wires properly supported, properly insulated, and properly pro- 
 tected. Each of these terms must be explained. Wires which 
 fall for any cause whatever short of being intentionally re- 
 moved cannot be deemed properl}^ supported in the sense in 
 which we use the term. Any one of these electric wires which 
 falls is liable to produce serious injur}^ to persons or animals 
 (many horses have been killed by them), or to set fire to objects 
 with Avhich it comes into immediate or indirect contact, the 
 amount of injury being in part dependent upon the nature 
 and the condition (wet or dry) of the object and its position in 
 relation to other conductors. Wires as dangerous as these car 
 wires should be so supported that no ordinary accident, no con- 
 dition of the weather, strong winds, or heavy falls of snow 
 should be capable of wrenching them from their supports, and 
 they should be placed in such positions and with such protec- 
 tion as not to receive blows from passing or falling objects. 
 
 Secondly, these wires should be properly insulated. This is 
 to be understood to mean that all the wires which carry the 
 electric current, or are liable to carr}- it, should be attached to
 
 ELECTRIC CARS. 669 
 
 their poles or other support in such a manner that no apprecia- 
 ble quantity of electricity is under any circumstances liable to 
 be diverted to the poles or supports, and in this way cause de- 
 struction or injury. In addition to this the side wires should 
 be so covered that if any accident occurs, it will be difficult or 
 impossible for the current to pass away from them to other 
 objects. The middle wire on which the trolley runs cannot be 
 thus covered, but must be left bare, and hence, if knocked down 
 or brought into contact with properly conducting objects, must 
 be the most dangerous ; but on the other hand from its position 
 it is less liable to accidents. 
 
 When we say that these wires should be properly protected 
 we mean that such arrangements and contrivances should be 
 used as will prevent them while in their usual position from 
 coming into contact with dangerous objects, particularly with 
 other wires. This may be accomplished by guard wires or in 
 other ways. It is plainly of great importance that this should 
 be specially cared for, and particularly in a city where there are 
 many overhead wires, and perhaps a considerable number of 
 dead or non-used wires. If the electricity comes into contact 
 with one of these no one can tell where it may be transmitted 
 or what harm it may do. 
 
 The principles which apply to these overhead wires of course 
 apply ceteris paribus to all other electric overhead wires, and 
 in like manner the statements made in regard to the diffusion 
 or spreading of currents in underground wires are applicable to 
 all methods of transmitting electricity mechanically through 
 the ground so far as the conditions are similar. An electric 
 current will always follow the path of best conduction, and 
 where several paths are opened it will follow them proportion- 
 ally according to the excellence of their conduction or inversely 
 to the amount of their electric resistance. 
 
 We shall not enter here into any questions in regard to the 
 diffusion of electricity, its transmission through fluids, water, 
 air or other gases, nor shall we discuss the relations of good or 
 bad conductors to electricity except so far as this relates to 
 certain portions of the human body. An elementary knowledge 
 of physics and electricity must be presupposed. 
 
 We can now enter more directly upon the immediate sub- 
 ject of this article, that is, the effect upon the human body of
 
 670 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 severe or moderately strong currents of electricity derived from 
 artificial sources. The accidents produced by these currents 
 may be divided into two classes, the direct and the indirect. 
 Under the direct we place all those conditions which are ap- 
 parently produced by the action of the electricity itself, such as 
 the general shock, the loss of consciousness, the burns, etc. On 
 the other hand, all those accidents are to be considered indirect 
 which are not primarily due to the action of the electric current, 
 but are only secondary results thereof. These are largely de- 
 termined by the immediate surroundings and conditions at the 
 time. Such, for example, are the surgical injuries due to falls 
 caused by the loss of consciousness produced by the electric 
 shock. 
 
 Indirect Accidents. 
 
 These will* be considered first, as they do not demand so de- 
 tailed a description as the direct. They are traumatic in char- 
 acter and are the result either of loss of consciousness, momen- 
 tary or lasting, or of the involuntary muscular contraction 
 which may be occasioned by the electric shock. They are 
 among the most frequent effects of severe electric shocks. 
 These accidents consist in contusions, fractures, dislocations, 
 wounds, and any other injuries which may be produced from 
 sudden loss of consciousness while in a dangerous position. 
 Death ma}^ readily occur either immediately or as the more or 
 less delayed result of such injuries. If the person shocked falls 
 into the water he may be drowned, or if into the fire he will 
 be burnt. The varieties of such accidents dependent on the 
 sudden loss of consciousness produced by the electricity are, 
 of course, innumerable, and their occurrence must largely de- 
 pend upon the position of the victim at the moment of the 
 shock. We see, perhaps, most of these accidents in linemen 
 on the tops of poles or houses or in other exposed places, but 
 persons who receive shocks when simply standing on the ground 
 or when sitting are not exempt from severe surgical injuries 
 other than burns. They are often cast to the ground with great 
 violence, and not infrequently are thrown to a distance of sev- 
 eral feet. This is caused by the violent muscular contraction 
 produced by the electric shock, and it may occasion, like any
 
 INDIRECT ACCIDENTS — DIRECT ACCIDENTS. 671 
 
 violent push or fall, severe injuries from contact with the various 
 objects against which they may be forced. Although much 
 rarer, it is also possible that the violence of these muscular 
 contractions may be such as of themselves to cause injury, as 
 rupture of a muscle or tendon. As practically all these indirect 
 accidents are traumatic and surgical in character, thej' do not 
 differ from other accidents similar in kind, but otherwise 
 caused, and are to be treated on the same general principles as 
 these. 
 
 Direct Accidents. 
 
 Quite different from the indirect are the direct accidents; 
 those produced by the immediate (direct) action of the electric- 
 ity. These are of various kinds, which we shall consider sepa- 
 rately. They maj' be divided into immediate and late symp- 
 toms, and they vary much according to the severity of the shock 
 and the constitution of the patient, and the pftrt of the body 
 through which the electricit}- passes. The character of the 
 current which gives the shock, whether constant or interrupted, 
 also naturally has an influence on the effect. 
 
 General Principles. — A shock may be given in three 
 ways with an ordinary galvanic battery. If the current be 
 sufficiently strong, a distinct shock will be produced when the 
 circuit is closed and again when the cii'cuit is opened, while 
 with a current of the usual strength for medical purposes, the 
 sensation while the current is passing through the body steadily 
 is much less and is often limited to a sensation of burning at 
 the seat of the electrode. A shock ma}' also (thirdl}') be pro- 
 duced by a reversal of the current, and the shock thus caused is 
 stronger for the same current than that produced in either of 
 the other ways. 
 
 The strength of these shocks is shown both by the sensa- 
 tion produced and by the amount of muscular contraction 
 caused. When now a shock is caused by a continuous or con- 
 stant current which starts from an ordinary dj^namo or other 
 electric generator or storer, it is practically alwaj'S caused by 
 the opening or closing of the circuit, or, what is essentialh* the 
 same, the diversion of a part or the whole of the current from 
 its proper path to and through some portion of the human body 
 causes a shock at the time of the entrance of the body into the
 
 672 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 circuit and another at the time of its exit therefrom. Shocks 
 from reversal of current when such current arises from a con- 
 stant machine might occur, but onl}* through some peculiar 
 accident. Hence the shocks (distinguished from any other 
 effects of electricity) which are received by the person coming 
 into contact with a constant current are felt only at the moment 
 of entering the circuit (closure) and of leaving it (opening). If 
 a person introduces himself between the two wires of an elec- 
 tric circuit in which a constant current is used, in such a man- 
 ner as to cause the current to pass through his body, he will 
 feel the shock only at the moment when he touches the second 
 wire and completes the circuit, and at the moment when he 
 lets go one of the wires and opens the circuit (unless the current 
 be so strong or be so placed that he can divert to himself 
 sufiScient electricity to cause a shock, or, in other words, close 
 a secondary circuit in some other way). While the current is 
 passing throuigh the body, although it may burn and cause 
 tingling and other unpleasant symptoms, there is no proper 
 shock. In other words, an electric shock is caused only by a 
 change in the amount of electricity passing through the body or 
 a portion thereof. 
 
 If we now consider the effects of alternating currents, 
 we find that we have another factor to deal with. The general 
 principles are exactly the same, but inasmuch as the reversal 
 shock is stronger than the closure or opening shocks, other 
 things being equal, we are likely to receive a stronger shock 
 from a current of the same force, and in addition to this, as in 
 alternating machines the reversals occur with considerable 
 rapidity, the person who becomes connected with this circuit 
 receives a number of strong shocks within a short space of time. 
 This is a much more serious matter than to permit a current 
 of equal strength to flow through the body without change. 
 
 Faradism. — The effect of this form of electricity on the 
 human body is first stimulating and then tetanizing to the 
 muscles. It consists in a very rapidly interrupted current, the 
 shocks being at times so frequent that they are not singly per- 
 ceptible. There is probably also a distinct difference in the 
 action of this current from that of the galvanic current aside 
 from its rapid interruption. This is not, however, of so defined 
 a character as to enable us at the present time to distinguish in
 
 FARADISM — STATIC ELECTRICITY — RESISTANCE. 673 
 
 man the results of severe injuries and deaths caused by this 
 form from those caused by other strong currents. Practically 
 this form of current is but little used, except in medical bat- 
 teries and for the purposes of experimentation in laboratories. 
 
 Static electricity has, so far as we know, rarely or never 
 caused serious injuries or death. The sparks produced in this 
 way have sometimes caused burns, and it is conceivable that a 
 strong electric current produced in this way might be danger- 
 ous. The symptoms could not be distinguished from those 
 caused by other forms of electricity. 
 
 Summary. — The greatest source of danger from electric 
 currents is the shock produced by them. In ordinary constant 
 or continuous currents this is produced only at the moment of 
 the opening and the closure of the circuit. In alternating cur- 
 rents a shock is also produced afc each reversal of the machine. 
 Faradic and static currents are rarely or never used mechani- 
 cally or in the arts. ♦ 
 
 Resistance. — The resistance of the human body to electric 
 currents has been very variously estimated. 
 
 The reasons for these variations are: (1) that the different 
 tissues present different resistances ; (2) that the resistance in 
 the same tissue varies greatly under different circumstances. 
 
 The tissue which offers the greatest resistance and also 
 
 practically the greatest variation is the skin, or, more properly 
 
 speaking, the epidermis. The resistance of this is many times 
 
 as great as that of the rest of the body, and when perfectly 
 
 dry it is impervious to currents of great strength. Witz 
 
 states that in using a Ruhmkorf coil with an estimated force of 
 
 250,000 volts in Guinea-pigs and rabbits, it is advisable to cut 
 
 through the skin in order to apply the electrodes directly to the 
 
 flesh, or, at least, to wet the skin thoroughly, otherwise the 
 
 shock caused by the full strength of the battery (six jars charged 
 
 from the coil) would not cause death. Various animals offer 
 
 rates of resistance which vary somewhat apparently according 
 
 to the nature of the animal, but are probably largely dependent 
 
 on the conducting power of its tissues, that is, of its skin. The 
 
 variations between the resistance of similar animals, according 
 
 to the condition of the skin at the time of the experiment, are 
 
 much greater than those which are found between animals of 
 
 different species under similar conditions, or which are refera- 
 43
 
 674 ELECTRICITY— BULL ARD. 
 
 ble to specific susceptibility. Mr. Harold P. Brown testified in 
 the Kemmler case (Court of Appeals, State of New York — State 
 of New York ex rel. William Kemmler against Charles F. 
 Durston, agent and warden) that he had in the course of his ex- 
 periments seen a horse weighing 1,320 pounds, with a resistance 
 of 11,000 ohms, killed by an alternating current at 700 volts. 
 
 The resistance of the different cutaneous surfaces of the 
 human body as measured by Jolly in Siemens' units was from 
 400,000 down to 15,000 in the male and to 8,000 in the female 
 (Siemens' unit is to the ohm as 1.06 to 1.00). 
 
 Tschirfew and Watteville made the resistance from 80,000 
 to 3,000 ohms. 
 
 Experiments made at the Edison Phonograph Factory and 
 Edison Laboratory in July, 1880, on 259 males between the 
 ages of eleven and fifty-one, showed a resistance, measured 
 between the hands immersed to the wrists in a solution of 
 caustic potash independent of polarization, averaging 986 ohms 
 and varying from 1,970 to 550 ohms. 
 
 The resistance of 236 men employed at Messrs. Bergmann 
 & Co. 's Electrical Works in New York appears to have aver- 
 aged 1,184 ohms and to have varied from 1,870 to 610 ohms. 
 These measurements were also taken between the hands, which 
 were washed with soap and water and then dipped in jars con- 
 taining a solution of caustic potash. The battery consisted of 
 four chromic-acid cells each having an E. M. F. of 2 volts. 
 
 As shown in all the experiments on animals and more espe- 
 cially in the cases of electrocution, the continuance or duration 
 of the current has much effect on the resistance. As the cur- 
 rent continues the resistance diminishes. Thus in the case of 
 McElvaine the resistance between the immersed hands was 
 at the beginning 800 ohms and at the end of the contact of fifty 
 seconds had decreased to 516 ohms. In this case, when the 
 current of 1,500 volts was applied from the forehead to the leg, 
 the resistance was practicallj^ steady at only 214 ohms. Of 
 <3ourse the small resistance in these cases (electrocutions) de- 
 pends largely on the perfect contact secured. 
 
 According to the amount of resistance offered do the effects 
 of severe shocks of electricitj^ differ. This is shown especially 
 well in the action of lightning, but is also true of powerful 
 currents produced mechanically. If the resistance of the skin
 
 RESISTANCE — MECHANICAL EFFECTS. G75 
 
 be slight at the moment of entering the circuit of a strong 
 current, the current will pass through it with comparative ease 
 and without causing much injury ; but if on the other hand the 
 resistance is great, the current will be, as it were, momentarily 
 retarded or stored, heat will be developed, and there will ensue 
 a burning and charring of the tissue of a special kind. These 
 burns occur principally at the places where the current is spe- 
 cially resisted, that is, at the point of entrance of the current to 
 the bod}" and at its point of exit. This is the cause of the fre- 
 quent burns in the heel or sole of the foot in the case of those 
 struck by lightning while standing, as the electricity passes 
 away from the body into the ground and finds a strong resist- 
 ance at the point of leaving the body. This is also the cause 
 of the burns where the current leaves the body from any other 
 cause, as from the contact or proximit}' of a metallic object. 
 The greater the resistance so long as the current passes, other 
 things being equal, the more severe is the burn. It is for this 
 reason that in medical electricity we usually use wet sponges 
 on the skin or electrodes moistened with salt and water or 
 with other fluids which will assist in rendering the passage of 
 the electricity through the skin more easy. Solutions of chlo- 
 rid of sodium and of certain other salts do this. 
 
 The mechanical eflfects of currents vary thus according 
 to the resistance encountered. They also vary according to the 
 intensit}^ or concentration of the current. If a current of mod- 
 erate force be applied through a small metallic point, it will 
 burn, pain, and produce active irritative symptoms, while if 
 the same amount be applied over a large surface simultaneously, 
 it may have little or no irritating eflFect. We have, therefore, 
 three factors in determining the mechanical effect of any elec- 
 tric current on the body: (1) the condition of the body, that is, 
 the amount of resistance which the current will encounter at 
 its entrance and exit; (2) the amount and intensity of the 
 current; and (3) the character of the current. For practical 
 purposes of the more severe currents we have only to deal with 
 the continuous and alternating.
 
 676 electricity — bullard. 
 
 symptoms. 
 Direct Symptoms. 
 
 The direct symptoms produced by powerful mechanical cur- 
 rents of electricity may be divided into three classes : I. The 
 mechanical; II. The essential or internal ; III. The mental or 
 psychical. 
 
 These classes are fairly distinct, but they are not absolute, 
 and certain symptoms are on the borders. 
 
 The most important mechanical symptoms produced by 
 these currents are burns. These occur at all points of strong 
 resistance externally, hence especially at the points of entrance 
 and departure of the current. They vary from all grades, from 
 the lightest possible, where only the fine hairs on the skin are 
 singed, to those of extraordinary depth and severity. The char- 
 acteristic burn from powerful currents is, however, well distin- 
 guished. It consists in a deep hole of various shapes with clear- 
 cut edges surrounded by an inflamed area and containing in its 
 cavity a mass of blackened tissue which only separates from 
 the portions below after several days, and causes a wound 
 which, though not very painful, heals very slowly. The sever- 
 ity of electric burns is often at first sight underrated, and their 
 duration, when severe, is unexpectedly long. It occasionally 
 happens that after a burn of this character appears nearly healed, 
 the surrounding and, in appearance, healthy tissue breaks 
 down, perhaps under a healthy skin, and a destructive process 
 occurs which much retards recovery. This is evidently due to 
 tissue destruction from a strong electric current of such a char- 
 acter as to produce necrobiosis without the external appearances 
 of a burn. These burns are, perhaps, oftenest seen on the 
 hands, but this is onl}'' because these parts are more likely to 
 come into contact with the current. They may occur in any 
 portion of the body. 
 
 Eyes.— The injurious effect of electric light upon the eyes 
 has been carefuU}^ studied by several competent observers. So 
 far as known it has been caused solely by the arc light. The 
 symptoms produced by exposure of the eyes for a considerable 
 period to the electric light may be slight or severe. In the 
 slighter cases we find merely an acute conjunctivitis with a
 
 SYMPTOMS. 677 
 
 slight central scotoma which passes off within twenty-four to 
 forty-eight hours. The symptoms are those usual in acute 
 conjunctivitis — photophobia, lachrymation, sensation of a for- 
 eign body under the lids, discomfort in the eyes, and swelling of 
 the lids. In the more severe cases all these symptoms are in- 
 creased; the photophobia and lachrymation may be intense. 
 There is sometimes severe pain in the supra-orbital nerve, and 
 occasionally a tendenc}' to somnolence. In these cases we find 
 an intense conjunctivitis with ch3"mosis, a central scotoma 
 which may render the patient for the time practically blind, 
 and on ophthalmoscopic examination a congestion of the ves- 
 .sels of the retina and choroid, a neuro-retinitis, and sometimes 
 even hemorrhages into the retina. There is sometimes peri- 
 papillary oedema and infiltration around the optic nerve. The 
 pupil of the eye in these cases is usually much contracted. 
 There is sometimes loss of epithelium from the cornea. 
 
 In certain severe cases there is produced in addition to the 
 eye symptoms an erythema of the face. Bresse states that this 
 erythema can be produced on the face, arm, or hand by exposure 
 to the voltaic arc at a distance of thirtj' to forty centimetres. 
 The blush grows deeper for three or four hours, then remains 
 stationary for a time, and ends in desquamation leaving a very 
 durable pigmentation. The erythema is accompanied bj' a sen- 
 sation of smarting. 
 
 The strength of the light and the length of time required to 
 produce these effects probably vary somewhat according to the 
 color of the light. Emrys Jones states that he is informed that 
 either excess or defect of current gives a less injurious light 
 than the normal current ; the excess gives a more violet, the 
 defect a more orange light. On the other hand, Charcot con- 
 sidered that the harmfulness of the electric light was due at 
 any rate in considerable part to the chemical or violet rays, 
 and Bresse found that when violet raj'S were added to an 
 electric light as by aluminium it was more injurious than 
 before to animals. What part the brilliancy of the light plays 
 in determining the pathological results is not yet fully settled. 
 The heat, however, does not, as a rule, seem to have much effect 
 unless in extraordinary instances where the cornea is burned. 
 
 Muscular Contractions. — Another effect of electricitj- 
 which is externally visible on the human system is muscular
 
 G78 ELECTRICITY — BULLAKD. 
 
 contraction. Slight muscular contractions are produced pur- 
 posely in many cases in medical treatment therapeutically or 
 for the sake of diagnosis. When the stimuli are sufficiently 
 strong and follow each other with great rapidity, or when a 
 strong continuous current is passed through the muscles, they 
 are brought into a state of continuous contraction or tetanus, 
 and in this condition they will remain for a long period or 
 until the electric stimulus is removed. In cases where a severe 
 electric shock is received as from an electric wire, the muscles 
 which come in contact with the wire immediately contract and 
 remain contracted while the current continues to pass through 
 them. As a result of this we often find that when a severe 
 electric shock has been received through the hands by means 
 of a wire or other conductor the sufferer's hands are invol- 
 untarily closed upon the wire or conductor, and cannot be un- 
 closed by any voluntary effort until the current is stopped. 
 While thus holding the conductor the hands are often very 
 severely burnt. Under these circumstances a strong force is 
 required to remove a person from a charged wire if the current 
 be not turned off, and it can only be done at a considerable risk 
 unless by those expert and provided with special means. 
 
 Not only the muscles immediately in contact with the con- 
 ductor, but nearly all the voluntary muscles of the body may 
 be thus affected by a powerful current. Another effect of this 
 involuntary muscular contraction is the forcible muscular move- 
 ments produced by the shock. As previously stated, when a 
 sufficiently strong shock occurs, the voluntary muscles of the 
 trunk and limbs may be thrown into sudden contraction in such 
 a manner as to throw the person violentl}' and forcibly on to 
 the ground, or against some object or objects in the neighbor- 
 hood. In this way one may be propelled several feet, and many 
 varieties of surgical injury may be caused. Rarely the force 
 of the contraction is such as of itself to rupture muscles or ten- 
 dons, and it might even fracture bones or dislocate joints 
 already predisposed. 
 
 Essential or Internal Symptoms. 
 
 We pass now to what we may consider the internal or es- 
 sential conditions of electric shock, leaving the mental or psy- 
 chical results for examination later.
 
 ESSENTIAL OR INTERNAL SYMPTOMS. 679 
 
 When a person receives a severe electric shock, the symp- 
 toms are usually as follows : In the first place there may be 
 little or nothing except a burn or burns, though usually there 
 is some sensation at the moment of the shock. This may be a 
 simple dizziness, and is often accompanied by the sensation of 
 a brilliant flash of light before the eyes, and sometimes by a 
 sense of impending danger. Usually, however, there is a loss 
 of consciousness more or less complete and more or less lasting 
 according to the severity of the shock and the character and 
 course of the current. In the less severe cases this gradually 
 passes awaj^ and in many cases the patient, although weak 
 and feeling shaken and tired, suffers no further ill effects be- 
 yond those of the burns and mechanical injuries. Sometimes 
 there follows a general tremor which may last a few hours or 
 for days, and occasionally a clonic rhythmical spasm of one or 
 more extremities. The loss of consciousness may, however, be 
 accompanied or followed by a condition of coUapse, in which 
 the pale face, profuse perspiration, cold extremities, and feeble 
 pulse all suggest the administration of stimulants and restora- 
 tives. As a rule, in the stage of unconsciousness the face is 
 reddened and rather cyanotic. The pupils are dilated as a ride 
 and the respiration stertorous or absent ; the pulse may be full 
 or feeble, sometimes imperceptible for a time. The uncon- 
 sciousness sometimes lasts for hours, and all means of stimula- 
 tion, electricity, artificial respiration, rubbing, have to be 
 applied before the patient can be restored. Sometimes this 
 condition is succeeded by delirium (Moj^er). In a certain 
 number of cases the shock is immediately fatal, and in others 
 the patients cannot be recalled from their unconsciousness. 
 
 The secondary results of the shock, aside from the injuries, 
 may be very slight or again may be serious and lasting. They 
 are far more apt to be of the first class, and when long or con- 
 tinued motor or sensory changes unconnected with injuries fol- 
 low, we are justified in suspecting mental or psychical phenom- 
 ena. One class of secondary results is the motor. In addition 
 to weakness, unsteadiness and tremor of the limbs and trunk, it 
 is not uncommon for the patient to suffer from grand rhythmi- 
 cal movements, at first, perhaps, of all extremities, but soon 
 limited to the extremity or extremities which were most exposed 
 or injured by the current. We have personally seen these
 
 680 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 movements, and feel convinced that they can be distinguished 
 from most of the ordinary forms of convulsive motions and 
 tremors. The whole limb is moved at once and not separate 
 muscles, and the movement is a large, rhythmical one, slow 
 and co-ordinated, not at all suggestive of tremor. Movements 
 of this character are sometimes seen in so-called functional dis- 
 ease (hysteria and allied conditions). They more nearly re- 
 semble the movements seen in some forms of Jacksonian epi- 
 lepsy than any others known to me as occurring in organic 
 disease, but I believe them in these cases to be always strongly 
 suggestive, if not absolutely significant, of functional affections. 
 A case reported by Dr. Robert, of El Paso, well illustrates this 
 condition. The patient, a male, twenty-eight years old, re- 
 ceived a shock through a telephone wire. When seen first, 
 reaction was slowly taking place, the entire muscular system 
 was in clonic convulsions. Temperature 97° ; pulse rapid and 
 of low tension; respiration 50; no cerebral symptoms. An 
 hour later the movements were limited to the left upper and the 
 right lower extremities, and there was pain running from the 
 region of the spine down the left arm. Twenty-four hours after 
 the shock, temperature 99.5°; respiration 40; pulse 100. Had 
 slept well, but the movements in the left arm had never ceased. 
 The next day these motions were limited to the muscles of the 
 forearm, and on the fourth day they had wholly ceased. These 
 convulsions consisted in extensive motions of the whole extrem- 
 ity or of muscles or muscle-groups, and not of simple tremor. 
 If the movements were forcibly controlled, severe pain ensued. 
 
 Next to the motor symptoms the sensory are the most im- 
 portant. Pain not infrequently occurs after the recovery of 
 consciousness in the affected limb ; it is apt to be sharp, severe, 
 darting and neuralgic in character. This may last at intervals 
 for some days, a dull ache occurring at first between the inter- 
 missions. It disappears of itself in time without lasting effects. 
 
 Hypersesthesia may exist at first. Should this continue, or 
 if anaesthesia not due to secondary traumatic conditions should 
 appear later, we should be inclined to place these symptoms in 
 the third class. 
 
 Of other symptoms occurring in accidents from currents of 
 high potential, those which seem to be due to the direct action 
 of the electricity are not serious. Buzzing in the ears and a
 
 ESSENTIAL OR INTERNAL SYMPTOMS. G81 
 
 metallic taste in the mouth often occur at the veiy beginning 
 before the consciousness is involved. Nausea and vomiting 
 frequently occur later. There is often considerable dizziness 
 and vertigo. Patients sometimes complain of sensations as of 
 an electric shock running through the body which occur with- 
 out cause some hours or even days after the real shock. Some 
 of these sensations are certainly to be reckoned under the mental 
 or psychical symptoms. Susceptibility to the effects of elec- 
 tricity, of lightning, and of thunder-storms, though undoubtedly 
 in many cases psychical, has probably in some cases an actual 
 foundation. This is certainly the casein lightning stroke. On 
 the other hand, in the large majority of cases of electric acci- 
 dents no such result follows, and in many we are expressly told 
 that such a result was looked for but not found. 
 
 The temperature, as affected by the electricity alone and not 
 as secondary result of injuries, is not always easy to determine. 
 It seems to be in most cases lowered at first, being in that of 
 Moyer 97.5° and in that of Robert 97°. Later it may rise to 
 a certain extent, usually to not more than 101°, but here again 
 the influence of traumata is difficult to separate. 
 
 The pulse may be full and soft or weak and compressible. 
 It is frequently very feeble, sometimes almost imperceptible, 
 and often rapid. It is apt to remain rapid and somewhat soft 
 for days in severe cases. 
 
 The respiration is at first rapid in severe cases unless the 
 shock be so great as to cause its cessation. This rapiditj- re- 
 mains for a varying period and then disappears. 
 
 As a typical case of the results of shock from an electric 
 wire, we will mention the one reported by Dr. F. W. Jackson. 
 The patient, a man twenty-two j^ears old, came in contact with 
 a live electric-light wire, touching it with his hands. He was 
 thrown a distance of about ten feet and then back again, 
 "swinging back and forth two or three times." His hands 
 were in contact with the wire about three minutes, when the 
 current broke and he fell to the ground unconscious. Was 
 seen two hours later by physician. Temperature 100° ; pulse 
 100, strong and bounding; pupils dilated; headache; nervous 
 and irritable; reflexes increased. The headache was accom- 
 panied by insomnia which continued for three days, after which 
 it disappeared, and he resumed work apparently' none the worse
 
 (J82 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 for his accident. The pcdmar surfaces of both hands and the 
 anterior surfaces of the forearms were blackened from the tips 
 of the fingers to a point midway between the wrists and the 
 elbows, and these parts were exceedingly sensitive to the touch. 
 The least irritation of the muscles would cause them to contract 
 violently. This condition ceased on the second day. The cur- 
 rent was from a fifty-light arc circuit of about 2,100 volts; 6.8 
 amperes. The accident took place out-of-doors on a very rainy 
 night. The amount of electricity which the patient received 
 was, as in all such cases, very uncertain. 
 
 FATAL CURRENT. 
 
 The amount of current which will produce a fatal effect 
 varies with the character of the current and with the points of 
 contact. Currents passing through the head or those which 
 affect the pneumogastric nerves are much more dangerous than 
 others of the same character and equal strength passing through 
 one extremity, for example. 
 
 The same current will, of course, also produce different 
 effects, according to the facility of its conduction into and 
 through the body, and this depends again 09 the completeness 
 of the contact and whether the bodj^ or the portion thereof 
 concerned enters directly into the circuit or only forms, as it 
 were, a partial conductor and diverts a certain portion only of 
 the current to itself. Again, the condition of the epidermis, 
 whether dry or wet, and the position of the person in relation to 
 good conductors, metallic or otherwise, has much effect. 
 
 If the skin and clothes be wet, the resistance to the current 
 is lessened and it passes more readily into the body. In the 
 same way, if a person stands in close relation to a good con- 
 ductor and places his hand on one wire of a high-tension elec- 
 tric circuit, he will receive a much more severe shock than if 
 not connected with such conductor. Thus a person standing 
 in a pool of water (water is a good conductor), and more strongly 
 if standing on the metallic rail of a railway track, and touching 
 one wire of an electric circuit with one hand, receives a much 
 stronger shock than if he were standing on dry land, or if his 
 boots were rubber or he was otherwise insulated. 
 
 The accidents most frequent in practice are those in which
 
 FATAL CURRENT — ELECTROCUTION. 683 
 
 the current has been partially diverted from its original course 
 and the person has not entered fully into the circuit. In such 
 cases it is not usually possible to estimate accurately or even 
 approximately the amount of current which the person has 
 received. No calculations can, therefore, be based on these 
 accidents. Again, we find that a person may be seriously or 
 even fatally injured by a current which another person seems 
 to bear with impunity. 
 
 D'Arsonval in 1887, in France, advised 500 volts as the 
 maximum for the continuous current and 60 volts as the max- 
 imum for the alternating current which might be employed 
 without special permission. 
 
 Our only accurate knowledge in regard to fatal currents 
 comes from the experience derived from electrocutions. From 
 these it appears that an alternating current of 1,500 volts is 
 deadly if it passes through the body for more than a few seconds 
 and if the contact is perfect. 
 
 Death. — Death may ensue immediately as the result of an 
 electric shock without any evident preliminary symptoms, or 
 it may occur later, either as the direct result of the shock or as 
 the consequence of the exhaustion produced by the burns and 
 other injuries, or directly from the injuries themselves. If 
 death does not occur iinmediately and if appropriate means of 
 aid are at hand, the sufferer usually survives and the effect of 
 the electric shock gradually passes away. The danger after 
 this arises from the burns and other injuries, and almost all the 
 deaths not immediate are the results of these. 
 
 ELECTROCUTION. 
 
 Electricity has been adopted in the State of New York as 
 the agent for the execution of condemned criminals. This has 
 given rise to much discussion as to what form of current were 
 the best adapted for this purpose and as to what amount were 
 required to produce death at once and painlessl3\ These ques- 
 tions may now be regarded as practically settled, at least so 
 far as regards the purposes mentioned, and we shall only refer 
 incidentally to the discussions and their results. 
 
 Early in 1890 a committee consisting of Dr. Carlos F. 
 MacDonald, Dr. A. D. Rockwell, and Prof. L. H. Laudy made
 
 684 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD, 
 
 a report to the superintendent of prisons at Albany in regard 
 to the efficiency of the electrical appliances and dynamos placed 
 in the State prisons of Sing Sing, Auburn, and Clinton. This 
 report gave details of various experiments made on animals to 
 determine the amount of current and the time required to pro- 
 duce a fatal result. 
 
 On the Gth of August, 1890, occurred the first electrocution, 
 that of William Kemmler, alias John Hart, at Auburn Prison. 
 Dr. MacDonald in his official report to the governor in relation 
 to this says : " It is confidently believed that when all the facts 
 in the case are rightly understood the first execution by elec- 
 tricity will be regarded as a successful experiment. As might 
 have been expected at the first execution by this method, there 
 were certain defects of a minor character in the arrangement 
 and operation of the apparatus. But in spite of these defects 
 the important fact remains that unconsciousness was instantly 
 effected and death was painless." 
 
 The efficiency, rapidity, and painlessness of this form of 
 execution have been confirmed by the later experiences. Up 
 to the present date (May 26th, 1892) eight condemned crimi- 
 ,nals have been executed in the State of New York. Apparently" 
 all the officials who are intrusted with the care and inspection 
 of this subject seem satisfied that this is, on the whole, the 
 wisest, easiest, and most effective form of death thus far prac- 
 tised among civilized nations. The Medico-Legal Journal of 
 New York, in printing the official report of the recent executions 
 of four men made by Drs. C. F. MacDonald and S. B. Ward 
 to the warden of Sing Sing Prison, states that it furnishes " in- 
 disputable evidence of the fact (1) that the deaths were painless 
 and the victims unconscious from the instant of contact; (2) 
 that they were certain and unattended with any of the revolt- 
 ing scenes so frequently witnessed at the scaffold; (3) that the 
 method is humane so far as inflicting physical pain or suffer- 
 ing, and from all sides considered infinitely preferable to the 
 death by hanging ; and that so long as capital punishment for 
 murder exists in New York, we need not desire to change the 
 method of punishment." These claims would seem to be thus 
 far substantiated. 
 
 The value of this method of execution is now beyond doubt. 
 When properly performed it is rapid, painless, and not repul-
 
 ELECTROCUTION. 685 
 
 sive. The criminal has probably no physical sensation of pain 
 or discomfort due to the mode of death from the moment the 
 first shock occurs. Since the rapidity of the transmission of 
 the electric current through the body is in these cases much 
 greater than the rapidity of the transmission of sensation, it 
 seems just to conclude that no sensation from the electricity 
 reaches the consciousness. The only distress suffered by the 
 criminal is the unavoidable mental suffering natural to his 
 position. 
 
 The mechanical means employed in electrocution are prac- 
 tically the same at Sing Sing, Clinton, and Auburn prisons. 
 A special room is provided for the purpose, which should be, 
 if possible, in the basement with a concrete floor: this room 
 must be of sufficient size to admit readily the criminal with the 
 attendant officers, the warden and other officials in charge or on 
 duty at the execution, and the witnesses for whom seats are 
 usually provided at a little distance from the criminal's chair, 
 and also to allow of plenty of room for the management of the 
 electrical apparatus, and a good space around the chair in which 
 the criminal is placed. The electrical plant consists of an 
 alternating-current dynamo and its accessories, placed wher- 
 ever may be convenient, according to the arrangements of 
 the buildings of the institution, but connected by means of 
 wires with the switch-board in the execution- room. In the 
 execution-room also should be the voltmeter, the ammeter, and 
 such other instruments of measurement or precision as may be 
 required. In charge of these and of the switch-board during 
 the execution is the electrical expert, an official paid by the 
 State of New York. Means of communication by electric bells 
 or otherwise are, of course, arranged between the execution- 
 room and the engineer in charge of the dynamo, so that the 
 current can be produced as desired. 
 
 The chair in which the criminal is placed is made of stout 
 beams of oak and is securely fastened to the floor and insulated. 
 It is perfectly plain, with broad arms and an upright back, 
 which latter can be tilted backward a little by means of a 
 special arrangement and firmly fixed in the desired position. 
 This is accomplished by means of a bar of wood which is firmly 
 attached at one end to the lower portion of the back and runs 
 forward thence parallel to the seat of the chair and alongside of
 
 686 ELECTRICITY— BULLARD. 
 
 it ; to the anterior end of this is fastened a perpendicular bar 
 running downward, which can be raised or lowered at will, and 
 securely fastened at any height. As this is raised or lowered, 
 it raises or lowers the anterior end of the horizontal beam and 
 correspondingly lowers or raises the opposite end to which the 
 back of the chair is attached, thus moving the latter. When 
 the anterior end of the horizontal bar is raised the posterior 
 end is lowered and the back of the chair is straightened. At- 
 tached to the upper portion of the back of the chair is a head- 
 rest, which can be raised or lowered as desired : it may, as in 
 the case of Kemmler, have a horizontal arm which projects 
 forward and from which the head-electrode may be suspended. 
 The chair is also furnished with broad leather straps firmly 
 attached, two of which pass around the body, one around each 
 upper arm, one around each lower arm, and one around each 
 leg. There is also a broad conjoined or compound strap which 
 passes over the head, encircling the forehead and the chin 
 and securing the head firmly to the head-rest. When these 
 straps are properly adjusted and fastened, any marked degree 
 of movement is impossible. The adjustment and fastening of 
 these straps can be performed very rapidlj^, in practiced hands 
 taking not more than forty seconds. 
 
 The electrodes used have varied slightly in different cases. 
 In the case of Kemmler they each consisted of a bell-shaped 
 rubber cup about four inches in diameter, with a wooden handle 
 through which passed the wires into the bell to end in a metallic 
 disk about three inches in diameter, faced with sponge. The 
 upper electrode was so arranged as to rest firmly on the top of 
 the head, where it was held closely by means of a spiral spring : 
 it was attached to the horizontal arm of the head-rest, a sliding 
 arrangement shaped like a figure 4- The lower electrode was 
 in this case attached to the lower part of the back of the chair, 
 and projected forward at a level with the hollow of the sacrum. 
 There was also connected with it a sliding arrangement, and 
 a spiral spring which in connection with a broad strap around 
 the prisoner's lower abdomen rendered contact secure. 
 
 In the later executions these electrodes have been somewhat 
 modified and differently applied. The head-electrode is now so 
 formed as to cover the forehead and temples, and can be easily 
 fastened in this position without a spring. The lower electrodes
 
 ELECTROCUTION. 
 
 687 
 
 have been applied to the leg in each case, sometimes apparently 
 to the calf and sometimes more to the outer side, where they 
 are securely strapped. They are made of such a shape as to 
 cover a considerable portion of the surface in this region. It 
 is not a matter of importance to which leg the indifferent elec- 
 trode is attached, but they have actually been applied in most 
 cases to the right leg, though in some they were attached to the 
 left. They are thoroughly moistened, usually with a solution 
 of salt and water, and a drip maj- be arranged so as to keep 
 them wet during the passage of the current or other means em- 
 ployed to this effect. 
 
 The electromotive pressure, as shown by readings of the 
 voltmeter by Professor Laudy, in the cases of Slocum, Smiler, 
 Hood, Jugigo, and Lopp}', varied from 1,458 to 1,716 volts. 
 The ammeter showed a variation of from two to seven amperes. 
 
 The alternating current in the case of McElvaine made 
 roughly 150 periods per second. 
 
 The number of contacts made in each case and the duration 
 of each contact were as follows : 
 
 
 Number of 
 Contacts. 
 
 TIME, SECONDS. 
 
 
 1st. 
 
 2d. 
 
 3d. 
 
 4th. 
 
 Kemmler 
 
 Slocum 
 
 Smiler 
 
 Hood 
 
 Jugigo 
 
 2 
 2 
 4 
 3 
 3 
 4 
 2 
 4 
 
 17 
 
 27 
 10 
 20 
 15 
 15 
 50 
 
 70 
 26 
 10 
 20 
 15 
 11 
 36 
 
 10 
 20 
 15 
 15i 
 
 i9 
 
 Loppy 
 
 McElvaine 
 
 m 
 
 Tice 
 
 Total time, 50. 
 
 
 In the case of McElvaine. the first contact of fift}^ seconds 
 was made through the hands, the second contact of thirty-six 
 seconds from the head to the leg. The hands were immersed 
 in cells containing tepid salt water, connected respectively witli 
 the opposite poles of the dynamo. Kennelly states that in this 
 case, with the hands immersed and the electromotive force at 
 1,600 volts, the current began at 2.0 amperes, and in fift^- sec- 
 onds had increased to 3.1 amperes, indicating a resistance be- 
 tween the electrodes of from 800 ohms at the beginning to 516
 
 688 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 ohms at the end. In the second application from the forehead 
 to the leg with an electromotive force of 1,500 volts, the current 
 amounted to 7.0 amperes during the thirty-six seconds contact, 
 indicating a resistance practically steady at 214 ohms. 
 
 Alternating currents of from 1,600 to 1,700 volts and up- 
 ward may be considered fatal currents, and as capable of pro- 
 ducing death when contact is perfect. Dr. MacDonald goes 
 so far as to say : " No human being could survive the passage 
 through his body of an alternating current of more than 1,500 
 volts for a period of even twenty seconds, contact being perfect. " 
 
 The physical phenomena caused in the body by electrocu- 
 tion as at present conducted are comparatively simple, and 
 such as we should logically expect. The instant the body of 
 the patient enters into the circuit of the current, all the volun- 
 tary muscles appear to be thrown into a condition of violent 
 contraction which continues so long as the current lasts, and on 
 cessation of the current is replaced by a condition of extreme 
 muscular relaxation. All consciousness is apparently lost im- 
 mediately on the application of the current. This probably has 
 never returned in any case, but on the removal of the body 
 from the circuit of the current the relaxation of the muscles 
 causes movement, and sometimes, as in the case of Kemmler, 
 slight spasmodic movements of the chest have occurred. The 
 pupils in this case were dilated. The condition of contraction 
 and rigidity is renewed at each new application of the current, 
 to cease immediately when the current is removed. 
 
 In Kemmler chest movements and possibly heart-beat oc- 
 curred after the first contact, the former perhaps half a minute 
 after the cessation of the current. 
 
 In Slocum there were chest movements and radial pulsation 
 after the first contact. In Smiler no movement of the chest, 
 but radial pulsation after the third contact. In Jugigo a slight 
 fluttering of the radial pulse when final contact was broken, 
 which rapidly ceased. In Hood no movement or pulse-beat. 
 
 In some of the patients superficial burns have been caused 
 by imperfect contact of the electrodes, either on the head or 
 at the position of the lower electrode. In Kemmler's case the 
 cerebral cortex was somewhat affected under the head-electrode. 
 
 The practical effect of the application of the current to the 
 criminal fastened in the death-chair, as seen by the bystander,
 
 MENTAL OR PSYCHICAL SYMPTOMS. 089 
 
 is that immediately on its reaching him the whole body is 
 straightened and rendered rigid in extension, the extremities 
 tend to straighten out, and the face may grow red and turgid. 
 There is reported at times swelling and turgidity of the neck. 
 The whole body remains in this tetanic, stiffened condition until 
 the removal of the current, when all the muscles relax and the 
 body sinks back into the chair in a state of complete muscular 
 collapse. 
 
 MENTAL OR PSYCHICAL. SYMPTOMS. 
 
 The third class of results which are found after electrical 
 shocks from high-tension currents are the mental or psychical. 
 By the use of these terms we do not wish to imply that they 
 are voluntary. They are, however, so far as our present knowl- 
 edge of pathology reaches, largely functional. This is precisely 
 the class of cases which, when resulting from railway accidents, 
 are placed under the head of railway-brain or railway-spine. 
 They may be considered in the present state of our knowledge 
 as traumatic functional neuroses, though it is probable that 
 when our means of examination and investigation are more 
 complete we may succeed in discovering a visible or per- 
 ceptible lesion. The symptoms affecting motion and sensation 
 in these cases are frequently accompanied by others of an emo- 
 tional character, and in many cases there seem to be partially 
 or wholly voluntary conditions and symptoms with the invol- 
 untary. There is in man}^ cases a characteristic loss or dimi- 
 nution of the force and power of volition, but in others this is 
 not perceptible. 
 
 These conditions are so well known when produced b}" other 
 causes that we do not consider it proper to enter into a full 
 consideration of them here, but we cannot leave this important 
 subject without a few general remarks. 
 
 No form of affection or disease has caused more discussion 
 among the medical profession or figured more proininently in 
 the courts than this, and even now there are many questions in 
 relation to these conditions still under dispute. Our own view, 
 confirmed both by observation and experience, is that the ten- 
 dency in New England, at least, has been on the whole to un- 
 derrate the severity, the duration, and the amount of suffering 
 
 caused by these conditions. That because there have been cases 
 44
 
 690 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 of malingering, of deception, and of rapid cure after the receipt 
 of damages, and because in addition to this a certain visible 
 emotional and at times apparently controllable element exists, 
 the profession, and above all the lait}", are led to conclude that 
 this forms the essential condition and basis of the disease. On 
 the contrary, in a very large proportion of cases the symptoms 
 are such as cannot possibly be voluntarily assumed ; they pro- 
 duce extreme discomfort and often much suffering for the 
 patient, and frequently last for years, rendering their victims in- 
 capable of carrying on their former occupations. 
 
 Fortunately in the patients suffering from electric shock 
 the severer forms of these affections are not so common. In 
 most of the cases reported recovery has been more or less rapid. 
 Cases in which previous hysteria or neurasthenia have existed 
 are more liable to these manifestations than persons of a pre- 
 viously equable nervous constitution, but these latter iire by no 
 means wholl}" exempt. To consider these conditions, as is 
 sometimes done, as the fault of the patient seems to us both 
 unwarrantable and unjust. 
 
 LIGHTNING. 
 
 We now come to the consideration of the action of electric- 
 ity in another form, that of natural electricity or lightning. 
 The effects of this are practicall}^ the same as those of the forms 
 previously described, except such differences as seem to be fairly 
 accounted for by the vastly greater force of the currents with 
 which we have to deal. Injuries and deaths from lightning 
 stroke have been recognized and described for many centuries, 
 and we have now a large collection of careful observations on 
 them. They occur in most temperate regions with comparative 
 frequency. In France the number of deaths from 1835 to 1852 
 inclusive (eighteen years) was 1,308. In England, including 
 Wales, there were in twenty years, 1865 to 1884 inclusive, 416 
 deaths. In 1846 Mr. Eben Merriam, of Brookline, wrote to Mr. 
 Arago that in the three last years about 150 persons had been 
 killed by lightning in the United States. In thirty years, from 
 1855 to 1884 inclusive, we find 101 deaths in Massachusetts 
 from this cause. 
 
 Exposure. — Injuries and deaths from lightning maj' occur
 
 LIGHTNING. 691 
 
 in various places and under various conditions. The severe 
 lightning strokes are popularly supposed to occur only during 
 thunder-storms, and in this latitude this is undoubtedlj', as a 
 rule, true, but lightning strokes are reported to have occurred, 
 particularly in the South, from a clear sky, and there seems no 
 reason to doubt that this may happen. It is said also that dan- 
 gerous discharges from the earth to the atmosphere may take 
 place at a considerable distance from an atmospheric storm. 
 As a rule, the lightning is more likely to strike some tall object, 
 as a tree or a tower or steeple, and for this reason, and to avoid 
 injury from falling branches, the shelter of trees should not be 
 sought during thunder-storms if lightning stroke be dreaded. 
 Ships at sea are frequently struck by lightning, partly perhaps 
 on account of the height of the masts and parti}' on account of 
 the metal in or on them. 
 
 Lightning obeys the same general laws as the other forms 
 of electricity and naturally follows the paths of least resistance. 
 Persons, therefore, who are in the neighborhood of or in con- 
 tact with good conductors are in more danger of injury by 
 lightning than when surrounded by or in contact with poor con- 
 ductors. The proximity or contact of a large metallic object 
 exposed in a thunder-storm is consequently more or less dan- 
 gerous. On the other hand, the absence of tall objects or of 
 specially good conductors of any kind does not insure safety. 
 In many cases persons in fields are struck, and cases are related 
 of persons strvick on the prairies in the West. In Fredet's case 
 a shepherd was found dead in the midst of the barren moors 
 (landes) in Southern France. 
 
 More accidents appear to occur directly to persons out-of- 
 doors than to those in houses or other buildings. When inside 
 buildings, persons struck are usually near an open door or win- 
 dow through which the lightning enters, and they are more 
 exposed to danger from this source if there be some metal ob- 
 ject or good conductor in the vicinitj". Persons carrying or 
 wearing metallic objects render themselves thereby more liable 
 to be injured in this way. 
 
 Not only does the liability to injury from lightning vary 
 somewhat according to the exposure or position of the person, 
 both in relation to the free access of the atmospheric air and to 
 the contact with or neighborhood of metallic objects or other
 
 692 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 good conductors, but also the severity of the injuries may be 
 largely dependent upon what they are wearing or carrying and 
 the condition of their clothing at the time. If the clothing be 
 wet it will act as a good conductor, as will also any metallic 
 object about the person. We have already referred to the action 
 of metallic objects upon the passage of the electricity to and 
 from the body and to the condition of the skin in relation 
 thereto. The laws of conduction and resistance are precisely 
 the same for the electricity of lightning as for the other forms. 
 Hence the greater the resistance to the electricity at the points 
 where it enters or leaves the body, the deeper will be the burn. 
 Thus we find not infrequently that the lightning, in its course 
 from the head to the feet, meets with a chain or a truss, and 
 almost iuA^ariably at least a portion of the current follows this, 
 causing a deep burn where it again passes into the skin. All 
 the external burns of the lightning, except the initial one, are 
 determined by the position and conditions of the body, the 
 clothing, and the conductors near. All electricity obeys the 
 same law and, roughly speaking, follows the path or paths of 
 least resistance. 
 
 The clothing w^orn by a person when struck by lightning 
 may be acted upon in the most various ways. Sometimes it is 
 wholly stripped off the unfortunate sufferer, who, as in a case 
 reported by Cook and Boulting, may have to be protected with 
 sacks or other hastily improvised coverings. In a case re- 
 ported by Nason, a girl of thirteen was struck while in the 
 street and most of her clothes stripped off and torn to shreds, 
 and the top of her hat, which contained steel wires, was torn 
 from the brim. In the case of Wilks the body was stripped 
 entirely naked and absolutely nothing left on except a portion 
 of the left arm of the man's flannel shirt. The clothing is 
 sometimes torn to the finest shreds, like those of a mouse's 
 nest, as described by Van Horn, and in another case (Claes), 
 where the patient was struck while on board ship, his woollen 
 jacket was torn into fine bits, which stuck to the ropes, and the 
 deck was covered with fibres of wool as fine as those of cotton- 
 wool. In this case the woof of the trousers was said to have 
 been wholly destroyed, while the web was untouched. 
 
 The clothing is also often burnt. Not only are holes burnt 
 in it as is usually the case at the point where the lightning
 
 SYMPTOMATOLOGY. 093 
 
 strikes and at the point where it leaves the bodj', but it may- 
 be set on fire. It may be found smoking or in flames. 
 
 Of all portions of the clothing injured, perhaps the coverings 
 of the feet are the most frequently so, as the electricity is very 
 apt to leave the body through the feet, and the resistance op- 
 posed is great. Hence the boot or shoe is frequently injured. 
 Sometimes it is pierced as by a bullet, or a large hole is torn in 
 it, or it may be torn to pieces or reduced almost to lint, while 
 the foot remains uninjured. It may be torn, shrivelled, and 
 burnt. In one case the soles of the shoes had disappeared ; in 
 another the leg of the boot was clearly divided from the sole 
 and both straps were torn out ; while again in another the shoe 
 was carried wholly off. 
 
 The amount of injury to the clothing does not necessarily 
 correspond to the amount done to the body. A person may be 
 killed by lightning while the clothing is uninjured. On the 
 other hand, the clothing may be torn to pieces, carried away, 
 or even partially burnt, while the portion of the body under- 
 neath remains unhurt. 
 
 Symptomatology, — The symptoms of stroke by lightning 
 resemble, in a general way, those due to high-tension currents 
 of electricity. As in the case of the latter, they can be divided 
 into the direct, j^roduced immediately by the lightning itself, 
 and the indirect, or secondary, produced through the medium of 
 other factors. 
 
 In the milder cases the person struck feels dazed and be- 
 numbed and may or may not lose consciousness for a short 
 time. At the moment struck they may have the sensation of 
 a blow, and they often see a blinding flash. On recovery of 
 their faculties there may be a temporary anaesthesia or weak- 
 ness of one or more extremities, which rarely lasts more than 
 twenty-four hours. There is a general shock to the system, 
 sometimes slight loss of memory for a time, and occasionally 
 nausea and vomiting. There are often discolorations of the 
 skin of medium extent, and frequenth' burns and blisters. 
 These persons have usually received the stroke on one extrem- 
 ity or have escaped the full force. In the more severe cases 
 the patient loses consciousness immediatel}' and may continue 
 unconscious for some hours. He passes into a condition of 
 collapse with rapid, feeble pulse and cold extremities, and the
 
 694 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 pupils are dilated. On recovery of his senses the same symp- 
 toms as in the less severe cases, only more pronounced, are 
 found. The loss of memory may be marked and the intellect 
 temporarily w^eakened, while the weakness and anaesthesia of 
 the extremities persist longer. The external injuries, bums, 
 and wounds are liable to be more severe. 
 
 In the fatal cases where death is directly due to the electric- 
 ity it is usually instantaneous or at least without recovery of 
 consciousness. It may be caused by shock or by apoplexy, 
 i.e., intracranial hemorrhage or by the direct effect of the elec- 
 tricity on the brain. Of course death is often due to bums or 
 to indirect traumatic injuries. 
 
 The indirect traumatic injuries caused by lightning are due 
 either to the loss of consciousness of the patient, which causes 
 him to fall and thus sustain injury, or to the direct action of 
 the electricity upon him, knocking him down or throvdng him 
 to some distance, sometimes with great violence, or lastly, and 
 perhaps the most frequent cause, to the impact or pressure of 
 objects which are torn or cast down by the electricity and by 
 striking or falling on a person produce great injury. Thus 
 persons have been killed by the fall of buildings, sheds, or trees 
 which were struck by the lightning, or their branches. Of 
 course all kinds of traumata may be produced thus. 
 
 The direct external injuries caused by lightning are burns, 
 subcutaneous hemorrhages, discolorations and markings of the 
 skin either dendritic or metallic, lacerations or wounds. 
 
 Burns occur in nearly all, perhaps all, severe cases of light- 
 ning stroke. They may be of any or all degrees, and may ex- 
 tend over very small points or over the whole or nearly the 
 whole body. They may consist in a simple singeing of the 
 hair, or they may be very deep and extend to the bone. As 
 before stated, the deep burns are found at the points of resist- 
 ance to the current, at its points of entrance and exit from the 
 body, and, to a lesser degree, at all points where its course is 
 impeded. This occurs wherever the clothes are fastened tightly 
 or pressed against the body, hence especially at the neck, waist, 
 knees, and sometimes at the ankles. The position of the burns 
 is determined, therefore, by the point at which the lightning 
 strikes the person, the position at the moment, and by the ar- 
 rangement of the dress and the presence of metallic substances.
 
 WOUNDS — CONTUSIONS. 695 
 
 In the large majority of cases the upper portion of the body is 
 the part first touched by the lightning, and thence it descends 
 along the body to the ground. We are apt, therefore, to find a 
 severe burn about the upper portion of the body, the head, 
 neck, or shoulders ; then a scorching, singeing, or burning, more 
 or less severe, in the form of a stripe or stripes more or less 
 broad down the body : the burns being deeper where the clothes 
 are tighter or where metallic objects come into contact with 
 or are near the body ; and finally a deep burn at the nearest point 
 of contact with the ground, usually the heel or some portion of 
 the foot. 
 
 The burns, however, vary greatly. The eyes may be burnt 
 and severely injured or destroyed. The lightning has been 
 known to enter the mouth and burn the mucous membrane 
 within. The deeper burns not infrequently assume the form of 
 holes. In Heusner's cases about twenty whitish-gray spots, 
 varying from the size of a lentil to that of a pea, were found 
 on the soles of the feet. The hair is usually singed and may 
 be burnt off in large areas, or wholly as in a case reported by 
 Bernard. 
 
 Wounds. — These may be direct or indirect. We shall 
 speak here only of the first. Like burns they occur usually at 
 the points of greatest resistance, that is, the places of entrance 
 and exit, but they may be found in any part of the body. They 
 ma}" be clean- cut, as if made by a sharp knife, or they may be 
 lacerated and ragged with the edges contused or burnt. They 
 may consist of holes which look as if they had been punched 
 out. 
 
 Contusions or ecchymoses. These may also be produced 
 directly by the lightning, and like burns and wounds are most 
 apt to occur where the resistance is greatest. They may be of 
 considerable importance in a medico-legal sense, as in Fredet's 
 case, where there were ecchymoses on the neck similar to those 
 produced by the fingers of a hand applied for strangulation. In 
 the case related by Cook and Boulting the right side of the 
 body appeared like an exaggerated example of post-mortem 
 staining. There are sometimes found also dark- brown spots, 
 small or large, which may be soft and, when cut, containing 
 fluid blood, or they may be hard and like parchment, dr}', and 
 bloodless on section.
 
 696 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 Closely connected with these are the so-called dendroid or 
 dendritic marks, which are dark-colored reddish bands or stripes, 
 often more or less dichotomously branched, not disappearing 
 under pressure, found on the bodies of those struck by light- 
 ning. Though usually of the form mentioned, they may as- 
 sume other shapes, as that of an irregular star with zigzag rays. 
 Balfour has figured an excellent example of these. 
 
 Metallic staining of the skin has been known to occur 
 where metals were in contact with it at the time of the light- 
 ning stroke. These stains may be permanent and are due to 
 the introduction of the finely divided metal. Richardson has 
 succeeded in producing this artificially in animals. He found 
 two conditions required, that the metallic conductor should be 
 sufficiently fine to offer resistance to the current and that the 
 current itself should be an electric discharge of low tension. 
 
 Loss of hair is said to have occurred from lightning, though 
 the hair was not burnt. One case has been reported where 
 after a severe stroke all the hair on the body is said to have 
 fallen out. 
 
 Symptoms. 
 
 Under this heading we shall consider only such symptoms 
 as are, so far as can be ascertained, the direct result of the elec- 
 tricity and not those secondary to injuries. 
 
 We will consider first those relating to the nervous system. 
 
 Loss of Consciousness. — This occurs to a greater or 
 less extent in all but the very mildest cases. It varies through- 
 out all degrees from a slight momentary benumbing of the 
 faculties to the most profound stupor or coma. It may then 
 last hours or even days. On recovery the patient is apt to have 
 some loss of memory, to be dazed and confused for some time, 
 and a certain obtuseness or blunting of the intellectual faculties 
 may persist for a considerable period. This loss of conscious- 
 ness is often accompanied by flushing of the face and dilatation 
 of the pupils, or on the other hand the patient may present all 
 the symptoms of collapse. 
 
 Loss of memory in regard to the lightning stroke after 
 recovery of consciousness is not rare. It is frequentlj' complete 
 so far as any recollection of the lightning goes, and there may 
 be no remembrance of the thunder-storm. Sometimes a defec-
 
 SYMPTOMS. 697 
 
 tive memory persists together with general mental impairment 
 (James). 
 
 Mental Disease. — A condition of mental impairment last- 
 ing at least weeks or months maj^ occur. Mania and the de- 
 lirium of terror are said to have occurred. 
 
 Various symptoms of the disturbance of the nervous equi- 
 librium are not uncommon. Among these we maj' mention 
 tremor, insomnia, and nervous dread of thunder-storms and of 
 electricity. There is no doubt that some persons who have 
 been exposed to lightning stroke do, at least for a time, become 
 unusually susceptible to the influences of atmospheric elec- 
 tricit}'. 
 
 Loss of Motion — Paralysis. — This is a very frequent re- 
 sult of a stroke from lightning. Hemiplegia is not uncommon. 
 In Bonnet's case the patient was struck on the head by the 
 lightning, which caused a lacerated wound in the left temple, 
 but did not injure the aponeurosis. On recovery of conscious- 
 ness the patient was found to have a left hemiplegia involving 
 the face and both extremities accompanied by a diminution of 
 sensation over the left half of the bodj'. The sensation became 
 normal in two days, but a partial hemiplegia remained perma- 
 nently. In the case of Durand there was a nearl}* complete 
 right hemiplegia with accompanying hyperaesthesia and some 
 affection of speech. Deglutition and mastication were difficult, 
 and there was persistent hiccough. There was photophobia and 
 hyperaesthesia. The patient improved in two weeks and finally 
 recovered. There is often a temporary hemiplegia. 
 
 Nearly all forms of paralyses of the extremities may occur. 
 We may have parah'sis of all the extremities or of both arms 
 or legs, or monoplegias. Paraplegia occurs not very rarelj'. 
 It is usually of short duration. It may be accompanied b}' 
 paralysis of the bladder. Single muscles or muscle groups only 
 may be affected. 
 
 Ptosis may occur with paralj^sis of other branches of the 
 third nerve, causing diplopia. Facial paralysis occurs also 
 alone ; in one case it lasted only twentj'-four hours, in another 
 one month. 
 
 Difficulty in mastication is sometimes found, but much 
 more frequentl}^ difficulty in deglutition is reported. 
 
 Retention of urine, dysuria, or incontinentia urinse may all
 
 G98 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 occur, and there is sometimes a paralysis of the rectum, usually 
 temporar}', and sometimes obstinate constipation, which in one 
 case was combined with paralysis of the bladder and mono- 
 plegia. 
 
 Aphasia in various degrees and various forms of dysphasia 
 or difficulty in speech are not uncommon. They are apt to be 
 temporary. 
 
 Loss of co-ordination in the lower extremities with partial 
 paralysis of bladder and rectum is reported. 
 
 Convulsions. — Epilepsy may be brought on by lightning : 
 this would be more likely to occur in a person previously sub- 
 ject to epileptic attacks. Hysterical convulsions and spasms 
 may also be produced, both immediately and as a more remote 
 result, usually in persons predisposed. Tetany and catalepsy 
 are said to occur. 
 
 Clonic spasms of the whole body and convulsive movements 
 of the limbs are not very infrequent. In some cases a marked 
 sensitiveness remains for a time in the limbs struck, so that if 
 touched they are immediately thrown into clonic spasms. 
 
 Disturbances of Sensation. — Pam occurs in nearly all 
 cases. It is most frequently a secondary result of the burns 
 and other injuries. Not rarely, however, it exists as a direct 
 symptom in the form of a burning or stinging neuralgia in the 
 limb or limbs affected. Sometimes the first sensation on the 
 recovery of consciousness seems to be pain all over the body or 
 confined to some portions only, but the amount and character 
 of the pain, aside from that produced by the injuries, varies 
 much. One patient had a burning pain in the back and leg 
 lasting only half an hour after recovery of consciousness. In 
 another case there were pains all over at the end of the first 
 week. On the whole, severe pain in some or all of the limbs, 
 and less commonly in the head, without paralysis and lasting 
 some days is not rare. In one case reported by Paige the 
 patient had intense pain in the head, neck, arms, and chest; 
 that in the head was constant, severe, and lasted seven days, 
 elsewhere less constant. 
 
 Pain in the arms accompanied b}^ paralysis and anaesthesia 
 and lasting three months has been reported. 
 
 Headache is not rare as a later or secondary symptom. 
 
 Disturbances of sensation other than pain are not rare.
 
 CONVULSIONS — DISTURBANCES OF SENSATION. 699 
 
 A certain amount of hyperaesthesia almost always exists in 
 the portion affected immediately after the stroke. This is often 
 SO marked that it cannot be wholly due to the burns or other 
 injuries. It is usually very temporary and ceases in a few 
 hours. In some cases a permanent or lasting sensitiveness to 
 the action of electricity is said to remain. 
 
 Anaesthesia, loss or diminution of sensation, occurs either 
 with or without paralysis. In the cases reported by Balfour, 
 one boy said he could not feel his legs and another that his arms 
 were cut off. In a case reported by Free there was loss of sen- 
 sation in the right upper extremity from the elbow to the 
 fingers and in the left lower extremity from the knee to the 
 toes. As a rule, the loss of sensation is temporary and quickly 
 passes away, but it may last, in company with paralysis, for 
 some time. In such cases either an organic lesion or a trau- 
 matic neurosis is to be suspected. 
 
 Parsesthesic© are very common after lightning stroke. Most 
 frequent, perhaps, is the subjective sensation of numbness. 
 Tingling, formication, and the sense of " pins and needles" may 
 occur. 
 
 Beflexes. — As a rule, the deep reflexes seem to remain nor- 
 mal. The superficial reflexes of the parts affected are at least 
 temporarily increased. 
 
 Special Senses. — Sight. — Affections of the eye. The eye 
 and the surrounding parts may be directly injured by burning. 
 We also find many serious conditions caused by the lightning 
 the pathology of which will be considered later. When a person 
 is first struck he may perceive a flash of light or a ball of fire 
 before losing consciousness. While unconscious the pupils are 
 usually dilated, but react. Sight may be at once totally lost, 
 but this is usually only temporary. There may be amblyopia ; 
 photophobia, lachrymation, and pain are not uncommon for a 
 time. Cataract may be produced and other severe ocular affec- 
 tions may result. 
 
 Hearing. — Sudden and total deafness may be caused by 
 lightning, as in the case of Cook, where perforation of both 
 tympana was found. This may prove to be only temporary, 
 as in the case of Nason, where the patient, though totally deaf 
 at first, is reported as hearing fairly on the fifth daj' ; on the 
 seventeenth day, however, the hearing was still dull. The
 
 700 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 deafness may be permanent. With deafness tinnitus is apt to 
 occur. Hyperacustia, or extreme sensitiveness to noise, has 
 also been reported in several cases. 
 
 Smell and Taste. — The person affected sometimes has 
 noticed a smell resembling that of sulphur, and this has also 
 been said to have been apparent to others. A metallic taste 
 in the mouth is not rare. 
 
 General Symptoms. — When first struck by lightning 
 and while still unconscious, the patient has usually a flushed 
 and reddened face, with dilated pupils. Immediately follow- 
 ing, or perhaps without this preliminary stage, appear the 
 symptoms of collapse. Cyanosis may occur, and the patient 
 may appear to be asphyxiated. 
 
 Fever, not caused by injuries, ma}' sometimes occur, but 
 certainly not to any extreme degree. In many cases the tem- 
 perature when taken was normal, and even in cases of severe 
 stroke without serious surgical injury the temperature has not 
 risen above 101°. In these latter cases it is hard to say how 
 far the temperature is affected by the burns which are always 
 present. 
 
 The pulse is sometimes slow, sometimes rapid and feeble, or 
 almost imperceptible ; at times it is irregular. 
 
 The respiration is apt to be labored. In Paige's case there 
 was marked dyspnoea. It maj^ be almost imperceptible. It is 
 sometimes slow and sometimes rapid. 
 
 Nausea and vomiting occur often after recovery of con- 
 sciousness. Vertigo and reeling may exist from various causes. 
 
 It is probable that seminal emissions may occur at the mo- 
 ment of shock. 
 
 Menstruation, when present, may be checked or may con- 
 tinue. Pregnant women do not necessarily abort. 
 
 Pathology and Pathological Anatomy. 
 
 A few words must be said in regard to the pathological 
 conditions which may be directly produced by lightning and 
 can be detected during life. The burns, wounds, ecchymoses, 
 dendritic marks, and other external signs have already been 
 fully considered. 
 
 Certain pathological changes, however, have been found in
 
 PATHOLOGY — AUTOPSIES. 7Ui 
 
 the eyes which are capable of being verified during life. In 
 addition to swelling and oedema of the lids, to the' injuries 
 from burns and to the various paralyses of the ocular muscles, 
 changes in the tissues of the eye itself may occur. In the first 
 place we may find corneal opacities and adhesive iritis. Irido- 
 cyclitis may occur. Cataract formation is not rare, and its 
 causation has given rise to many theories. Optic neuritis and 
 neuro-retinitis are sometimes found; and we have sometimes 
 optic atrophy. Structural changes in the choroid may also be 
 caused by lightning. Rupture of the choroid, hemorrhage 
 from the choroid and retina, and partial detachment of the 
 retina may occur from the shock without the patient being 
 struck by the lightning and without rupture of the external 
 tissues. 
 
 Ears. — Perforation of the tympanum is reported in more 
 than one case. 
 
 Autopsies. 
 
 We shall consider here the pathological conditions found in 
 deaths from electricity, whether due to artificial or to atmos- 
 pheric sources. The results are or may be the same in either, 
 so far as we now know, and it is probable that the action of 
 the electricitj^ is practically the same in either case, onlj' vary- 
 ing as regards the strength and tension of the current. 
 
 Rigor Mortis. — This has generally been found in cases of 
 death from artificial electricity. In the case of Jugigo, who 
 was executed by electricity, it was present four and one-half 
 hours after death. As regards its occurrence in death by light- 
 ning and the rapidity of its onset, there has been much discus- 
 sion. It is certainly present in many cases, and the probability 
 is there is nothing diagnostic in regard to it in deaths by light- 
 ning. When absent, its absence is probably due to the pres- 
 ence of some external factor and has no relation to the form of 
 death. Wo have, on the other hand, no proof that the rapidity 
 of its onset is increased. 
 
 Coagulation of the Blood. — It has been observed fre- 
 quently that the blood of persons struck by lightning does not 
 coagulate readily. Sullivan states that in certain cases of com- 
 plete disorganization after lightning shock the blood is left 
 fluid and incoagulable and its color changed to a deep black.
 
 703 ELECTRICITY — BULLARD. 
 
 In one of the cases of death from artificial electricity reported 
 by Grange, the heart was found sixty-two hours after death to 
 be filled with liquid blood of a rosy vermilion color, which 
 quickly became darker on contact with the air. A spectro- 
 scopic examination of the blood showed the normal lines of 
 oxidized blood reducible by sulphydrate of ammonium. In a 
 case reported by Matzinger the blood as submitted was black 
 and perfectly fluid, the corpuscles, both red and white, were 
 normal, and no fibrin was detected. In those executed by elec- 
 tricity the blood seems to have been fluid and not in any way 
 remarkable. 
 
 There seems to be no evidence that the bodies of those dying 
 from electricity in any form suffer unusually rapid decompo- 
 sition. 
 
 The only absolute sign of death from electricity is decompo- 
 sition of the tissues, but the usual signs are to be relied upon to 
 the same extent as in ordinary cases of death. 
 
 Internal Organs. — In the cases of death from mechanical 
 electricity no changes in the internal organs other than those 
 due to accidental traumata have been found, except a consider- 
 able degree of congestion and sometimes minute hemorrhages 
 in the heart substance beneath the pericardium and into the 
 pulmonary air-vesicles and pleura. In one of Grange's cases 
 the heart was filled with liquid blood ; in the other it was com- 
 pletelj' empty, the right ventricle collapsed, the walls of the left 
 ventricle hard and contracted. 
 
 Careful autopsies were made in the cases of the criminals 
 executed by electricity, but no important changes caused by 
 the electric current have been detected either macroscopically or 
 microscopically. A few petechial spots (Tardieu's spots) are 
 apt to be found underneath the pericardium in the heart tissue 
 and sometimes beneath the pleura. The organs were not ex- 
 tremely congested. In the case of Jugigo the vessels of the 
 spinal cord and its membranes contained if anything less blood 
 than usual. In this case the amount of blood found in the 
 brain seems to have been about normal, the vessels of the dura 
 were moderately dilated and those of the pia " in a medium 
 state of congestion." In the case of Kemmler the portion of 
 the intracranial contents underneath the head-electrode was 
 somewhat affected directly by the heat, the meningeal vessels
 
 INTERNAL ORGANS. 703 
 
 in the dura were carbonized, and the brain cortex was sensibly 
 hardened to one-sixth of its depth, "where there was a broken 
 line of vascularity. " The post-mortem temperature in this case 
 seems to have remained unusually high, being 97° F. in the 
 fourth ventricle and 99° F. at the back of the neck three hours 
 after death in a room where the temperature was onh' 83°. 
 
 In autopsies after death by lightning the results are in gen- 
 eral analogous. The brain and its membranes may be anaemic 
 or congested. Effusions of blood may be found beneath the 
 dura or in the brain substance itself, due to the laceration or 
 injury of vessels. Rupture of the brain is said to have oc- 
 curred, and Phayre reports a case in which the left hemisphere 
 was entirely destroyed and changed into a dark gray homoge- 
 neous fluid mass, only a small portion of the corpus callosum re- 
 maining. No extravasation of blood, laceration of the vessels 
 or membranes, or injury of the bones was detected. 
 
 Ecchymotic spots are frequently found beneath the serous 
 membranes, pericardium, pleura, and peritoneum. 
 
 Schmitz states that parenchymatous inflammation of the in- 
 ternal organs may occur, and Sullivan reports a case where 
 the stomach was found to be gangrenous over a large sur- 
 face, the patient having lived several days. Cases of rupture of 
 the heart, the liver, and the spleen are reported.
 
 THE MEDICO-LEGAL CONSIDERATIO]^ 
 
 OF 
 
 Death by Mechanical suffocation 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 HANGING AND STRANGULATION. 
 
 BY 
 
 DANIEL SMITH LAMB, A.M., M.D., 
 
 Pathologist Army Medical Museum, Washington, D.C.; Professor of Anatomy Medical 
 Department Hoivard University, Washington; Secretary Association of Ameri- 
 can Anatomists; Late Acting Assistant Surgeon United States Army; 
 President of Association of Acting Assistant Surgeoiis 
 U. S. A. ; Member of Learned Societies.
 
 MECHANICAL SUFFOCATION. 
 
 Suffocation is the name applied to both the act of and con- 
 dition resulting from the deprivation of atmospheric air. If 
 the deprivation is due to mechanical interference, the term 
 
 MECHANICAL SUFFOCATION is USed. 
 
 Mechanical interference may be by pressure upon or obstruc- 
 tion within some portion of the respiratory tract.' Suffocation 
 by pressure upon the neck is called hanging when the con- 
 stricting force is the weight of the bodj^ itself ; and strangula- 
 tion in all other cases. German writers designate strangula- 
 tion by cords, ropes, and the like as Erdrosselung, and by the 
 hand as Erwiirgungj French writers do not make this distinc- 
 tion. In English the word throttling is probably oftener 
 applied to strangulation by the hand than by cords. 
 
 The term suffocation is also applied in a special sense 
 to the act and result of pressure on the mouth, nose, or chest 
 and abdomen, stopi^ing the breathing; or of obstruction within 
 the respiratory tract; or of pressure upon the tract from the 
 oesophagus, etc. ; or of breathing of irrespirable gases. 
 
 Strangulation is almost always homicidal, hanging almost 
 always suicidal, and suffocation (limited) usually accidental, 
 but also often homicidal. 
 
 Strangulation may be admitted, therefore, as including all 
 cases of suffocation by pressure on the neck, whether by cords 
 or the hand ; but excluding hanging. 
 
 It will facilitate the study of the subject if we use the word 
 ligature as a general term to cover the many forms of cords, 
 ropes, etc., used in strangulation and hanging. 
 
 The word garroting is often used to indicate the forcible 
 compression of the neck b}'- the hands of thieves. The assault 
 is usually made from behind, and the victim is robbed while 
 the throttling proceeds. The brevity of the process explains 
 why death is not more frequent. The word garroting comes 
 from the Spanish; criminal execution in Spain and Italy is
 
 708 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 usually by means of the garrote, a steel collar which is tight- 
 ened on the neck of the condemned b}' a screw. The notorious 
 thugs of the East Indies used sometimes a soft loin-cloth, at 
 others a lasso or long thong with a running noose. In Turkey 
 and some other Eastern countries the bowstring is a common 
 mode of execution. 
 
 An examination of the reported cases of strangulation and 
 hanging shows a great variety of forms of ligature: cords, 
 ropes, thread, thongs, lassos, flexible twigs, bamboos, leather 
 straps, girdles, turbans, fishing-nets, collars, cravats and other 
 foims of neckwear, bonnet strings, handkerchiefs, sheets, etc. 
 Women have even strangled themselves with their own hair 
 (Case 34). Stones, sticks, coal, and other hard substances 
 have sometimes been inserted in the ligature to increase the 
 pressure (Cases 36, 38, 42, 43, 44). Drunken and otherwise 
 helpless persons have been strangled by falling forward with 
 the neck against a firm substance. 
 
 strangulation. 
 Symptoms and Treatment. 
 
 The symptoms and post-mortem appearances in strangula- 
 tion will vary, according as the deprivation of air is sudden or 
 gradual, partial or complete; and whether there is coincident 
 pressure on the great arteries, veins, and nerves of the neck. 
 
 The deprivation of air disposes to asphj^xia ; pressure on the 
 great arteries by cutting off the supply of arterial blood to the 
 brain disposes to anaemia of the brain and syncope; pressure 
 on the great veins, b}^ preventing the return of blood to the 
 heart, to congestion of the brain and coma; pressure on the 
 great nerves, the pneumogastrics, to syncope. Statistics of 
 hanging show that in about seventy per cent of cases death is 
 by a mixture of asphyxia and coma. While it is probable that 
 the proportion is less in strangulation, yet it is also probable 
 that a mixed result frequenth' occurs. 
 
 Asphj'xia is from « priv. and fl'cr(3|.'9, pulse — absence of pulse. 
 
 Apnoea from a priv. and -v^w, I breathe — absence of breathing. 
 
 Syncope, Toyy.o-r^^ a faint; suspended animation from sudden 
 
 failure of heart. Coma, zw,aa, deep sleep. Richardson ' makes 
 
 'Asclepiad, 1890, Tii., pp. 102-117.
 
 STRANGULATION. 709 
 
 the following distinction between asphyxia and apnoea: As- 
 phyxia is difficulty of taking in breath ; apnoea is breathless- 
 ness. There is asphyxia when the blood from the heart can go 
 to the lungs, but there is no access of air ; apnoea, when there 
 is access of air, but the blood fails to reach the lungs. In as- 
 ph3'xia the lungs obstruct the circulation ; in apnoea the obstruc- 
 tion is in the heart. In asphyxia the air cannot reach the blood ; 
 in apnoea the blood cannot reach the air. 
 
 Quinquaud ' and Fredericq ' conclude from experiments on 
 animals that asphyxia is due to the deficiency of ox5"gen, not 
 to the accumulation of carbon dioxide. 
 
 Page ^ divides the phenomena witnessed in an animal killed 
 by simply depriving it of air, without interfering Avith the 
 blood-vessels of the neck, into four stages : 
 
 First. A short stage. ( In the human subject this stage could 
 scarcely last longer than fifty seconds, which is said to be the 
 extreme limit of the most expert divers. The breath can be 
 held longest if a number of deep breaths have previously been 
 taken, so as to surcharge the blood with oxygen.) 
 
 Second. The stage of "besoin de respirer," when the want 
 of air begins to be felt ; the animal makes vigorous and violent 
 efforts to overcome the obstacle. This stage may continue for 
 three to four minutes. 
 
 Third. Unconsciousness supervenes with irregular and 
 spasmodic movements ; efforts at respiration continue. 
 
 Fourth. Efforts at respiration cease, but the heart still beats. 
 This stage maj^ last from two to four minutes. Hofmann * 
 says that it may last a half -hour. In new-born infants, as- 
 phyxiated, it may be quite long. 
 
 The post-mortem appearances in such an animal were as follows : 
 the lungs were pale, reddish, not much distended ; there were a few 
 dilated air-cells toward the anterior border ; hemorrhages irregularly 
 dispersed over the surface of the lung, varying in number and size. 
 The right cavities of the heart contained dark fluid blood, the left were 
 empty. The pulmonary artery and systemic veins, even the smallest 
 branches, were gorged with dark blood. Page adds that when the 
 
 •Compt. Rendu See. Biol., 1890, •'" On the Value of Certain Signs, " 
 
 ii . pp. 383-387. etc., Edinburgh, 1878. 
 
 -Archiv. Biol, de Gand. , 1887, ^ "Lehrbuch gericht. Med.," 1891, 
 
 vii., pp. 217-227. p. 503.
 
 710 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 great vessels of the neck are interfered with death may occur "bj 
 coma, syncope, and even asthenia." 
 
 CoHn ' made twenty-five experiments on horses, and records three 
 of them as follows : they were all strangled with a hempen cord at 
 the middle of the neck. The first was quiet till the second or third 
 minute, then there were violent movements and strong efforts to dilate 
 the chest ; at four minutes, spasms ; four and one-half minutes, quiet ; 
 six minutes, pupils dilated, tongue hanging out, limbs flaccid; blood 
 black. Second horse: Carotid artery denuded to observe its action. 
 In fifteen seconds, blood nearly black ; four and one-quarter minutes, 
 no pulsation in carotids ; five and one-half minutes, no respiratory 
 movement ; six minutes, heart-beat ceased, except feeble contraction 
 of auricles, which continued till twenty-first minute. Third horse : 
 In five minutes respiration ceased ; tracheotomy performed, but there 
 was no attempt to breathe ; eight minutes, heart ceased to beat. Sim- 
 ilar results were obtained in ruminants and in small animals, except 
 that the larger animals lived longer than the smaller. 
 
 Faure made the following experiment on a large dog. He tied a 
 cord tightly round its neck ; for fifty-five seconds it was quiet, then 
 suddenly it became agitated, threw itself against the wall, rolled on the 
 ground, twisted itself ; bloody tiucus escaped from the nose and mouth; 
 the teeth were ground together ; urine and faeces were passed. The 
 efi'orts at respiration became very rapid. It fell dead at the end of 
 three and one-half minutes. 
 
 The symptoms of strangulation in the human subject resem- 
 ble closely those just described as occurring in the dog. 
 
 The FIRST or preliminary stage lasts a variable time, 
 according to the suddenness and completeness witli which the 
 access of air is prevented ; it lasts until there is a demand for 
 the air. In a case of homicide, injuries may be inflicted on 
 the victim in this stage which may have an important bearing on 
 the cause of death. Blows on the head may cause unconscious- 
 ness, or even apoplexy; upon the stomach, may cause syncope; 
 stab- wounds may tend to cause death from hemorrhage. 
 
 The SECOND stage begins with the demand for air and lasts 
 till unconsciousness supervenes. It is characterized bj" frantic 
 efforts to breathe, efforts in which the entire body takes part. 
 If the subject is conscious, he is intensely so ; the expression of 
 the face is intense; the eyes may protrude, the hands be 
 clinched ; the memory is unusually active, and the events of a 
 
 'Bull. Acad. Med., 1876, y., p. ' Archiv. gen. de Med., 1856, p. 
 
 763. 302.
 
 STRANGULATION. 711 
 
 lifetime may rapidly pass before the mind in a few minutes. 
 The tongue may be thrust between the clinched teeth and 
 bitten ; and urine, faeces, and semen may be discharged. 
 
 The THIRD STAGE usually appears suddenly, and is charac- 
 terized by unconsciousness and irregular involuntary move- 
 ments, i.e., spasms; these may end in opisthotonos; the veins 
 become turgid, and hemorrhages may occur from the eyes, 
 nose, mouth, throat, ears, and into the connective tissues of 
 the lungs, pleura, pericardium, etc. The circulation of venous 
 blood in the arteries is shown by the general lividity, especially 
 where the skin is thin, as the lips and tips of fingers. Hof- 
 mann ' states that coincident with the oncoming of unconscious- 
 ness and convulsions the respiratory effort becomes expiratory, 
 followed still later by inspiratory efforts. 
 
 The FOURTH STAGE begins with the cessation of spasms and 
 of efforts to breathe. The subject is quiet, but the heart still 
 beats. The stage ends with the cessation of the heart-beat. 
 
 Discharges of semen, urine, and faeces may occur in the 
 first and second stages, from terror; in the second and third 
 from the general agitation, and in the third and fourth from 
 paralysis. 
 
 Strangulation according to Bernard ^ causes a rise in tem- 
 perature, varying from one to two degrees (Cent.). He thinks 
 that this is due to the changes from arterial to venous blood, 
 especially in the muscles. 
 
 Lukomsky ^ concluded from experiments that in asphj^xia 
 both arterial and venous pressure is increased in the systemic 
 circulation, but diminished in the pulmonary artery. The 
 highest degree of blood pressure coincides with the strongest 
 respiratory movements, especially expiration. He also con- 
 cluded that the Tardieu spots (subpleural ecchymoses) directly 
 depended on the efforts of breathing and blood pressure. 
 
 Some writers, as Taylor and Tidy, think that death occurs 
 sooner in the human subject than in the lower animals; where 
 the access of air is suddenly and completely prevented death 
 may be immediate. Tardieu says that death follows pressure 
 of the hand sooner than that of a ligature. 
 
 '"Lehrb.d.ffer.Med.,"1891,p. 500. -^Viert. f. ger. Med., etc., 1871, 
 ^" Lemons sur les anaesthesiques, " xv., pp. 58-96. 
 Paris, 1875, p. 471.
 
 712 STRANGULATION— LAMB. 
 
 Fleischmann ' placed cords round his own neck between hyoid bone 
 and chin, tied them tightly, sometimes at the side, sometimes at the 
 back, without respiration being interfered with, because there was no 
 pressure on the air passages. But his face grew red, eyes protruded 
 slightly, there was a feeling of great heat in the head, of weight, com- 
 mencing dizziness, and suddenly a hissing and rustling in his ears. 
 The experiment should stop at this point. The same symptoms occurred 
 from applying the cord over the larynx. The first experiment lasted 
 two minutes, the second a half -minute. The difference was due to the 
 different situation of the cord. 
 
 Dr. G. M. Hammond - gives an account of a personal experiment 
 in strangulation. He sat down ; a towel was passed around his neck, 
 and the ends twisted together, making forcible compression of the 
 neck. At first he had a feeling of warmth and tingling, first in the 
 feet, then passing over the entire body ; vision partly lost ; his head 
 felt as if it would burst ; there was confused roaring in ears, like the 
 sound heard on placing the ear to a shell ; he x'emained conscious. In 
 one minute twenty seconds all sensibility was abolished. After a few 
 minutes' rest a second similar trial was made, with similar results, ex- 
 cept that sensibility was lost in fifty -five seconds. A stab with a knife 
 drawing the blood caused no sensation. 
 
 Should the subject recover from the immediate effects of the 
 strangulation there may yet be serious secondary results. 
 Among these are convulsions and paralysis ; extreme svrelling 
 of face, neck, and chest ; loss of voice ; lesions of larynx and 
 lungs; abscesses. Death may occur suddenly and remotely 
 from one of the sequelae. ^ 
 
 In the treatment of strangulation the first indication obvi- 
 ously is to remove the pressure from the neck. Artificial respi- 
 ration will probably be required, and may be aided by ammonia 
 applied to the nostrils, tickling of the fauces, and galvanism. 
 Colin ' states that artificial respiration is useless after cessation 
 of heart-beat. (See the treatment by galvanism under " Suffo- 
 cation.") If the body is cold, artificial heat by means of hot 
 bottles, etc. Venesection may be necessary. Colin strongly 
 advises venesection to relieve the distention of the heart. Stim- 
 ulants and light food are often required. 
 
 ' Translation in Ann. d'Hvg. , Archiv, 1880. i., p. 648); Petrina 
 
 1832, viii., p. 433. (Prag. med. Woch., 1880, No. 39); 
 
 2 Med. Record, N. Y. , 1883, xxii. , Wagner ( Jahr. f . Psych. , 1889, viii. ). 
 p. 427. [Hofmann, "Lehrbuch," pp. 570- 
 
 3 See Maier (Friedreich's Blat., 573]. See Cases 17, 19, 31. 
 
 1882, p. 460); Moreaud (Virchow's -iBuU. Ac. Med., 1876, v., p. 761.
 
 POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES. 713 
 
 Limousin ' recommends the use of oxygen. Cobos " experi- 
 mented on animals by injecting oxygen hypodermically, as a 
 means of artificial respiration. His conclusions are that the 
 oxygen is absorbed and carbon dioxide eliminated in the same 
 place. The oxygen thus introduced causes no trouble. Tes- 
 tevin ^ cures asphyxia by hypodermic injection of ether. 
 
 The after-treatment will depend on the after-conditions. 
 
 The prognosis is good if there is no serious injury to the 
 neck and treatment is promptly applied. 
 
 PosT-MoRTEM Appearances. 
 
 The post-mortem appearances in strangulation are ex- 
 ternal and internal. 
 
 The external appearances are of two kinds : those directly 
 due to violence and accident and those due to asphj^xia. 
 
 External Appearances Directly Due to Violence or 
 Accident. — The marks on the neck. In some fatal cases 
 there are either no marks at all or they are but slight; this is 
 more likely to be the case in suicides than homicides, and is 
 usually due to the ligature being soft and yielding. The vic- 
 tim of a homicide may, however, first be stunned and after- 
 ward strangled. 
 
 Marks are said to be plainer after the body has become cold 
 and where subjects have recovered from attempts at suicide. 
 
 The marks of the ligature in strangulation usuall}^ encircle 
 the neck more completely and more horizontally than in hang- 
 ing. These conditions may, however, be reversed, because a 
 body maj^be dragged by the neck after strangulation, and there 
 have been suicides by hanging in whom the mark of the cord 
 was horizontal. As a rule, however, a horizontal mark with 
 the knot on the same level as the cord, especially if below the 
 larynx, suggests strangulation rather than hanging; and if 
 there are several marks the probability is even greater. In 
 compression with the fingers the marks are not in a horizontal 
 but oblique line. 
 
 The mark of the ligature is usually circular, well defined, 
 
 'Ass. Fran?. Av. Sci. (1883), 1884, « Rev. d'Hyg. ther., 1890. ii., pp. 
 
 xii., pp. 1042-1045. 67-72 and 131-137. 
 
 3 Alger. Med., 1887, xv., pp. 78-90.
 
 714 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 and corresponds closeh' to the breadth of the ligature; rather 
 depressed, and usually below the larynx. As a rule this de- 
 pression is not deep ; the skin at the bottom of the groove is 
 usually very pale, while the adjacent parts are red or livid. 
 Sometimes the bottom of the groove shows ecchymoses. Ney- 
 ding * says that suggillations in the groove made by the ligature 
 on the neck are rare, but are oftener found in strangulation 
 than hanging, because the conditions favoring their formation 
 are oftener found in strangulation. In most cases the skin and 
 connective tissue of the groove and of the parts in the vicinity 
 show, microscopically, hypersemias and hemorrhages. Liman " 
 states that when we find suggillation in the groove or its vicin- 
 ity, we may know that some other form of violence has been 
 applied at the same time as that of the ligature or hand. He 
 had not seen suggillation in the furrow either in strangulation 
 or in hanging, except when the injured persons had lived some 
 time, and in cases of twisting of the umbilical cord. The ab- 
 sence of suggillation and ecchymosis was due, he thought, to 
 the pressure on the capillaries. Bremme ^ saj^s that in the sub- 
 cutaneous connective tissue of the mark of the ligature there is 
 no hemorrhage either in strangulation or hanging, if death 
 occurs at once and the cord is removed at once after death; 
 but if the cord remains for some time after death there may be 
 hemorrhage, or if death does not occur at once whether the lig- 
 ature is removed or not. It is impossible to distinguish ante- 
 mortem from post-mortem hemorrhage. 
 
 The parchment skin seen in hanging is seldom seen in 
 strangulation. Ne3'ding * says that the dryness and induration 
 called parchment skin depend mainly on the amount of excori- 
 ation of the skin, and this is greater in hanging. Tardieu 
 explains this frequency as being due to the fact that the con- 
 striction in hanging lasts a longer time. Liman has seen the 
 parchment skin in those strangled. 
 
 The violence used may cause ecchymoses and abrasions of 
 the skin of the neck adjacent to the mark of the ligature. 
 
 The marks of very different constricting ligatures may be 
 
 'Viert. ger. und ofif. Med., 1870, n^iert. f. ger. Med., etc., 1870, 
 
 xii., pp. 340-369. xiii., pp. 247-260. 
 
 * Ann. d'Hyg., 1867, xxviii., pp. * Loc. cit. 
 388-402.
 
 POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES. 715 
 
 quite similar. Taylor ' mentions a case in which a soft silk 
 handkerchief was used, and the appearance was the same as 
 that of a narrow cord, due to the tightness with which it was 
 tied. 
 
 Where a hard substance like a piece of coal or stone is in- 
 serted into the ligature, usually then a soft cloth, and presses 
 directly against some part of the neck, there is usually a corre- 
 sponding bruise. 
 
 Marks of pressure by the thumb and fingers are usually on 
 the front of the neck, and either just above or below the larynx. 
 In many cases these marks are only those of the finger-tips with 
 some scratches. These marks may show definitely the proba- 
 ble size of the assaulting hand, and whether right or left. 
 
 Marks of strangulation maj^ disappear rapidly after the re- 
 moval of the ligature. Assailants usually constrict the neck 
 much more violently than is sufficient to cause death. Marks 
 of violence on the neck are, therefore, greater in strangulation 
 than in hanging. 
 
 A great variety of external injuries other than those on the 
 neck have been found in the different cases reported where 
 other forms of violence were used. With few exceptions such 
 additional injuries indicate homicide. 
 
 External Appearances Due to Asphyxia. — A few 
 of these have already been given under the caption " Symptoms." 
 If death occurs quickly there may not be any signs of asphyxia. 
 The general lividity which comes on in the second stage usu- 
 ally remains after death. The face varies in color from violet 
 to black and ma}" be swollen. Casper'' says that the face has 
 the appearance of any other corpse. Liman ^ found the face 
 livid in only one of fourteen cases. Hofmann^says that the 
 cyanosis appears during the agony because of paralysis of the 
 circulation and gravitation of blood. The cyanosis of the face, 
 projection of the eyes, and congestion of the conjunctives are due 
 to the expiratory effort. These signs are also seen in fat per- 
 sons who do not die of strangulation. Tardieu ^ mentions a 
 dotted redness or minute ecchymosis of the conjunctivae and 
 
 '"Med. Jur.,"Amer. ed., 1892, -^Ann. d'Hyg., 1867, xxviii., p. 
 
 p. 411. 393. 
 
 ' Tidy, " Med. Jur. , " Amer. ed. , •* " Lehrb. d. ger. Med. , " 1891. p. 504. 
 
 1884, iii., p. 263. ^ "Pendaison," etc., 1870, p. 169.
 
 716 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 skin of face, neck, and chest as constant ; but this cannot be 
 considered characteristic, because it has been seen, though not 
 so well marked, in death from other causes. It has been found 
 in suffocation from compression of the chest and belly; and 
 also where there is respiratory interference in the prolonged 
 efforts of tedious labor and in convulsions. Liman ' found it 
 in those who were hung. It is due, according to Hofmann," to 
 increased blood pressure and consequent hemorrhages. It is of 
 importance as tending to show that there was stasis of blood in 
 the head and face during life. Liman ^ found cyanosis in the 
 conjunctivae, lips, back of mouth, and in the muscles. Maschka * 
 in 234 cases of asphj'xia found capillary hemorrhages of the 
 eyes and eyelids 87 times. 
 
 Dastre and Morat ^ claim that in asphyxia the cutaneous cir- 
 culation becomes more active than in the normal state, while 
 at the same time the vessels of the abdominal cavity are con- 
 tracted. Laffont * considers the mechanism of this peripheral 
 dilatation. 
 
 Post-mortem stainings (hypostases) are usually darker 
 in strangulation than in other forms of death. They appear 
 soon, as does also putrefaction, because of the quantity and 
 fluidity of the blood. 
 
 Signs of hemorrhage from the nose, eyes, and mouth maj" 
 be visible; as also bloody froth from the mouth and nose. 
 Che vers ' never saw bleeding from the ears in strangulation. 
 Taylor * states that Dr. Geoghegan informed him of a case of 
 suicidal strangulation by a ribbon ; the violence was great, there 
 was bleeding from the ear, and the drum was found ruptured. 
 In this case the mark on the neck, which was deep, nearly dis- 
 appeared after the ligature was removed. Taylor also saj'S 
 Wilde, of Dublin, saw a case of rupture of drum and hemorrhage 
 in strangulation. Pellier* says that Littre mentions a case of 
 rupture of tj'mpanic membrane in strangulation by a cord. 
 Zoufal and Hofmann have offered explanations of the occur- 
 rence (Case 35). 
 
 • Op. cit. , p. 393. « Compt. rend. Soc. Biol. (1881), 
 
 ' Op. cit., p. 504. 1882, iii., pp. 1.59-161 and 165-168. 
 
 3 Op. cit. , p. 394. ■" Tidy, op. cit. 
 
 ""Handb. ger. Med.," 1., 1881, p. »"Med. Jur.," Am. ed., 1892, p. 
 
 569. 413. 
 
 5 Compt. rend. Soc. Biol. (1879), « Lyon thesis, 1883, No. 188, p. 85. 
 1880, i., p. 310.
 
 EXTERNAL xVND INTERNAL APPEARANCES. 717 
 
 The FACE usually shows pain and suffering ; although some- 
 times the features are calm. In the latter case there may have 
 been syncope. 
 
 The EYES are usually staring, prominent, and congested, and 
 the pupils dilated. Casper ' doubts their prominence. Budin 
 and Coyne ° state that in asphyxia the dilation of the pupil 
 progresses to a maximum and then convulsions occur. Oph- 
 thalmoscopic examination during the dj-spnoea of asphyxia 
 shows a lessened fulness of the retinal vessels. 
 
 The TONGUE is often swollen, dark, protruding, and some- 
 times bitten. Maschka ^ states that if the ligature lies above 
 the hyoid bone, the tongue will be drawn backward ; if over or 
 below the bone, the tip of the tongue may appear more or less 
 between the jaws. 
 
 The HANDS are usually clinched and may have in their 
 grasp articles which, under the circumstances, have a medico- 
 legal value. 
 
 The EXTERNAL GENERATIVE ORGANS are Sometimes con- 
 gested ; erection of the penis may have taken place and per- 
 sisted. The vagina may be moist. Tardieu, Devergie, and 
 Casper * deny that these appearances are usual. 
 
 Involuntary discharges of urine, faeces, and seminal 
 fluid may have occurred. There is nothing characteristic in 
 their appearance. 
 
 All the external appearances of asphyxia are usually more 
 marked in strangulation than in hanging. 
 
 Internal Appearances. — The mark. Usually there is 
 hemorrhage into the loose connective tissue under the mark and 
 in the subjacent muscles ; in most cases isolated and circum- 
 scribed, but sometimes extending be5'ond the line of the mark. 
 Hemorrhage from compression by the fingers is more marked 
 than that from ligature.^ Sometimes there is only fulness of 
 the subcutaneous veins. 
 
 The carotid arteries may suffer rupture of their inner 
 and middle coats, especiallj^ in atheromatous subjects and when 
 the compression has been great. Friedberg" states that the 
 
 ' Tidv, op. cit. ^Tardieu, "Pendaison, " etc., p. 
 
 ■Gaz. Med. de Par., 1875, xlvi., 174. 
 
 pp. 90-92. « Virchow's Archiv, 1880, Ixxix., 
 
 ^"Handb. ger. Med.," i., p. 571. p. 409. and 1878, Ixxiv., p. 401. 
 * Tidy, op. cit.
 
 718 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 injury of the carotid, if there is hemorrhage into its middle and 
 internal coats, is a proof that the strangulation occurred during 
 life, and probably from pressure of the fingers on the neck, 
 without any regard to any disease of the artery. He reports 
 two cases. The examiner should be careful not to injure the 
 artery with his forceps. The vessels may contain clots. 
 
 The NECK occasionallj" suffers extreme injur}', and, owing 
 to the violence used, this occurs oftener in strangulation than in 
 hanging.' Occasionally the neck is broken. 
 
 The HYOID bone may be fractured (see Case 5) . Maschka ' 
 saw one case in eighteen of Erdrosselung and five cases in 
 fifteen of Erwiirgen. 
 
 The TRACHEA is sometimes torn, or may be folded on itself. 
 
 The cartilages of the larynx, especially if calcareous, may 
 be fractured. This is more likely to affect the thyroid than 
 cricoid. The fracture would appear to occur only as the result 
 of enormous force ; especially in the young in whom the car- 
 tilages are so elastic. The experiments of Keiller ' on cadavers 
 led him to conclude that falls on the larynx, even from a height 
 and with superadded force, are unlikely to fracture that organ ; 
 that severe pressure or violent blows against the larynx from 
 before backward may cause fracture; but that severe lateral 
 pressure, as in ordinary throttling, is more likely than other 
 forms of violence to fracture the alae of the thyroid or even the 
 cricoid cartilages and also the hyoid bone. Taylor * states that 
 Dr. Inman, of Liverpool, had informed him of a case of splitting 
 of rings of windpipe from pressure (see Cases 5, 13) . Maschka * 
 in fifteen cases of choking found six fractures of the larynx. 
 
 Chailloux® has collected eight cases of fracture of larynx in 
 strangulation. They were all made with the fingers. The ex- 
 periments of Cavasse ' seem to show that there is no great diffi- 
 culty in fracturing the thyroid in strangulation. 
 
 Internal Appearances Due to Asphyxia. — The veins 
 of the entire body are distended with very dark and very fluid 
 blood, while the arteries, especially in the young, are mostly 
 empty. Experiments on the lower animals have shown that 
 
 ■Tidy, "Leg. Med.," Am. ed., "» "jyj^jj j^j..," Am. ed., 1892, p. 
 
 iii., p. 265. 414. 
 
 -' "Ger. Med.," i., p. 623 and 632. * "Ger. Med.." i.. p. 632. 
 
 =*Edinb. Med. Jour., 1856. ii., p. « Paris thesis, 1874. No. 291. 
 
 824. •> Paris thesis, 1859, No. 9.
 
 INTERNAL APPEARANCES DUE TO ASPHYXIA. 719 
 
 the pulmonary artery and systemic veins to the finest ramifica- 
 tions are distended with dark blood.' 
 
 The Heart. — The right side, especially the auricle, is usu- 
 ally full of dark fluid blood, due to the mechanical impediment 
 to the passage of blood through the lungs. If the heart contin- 
 ues to beat after the respiration has ceased the right ventricle is 
 commonly well contracted, like the left cavities, and nearly 
 empty, the lungs being much congested. Sometimes the left 
 cavities of the heart contain blood. This would be most likely 
 to occur if the heart should stop in the diastole. Sometimes 
 clots are found in the right ventricle. Maschka ° found clots in 
 the heart 25 times in 234 cases of asphj'xia. 
 
 The LUNGS are usually much congested, resembling red 
 hepatization, except that the blood is darker. Hemorrhages 
 (apoplexies) into the substance of the lungs are common. 
 Tardieu found patches of emphysema due to rupture of the 
 surface air-vesicles, giving the surface of the lung the appear- 
 ance of a layer of white false membrane. Ogston admits this 
 occurrence in pure strangulation but to a less extent in mixed 
 cases. Liman ' found the lung surface uneven, bosselated, the 
 prominences being of a clearer colof and due to emphysema. 
 The lungs were in the same condition of congestion and emphy- 
 sema in strangulation, suffocation, and hanging. He failed to 
 find the apoplexies described. 
 
 The lungs are sometimes anaemic. In healthy j^oung sub- 
 jects, especially children, the blood-vessels of the lungs often 
 empty themselves after the heart stops. The lungs may, there- 
 fore, be bloodless, but emphysematous from the violent efforts 
 to breathe. Page's experiments on the lower animals showed 
 the lungs of a pale reddish color and not much distended ; a few 
 dilated air-cells might be seen toward their anterior borders, 
 and there might be small hemorrhages over the surface. His 
 experiments appear to show that subpleural ecchj^moses occur 
 as a result of violent and repeated efforts to breathe. Among 
 other experiments^ he stopped the mouth and nostrils of a 
 young calf long enough to excite violent efforts at respiration ; 
 it was then instantly killed by pithing. The lungs were found 
 
 'Page, "On the Value of Certain ^Tardieu. "Pendaison, " etc., p. 
 
 Signs, " etc. , Edinburgh, 1873. 178. 
 
 '^ "Ger. Med.," i., 573. ■» Oj). cit., p. 29.
 
 720 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 pale red, not congested, but showed subpleural ecchymoses. 
 Page believed these were due to the changed relation between 
 the capacity of the thorax and volume of lungs. Liman found 
 these ecchymoses in cases of strangulation, hanging, drowning, 
 poisoning, hemorrhage, and U3dema of brain, in the new-born, 
 etc. He failed to find them in some cases of suffocation. He 
 believes them due to blood pressure from stasis in the blood- 
 vessels. Ssabinski ' made many experiments on dogs and cats 
 to ascertain the presence or absence of subpleural ecchymoses 
 in strangulation, drowning, section of pneumogastrics, opening 
 of pleural sac, compression of chest and abdomen, closure of 
 mouth and nose, burial in pulverulent materials, etc. Similar 
 hemorrhages may appear on the mucous and serous membranes, 
 as the respiratory, digestive, and genito-urinary tracts, and 
 pleurae, pericardium, peritoneum, membranes of brain, and the 
 ependyma. These are sometimes minute and stellate, at others 
 irregular in shape; many are bright-colored. According to 
 Tardieu the punctiform ecchymoses are rarely present except 
 in suffocation. Maschka,'' in 234 cases of asphyxia, found 
 the lungs congested 135 times, anaemic 10, and cedematous 
 42. He thinks the subpleural ecchymoses valuable signs of 
 asphyxia. 
 
 The BRONCHIAL TUBES are usually full of frothy, bloody 
 mucus, and the mucous membrane is much congested and shows 
 abundant ecchymoses. 
 
 The lining membrane of the LARYNX and trachea is al- 
 ways congested and may be livid ; the tube may contain bloody 
 froth or blood alOne. 
 
 Tidy comparing strangulation and hanging concludes that 
 because strangulation is usually homicidal, and greater violence 
 is used, therefore the external marks are more complete in 
 strangulation and the congestion of the air passages is invaria- 
 bly much greater. 
 
 Maschka found the pharynx cyanotic in 216 of 234 cases of 
 asph3^xia. 
 
 The other mucous membranes are generally much con- 
 gested. Serum is found in the serous cavities. 
 
 Maschka ' considers the rounded, pin-head ecchymoses of the 
 
 ' Vier. f. ger. Med., etc., 1867, '"'Ger. Med.," i., p. 576. 
 
 vii., pp. 140-174. 'Ih., p. 572.
 
 INTERNAL APPEARANCES DUE TO ASPHYXIA. 721 
 
 inner surface of the scalp and pericranium valuable evidence 
 of asphyxia. 
 
 The BRAIN and membranes are sometimes congested ; occa- 
 sionally apoplectic. Maschka ' found congestion of brain and 
 membranes 48 times and ansemia 30 times in 234 cases of as- 
 phyxia. 
 
 The ABDOMINAL ORGANS are generally darkly congested, 
 although Maschka denies this for the liver and spleen in as- 
 phyxia. 
 
 The congestion of the viscera generally is doubtless due 
 largely to the prior congestion of lungs and engorgement of 
 heart. 
 
 Page ^ experimented on six kittens, strangling three of them by the 
 hand, the other three by ligature. The results of the post-mortem ex- 
 aminations were nearly similar : the veins were full of dark fluid blood ; 
 the right cavities of the heart were similarly gorged, the left empty ; 
 lungs pale red, not congested and not distended. Brain normal. The 
 differences were in the lungs ; in the first series there were many 
 small, irregular, circumscribed, dark -red ecchymoses scattered over the 
 general surface ; in the second, a small number of bright-red ecchy- 
 moses, somewhat larger than a large pin-head. 
 
 Langreuter^ made some experiments on a cadaver from which 
 enough of the posterior part had been removed to enable him to view 
 the throat. He saw that the lateral digital pressure on the larynx closed 
 the glottis ; stronger pressure made the vocal cords override each other. 
 Similar pressure between the larynx and hyoid bone caused apposition 
 of the ary-epiglottic folds and occlusion of the air-passages. He experi- 
 mented on sixteen bodies to ascertain the effect of blows and pressure 
 on the larynx, with the following results : In eight cases, women, the 
 thja'oid cartilage was injured three times, the cricoid four ; in eight, 
 men, the thyroid eight and cricoid five. Whence he concluded that 
 the larynx is better protected in women. In the sixteen cases the hyoid 
 bone was fractured ten times. 
 
 The Proof of Death by Strangulation. 
 
 Tidy " says that " nothing short of distinct external marks 
 would justify the medical jurist in pronouncing death to be the 
 result of strangulation." On the other hand, Taylor ^ considers 
 
 •"Ger. Med.," i., p. 575. •»"Leg. Med.," Am. ed., ill., p. 
 
 2 " On the Value of Certain Signs, " 267. 
 
 etc., Edinburgh, 1878, p. 24. 6"Med. Jur.,"Am. ed., 1892, p. 
 
 »Vier. f. ger. Med., etc., 1886, 415. 
 xlv., p. 295. 
 
 46
 
 722 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 the condition of the lungs described as characteristic. Liman ' 
 did not think there were any internal appearances which could 
 distinguish suffocation, strangulation, and hanging from each 
 other. 
 
 In estimating the value of testimony it will be well to con- 
 sider the following facts : 
 
 A victim may be strangled without distinct marks being 
 found. The practice of the thugs shows that this may be done 
 with a soft cloth and carefully regulated pressure without 
 making marks. Taylor,^ while admitting the possibility, states 
 that this admission " scarcely applies to those cases which re- 
 quire medico-legal investigation." 
 
 The subject while intoxicated or in an epileptic or hysterical 
 paroxysm may grasp his neck in gasping for air, and leave 
 finger-marks. 
 
 Different constricting agents may make quite similar marks. 
 Marks may be made on the neck within a limited time after 
 death, similar to those made during life. Tidy's experiments 
 led him to fix this limit at three hours for ecchymoses and six 
 hours for non-ecchymosed marks. Taylor, Miowever, doubts if 
 such marks could be made one hour after death. He says that 
 the period cannot be stated positively, and probably varies ac- 
 cording to the rapidity with which the body cools. 
 
 It is, however, unlikely in such post-mortem attempts at 
 deception that the other conditions usual in strangulation would 
 be found — such as lividity and swelling of face; prominence 
 and congestion of eyes; protrusion of tongue; rupture of sur- 
 face air- vesicles and apoplexies in the lung; congestion of 
 larynx and trachea, etc. 
 
 No conclusion can be drawn from the presence or absence of 
 any single appearance. 
 
 A cord may be found near a body or even around its neck; 
 there may even be a mark around the neck. These may be 
 attempts at deception. 
 
 Marks much like those of violence may be made by tight 
 collars and handkerchiefs remaining until the body is cold. 
 
 Cases are reported of bodies having been first strangled and 
 
 1 Ann. d'Hyg., 1867, xxviii., pp. ^ujyjgjj Jur.," Am. ed., 1893, p. 
 
 388-402. 416. 
 
 3 7Z>., p. 415.
 
 THE PROOF OF DEATH BY STRANGULATION. 723 
 
 then burnt or hung to cover the crime ; and of partial suffoca- 
 tion by gags, followed by or coincident with strangulation (see 
 Cases 18, 20, 24). 
 
 In apoplectics with short and full neck we may find at the 
 borders of the folds of skin in the neck one or more depressions, 
 red or livid, that bear some resemblance to the marks of a liga- 
 ture ; but on section there are no ecchymoses. 
 
 Froth, tinged with blood, in the air-passages is considered 
 by Tardieu ' one of the most constant signs of strangulation. 
 
 The marks of topical medical applications, as plasters, sina- 
 pisms, etc. , must not be confounded with marks of violence. 
 
 In strangulation by ligature the marks are usually hori- 
 zontal; in hanging, oblique. In hanging too they are usually 
 dry and parchmenty. Ecchymoses are more marked in stran- 
 gulation. 
 
 The dotted markings of face, neck, and conjunctivae described 
 by Tardieu are more characteristic of strangulation. 
 
 The principal distinctions between strangulation and suffo- 
 cation would be the absence in the latter of marks on the neck. 
 
 Taylor ^ quotes the case of Marguerite Dixblanc, in which 
 the question was raised whether she had strangled her mistress, 
 Madame Riel, or whether the body had been dragged by a rope 
 around the neck. The question was left unsettled by the med- 
 ical evidence. 
 
 The only motive for attempting to simulate strangulation on 
 a corpse would seem to be to inculpate an innocent person.' 
 
 Both suicides and murderers are usually more violent than 
 is necessary to destroy life ; murderers more than suicides. 
 
 Putrefaction may cause external marks to disappear. 
 
 All marks on a body should be carefully noted ; the cavities 
 of the skull, thorax, and abdomen carefully examined ; the pos- 
 sibility of death having occurred from other causes, even in 
 strangulation, must be considered. 
 
 As Taylor well says, our judgment must not be swayed to 
 the extent of abandoning what is probable for what is merely 
 possible. 
 
 In all cases the cord or strangulating ligature should be 
 carefully examined for marks of blood, for adherent hair or 
 
 i"Pend.,"p. 186. ^ Op. cit., p. 415. 
 
 » "Med. Jur.," Am. ed., 1892, p. 415.
 
 724 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 other substances. The precise manner in which the cord has 
 been tied should be noted. 
 
 Strangulation: Accidental, Suicidal, Homicidal, 
 Slmulated. 
 
 The question whether a case of strangulation is accidental, 
 suicidal, or homicidal is very difficult to answer. 
 
 Accidental strangulation is rare. If the body has not 
 been disturbed, there is usually no difficulty in arriving at a 
 conclusion ; but if disturbed a satisfactory conclusion may not 
 be reached. 
 
 It is worthy of mention that the umbilical cord may be 
 twisted around the neck of a new-born infant and may have 
 caused strangulation; the mark may give the appearance of 
 death by violence. 
 
 Suicidal strangulation is rare. The experiments of Fleisch- 
 man (supra) suggest that one may commit suicide by compress- 
 ing his throat with his fingers (see Case 48). 
 
 Where a ligature of any kind has been used it is important 
 to notice the number and position of the knots. In a general 
 way a single knot either in front or at the back of the neck 
 might suggest suicide; more than one would suggest homicide. 
 There are, however, exceptions. 
 
 Suicide has been committed by mere pressure of a cord fixed 
 at both ends a shore distance from the ground ; by twisting a 
 rope several times around the neck and then tying it (the coils 
 may continue to compress even after death) ; by tightening the 
 cord with a stick or other firm substance; by tightening the 
 cords or knots by means of the hands or feet or some portion of 
 the lower limbs ; by the use of a woollen garter passed twice 
 around the neck and secured in front by two simple knots, 
 strongly tied one to another. 
 
 It is difficult to simulate suicide; requires great skill and 
 premeditation on the part of a murderer. " The attitude of the 
 body, the condition of the dress, the means of strangulation, 
 the presence of marks of violence or of blood on the person of 
 the deceased, on his clothes or the furniture of the room, or 
 both, rope or ligature, are circumstances from which, if ob- 
 served at the time, important medical inferences may be
 
 STRANGULATION. 725 
 
 drawn." The assassin either does too little or too much. 
 Taylor ' cites a number of cases of simulation. 
 
 Strangulation is generally homicidal. The marks of fin- 
 gers or of a ligature on the neck suggest homicide. This is 
 true even if the mark is slight; because infants and weakly 
 persons may be strangled by the pressure of the hands on the 
 throat. Even a strong man, suddenly assaulted, may lose his 
 presence of mind and, with that, his power of resistance ; with 
 approaching insensibility his strength still further diminishes. 
 This is true even if his assailant is the less powerful. It re- 
 quires more address to place a ligature on the neck than to 
 strangle with the hand. 
 
 A victim may be made insensible by drugs or blows and 
 then strangled by a small amount of compression ; or suffoca- 
 tion by gags and strangulation may both be attempted. 
 
 The importance of considering the position and number of 
 the knots in a cord is inentioned under suicidal strangulation. 
 
 In homicide, in addition to the marks on the neck, there is 
 likely to be evidence of a struggle and marks of violence else- 
 where on the body. It is important, therefore, to notice any 
 evidence of such a struggle. 
 
 The nature of the cord may assist in identifying the as- 
 sailant. 
 
 It must be remembered that homicidal strangulation may be 
 committed without disturbing noise even when other persons 
 are near. 
 
 Simulation. — False accusations of homicidal strangulation are on 
 record. Tardieu '^ states that a distinguished young woman (for some 
 political purpose) was found one evening at the door of her room ap- 
 parently in great trouble and unable to speak. She first indicated by 
 gestures and then by writing that she had been assaulted by a man who 
 tried to strangle her with his hand, and also struck her twice in the 
 breast with a dagger. She was absolutely mute — did not even attempt 
 to speak — quite contrary to what is always observed in unfinished 
 homicidal strangulation. On examination by Tardieu, no sign of at- 
 tempt to strangle was found, and the so-called dagger-openings in her 
 dress and corset did not correspond in position. She confessed that 
 she had attempted deception. 
 
 The celebrated Roux-Armand'' case was another instance of at- 
 
 i"Med. Jur.," Am. ed., 1892. p. • "Pend.." p- 208. 
 
 419. Ub., p. 242.
 
 726 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 tempted deception. A servant named Roux was found on the ground 
 in the cellar of his employer Armand ; his hands and legs were tied 
 and there was a cord around his neck. He was partly asphyxiated, 
 but after removal of the ligature from his neck he rapidly recovered, 
 except that he was weak and voiceless. He stated by gestures that he 
 had been struck by his employer on the back of the head with a stick 
 and then bound as described. The next day he could speak. Armand 
 was imprisoned. Tardieu examined carefully into the case and the re- 
 sults may be stated as follows : The asphyxia was incipient, else he 
 could not have so rapidly recovered. The cord around his neck had 
 not been tied — simply wound around several times ; the mark was 
 slight and there was no ecchymosis. Although the legs and hands 
 were tied, the hands behind the back, there was no doubt but that Roux 
 could and did tie them himself. He had stated that he had been eleven 
 hours in the cellar, in the situation in which he was found. This could 
 not be true, for a veiy much shorter time, an hour probably at the fur- 
 thest, would have caused death, in view of the condition of asphj-xia 
 in which he was found. Again, if his limbs had been bound for so 
 long, they would have been swollen and discolored ; but ' they were 
 not. Again, if the ligature had been around his neck so long as he 
 said, the impression of it would have been more marked. Again, if liis 
 stertorous breathing had lasted long it would have been heard by neigh- 
 bors. The injury on the back of the head, said to be due to a blow, 
 was believed by Tardieu to be due to dragging him on the ground. He 
 further had stated that when he received the blow on the head he be- 
 came unconscious, and yet he also described how Armand bovmd him 
 after knocking him down. Again, he had made no outcry ; but if he 
 had been strangled while partly unconscious and afterward recovered 
 his senses, he wovild have been unable to give an account of the matter ; 
 if, however, he had been strangled while conscious, there was no rea- 
 son why he should not have cried out. His inability to speak the first 
 day was assumed, because what was a simulation of absolute mutism 
 should have been simply a loss of voice. The innocence of Armand 
 was ultimately established. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 
 
 Homicide. 
 
 1. Cullingworth : Lancet, May 1st, 1875, p. 608.— Woman. Believed 
 to have been intoxicated. Face, especially right side, swollen and 
 livid; a little blood had oozed from mouth, nose, and inner angle of 
 each eye. Immediately over (in front of ?) larynx and on each side 
 of middle line were marks of irregular outline such as might be caused 
 by pressure of thumb and fingers. Several dark, bruise-like discolor-
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — HOMICIDE. 727 
 
 ations on flexor surface of each forearm. Hands clinched. Elbows 
 flexed. Discharge of faeces by rectum. Necroscopy : Brain and mem- 
 branes normal. Hyoid bone and laryngeal cartilages uninjured. Mu- 
 cous membrane of larynx and trachea congested and covered with 
 frothy mucus. Lungs intensely congested. Several hemorrhages ; 
 masses of tissue of each lung, chiefly toward base, were solidified by 
 effused blood. All the heart cavities empty. Stomach normal, empty. 
 No congestion of abdominal viscera. 
 
 2. Taylor: ''Med. Jur.,'" Am. Ed., 1892, p. 412.— Man and woman. 
 Strangled by cord, tied so tightly that there was hemorrhage from 
 mouth and nose. 
 
 3. Harvey: Indian Med. Gaz., December Isi, 1875, p. 312. — Hindoo 
 woman, age 45. Strangled with the right hand. Necroscopy : Two 
 contusions and abrasions on temple. Neck discolored from right to 
 left jugulars ; marks of thumb on right side and three fingers on left, 
 extending from jugulars to windpipe. Eyes half protruded. Tongue 
 discolored. Blood-vessels full of clots. Brain congested (?) and showed 
 external hemorrhages (?). Lungs normal. Heart empty. Liver rup- 
 tured to the extent of four inches, with adherent blood-clot. Spleen, 
 stomach, and intestines normal. Muscles of chest, both sides, congested, 
 discolored, and there were clots of blood over and under them. First 
 six ribs of left side and first three of right fractured. 
 
 4. Harris: Ibid., p. 313. — Boy, age 10. Abrasions over front of 
 neck, especially near left ear, probably from ligature ; also abrasion 
 on upper part of chest, probably from forcible pressure. Underneath 
 these marks the veins were much distended. Trachea minutely con- 
 gested ; contained much frothy fluid. Lungs showed rupture of some 
 of the air-vesicles ; entire tissues distended with blood and frothy fluid. 
 Dark fluid blood in both sides of heart. Large quantity of fluid in 
 pericardium. Brain much congested. Eyes congested. Tip of tongue 
 between teeth. Other organs normal. 
 
 5. Mackenzie: Ibid., February, 1889, j>. 44. — Hindoo woman, age 
 not given, strangled by another, stronger woman. Necroscopy : 
 Abrasion on front and lower part of neck just above sternum and clav- 
 icles ; four inches long, three broad; five superficial lacerated wounds 
 on sides of neck, four on left, one on right, apparently nail scratches. 
 Two contusions below and behind lower jaw. Also contusions on 
 thighs. No spots of ecchymosis on neck. Contusion under skin of 
 lower part of neck and upper part of chest, eight inches long, four 
 broad. Left greater cornu of hyoid bone fractured. Both upper cornua 
 of thyroid cartilage fi-actui-ed; cricoid fractured on each side. Larynx, 
 trachea, and bronchi contained pink frothy mucus ; mucous membrane 
 congested. Lungs much congested ; pink frothy mvicus in bronchi ; 
 no emphysema nor apoplexies. Right side of heart full of dark blood ; 
 left side empty. Liver, spleen, and kidneys congested. Stomach and
 
 728 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 intestines normal. Bladder empty. Internal genitals normal. Brain 
 congested. 
 
 6. Mackenzie : Ibid. , August, 1888, p. 232. — Hindoo man, age about 
 30. Strangled by soft cloth cord. Necroscopy: Circular mark of 
 cord, one-fourth inch diameter around lower part of neck; indistinct 
 in front, but distinct at sides and back. Superficial abrasions of lix^s 
 and right cheek as from a gag. Faint marks of blisters on tem- 
 ples. Fingers not clinched. Face livid, swollen. Eyes closed; con- 
 junctivas congested; cornesehazy; pupils normal. Tongue protruding 
 and bitten; not swollen. Fluid blood oozing from mouth and nose. 
 Clotted blood under scalp of left temple. Skin beneath cord had the 
 color and consistence of parchment. Muscles not torn. Hyoid, thyroid, 
 and cricoid not injured. Larynx, trachea, and bi'onchi empt}"; con- 
 gested. Lungs much congested. Some dark fluid blood in right side 
 of heart; left side emj)ty. Liver, spleen, and kidneys congested. 
 Small patch of congestion in stomach. Intestines normal. Bladder 
 normal, contained some urine. Brain congested. 
 
 7. Ibid., p. 234. — Hindoo woman, age about 40. Broad, circular, 
 depressed ' ' parchment " mark, one inch broad, around the neck, be- 
 tween hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage; made by two pieces of cloth, 
 each three feet seven inches long and one inch broad, twisted into a 
 single cord and tied tightly by three ordinary knots on right side of 
 neck. Superficial wound on left side of head above ear. Face turgid, 
 swollen. Eyes closed. Tonguebetween teeth and bitten; not swollen. 
 Muscles of neck uninjured. Trachea uninjured. Lungs congested. 
 Right side of heart full of dark fluid blood; left side empty. Liver 
 and spleen congested. Other organs, includitig brain, normal. 
 
 8. Ibid., p. 235. — Hindoo woman, age about 25. Piece of cloth 
 twisted tightly twice around mouth. Double cord made of two twists 
 of thin coir rope tied tightly around middle of neck just below thyroid 
 cartilage; beneath the cord the skin was "parchment" like. No in- 
 jury to muscles of neck nor windpipe. Eyes closed. Face not flushed. 
 Tongue not ruptured nor bitten. Hands not clinched. Larynx, tra- 
 chea, and lungs congested. Right side of heart full of dark fluid blood ; 
 a little fluid blood in left. Liver, spleen, and kidneys congested. Other 
 organs, including brain, normal. Dr. Mackenzie considered death to 
 be due to "asphyxia or suffocation." 
 
 9. Harvey : Ibid., January Isi, 1876, p. 2. — Hindoo woman, age 12 
 oris. Faint mark on front of neck; none at back. Severe bruise on 
 top of head, under which was much clotted blood, but no fracture. 
 Lungs congested. Clots in right ventricle; left empty. Brain, larynx, 
 and trachea congested. The examiner believed that she had been 
 stunned and then suffocated by pressure of some soft substance against 
 the neck. 
 
 10. Ibid. — Hindoo man, age 20. Dead seven days; muchdecompo-
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — HOMICIDE. 729 
 
 sition and discoloration. Wrists and ankles were bound. The two 
 corners at one end of a cotton lungi (turban) were passed one on each 
 side of the neck and fastened in a knot under left angle of jaw. The 
 hingi was then passed around the body under the arms, etc., so as to 
 draw upon the neck and be buried deeply in the swollen flesh. Under 
 the bands the skin was blanched; the tissues above the bands were 
 black and much swollen. Lungs, larynx, and trachea much congested. 
 Heart empty. 
 
 11. Ibid. — Cases of strangulation by sticks and other hard substan- 
 ces. Boy, age 7 or 8. No external marks of violence. There was 
 hemorrhage from mouth and nose. Face swollen and crepitant. Con- 
 gestion of subcutaneous tissues and bruising of muscles of right side of 
 neck. Mucous membrane of larynx and trachea covered with blood. 
 Lungs much congested; blood in both pleural cavities. Heart empty ; 
 bloody serum in pericardium. Brain congested; slight hemorrhage 
 on surface. Abdominal organs normal. Dr. Harvey states that the 
 boy was no doubt strangled by pressure of a lathi on his neck. 
 
 12. Ibid. — In another subject two sticks were tightly tied together, 
 one pressing on the front, the other on the back of the neck, flattening 
 larynx and other soft parts. In the following case some hard sub- 
 stance, like a brick, had been wrapped in a cloth and used for compres- 
 sion. Boy, age 15. Necroscopy : Large dark ecchj^mosis in subcuta- 
 neous tissue of front of neck and upper part of chest. Also marks of 
 violence on chest and left side of face. Dissection of neck showed blood- 
 ciot and also laceration of muscles. Trachea folded on itself, show- 
 ing that compression had lasted several minutes. Tongue protruding 
 and bitten. Eyes closed. Features calm. Trachea much congested. 
 Lungs congested. Great veins of heart and neck full of fluid blood. 
 Heart, dark fluid blood in both sides, mostly in right. Brain and 
 membranes much congested. 
 
 13. Pemberton: Lancet, May 22(\, 1869, p. 707. — Woman, age 60. 
 Found dead. Nose partly displaced and cartilages injured. Lips pale. 
 Mouth closed. Lividity of front of neck from jaw to sternum. Cri- 
 coid cartilage ossified (cretified ?) and broken on left side ; hemorrhage 
 in surrounding tissues. Lungs and heart as usual in suffocation. 
 
 14. Cullingicorth : Med. Chron., Manchester, 18Si-S5, i., p. 577. — 
 Woman, married, found dead. Bruise and ecchymosis beneath the 
 ear ; effusion of blood in underlying tissue. Other bruises on face, 
 etc. Several bruises in mouth, on lips and tongue. Blood dark and 
 fluid. Brain and membranes much congested. No marks of injury 
 on throat. Lungs congested ; surfaces emphysematous. Heart con- 
 tained dark fluid blood. Urine and fieces had been discharged. 
 
 15. The Gouffe Case. — Murdered by Eyraud and Bonij^ard in 1889. 
 Archiv anthropologic criminelle, Paris, 1890, i'., pp. 642-716; in., 
 1891, pp. 17 and 179. Reports by Bernard, Lacassagne, and othei*s.
 
 730 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 GoufFe was decoyed into a rooin and strangled ; afterward Ids body 
 was tied up, placed in a ti'unk, and taken some distance away. The 
 murderers fled to America ; but eventually Bompard returned to France 
 and Eyraud was captured ; both confessed. When found, the body 
 was well advanced in putrefaction ; after a very careful examination 
 was identified. He was strangled by the j)ressure of fingers ; the head 
 was afterward wrai)ped in a cloth which w^as held in place by five 
 turns of a cord around the neck ; traces of the furrows made by these 
 cords were found. Heart empty ; no blood in muscles of neck ; hyoid 
 bone intact but superior thyroid cornua fractured at base. 
 
 16. Horteloup: Ann. d' Hygiene, 1873, xxxix., pp. 408-416. — Man 
 found dead on some leaves in a fountain at bottom of staircase ; skull 
 and spine fractured. The murderers stated that they had struck him 
 on the head with a crutch; then, believing him to be dead, carried him 
 and threw him into the foxmtain. When examined, his face was livid, 
 tongue between teeth and bitten nearly in two ; and three parallel 
 abrasions on left side of neck and one on right ; slight wounds about 
 the face in addition to the fractures mentioned. No report of examina- 
 tion of lungs or larjTix. Horteloup concluded that the man had been 
 strangled to death, and that when thrown into the fountain, alighting 
 on his head, the jaws were brought together and tongue bitten. 
 
 17. Laennec: Journ. de med. Vouest, 1878, xii., pp. 68-71. — 
 Woman, age 53 ; attempted strangulation by her husband. There were 
 slight ecchymoses on each side of neck under angle of jaw, most 
 marked on left side ; when seen, she compla;ined of lassitude and lively 
 pain in hj-pochondria and region of lower ribs antero-laterally ; no 
 sign of lesion. She stated that she was awakened from sleep by pres- 
 sure on neck and chest and feeling of suffocation ; she soon lost con- 
 sciousness and so remained for some hours. Her statements Avere cor- 
 roborated by other testimony. Laennec considered the case one of 
 prolonged syncope from pressure on carotids. 
 
 18. Lancet, ii., 1841-42, p. 129. — Woman, found dead, her clothing 
 on fire and lower part of her body burnt. Necroscopy showed face and 
 neck swollen as low as thyroid cartilage, and purple ; eyes prominent 
 and congested ; mouth closed ; tongue not noticed ; front of neck be- 
 low swollen part showed two dark-bro^vn hard marks and slight marks 
 also of pressure ; on incision the vessels were engorged. Blood, fluid ; 
 brain, congested. There were no vesications from the burns and no 
 sign of inflammation. 
 
 19. Algiiie: ''Etude med. and exp. de Vhoniicide reel on simule 
 par sfrangidation, relativement aux attentats dont Maurice Roux 
 a etc Vobjet,'''' Montpellier, 1864, p. 121. — This essay contains the re- 
 ports of many interesting experiments on animals and the cadaver. 
 His conclusions in this case were that the victim had first been struck 
 on the neck by a club ; then a ligature was placed on the neck, with
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — HOMICIDE. 731 
 
 many turns, tied tightly, but the knots did not remain tight. [The 
 marks were visible four months afterward.] The assailant then tied the 
 limbs. The victim recovered ^dth temporary loss of voice, memory, etc. 
 
 20. Gatscher: Mittheil. d. Wien. med. Doct. Colleg., 1878, iv.,p. 
 45. — A man found hanging. The examiner declared that he had hung 
 himself. Eight years afterward, suspicion of violence. A commission 
 appointed. The protocol had shown the blood fluid ; a red-brown dry 
 furrow around the neck ; ecchymoses in connective tissues of same ; 
 the entu'e back and posterior parts of limbs showed post-mortem sug- 
 gillation. The commission declared that the man had been strangled, 
 had lain for at least three hours on his back, and then been hung up. 
 The murderer confessed. 
 
 21. Ibid., p. 46. — Woman, age 50, found dead in bed. Blood fluid ; 
 two ecchj'moses size of beans in ci'ico-thyroid muscles of each side ; 
 j)atch of heiDatization size of fist, in lung ; injury of body. The ex- 
 aminer declared that she had been strangled by comjiression of larynx 
 with two fingers, but he could not say how long the pressure had con- 
 tinued, that is, whether she had died of the strangulation or of the 
 pneumonia. The assailant stated that he had choked her and when 
 she seemed to be dead, had left her. The woman lived alone. 
 
 22. Waidele : Memorabilien, 1873, xviii. , pp. 161-167. — Husband 
 and wife quarrelled and fought; he stated that he choked her with her 
 neckhandkerchief, and as she turned round toward him, then choked her 
 with his hand until she died. The examiner declared that she died of 
 asphyxia; there was a browmish-red dry streak on each side of the neck 
 in the larjTigeal region corresponding to the handkerchief, and also two 
 small abrasions of skin which might have been made by the hands; he 
 concluded, however, that she had been choked to death by tlie hand- 
 kerchief, because there were no ecchymoses. 
 
 23. Rehm: Friedreich's Blatter f. ger. Med., 1883, xxxiv., 2>P- 325- 
 332. — Woman, age 37. Choked by the hand on the neck, and at the 
 same time assailant's knee pressed against her abdomen, pressing her 
 against a wall, causing hemoi'rhage around the jjancreas. Death stated 
 as due to asphyxia. 
 
 24. Schilppel: Vier. ger. off. Med.,xiii.,lS70, pp. 140-156. — Woman, 
 just delivered of child, and boy ten years old, were burnt to death in a 
 fire which consumed their house. Examination of the bodies showed 
 upon the neck of the boy a groove, and his tongue protruded. The hus- 
 band was charged with murder, was imprisoned, and ccmimitted suicide. 
 
 25. Weiss: Ibid., xxvii., 1877. pp. 239-244.— Woman strangulated 
 bj' the bands of her nightcap. 
 
 26. I.HnardandDieu: Rev. casjiid., Paris, 1841. p. 101.— Man, age 
 65. Marks of fingers on face and neck. Opinion that he had been as- 
 saulted by ttvo men. The two murderers confessed. 
 
 27. Friedberg: Gericht. gutacht., 1875, jip. 211-224.— Woman
 
 732 STRANGULATION — LAMB, 
 
 found hanging to branch of tree, but in half-lying position, feet on 
 ground. Opinion given that she had been strangled and then hung. 
 
 ^8. Tardieu: '' Pendaison,''^ p. 22B. — New-born infant. Question 
 whether its death was due to asphyxia from compression of neck by the 
 mother with her hand to hasten delivery. He doubted the possibility 
 of the mother thus assisting her child. But the direction of the seven 
 excoriations on its face contradicted the mother's statement. The traces 
 of finger-nails wei-e distinct. The lungs and alimentary canal showed 
 that the child had lived. Opmion given, infanticide. 
 
 29. Ibid., p. 219. — Woman, advanced in years, habits dissipated; 
 found strangled. Four excoriations on left side of lar^Tix, one on 
 right; blood in subcutaneous tissue. Marks of nails and long scratches 
 on wrist. Injuries on face and left breast. She had been strangled by 
 one hand on her neck while the other was over her mouth and nose. 
 Face li%Hd; eyes congested; frothy bloody liquid fiowmg from mouth 
 and nose; tongue behind teeth; bloody froth in larynx and trachea; 
 lungs large, much congested, splenized in places, surface emphysema- 
 tous, looking like white spots; black fluid blood in heart; brain some- 
 what congested. 
 
 30. Ibid., p. 216. — Wife of the celebrated painter Gurneray; found 
 dead in bed, where a fire had been placed and slowly burnt and charred 
 her lower limbs, belly, chest, and right hand. A running noose around 
 her neck. Injuries of head; face livid; tongue between teeth; brain 
 normal; mai'k of cord slight; subcutaneous tissue infiltrated Tvith blood. 
 Marks of pressure on chest; bloody froth in trachea; lungs congested; 
 heart contained fluid blood. Opinion given that she had been struck 
 on head, causing unconsciousness; then partly strangled and partly 
 suffocated by pressure on neck and chest. Body afterward burnt to 
 cover up the crime. 
 
 31. Ibid., p. 211. — Three murders by one man. All women. All 
 injured about the head and then strangled by both hand and ligatvire. 
 Two died; one had an odor of alcohol and had apparently not resisted. 
 The third was resuscitated. She was strong and stout, and resisted. 
 Marks of fingers and nails on neck. Afterward she had headaches and 
 giddiness for a long time. 
 
 Suicide. 
 
 32. Francis: Med. Times and Gaz., December 2d, 1876, p. 634.— 
 Hindoo lunatic, a giant, strangled himself. He passed two or three 
 coils of stout thread ai-ound his neck, attached the ends securely to his 
 wrists, and then extended his arms to their utmost limit. This oc- 
 curred during a ten-minute absence of his attendant, who, returning, 
 found the man had fallen to one side from a kneeling position, with his 
 back against a wall, quite dead. No reason to suspect homicide.
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — SUICIDE. 733 
 
 33. Badahur: Indian Med. Gaz., December, 1882, p. 330. — Hindoo 
 woman, age about 17, strangled herself with the border of her saree. 
 Necroscopy : Circvilar depressed mark caused l)y the border of a band 
 of cloth, which she had passed in three coils around her neck, the coils 
 tightly ovei'lapping each other ; the short ends had been knotted to- 
 gether with a "granny" knot at the back of the neck, like the native 
 women tie up their hair. The coils were so tight that they had to be 
 cut off. Face swollen, dark purple ; conjunctivte congested. Tongue 
 between the shut teeth ; bloody froth issuing from mouth and nostrils 
 [the examination was in September, thirty hoiu-s after death]. Skin of 
 neck reddened in nearly a continuous line all around, both above and 
 below the band, about three-fourths inch vside, evidently caused by the 
 pressure of the three folds. Considerable ecchymosis above and below 
 the coils ; the neck underneath the folds was swollen and red. Brain 
 and membranes much congested. Trachea, pharynx, and cpsoi)hagus 
 congested. Lungs congested. Right cavity (auricle ? ) of heart full, 
 left empty. Liver, spleen, and kidneys congested. Intestinal peri- 
 toneum congested. Stomach contained half -digested food. Small in- 
 testines empty ; faeces in large intestine. Bladder empty. Uterus 
 and appendages congested ; no evidence of catamenia. 
 
 34. Harris: Ibid. — Woman; made a loop of her hair around her 
 neck, knelt down so as to pvit it on the stretch ; when fovind, was 
 nearly dead. 
 
 35. Geoghegan: Taylor's ''Med. Jur.,'' Am. Ed., 1892, p. 413.— 
 Informed Dr. Taylor of a suicidal strangulation by a ribbon. The 
 mark on the neck nearly disappeared after removing the ligature. 
 There was bleeding from one ear, from rupture of tym]:)anic membrane. 
 No froth from mouth or nostrils ; but little lividity or swelling of face. 
 
 36. Taylor: ''Med. Jur.,'' Am. Ed., 1892, _p. 418.— Boy: found dead 
 with handle of pitchfork under necktie ; marks of strangulation on 
 larynx ; eyes and tongue protruded ; tongue livid and marked by teeth ; 
 brain congested. Also man found dead with handkerchief tied around 
 neck and twisted by razor strop. Taylor considered both as suicides. 
 Also a third case (Amer. edit., 1880, p. 465). A man of unsound mind 
 twisted a fishing-net firmly around his neck several times ; it remained 
 secure without the aid of a knot. 
 
 37. Fargues: Rec. de mem,, demed., etc., Paris, 1869, xxii., pp. 
 443, 444. — Soldier, age 32, while drunk, strangled himself with his 
 handkerchief, wrapping many folds around his neck, making a deep 
 furrow without ecchymosis ; face pale, eyes closed, lips partly closed. 
 
 38. Borchard: Jour, de med. de Bordeaux, 1860, t'., p. 349 et seq. — 
 Collation of cases of suicide by strangulation: First, an otiicer who 
 placed his sabre scabbard under his cravat. Second, a woman strangled 
 herself with a silk cravat, tightly tied. Third, a man tied the sleeve of 
 his jacket around his neck and fastened the end to a Avindow, so that
 
 734 STRANGULATION — LAMB. 
 
 the strangulation was partly due to suspension. Fourth, a woman 
 strangled by a cord. 
 
 39. Hofmann: Wien med. Presse, 1879, xx., p. 36, et seq. Also 
 Lehrbuch, p. 559. — Woman, age 20, found dead in bath-room, with a 
 thick thread passed three times around the neck, and tied tightly in 
 front at the second and third turns ; so tightly that even after cutting 
 the cords the pressure continued. No signs of violence. (Illustration.) 
 
 40. Zillner: Wien med. TFbcTi., 1880, icxo;., pj>. 969, 999.— Woman, 
 age 33 ; found dead on the floor ; a neck -handkerchief tied in a firm 
 knot in front of the neck ; and underneath, a cord passed twice around 
 the neck and knotted in front in the middle line between the larjTix 
 and hyoid bone. Blood was flowing from the ears. No sign of \\o- 
 lence or struggle. 
 
 41. Bollinger: Friedreich's Blatter f. ger. Med., 1889, xl., p. 3.— - 
 Man, age 48 ; melancholic ; found dead. Had torn up part of a sheet, 
 fastened it around his neck and the ends around a bedpost, then 
 placed his feet agamst the farther post and pressed, tightening the liga- 
 ture. (Illustration.) 
 
 42. Moth: Ibid., p. 9. — Man, age 68; melancholic; found dead ix 
 bed. Had made loose ligature of cravat, tied into it a piece of wood; 
 the ligature lay in front of larynx. Had attempted suicide once before. 
 
 43. Ibid. — Son-in-law at 36 years of age had committed suicide in 
 the same way. 
 
 44. Ibid. — ^IVIan, age 63 ; found dead in his bed; cord around neck 
 inclosing piece of wood. 
 
 45. Maschka: Vier. ger. off. Med., 1883, xxxviii., pp. 71-77. — 
 Woman, age 45. A cloth was found wound tightly three times around 
 her neck in front of larynx, and tied in a simple knot. There were also 
 injuries of the head. At first it was thought that she had been murdered, 
 but Maschka concluded that she had committed sviicide. 
 
 46. Ibid. — Woman; supposed to have been murdered by her son. 
 There were marks on the neck and other injuries, and hemorrhage 
 into the brain. Maschka conclvided that the marks on the neck were 
 not due to strangulation. 
 
 47. Hackel: Dorpat Diss., 1891, p. 34. — Man, age 48; strangled 
 himself with part of a mattress. Was found lying on his back, dead, 
 holding the ends in his hand. There was a double mark of ligature. 
 
 48. Sinner: Zeitsch f. Med-beamte, 1888, i., pp. 364-368.— Wom- 
 an ; suicided by choking herself with her hands. 
 
 For other cases, see Tidy, "Med. Jur.," Cases 20 to 65 ; Maschka, 
 "Handbuch," p. 625. 
 
 Accident, 
 
 49. Bedie: Rec. de mem. de Med., etc., Paris, 1866, xvi., pp. 482- 
 484. — Soldier, age 39, found dying, Ijing on his bed ; had returned to
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — ACCIDENT. 735 
 
 his room drunk and lay down in his uniform. Face much congested ; 
 lips cyanosed ; eyes closed. Skin of neck below thyroid cartilage 
 showed deep mark from pressure of collar of uniform wliei-e the collar 
 was fastened ; had passed urine into his clothing. When examined 
 after death his face was pale yellow, lips cyanosed, eyes closed ; large 
 hypostatic patches ; traces of pressure on neck still visible ; lungs con- 
 gested ; larynx, above level of ]wessure, congested ; below was normal. 
 Fibrin clots in both ventricles of heart. Liver, spleen, stomach, and in- 
 testines congested. Brain somewhat congested. Bladder contained 
 uxine. 
 
 50. Liegey : Jour, de Med. chir. et pharm., Brussels, 1868, xlvi., 
 pp. 339-342. — Infant, age 8 mouths, accidentally strangled ; it had been 
 placed in its cradle ; coverlet over it and held in place by a cord passed 
 across. Some time afterward it was found dead beside the cradle, its 
 head hanging with the right side pressing on the cord. Liegey had the 
 mother replace everji:hing as it had been and satisfied himself that the 
 aljove statement was correct. When found, the face was pale, eyes 
 and mouth closed ; transverse furrow on right side of neck, level of 
 larynx, 3.5 cm. long, one deep; muscles in vicinity congested. Lungs 
 congested. Right side of heart contained clotted blood ; left side nearly 
 empty. He concluded that the case was one of accidental strangulation. 
 
 51. Friedherg: Gericht. gutacht., p. 240. — New-born child found 
 dead in closet. Mother stated that she had taken the child by the 
 neck and drew it into the world. Opinion given that the child had 
 been accidentally choked to death by the hand. 
 
 For other cases, see Tidy, "Med. Jur.," Cases 15 to 19, 59, and G2; 
 Maschka, "Handbuch," p. 623. 
 
 HANGING. 
 
 Hanging is a form of mechanical suffocation by ligature of 
 the neck, in which the constricting force is the weight of the 
 body itself. The French call it " Pendaison" or "Suspension," 
 preferably the former; the Germans, "Erhangen." The ex- 
 pression " incomplete hanging" is applied to those cases in which 
 the subject is partially supported ; kneeling, sitting, or other- 
 wise. The same expression has also been used for cases which 
 did not prove fatal. 
 
 The pathological effects of hanging are partly those of 
 strangulation, to which must be added the effects of the weight 
 or fall of the body, sustained as it is only by some form of liga- 
 ture around the neck. These additional injuries will, of course, 
 be proportioned to the weight of the body, length of rope, and 
 suddenness of the fall.
 
 736 HANGnSTG — LAMB. 
 
 In some countries, as the United States, England, Germany, and 
 Austria, hanging is a mode of capital punishment. It is desirable that 
 for judicial pui'poses it should be divested, as far as possible, of un- 
 necessarily cruel features ; the victim should quickly be made insensible, 
 and death be s^ieedy. Many suggestions to this end have been made, 
 among which is that of Haughton, He recommended that the drop be 
 long, say ten feet, so that the cervical vertebrae may be dislocated. He 
 also advised that the knot be placed under the chin. Others advise that it 
 be placed under the left ear ; and others yet, as Barker, of Melbourne, ' 
 near the spine. In any event the rope should be "freely elastic." G. 
 M. Hammond ^ thinks that the object in judicial hanging should be 
 strangulation, and that the criminal should be pulled up and left to 
 hang thirty minutes ; the rope should be soft and flexible so as to 
 closely fit the neck ; a weight should be attached to the feet of persons 
 under 150 pounds. Larimore ^ also advocates strangulation instead of 
 attempting dislocation of the vertebra?. Porter * suggests that for dislo- 
 cation the noose be drawn tightly around the neck at the last moment, 
 the knot being either at one side or, still better, in front. Dislocation 
 may be still further assured if a hollow wooden or leaden ball be placed 
 over the knot close to the neck, thus forming a fulcrum to throw the 
 spinal cohimn out of the perpendicular line at the point of pressure. 
 
 Hanging is a common mode of suicide, especially in insane 
 asylums and prisons. It is sometimes accidental, and rarely 
 homicidal. It is said to have been attempted for erotic pur- 
 poses. 
 
 The compression of the neck acts in line with the axis of the 
 body; while in strangulation it acts perpendicularly to that 
 axis. 
 
 The final cause of death will depend on: 1. The sudden- 
 ness and completeness of interference with the access of air* 
 asphyxia. 2. Pressure on the large veins of the neck, pre- 
 venting the return of blood from the head, causing congestion 
 of brain and coma. 3. Pressure on the large arteries of the 
 neck, preventing access of blood to the brain ; causing anaemia 
 of the brain and syncope. 4. Injury to spinal cord or pneu- 
 mogastric nerves or all of them ; causing paralysis. A com- 
 bination of numbers 1 and 2 is usually found in suicidal hang- 
 ing; and probablj^ all of them in homicidal and judicial 
 
 'Med. Times and Gaz. , 1871, i., ^ Ohio Med. Record, 1878, ii., pp. 
 
 p. 671, and 1876, i., p. 93. 350-352. 
 
 ^ Med. Record, N. Y., 1882, xxii., ^Arch. Laryngol., N. Y., 1880, 
 
 p. 428. i., p. 144.
 
 •HANGING. 737 
 
 hanging. The more protected the air-passages are from pressure 
 the greater part will coma or syncope have in the cause of 
 death. , 
 
 Mackenzie,' as the result of examination of 130 suicidal 
 hangings, saj'S that 119 died of asphyxia, 8 of asphj'xia and 
 apoplexy, 2 of syncope, and 1 of apoplexy alone. Coutagne'^ 
 thinks oedema of the lungs, "oedema carmine," has an impor- 
 tant part in causing death. 
 
 Tlie following conditions tend to produce asphyxia : a tight 
 ligature, or a loose ligature above the hyoid bone. To produce 
 coma, a loose ligature pressing against the hj^oid bone or 
 larynx, especially a cretified larynx. To both asphyxia and 
 congestion of brain, a ligature just beneath the lower jaw, or 
 around lower part of neck. 
 
 Hofniann ^ states that when the ligature is placed between 
 the larynx and hyoid bone, the base of the tongue is pushed 
 upward against the posterior wall of the pharj'nx, completely 
 stopping respiration and causing asphyxia. Ta3'lor* states 
 that if the rope presses on or above the larynx, the air-passages 
 are not so completely closed as when pressure is below the 
 larynx. In the latter case death would be immediate ; in the 
 former a slight amount of respiration might continue. The 
 instantaneous^ loss of consciousness is due, not to as23h3'xia 
 alone, but to compression of the large vessels, especiall}- the 
 carotids, against the transverse processes of the vertebrae, caus- 
 ing rupture of the middle and inner coats, and at the same 
 time compression of the jugular veins and pneumogastric 
 nerves. Immediate unconsciousness will almost certainly fol- 
 low compression of the pneumogastrics. He also believes that 
 the loss of consciousness and of power of self-help occur at the 
 moment that the noose is tightened around the neck. There is 
 no record of an}^ one who attempted suicide by hanging seek- 
 ing to recover himself, although no doubt some would have 
 done so if the speedy unconsciousness had not prevented. Hof- 
 mann mentions the case of a man who was found hanging, and 
 with a loaded revolver in his hand, apparently having intended 
 to shoot as well as hang himself, but lost consciousness before 
 
 • Indian Med. Gaz. , 1888, xxiii., 3"Lei„.buch f. ger. Med.," ."Jth 
 
 p. 299. ed., 1890-91. 
 
 -Archiv. anthrop. crim. , Paris, *"Med. Jur. ," Am. Ed., 1892, p. 
 
 1886, i., p. 229. 394. 
 47
 
 738 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 he had time to discharge the revolver. According to him the 
 causes of death are three : occlusion of the air-passages, inter- 
 ruption of passage of blood to brain, and compression of pneu- 
 mogastric nerves. 
 
 Von Buhl ' experimented on cadavers and concluded that in 
 hanging, the epiglottis and arytenoids are pressed over the 
 glottis, and the tongue and the oesophagus against the vertebra, 
 causing death by apnoea. When the trachea was isolated from 
 the vessels and tied, the air-passages below became dilated and 
 the lungs emphysematous and anaemic. The heart continued 
 to beat and blood to circulate. 
 
 The vertebral arteries being much smaller than the carotids, 
 the circulatory disturbance in the brain is not adjusted with 
 sufficient promptness. Compression of the pneumogastrics, ac- 
 cording to Waller," has caused subjects to fall to the ground as 
 if struck by lightning. He holds that the unconsciousness in 
 hanging is the result of the compression of the pneumogastric 
 nerves and not of the arteries. Thanhofer ^ knew a student who 
 had acquired a certain dexterity in compressing these nerves. 
 One day he compressed the two nerves, his pulse stopped and 
 he became unconscious. Thanhofer ^ tried bilateral compression 
 of paeumogastrics in a young man sentenced to be executed. 
 The pulse fell at once and the heart soon stopped; the eyes were 
 fixed and glassy. It was some time before he regained con- 
 sciousness and for two days there was malaise. 
 
 Hofmann says that the compression irritates and, in a 
 higher degree, paralj^zes the pneumogastric nerves and causes 
 disturbance of the action of the heart. 
 
 Faure ' denies that the constriction of the vessels of the neck 
 has any effect in the production of symptoms. 
 
 Coutagne believes that the pressure on the pneumogastric nerve is 
 a factor in causing death. He hung two dogs; in one the pneumogas- 
 tric nerves were dissected out and placed in front of the hgature; this 
 dog (No. 1) lived a quarter of an hour and died of pure asphyxia with 
 efforts at inspiration continued to the end. The other dog (No. 2), in 
 
 »Aertz. Intel. Bl., 1876, xxiii., p. ^Centralb. f. med. Wiss.. 1875, 
 
 324. xiii., p. 403. 
 
 2 Practitioner, 1870, iv., p. 193. ^Arch. gen. de Med., 1856, vii., 
 
 3 Mitt. d. Wien med. Doct. Col- p. 310. 
 leg., 1878, iv. , pp. 97-112. '^ Archiv. anthrop. crim., Paris, 
 
 1886, i. , p. 229.
 
 HANGING. 739 
 
 which the nerves were compressed, died in fire minutes. In both, the 
 abdominal organs were congested and the cavities of the heart were full. 
 The lungs of the first were dry and uniformly red; of the second were 
 resisting, crepitant, and quite oedematous. No subijleural ecchymoses 
 in either. The experiments on animals by Corin ' led him to conclude 
 that pressure on the pneumogastrics caused nicreased frequency of the 
 heart-beat and slowing of respiration. Pellier - considers the subject 
 quite fully. It would appear that the pressure on the pneumogastrics 
 disposes to stop the action of the heart and cause rapid, perhaps instant 
 death. The pressure on the carotids causes cerebral anosmia and is then 
 only a secondary cause. Le^'y '' does not think the action of the pneu- 
 mogastrics is sufficiently well known. 
 
 Tidy states that a dog lived for three hours suspended by a 
 rope placed above an opening in the windpipe; and that Smith ' 
 mentions the case of a criminal who was hung ; Chovet tried to 
 save the man b}' making an opening in the trachea before the 
 execution and introducing a small tube. The man was alive 
 forty-five minutes after the drop, but could not be resuscitated, 
 although the surgeon bled him. 
 
 In a small proportion of cases of hanging, homicidal and 
 judicial, death occurs by dislocation of the spine. This is said 
 to have been first noticed by the celebrated Louis, who states 
 that the Paris executioner was in the habit of giving a violent 
 rotary movement to the body of the convict as the trap was 
 sprung, causing a dislocation of the odontoid process and com- 
 pression of the cord and almost instant death. Taylor '" says 
 that for dislocation the body must be heavy and the fall long 
 and sudden. Devergie " found this to occur in about two per 
 cent of cases. It is said that the Paris hangman placed the 
 slip-knot under the chin in front, which is as Dr. Haughton 
 suggests. 
 
 Death may occur from secondary causes after apparent re- 
 covery ; from congestion of brain and other lesions of the ner- 
 vous sj'^stem ; these may prove fatal at remote periods. 
 
 Fracture of the odontoid process according to M. de Fosse 
 is more common than dislocation, and the giving away of the 
 intervertebral substance more likely than either of the others. 
 
 'Bull. Acad. Roy. Med., 1893, * "Forensic Med.," Appendix, p 
 
 vii., pp. 831-342. 561. 
 
 2 Lyon thesis, 1883, No. 188. ^"Med. Jur.," Am. Ed., 1892, p. 
 
 =* Paris thesis, 1879, No. 172, p. 394. 
 39. '^Tidy, op. cit., p. 240.
 
 740 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 The phrenic and other respiratory nerves are likely to be para- 
 lyzed; the vertebral and carotid arteries may be ruptured. The 
 medulla oblongata is also likely to be fatally injured. Death 
 may also occur from hemorrhage upon the cord, causing pres- 
 sure. 
 
 Besides the ropes used as ligatures in judicial hanging, al- 
 most every conceivable article that could be made into the sem- 
 blance of a cord has been used by suicides ; usually, however, 
 some portion of the bedding or clothing. When one resolves on 
 suicide, all the precautions of the managers of prisons and 
 asylums fail to prevent. 
 
 The secondary effects in those who recover involve the 
 respiratory organs — dyspnoea, cough, bloody sputa, bronchial 
 rales, and fever; or the nervous system — aphonia, dysphagia, 
 numbness, chilliness, spasms, pains in neck, face, or shoulder ; 
 sometimes paralysis of bladder and rectum, and loss of memorj^. 
 The marks on the neck slowly disappear.' Verse ^ collated a 
 number of cases in which the hanging was not completed and 
 the subjects lived for var3^ing periods afterward. Wagner and 
 Mobius ' discuss the spasmodic seizures and amnesia, which 
 often appear after the restoration from hanging. 
 
 Symptoms in Hanging. 
 
 Obviously these will be in some respects identical with those 
 of strangulation. In considering the latter, some of the simi- 
 larities and dissimilarities of symptoms and post-mortem ap^ 
 pearances of strangulation and hanging were mentioned. 
 
 Death may be immediate and without symptoms. 
 
 There is, of course, no preliminary or " waiting" stage, as 
 in strangulation, except in those rare cases of suicide where 
 the subject inclines his body forward with his neck against the 
 ligature, his body being near the floor or ground. The absence 
 of a drop makes this condition very similar to ordinary strangu- 
 lation. The body of a victim of homicide might be similarly 
 placed for the purpose of deception, and also that of a subject 
 previously made unconscious ; in these cases the symptoms and 
 appearances would resemble those of strangulation. 
 
 'Tardieu, "Pendaison,"1870, p. 16. mimch. med. Woch., 1893, xl., 
 
 2 Lyon thesis, 1891, No. 647. pp. 87-91, 127-129, 194.
 
 SYMPTOMS IN HANGING. 741 
 
 lu other words it is necessary that there should be a drop or 
 fall, or at least the weight of the body, to produce the charac- 
 teristics of hanging. The jerk of the fall or sudden dependence 
 of the body upon the ligature causes a much greater constric- 
 tion of the ligature on the neck, and in a different direction, 
 than in strangulation ; and also a much greater pressure on the 
 blood-vessels and nerves of the neck. 
 
 Tidy divides hanging into three stages : 
 
 First stage: Partial stupor lasting thirty seconds to three 
 minutes, according to the length of the drop, the weight of the 
 body, and tightness of the constriction. The testimony seems 
 to be uniform that there is no pain in this stage; indeed, that 
 the feeling is rather one of pleasure.' The subjective symptoms 
 described are an intense heat in the head, brilliant flashes of 
 light in the eyes, deafening sounds in the ears, and a heavy 
 numb feeling in the lungs. Sometimes there is a feeling of 
 absence of weight. In many cases efforts to breathe are made 
 for a time after the air-passages are closed. It is doubtful 
 whether there are any voluptuous feelings, as has been sug- 
 gested. 
 
 Chowne - reports the case of Hornshawor, "Monsieur Gouffe," who 
 was in the habit of hanging himself for exhibition. He fixed the noose 
 with a knot that would not slip, sprang into it, the rope coming behind 
 the lower jaw and the two sides passing up behind the ears. He would 
 hang for ten to fifteen nnnutes, and in addition to his own weight 
 would sustain one hundred and fifty pounds. Three times the rope 
 slipped and he would have died but for the help of spectators. He de- 
 scribed his sensations as follows: He lost his senses all at once. The 
 instant the rope got in the wrong place he felt a.s if he could not get his 
 breath, as if some great weight was at his feet; and could not move only 
 to di-aw himself up; felt as if he wanted to loosen himself but never 
 thought of his hands. He said: "You cannot move your arms or legs 
 to save yourself; you cannot raise yoiu* arms; you cannot think." 
 
 Taylor* mentions the case of Scott, the American diver, who was in 
 the habit of making public exhibitions of hanging. The last time he 
 hung for thirteen minutes, the spectatoi-s not suspecting that he had 
 died. It is supposed that the ligature had slipped. Taylor also rejwrts 
 a case (from Dr. Elliott) of a boy, age 11, Avlio, to frighten his jjareuts, 
 tied a knot in a handkerchief and put it around a loiob and his neck iu 
 one continuous ligature. The pressure against the trachea was so ef- 
 
 ' Tracy, Pop. Sci. Mo., 1878. xiii., ^ Lancet. 1847, i., p. 403. 
 pp. 349-354. ' " Med. Jur. , " Am. Ed. . 1893, p. 39G.
 
 742 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 fective that he became unconscious and died before he could reheve 
 himself. 
 
 Second stage : The subject is unconscious and convulsions 
 usually occur. Tlie convulsed face, however, is a part of the 
 general agitation and does not indicate pain. In judicial cases 
 the face is covered with a cap. Sometimes there are no spasms. 
 Urine, faeces, and semen may be discharged in any stage. 
 Jaquemin, however, in forty-one cases of hanging, noted dis- 
 charge of urine and fseces onl}" twice. Semen has, however, 
 been found in the urethra where none was ejected externally.' 
 
 Third stage: All is quiet except the beating of the heart. 
 As a rule, the pulse may be felt for ten minutes. 
 
 Blankenship ^ rejjorts an execution of a man by hanging. After 
 the rope was adjusted the jjulse was 121 ; fu'st minute after droji, pulse 
 54 ; second minute 52 ; third 39 ; fourth 20 ; fifth ; sixth 70 ; seventh 
 73 ; eighth ; ninth 34 ; not perceptible afterward. Died from stran- 
 gulation ; neck not dislocated. The heart beat once in the nineteenth 
 minute ; from the ninth to the nineteenth, only two or three times. No 
 priapism. 
 
 In judicial executions, however, the right auricle is found in 
 action when the subject is taken down at the end of the usual 
 period of suspension (see Case 89). Tardieu mentions a case 
 where the heart was beating 80 to the minute one and one-half 
 hours after supposed death. It is probable that in these cases 
 the deprivation of air and compression of the vessels has not 
 been complete. In such cases life may sometimes be restored. 
 Cases are reported where restoration has been possible within a 
 period of a half-hour of suspension ; although the fatal period is 
 usually five to eight minutes at most. If, however, the tissues 
 and especially the spinal cord are injured, or the ligature has 
 compressed below the larynx, the chance of recovery is very 
 small, even if the body is cut down at once. According to 
 Faure, animals experimented upon die in twelve to twenty 
 minutes. 
 
 Many cases of "incomplete" hanging have been reported; 
 where the feet touch the floor, or would do so if the subject 
 should choose to have it so. Tardieu ^ collected 261 cases, in 
 
 ^ See articles of Huppert. Vier. * Jour. Amer. Med. Assn., 1885, i., 
 
 ger. Med., etc., xxiv., pp. 237-252, p. 658. 
 
 and Miiller-Beninga, Berlin, klin. ^ "Pend.," etc. , p. 22. 
 Woch.. 1877, xiv., p. 481.
 
 SYMPTOMS IN HANGING. 
 
 743 
 
 168 of which the feet touched the ground, in 42 the subject was 
 on his knees, in 29 the body was hnng, in 29 sitting and in 3 
 squatting. Hackel,' in 07 cases of hanging, found it incomplete 
 in 34 per cent. 
 
 In one of the experiments of Faure - a large clog was hving, his feet 
 touching the ground. For five minutes he was quiet, breatliing with- 
 
 FiG. 22.— Suicide of Prince Cond6. (See page 763.) 
 
 out difficulty. He then tried to release himself, but instead tightened 
 the knot ; he made still greater efforts to release himself, became com- 
 atose and fell, apparently dead, at the end of ten minutes ; was really 
 dead in twenty-eight minutes. 
 
 In incomplete hanging the upper limbs maj' have anj'- posi- 
 tion ; the lower limbs are disposed according to the position of 
 the body (Cases 1, 10, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 20, 28, 37, 43, 50, 50). 
 
 ' Dorpat Diss. , 1891. 
 
 -Arch. gen. de Med., 1856, vii., 
 p. 315.
 
 744 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 Faure ' made many observations on dogs which he killed by hang- 
 ing. He describes the results as follows : The dog remains quiet usu- 
 ally twenty to thirty seconds, sometimes eight to ten minutes; then 
 becomes violently agitated, the body being thro^\na forward and back- 
 ward so powerfully that it bounds to a great height ; the head is in 
 motion ; the jaws i^arted ; the feet extended and flexed ; sometimes 
 brought up to the mouth and neck, trying to remove the obstruction ; 
 the inside of the mouth is ^'iolet-colored ; tongue blackish, livid, may 
 be bitten, often falls backward ; the teeth are ground together ; the 
 eyes sometimes protrude ; conjunctivae congested ; urine and faeces 
 discharged. The agitation lasts two to five minutes, and then the dog 
 gradually becomes quiet. Toward death, however, the agitation is 
 renewed but in a different way ; the fore-feet are raised and put for- 
 ward, the tongue often has a peculiar spasm, the chest is raised, the 
 eyes drawn back into the orbits, pupils contracted ; all of tliis is over 
 within two seconds. Such paroxysms may be repeated half a dozen 
 times. In dji^ng, the eye oscillates from side to side and the pupil 
 dilates. The heart beats some time longer. 
 
 Francis Bacon records that he knew a man who wanted to find out 
 by experience if there was any suffering in hanging. He placed the 
 cord around his neck and stepped off a bench, intending to step back 
 again, but became immediately unconscious and would have died but 
 for the opportune arrival of a friend. He said he saw a light before liis 
 eyes. 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 The first indications obviously are to let the subject down, 
 and remove all constriction of neck and chest. Artificial respi- 
 ration should then be used, and this may be assisted hj the 
 vapor of ammonia to the nose and tickling the fauces. If the 
 body is warm, cold affusions may be applied to the head and 
 chest, and galvanism may be used. 
 
 If the body is cold, apply warmth. Friction of the limbs 
 aids in restoring warmth. If the subject can swallow give 
 stimulants; these may also be used by rectum. Venesection 
 may be required to relieve cerebral congestion or distention of 
 the right heart and pulmonary circulation. 
 
 The following cases illustrate what may be done to resuscitate one 
 who has been hanged: A man, age 35, in good health, weight one hun- 
 dred and sixty pounds, was executed with a drop of over six feet; the 
 rope slipped behind the mastoid process. After thi-ee minutes liis strug- 
 
 1 Op. cit. , p. 308.
 
 TREATMENT. 745 
 
 gles ceased; the radial beat ceased at six and one-half minutes; all signs 
 of life at ten and one-half minutes, aad the body was bhie. Fourteen 
 and one-half minutes, body let down; mark about one-fourth inch deep 
 on neck; swelling above and below; no fracture of vertebra^. Strong 
 galvanism of the pneuinogastrics after sixteen or seventeen minvites at 
 intervals of four seconds caused marked respiratory efforts; sixty -six 
 minutes, galvanism renewed; heart-beat and radial pulse recognized; 
 epiglottis swollen, requirmg the tongue to be dra^^^l forward; a few 
 ounces of blood removed; jjupils contracted. One hundred and four 
 minutes, galvanism renewed; subject swallowed a little brandy-and- 
 water. One hundred and thirteen minutes, slight muscular action; 
 cornea sensible. One hundi'ed and eighty -six minutes, feet warm, car- 
 otid pulsation. Signs of life now increased till six hours after drop, 
 when pupils began to dilate again. Twelve to fifteen ounces of blood 
 were taken and pupils again contracted and pulse beat sti-ong and 
 steady; breathing easy, more regular; eyes followed movements of per- 
 sons around the room. Died nine hours later, fifteen hours after drop. 
 The experiments were repeatedly interrupted by the sheriff. ' Taylor * 
 reports a case of recovery. Woman, age 44; found hanging from a 
 clothes-line, thro^Ti over a door and fastened to a handle on the other 
 side; her knees on the floor; white froth around the mouth; tongue 
 protruding and swollen; face dusky and swollen; lips dark bhie; brown 
 parchment mark on neck; skin abraded over larynx; conjunctiva in- 
 sensible; pupils dilated and fixed; fingers clinched; limbs flaccid; no 
 reaction from tickling feet; no respiration; faint heart-beat and fine 
 thready jjulse. Sj-lvester's artificial respiration method used at once 
 and continued for four and one-half hours; tongue held forward by 
 forceps. One hundred and fifteen minutes after body was first seen 
 there was spontaneous movement of legs. One hiindred and forty-five 
 minutes, conjitnctivas sensible. One hvmdi'ed and seventy-five min- 
 utes, retching. Two hundred and five minutes, free vomiting. She 
 recovered but remembered nothing of the hanging. Keen ^ reports the 
 results of experiments upon a criminal who was executed by hanging. 
 He was cut down about half an hour after the drop. Fai'adization and 
 galvanization of pneumogastric and recurrent laryngeal nerves caused 
 movements of left vocal cord, but not the right ; there was no reflex 
 motion in the larjTix. The left phrenic nerve made no response to 
 stimulus. The internal intercostal nerves caused the raising of the car- 
 tilage below them (iusj^iratory), the external intercostals dejjressed the 
 iipper seven ribs (expiratory), and i-aised the eighth. The other four 
 not examined. The muscles of the face retained their contractihty. 
 
 Very few, comparatively, however, have been restored after 
 hanging. For cases of recovery see Medical Times and 
 
 'Lancet, 1871, 11., p. 98. [387. ^ pjjiiadelphia Medical Times, 
 
 ^ Glasgow Med. Jour. , 1880, xiv. , p. 1875.
 
 746 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 Gazette, London, 1871, Vol. I., p. OGO (Cases 12, 13, 42, 44, 
 47, 49, GG). 
 
 PosT-MoRTEM Appearances. 
 
 The post-mortem appearances are external and internal. 
 
 The external appearances are those due to the action of the 
 ligature on the neck and to other violence, if any has been 
 done, and those due to asphyxia or syncope. 
 
 The MARKS of the ligature. If the suspension be very brief 
 and the ligature soft and supple, and the body instantly cut clown 
 after death, there may be no mark. Allison ' questions the value 
 of the mark, contending that it is post mortem, and reports cases ; 
 says it is present only if the drop be considerable or the sus- 
 pension continue after death. Tidy says that the mark is, in a 
 measure, independent of the ligature and duration of suspen- 
 sion, and does not usually acquire its color for some hours after 
 death ; sometimes, however, it has occurred in a much shorter 
 time. It may be slight because the ligature has been placed 
 over the clothing. The longer a body hangs after death, the 
 more the mark shows. It can be produced upon the cadaver. 
 
 Harvey ^ says : " The characteristic mark is sometimes found 
 in non-fatal cases. ... In eight instances in the present re- 
 turns (of nearly 1,500 cases of hanging) there was a distinct 
 mark." 
 
 Coutagne, ^ in twenty-four necroscopies on subjects hung, found 
 only slight or doubtful lesions in five cases ; but of these, one was in a 
 condition of advanced putrefaction, another was apparently weakened 
 by loss of blood from wounds, and in the other three there were marks 
 of violence. In seventeen cases the lesions of the neck were plain; 
 hemorrhage in connective tissue or muscle. 
 
 The direction of the mark is usually oblique, following the 
 line of the lower jaw upward and backward behind the mastoid 
 processes ; it maj^, however, be horizontal. If the ligature en- 
 circles the neck more than once, one mark may be circular, the 
 other oblique. If a running noose is used the mark may be 
 circular, and be seen all the way around the neck, looking like 
 the mark of a strangulation. Taylor * states that if the noose 
 
 'Lancet, 1869, 1., p. 636. ^ Op. cit., p. 245. 
 
 'Indian Med. Gaz., 1876, xi., p. -"'Med. Jur.," Am. ed., 1892, p. 
 
 29. 398.
 
 POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES. * 747 
 
 should be in front, the mark may be circular, the jaw prevent- 
 ing the ligature from rising upward in front as much as it does 
 behind. If it encircles the neck but once, its continuity is apt 
 to be broken by the prominence of the hyoid bone, thyroid car- 
 tilage, sterno-mastoid muscles, etc. 
 
 In four-fifths of the cases (117 out of 143, Tardieu) the mark 
 is found between the chin and larynx; in nearly all the re- 
 maining fifth, over the larynx; in a very few below the larynx; 
 the last position is due to the protection of the neck by a hand- 
 kerchief or beard, or where there is some anatomical or patho- 
 logical peculiarity which prevents the ligature from going 
 higher. 
 
 Hofmann ' had seen two cases of tumor of neck ; one in a woman, 
 where the cord was below the larynx; and in a man where it was 
 over the larjTix. He quotes'^ as follows: Remer, above larjTix, 38; 
 over larynx, 7; below larjTix, 2. Devei'gie, above larjTix, 20; over 
 larynx, 7; below larATix, 1. Casper, above larynx, 59; over larynx, 9. 
 Rotli ^ in 49 cases found the ligature mark above the hyoid bone in 
 5; between the bone and the larynx, 31; over the larjTix, 8; below 
 the larynx, 1. Hackel found the ligature in forty per cent of cases 
 between hyoid bone and larj-nx; in sixty per cent lower down. The 
 ligature alwaj's appears lower after the body is laid down than it was 
 in suspension. Maschka found the furrow 147 times in 153 cases above 
 the lainnix. 
 
 The mark will vary in character according to the kind of 
 ligature used, its mode of application, the vitality of the tissues, 
 and the period that has elapsed since death. The result is dif- 
 ferent according as the knot or loop is single or double, a run- 
 ning or slip knot. 
 
 The mark may differ in character in one part of the neck 
 from another. The same furrow may be soft in one part and 
 dry in another. The width of the mark does not necessaril}^ 
 correspond to the diameter of the ligature. A double mark 
 usually means that the ligature has been twice passed around 
 the neck, although the marks may not be continuous or parallel. 
 Tardieu states that a large single leather thong pressing on the 
 neck only by its borders ma}' make a double mark. The mark 
 is usuall}' depressed. The depth of the depression, groove, or 
 
 'Op. cit., p. 523. "Deutsch. Archiv f. Staats, 1870, 
 
 "^ Op. cit., Levy's translation, xxviii., p. 1313. 
 1881, p. 363.
 
 748 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 furrow, as it is called, is greater the narrower and firmer the 
 ligature, the longer the suspension, and the greater the weight 
 of the body. The mark may be merely a slight depression, 
 without color, or only a red blush, if the subject is young, 
 tissues healthy, and suspension brief. Roth,' in 49 cases of 
 hanging, found the furrow of the ligature was brown in 40, red- 
 brown in 6, and 3 times bluish. 
 
 In about two-thirds of the cases the bottom of the furrow, 
 the place of greatest pressure, is white, especially so where the 
 knot is tied ; while the edges of the furrow are usually slightly 
 raised and red or livid. If the subject is verj^ fat, there may 
 be only a slight depression. Harvey" says that this hard, 
 white, shining, translucent band from compression of the con- 
 nective tissue is the first stage of the parchment or vellum skin, 
 and is chiefl}" noticed in fresh bodies. The borders are swollen 
 and oedematous, called by Lacassagne " bourrelet de sillon." 
 
 The skin beyond the furrow is usually violet. Authors 
 differ as to whether this is due to congestion or hemorrhage. 
 Roth ^ in 49 cases found swelling below the furrow 27 times. 
 Hackel found ecchymoses above the mark in thirty -five per cent 
 of the cases of hanging. Hofmann thinks that the lividity of 
 the upper border of the furrow is due to the stopping of the 
 venous blood descending from the head. 
 
 The drj", hard, yellowish-brown, or reddish-brown " parch- 
 ment" furrow, described by writers, is said to be common. 
 Ogston ^ found it in one-third of his cases. It is found onl}' 
 when the body has remained suspended for several hours after 
 death; indeed, may be produced by applying the ligature to 
 the cadaver ; is not at all, therefore, a proof of suspension dur- 
 ing life. Liman states that constriction by a ligature even for 
 some time does not necessarily cause a mummified or excoriated 
 furrow. He saw cases in which the mark was soft, flat, 
 scarcely colored, but little interrupted, and not parchmenty. 
 The parchment skin seems to depend very much upon a pre- 
 vious excoriation of the skin. Its appearance can be prevented 
 or delayed by examining a body soon after death or by rehang- 
 ing it ; and after it has appeared it will disappear on the appli- 
 cation of some liquid. Taylor ^ compares this parchment mark 
 
 ' Op. cit., p. 281. 3 Op. cit.. p. 287. 
 
 '-'Indian Med. Gaz., 1876, xi., p. ^"Med. Jur.,"p. 527. 
 39. 5 " Med. Jur. , " Am. ed. , 1892, p. 399.
 
 POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES. Ti9 
 
 to the otitis from which the cuticle has been removed for two 
 or three days. 
 
 Slight abrasions and ecchymoses are sometimes found in the 
 furrow. Ecchymoses alone do not indicate whether suspension 
 has been before or after death ; but abrasions with hemorrhage 
 strongly suggest suspension during life. Devergie regards 
 ecchymoses of the neck as strongly suggestive of homicide. 
 Neyding ' says that suggillation in the groove is oftener found 
 in strangulation than hanging. And Bremme ^ that there is no 
 hemorrhage in the subcutaneous tissue of the mark if death 
 occurs at once and the cord is removed at once after death ; 
 but if the cord remains for some time after death there may be 
 hemorrhage, or if death does not occur at once, whether the 
 ligature be removed or not. 
 
 Roth ^ found ecchj'moses or small bladders at the lower mar- 
 gin of the furrow, 9 times in -iO cases. Riechke found only 
 once in 30 cases a hemorrhage beneath and on both sides of the 
 mark. Chevers did not find ecchymoses of the skin of the mark 
 in cases of hanging. Casper found no ecchymoses in 50 of 71 
 cases. Maschka has seen two cases where burns on the neck 
 resembled mark of ligature. 
 
 The furrow, when once distinct, remains constant for a long 
 time after death, even in putrefaction. Marks from soft sub- 
 stances, however, disappear sooner than those from strong and 
 uniform compression. 
 
 The NECK nearly always appears stretched. According to 
 Roth the mobilit}^ of the head is increased by this stretching. 
 The HEAD is always inclined to the opposite side to that of the 
 knot. In suicides the head is usually bent forward on the 
 chest. The hands are often clinched so tightly that the nails 
 are driven into the palms. This occurs more especially when 
 the hanging has been done with violence. When the feet touch 
 the ground, as often occurs in suicide, the hands may be 
 stretched out. Roth found the hands and feet flexed in 44 of 
 49 cases. Taylor says that we maj' expect to find the hands 
 clinched when constriction of the neck is sudden and violent. 
 The LEGS are usually livid. 
 
 The FACE varies with the duration of the suspension; at 
 first it is pale, afterward livid ; congested and swollen, if the 
 
 'Vier. f. ger. Med., 1870, xii., 277, ;lg70. xiii., pp. 247-260. 
 pp. 340-369. ^Oj). cit.,-p. 281.
 
 750 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 subject has been long suspender! . Roth found the face pale 
 in 43 of 49 cases. In about one-half the cases the features 
 are calm and placid (syncope) . Maschka found the lips bluish 
 in 98 of 153 cases. The eyes are often prominent, staring, 
 and congested, and usually the pupils are dilated. Lacassagne 
 and Maschka ' look upon ecchymoses of the eyelids and conjunc- 
 tivse, '^ piquete scarlatin" as important as favoring the idea of 
 hanging or strangulation. Roth found in 49 cases the eyelids 
 closed 28 times; half open, 12; congested in 6; ecchymosed in 
 2. Pupils dilated in 31 ; narrowed in 2, Dilated in 97^ per 
 cent of Ogston's cases (Cases 85, 86; rupture of crystalline 
 lens). Harvey^ says the blood was found flowing from the 
 EAR in G cases of nearly 1,500, but no details were given, 
 Ogston, one case. Hofmann saw a case in which there was 
 bleeding from the ears. He says this is not due, as has been 
 supposed, to rupture of the t3^mpanic membrane, but to hemor- 
 rhage from subcutaneous vessels (Case 27). 
 
 The TONGUE is usually livid and swollen, especially at the 
 base. According to Tidy, Dr. Guy looks on this as showing 
 that suspension took place very probabl}" during life. In about 
 one-third of the cases the tongue is protruded and compressed 
 between the teeth ; sometimes bitten. Some observers found it 
 protruded only as a result of putrefaction. The protrusion of 
 the tongue is not believed to depend on the position of the liga- 
 ture. Hackel in 67 cases found the tongue lying forward in 
 all cases where the cord was between the larynx and the 
 hyoid; in 55 per cent in front of the teeth, in 18 per cent 
 between the teeth; where the ligature was lower down, the 
 tongue was behind the teeth. He found by experiment that in 
 the spasmodic expiratory effort the tongue was thrust forward ; 
 in the inspiratory movement, drawn backward. He concluded 
 that the forward movement was the result of reflex action. 
 Maschka ^ found the tongue between the teeth 58 times in 149 
 cases. Roth in 49 cases found the tongue projecting and bit- 
 ten in 22, the teeth shut in 15 others; in 15 the mouth was 
 open ; the tongue was retracted in 30 cases. 
 
 Harvey, after examining reports of nearly fifteen hundred hang- 
 ing's, says: "In the majority of instances innnediately after death 
 
 iPellier, op. cit., p. 83. ^"Handbuch," p. 571. 
 
 nnd. Med. Gaz., 1876, xi., p. 30.
 
 POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES. 751 
 
 the features were placid, the face pale, the eyes not undvily i)rom- 
 inent, the mouth closed or half open, the tongue pressed against the 
 teeth but not protruding; the suijerficial veins full, but the head, neck, 
 and trunk free from lividity. After a longer or shorter time, however, 
 and apparently- after a very few hours, in India, all this is changed. 
 Livid patches appear about the chest, back, and shoulders; the face and 
 head become bloated and pufpy, the tongue and eyes ]>rotrude." 
 
 Bloody froth is sometimes seeu at the nose and mouth. 
 
 Saliva is invariably secreted and run§ out of the mouth 
 down on the chin and chest. Its presence is considered as evi- 
 dence that suspension occurred during life. The urine and 
 F^CES are sometimes found to have been expelled. These dis- 
 charges occur in all kinds of violent death. Tardieu found 
 them, however, but twice in 41 cases of hanging. Roth 
 in 49 cases found discharges of faeces in 17 and urine in 4; in 
 15 cases not noticed. 
 
 Harvey mentions a case where internal piles had burst, and 
 there were stains and clots of blood about the perineum and 
 anus. In such cases without careful examination there would 
 naturally be a suspicion of violence. 
 
 In about one-fourth of the cases the genital organs are 
 congested. The penis is large and more or less erect; seminal 
 fluid, generally prostatic, and sometimes mixed with blood, is 
 often expelled. The fluid maj" pass only into the urethra and it 
 may be necessary to press the urethra to secure it. The clitoris 
 may be found erect, and there ma}' be a sort of menstrual flow. 
 Orfila showed by experiment that swelling of the sexual or- 
 gans and emission of semen can be produced after death in 
 those who had been suspended during life. The flow of semen 
 is found in all kinds of death by violence. Roth in 39 cases of 
 hanging of men found the penis enlarged 18 times and ejacula- 
 tion in 19. Hackel found the penis swollen in 43 per cent of 
 cases of asphyxia. Erection may come on soon or late, even 
 daj'S after death. 
 
 Internal Appearances. — The connective tissue under 
 THE MARK is usually white and condensed, the more so if the 
 body has been long suspended. This dryness or condensation 
 was found by Hackel in 52 per cent of hangings. Deeper-seated 
 parts are injured only when the hanging has been violently 
 done. The muscles, especially'- the sterno-mastoid, are some-
 
 752 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 times ruptured. Hofmann ' reports several cases. Lesser'^ in 
 50 hangings saw 11 ruptures of muscle. Maschka never saw 
 the rupture in suicides. The sterno-mastoid was ruptured in 
 the case of Wirtz (Case 96) and Guiteau (Case 95). Hackel 
 in 67 cases failed to find the muscle ruptured. Hofmann^ 
 believes that the rupture of the muscle is sometimes post 
 mortem. Coutagne ^ found the sterno-mastoid muscle ruptured 
 once in 24 cases (Cases 29, 89, 95, 96). 
 
 The LARYNX may be fractured or dislocated. These lesions 
 are very rare in suicide ; more frequent in homicide and judicial 
 hanging, and in the old where the cartilages are calcareous. 
 Remer found the injury in but 1 case in 101 of suicidal 
 hanging. Barker found the larynx lacerated in his judicial 
 cases. ^ Harvey says that the trachea was reported lacerated 
 11 times in nearly 1,500 cases; twice the laryngeal cartilages 
 were separated from each other. In 5 these cartilages were 
 fractured, but there was nothing to show under what conditions. 
 Hemorrhage in vicinit}' of larynx, 43 times. Pellier " reports 1 
 case, and adds that the existence of the lesion easily escapes 
 notice because of the mobility of the cornua. Roth in 49 cases 
 failed to find any fracture. Pellier found the cricoid was in- 
 jured often er than the thyroid, which is the reverse of what is 
 found in strangulation. Cavasse ' was unable to cause fracture 
 of larynx by hanging the cadaver. Chailloux* collected 6 cases 
 of fracture of larynx in hanging. He concluded that the frac- 
 ture could not be produced on the cadaver by hanging, and is, 
 therefore, caused during life. Coutagne' in 24 cases found 
 fracture of thyroid cartilage 8 times (Cases 9, 51, 82). 
 
 The HYOID BONE is rarely dislocated. Orfila mentions a 
 case of fracture. Barker found the bone usually fractured in 
 judicial cases. In the case of Wirtz {supra) the greater comu 
 was broken. Pellier reports 2 cases. Hofmann '° saj^s the 
 hyoid cornua are often fractured, especiallj" when the ligature 
 is between the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage. Coutagne 
 
 'Wien. med. Presse, 1881-1882, ^ See Brit, and For. Med. Rev., ii., 
 
 xxii., p. 1533. p. 214. 
 
 2 Vier. f. ger. Med., 1881, xxxv., ^ Op. cit.. p. 98. 
 
 p. 201. ' Paris thesis, 1859, No. 9. 
 
 »Lehrbuch, p. 532. « Paris thesis, 1874, No. 291. 
 
 *0p. cit., p. 245. ^Op. cit., p. 245. 
 
 '«0p. cit., p. 533.
 
 INTERNAL APPEARANCES. 753 
 
 found fracture of hyoid bone 8 times in 24 cases. He attributed 
 the fracture to pressure against the spine. Pellier speaks of 
 fracture of styloid process (Cases 51, 84, 88, 89, 05, 06). 
 
 Dr. Barker, of Melbourne/ states that in 50 cases of lianging 
 by the old method there was not on< case ol fracture or dislo- 
 cation of vertebrce. After adopting his suggestion to place 
 the knot near the spine, he found that dislocation occurred be- 
 tween the second and third cervical vertebrae with fracture of 
 the third and pressure on the spinal cord. Death was sudden 
 and complete. The drop in these cases was short, three to four 
 feet. Coutagne thinks that the ordinary mobility of the head, 
 axis, and atlas on each other have led reporters into the mistake 
 of supposing a dislocation of vertebrae. Roth failed to find frac- 
 ture of vertebrae in any of 40 cases. These injuries are espe- 
 cially rare in suicide; but in violent hanging, dislocation or 
 fracture may occur and also rupture of the ligaments. Harvej' 
 gives 5 cases of dislocation of vertebra and 4 of fracture of 
 vertebra in suicides. Three of tlie latter were doubtful. Tar- 
 dieu says these fractures have no significance as to the hanging 
 having occurred during life. They can bo produced on the 
 cadaA^er; but infiltration of clotted blood around injured verte- 
 brae shows that suspension occurred during life (Cases 5, 7, 8, 
 68, 76 to 70, 83, 84, 01, 02, 04).' 
 
 The CAROTID ARTERIES may be injured ; usually the inner 
 and middle coats are torn ; and hemorrhage may occur into the 
 wall of the vessel. The common carotids are the ones usuallj^ 
 affected, and just below the bifurcation, but the external is also 
 occasionall}^ injured. The injury is said to be due to the 
 stretching and squeezing of the artery, stretching being the 
 most effective since the rupture often occurs at a distance from 
 the mark of the ligature. Such injury of the artery does not 
 prove that hanging took place during life because it has been 
 produced on the cadaver; but hemorrhage into the wall of the 
 vessel or wound or rupture after death is very improbable. 
 Maschka saj^s the lesion is ver}^ rare. Tardieu says that the 
 injury to the carotid is rare and therefore unimportant. Pellier 
 reports 4 cases of rupture of carotid in a total of 23. Levy 
 records the experiments of Hofmann, of Vienna, and Brouardel 
 
 'Med. Times aud Gaz., 1871, i., -LvouMed., 1883. xliv., p. 11. 
 
 p. 071. 
 
 48
 
 754 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 and himself, of Paris, 5 in number. He concluded that com- 
 pression of the carotid arteries, if it produces obliteration, can 
 cause rapid loss of consciousness and death ; and explains why 
 in incomplete suicide the subject is unable to help himself. 
 Coutagne found rupture of carotids 10 times in 24 cases. He 
 insists on the importance of the lesion. 
 
 Hofmann ' says the I'upture is always transverse, may be simple or 
 multiple and may occm' in suicides; more apt to occur when the liga- 
 ture is thin. Lesser^ tabulated 50 fatal cases of suicidal hanging; in 
 29, he was satisfied that the lianging occurred during life. In 3 of these 
 the skin of the neck alone showed any lesion; there was a double mark, 
 the skin being otherAvise bloodless. In 5 the deeper soft jjarts were the 
 only ones affected. In 3 the skin showed lesions, the deeper soft parts 
 none, but either the hyoid bone, larynx, or vertebrse were involved. 
 In 12 the skin showed no mark, but the deeper soft parts and either 
 the larynx or hyoid bone were involved; and in 6 the hyoid bone only 
 or the bone and larynx were injured. In the remaining cases it was not 
 possible to say that the hanging occurred during life. In 2 cases there 
 were no marks at all ; in 9 there were changes in the skin ; in 4, 
 changes in the skin and deeper parts; in 2, changes in the skin, deeper 
 parts, and hyoid bone or larynx; in 3, changes in the skin and hyoid 
 bone or larynx, or both. In 14 of the 50 cases the hyoid bone was 
 fractured ; in 20 the larynx; and in 1 the vertebrae. The common car- 
 otid arteries were injured in 6. The number and severity of the le- 
 sions bore no constant relation to the thickness of the ligatiu'e, nor to 
 the force vised, but rather to the position of the body. 
 
 Ecker ^ reported a case of suicidal hanging in a man, age 40, where 
 the soft palate was swollen and filled up the passage so that the air 
 evidently could not enter. 
 
 The LARYNX and the trachea are usually deeply con- 
 gested, of a red color; a violet color indicates putrefaction. 
 Ogston reports mucus but. not bloody froth 9 times in the 
 pharynx, 6 in the trachea, and 4 in the lungs, in a total of 40 
 cases. In one case there was a quantity of blood in the larynx 
 and pharynx. Taylor thinks that pinkish froth in the trachea 
 indicates incomplete obstruction ; and Chevers that it is due to 
 spasmodic efforts to breathe when the obstruction is nearly 
 complete. Chevers always found clear mucus in the larynx and 
 upper part of trachea, each follicle being marked by a minute 
 
 ' Lehi-buch, p. 535. ^Virchow's Archly, 1870, xlix., 
 
 - Vier. f. ger. Med. imd off. San., p. 290. 
 1881, XXXV., pp. 201-248.
 
 INTERNAL APPEARANCES. 755 
 
 globule of mucus. Harvey states that this was noted a few- 
 times in his reports. Baraban ' discusses the condition of the 
 epithelium of the air passages in hanging. 
 
 The condition of the lungs and heart varies according to 
 whether death is due to syncope or asphyxia. Ogston found, in 
 23 cases, the lungs were expanded in 4 and collapsed in 2. 
 
 Harvey says the lungs are congested in over seven-eighths 
 of the cases ; emphysematous in a few ; and subpleural ecchy- 
 moses present in a few. Patenko* experimented on dogs by 
 hanging them. When the constriction occurred after expira- 
 tion the lungs were congested; when after inspiration, not con- 
 gested. In the first case (p. 223) the blood flows from the 
 periphery to the heart and thence to the lungs, but cannot flow 
 from the lungs because of the difficult circulation in the dilated 
 pulmonary vessels and deficiency of intrathoracic pressure. 
 There is in both cases cerebral congestion in the region of the 
 bulb. Tardieu holds that punctiform ecchymoses and apo- 
 plexies do not occur in hanging unless suffocation has preceded. 
 Pellier,^ however, found these ecchymoses 14 times in 22 cases. 
 He says that the lesion is not characteristic of suffocation, and 
 quotes Lacassagne, Grosclaude, Dechoudans, Vicq, Chassaing, 
 and Legroux to the same purpose. Hofmann * says that the 
 ecchymoses are relatively rare in adults. Maschka ' found 
 them 18 times in 153 cases. 
 
 Harvey states that the presence of serum in the pericar- 
 dium seems more a matter of time elapsed after death than 
 anything else. Still the fact is that it is found much oftener in 
 strangulation than in hanging. The difference is explained 
 by the comparative slowness of death in strangulation. Harvey 
 finds that in about one-half of the cases, if the bodj- is fresh, the 
 right side of the HEART, pulmonary artery, and vense cavse are 
 full of dark fluid blood, the lungs being also much congested, 
 and the signs of death by asphj^xia well marked. When blood 
 is found in both sides of the heart, it is probable that death is 
 due to neuro-paralysis. When decomposition is advanced all 
 the cavities are often empty. Taylor says that if the examina- 
 tion is delayed for several days, the distention ma}^ not be 
 observed. 
 
 iRev. Med. do I'Est, 1890, xxii., pp. ^ Oj). cit., p. 105. 
 
 545-554. •'Lehrbuch. j). 537. 
 
 -Ann. d'Hyg.,1885,xiii.,pp. 209-228. ' Op. cit., p. GOT.
 
 750 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 The STOMACH is often much congested, and this fact might 
 sometimes suggest the possibility of poisoning. The liver, 
 SPLEEN, and KIDNEYS are usually much congested. Eofmann ' 
 says that this occurs in the kidney onlj when the bod^ has been 
 hung a long time. 
 
 The BRAIN is rarely much congested. In 101 cases Remer 
 found hemorrhage but once; and in 106 cases Casper failed to 
 find it. Tardieu ° says the brain is oftenest anaemic. If, how- 
 ever, the body is cut down and placed horizontall}", the blood- 
 vessels of the brain may fill up. Evidence may be found in the 
 brain suggesting insanity and therefore an explanation of a 
 probable suicide. Harvey says that hemorrhages in or about 
 the brain are found in a much larger proportion of cases in 
 India than in Europe in cases of hanging. "No common con- 
 dition likel}' to cause extravasation is apparent, only one man 
 being noted as plethoric, but in many the rope seems to have 
 been very tight." Champouillon ' reports a case of suicide in a 
 man, age fifty-two; the rope broke and the body fell. The 
 physician who made the necroscopy reported a rupture of the 
 pons Varolii. Champouillon believed that the rupture must 
 have been made in removing the brain from the skull. Wilkie * 
 reports a judicial hanging in which a man age about twenty- 
 five, fell about three and one-half feet. A recent clot was found 
 in the brain. The experiments of Brouardel of hanging rab- 
 bits showed the brain ansemic. 
 
 The conjunction of the following appearances would suggest 
 that the hanging had been of some duration : lividity of face, 
 congestion and prominence of eyes, dryness of skin under the 
 ligature, deep furrow, congestion of sexual organs, swelling and 
 lividity of lower limbs, hypostatic congestion of lungs. 
 
 Page experimented on a young- cat and young dog; both were hung 
 in the same way. Examination of the cat showed the veins generally 
 engorged; sublingual veins much engorged; tongue protruded slightly 
 and much swollen; no frothy mucus in bronchi. In the dog the 
 tongue did not protrude and was not swollen; right cavities of heart 
 contained blood, left empty; brain and other organs normal. In the 
 cat, the lungs were uniformly congested, dark red; no ecchymoses. 
 In the dog, the lungs were much distended, posterior borders mottled 
 
 'Op. cif., p. 597. 3B„n Soc. Med. Leg., Paris, 1875- 
 
 Wp. cit., pp. 44, 54. 76, iv., p. 373. 
 
 •* Indian Med. Gaz., 1881, xvi., p. 275.
 
 PROOF OF DEATH BY HANGING. 757 
 
 violet; emphysematous patches on surface; no apoplectic effusions; 
 subpleui'al ecchymoses bright red, irregular, cleai-ly defined in outer 
 surface, most numerous toward the roots and on the lower lobes. 
 
 Pellereau ' gives an account of hanging as seen by him in warm 
 climates. He had not seen the elongation of the neck described nor 
 the erection of the penis, nor subconjunctival ecchymoses, nor fracture 
 of larjnix, nor rupture of walls of carotid artery, nor subpleural ecchy- 
 moses, nor fracture of vertebra. He alwaj's found a mark on the 
 neck; the left cavities of the heart always empty, the right always full 
 of black blood. Mackenzie says that in 130 cases of suicidal hang- 
 ing, the protrusion of the tongue between the teeth, the open and 
 protruding eyes, clinched hands, and blue nails were very fi-equent, 
 the tongue was found bitten many times, there were urethral and 
 rectal discharges and rupture of carotid artery. The penis was 
 found erect several times. The hyoid bone fractured 24 times in 93 
 cases. In no case was the larynx or vertebra fractured. In 73 
 cases ropes were used; in 30, portions of clothing. The marks of 
 ropes were always well defined, indented, and parchment-like; the 
 marks of soft ligatures faint and reddish'. In no case were the mus- 
 cles of the neck, the larjTix, trachea, or large bronchi injui'ed, and 
 in none was there subcutaneous hemorrhage or blister. 
 
 Proof of Death by Hanging. 
 
 As in strangulation, no single sign in any given case is suf- 
 ficient of itself to prove that death was caused by hanging. 
 But the sum total of the lesions found, viewed in the light of 
 the surroundings of the bod}', will suffice to lead to a definite 
 conclusion. 
 
 The fact that a bod}' has been found suspended does not of 
 itself prove that hanging caused the death, because the victim 
 may have been killed in some other way, and the body after- 
 ward hung up to avert suspicion. Chevers records many cases 
 of this kind. 
 
 The value of the presence or absence of marks on the neck 
 and the characters of the marks has been questioned. Orfila, 
 Casper, and Vrolik have shown by experiment that if a body is 
 hanged within one or two hours after death the furrow, parch- 
 ment skin, lividity, and the density of the connective tissue 
 will appear just as is seen when suspension has occurred dur- 
 ing life; but ecchymoses and infiltration, clotted blood in the 
 
 'Ann. d'Hyg., 188G, xvi.,pp. 108-125.
 
 758 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 skin, connective tissue, and muscles of the neck suggest suspen- 
 sion during life. 
 
 If a cord is removed immediately after death, there may be 
 scarcely any mark at all. 
 
 Tardieu collected 261 cases of suicide by hanging where the 
 subject was not entirely off the ground. In 168 the feet rested 
 on the ground; in 42 the subject was kneeling; in 29 lying- 
 down ; in 19 sitting, and 3 were huddled up or squatting. Fatal 
 hanging may, therefore, occur in almost any position of body. 
 He shows incomplete hangings by thirteen plates. Tajdor also 
 collected reports of 11 cases in a few years; in 3 the subjects 
 were nearly recumbent; in -4, in a kneeling position; in 4, 
 sitting. Remer in 101 cases of suicidal hanging found in 14 
 that the body was either standing or kneeling; in 1, sitting. 
 Duchesne published 58 cases of partial suspension, 26 of which 
 were new. Some of these failures of complete suspension were 
 due to soft and elastic cords.' 
 
 Taylor says that " that which is difficult to a conscientious 
 medical jurist in confining himself to the medical facts is often 
 easily decided by a jury from these as well as the general evi- 
 dence afforded to them." 
 
 The limbs may be secured by the suicide before hanging 
 himself. Persons even with some disability of the hand have 
 suicided hj hanging. Blindness is no obstacle, nor age ; a boy 
 as young as nine and a man as old as ninety-seven. 
 
 Burger ^ f ullj^ discusses the question whether the hanging is 
 before or after death. 
 
 Hanging — Suicidal, Homicidal, or Accidental? 
 
 Hanging is usually suicidal. Lesser ' states that for three 
 years, 1876-79", there were admitted to the Berlin morgue 274 
 bodies of " hanged," of which 272 were suicidal ; 2 infants of three 
 and eighteen months, homicidal. One man had first tried to kill 
 himself with sulphate of copper ; another by cutting his throat ; 
 a woman by cutting her arm. The other cases were uncompli- 
 cated. PeUier states that the number of suicides in France 
 
 >"Med. Jur.," Am. ed., 1892, p. ^Yiev. f. ger. Med., etc., 1880, 
 
 408. xxxii., p. 232, foot-note. 
 
 * Freidreich's Bl. f. ger. Med., 
 1890, xxi., pp. 149-171.
 
 HANGING — SUICIDAL, HOMICIDAL, OR ACCIDENTAL? 759 
 
 from 1876-1880 was 13,445, and nearly all were by hanging. 
 Taj'lor ' states that 2,570 persons committed suicide by hanging 
 ill England in five years, 1863-67; four-fifths of these were 
 males. Harvey^ reports for three years 1,412 cases of hanging 
 in India, of which 2 were accidental, in 3 there was presump- 
 tion of homicide, the rest probably all suicidal. 
 
 Feebleness of body does not preclude subjects taking their 
 lives in this way. Thej' sometimes also wound or poison them- 
 selves first and hang themselves afterward. A subject being 
 found suspended in a room fastened on the inside, would be 
 suggestive of suicide. The absence of signs of struggling or 
 of any marks of injury also favors the idea of suicide. 
 
 The possibility of a suicide breaking a rope, being injured 
 by the fall, and rehanging himself successful!}', must be ad- 
 mitted (Cases 57, 58) . The possibility of blood flowing after 
 death must not be forgotten. 
 
 It is worthj^ of note that after beating or other violence 
 children and women may commit suicide from shame. Again, 
 as Tardieu says, many have hung themselves while partiallj" 
 intoxicated, and it is likeh' that some such have just previous 
 to the suicide met with falls or other accidents which have left 
 marks like those of violence. He also records the case of a 
 woman who fastened a cord to a bed-post, put her head in a 
 noose while kneeling on the bed, and made a deep wound in 
 her arm with a razor. She closed the razor, laid it aside, and 
 fainted from loss of blood. She must then have fallen forward 
 and died from the pressure of the cord on her neck.^ 
 
 Homicidal hanging is rare but does occur. Where the 
 hands are tied together; where the injuries produced by the 
 cord are severe; where there are contusions and well-marked 
 ecchymoses ; where the larjmgeal cartilages and hj'oid bone are 
 fractured or the cervical vertebrae dislocated or fractured ; or 
 where the carotids are injured or there is hemorrhage into their 
 walls; where there are severe wounds, the hemorrhage from 
 which would be sufficient to threaten syncope ; where there are 
 man j^ marks of violence on the body ; where there is evidence 
 of a severe struggle — in all these cases murder may be reasona- 
 bly suspected. The number, situation, extent, and direction of 
 
 1 "Med. Jur.," Am. ed., 1880, p. '^Indian Med. Gaz.. 1876, xi., p. 3. 
 
 448. ^^Oj). cit., p. 132.
 
 760 HANGING — LxVMB. 
 
 injuries must be carefully noted and weighed. If these are out 
 of proportion to the ligature, the suspension, etc., they strongly 
 suggest homicide, although they may occur in sviicide (see 
 Cases 4, 11, 18, 20, 28, 29, 44, 52, 55, 59, 66). 
 
 Homicidal hanging may be committed by an assailant who 
 is strong on a subject who is weak, on a child, a woman, an 
 old person ; on one stupefied by liquor or narcotic poison ; or by 
 many combined against one person. 
 
 Cases are reported where injuries were inflicted or poison 
 given, and the subject was afterward hanged to avert suspicion. 
 Most of these cases are those of murder either by strangulation 
 or suffocation (Cases 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70, 74). 
 
 Sometimes hanging is accidental. Children and even older 
 persons play at hanging successfully. Taylor mentions the case 
 of a boy who witnessed a hanging and afterward tried the ex- 
 periment himself to ascertain the sensation, and caused his 
 own death. 
 
 Tardieu 1 relates the case of a man, T., age 37, of small stature, 
 feeble constitution, very thin, of sinister face, eyes hollow but lively, 
 cunuing nose and mouth, who meeting a man aged 81, learned that he 
 had some trouble with his leg and promised to cure him. The old man 
 lived alone. T. told him to buy a strong cord as thick as his little 
 finger and one and one-half yards long, and keep the whole thing a 
 secret. T. would see him at his room at 7 P.M. The old man became 
 susjDicious and had T. arrested. The investigation showed that already 
 T. had made away with three old men by hanging, who were kno\\Ti 
 to be opposed to suicide. Their bodies showed no trace of violence. 
 Two others had escaped when the cord was passed around their necks. 
 
 Tardieu gives a number of cases of suicidal hanging which 
 were falsely attributed to criminal violence, in which the press- 
 ure of public opinion joined to circumstances improperh' ex- 
 plained by inexpert physicians caused deplorable judicial errors. 
 
 illustrative cases. 
 
 Suicide. 
 
 1. Harvey: Indian Med. Gaz., 1876, xi., p. 2. — Man, age 30. Found 
 hanging by turban to bars of cell door; slip-knot around neck; heai't 
 beating feebly; died in about a minute after being cut down. ''The 
 point of suspension was forty-seven inches from the ground, the posi- 
 
 ' Oji. cit. , p. 66.
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — SUICIDE. 761 
 
 tion of the iioose twenty-eight inches, and the feet were fortj'-two 
 inches away from the door snpijorted on the toes." Experiment showed 
 that the turban coukl not have borne the full weight of the bod^-. He 
 died from strangulation. 
 
 2. Ibid., p. 3. — Insane man, age 60. Put his neck in a V-shaped 
 fork of a tree and let his body swing. A broad abrasion found on each 
 side of neck. Scalp, brain, and membranes much congested; reddish 
 serum in lateral ventricles; two ounces clear fluid in pericardium. 
 Lungs congested; all the heart cavities contained blood. 
 
 3. Ibid., p. 5. — Woman, age 28. Two marks of ligature on neck; 
 one deep and circular passed up behind left ear; the other passed from 
 the circular mark behind, crossed it on either side under lower jaw, 
 thence up to chin. Appeared at first to be a case of strangulation fol- 
 lowing hanging; but the two marks were finally explained, that after 
 the body was taken down it was ordered up again until the police 
 should arrive. 
 
 4. Ibid., p. 5. — Man, age 45; first cut his tln-oat and then hung him- 
 self. "He had probably only just had time to hang himself before 
 dying." 
 
 5. Ibid., 2^- ^0. — Woman; hung herself with a twisted cloth. There 
 was much ecchymosis about the neck and upper part of chest; lungs 
 much congested; fibrin clot in left mitral orifice; liver, spleen, and 
 stomach congested; transverse ligament of atlas ruptured. 
 
 6. Ibid. — Man, age 39. Distinct mark of cord around neck; no 
 other mark of violence; laceration of larynx and dislocation of odon- 
 toid process; hands clinched; involuntary discharge of semen; thoracic 
 and abdominal organs normal. 
 
 7. Ibid. — Man, age 70. Mark of cord around the neck, superficial 
 in front, deep behind; second cervical vertebra dislocated; tongue 
 slightly protruding; fingers clinched; meningeal vessels engorged; 
 lungs tubercular, congested; right heart contained a little coagulated 
 blood. 
 
 8. Ibid. — Sex and age not given. Found hanging on a tree; usual 
 signs; odontoid process fractured; rope in a double noose without 
 knot, a common dooree, such as is used for drawing water. 
 
 9. Ibid., p. 32. — Man, age 50. Face livid, eyes red and protruding; 
 teeth clinched ; lower jaw retracted; tongue behind the teeth; hands 
 and feet contracted; anus covered with fcccal matter; circular de- 
 pressed mark of cord around neck, hard as parchment, slightly ecchy- 
 mosed along edges; some infiltration of blood in connective tissue be- 
 neath the cord; some tearing of soft parts; laryngeal cartilage tlis- 
 placed. Brain and membranes congested. Right cavities of heart 
 distended with dark blood. Trachea congested. 
 
 10. Hurpy: Ann. d'Hygiene, 1881, tv"., p/>. 359-367, in'fli illustra- 
 tion. — Woman, age 77, suicided by hanging in the following \\a\ •. a
 
 762 
 
 HANGING— LAMB. 
 
 short cord was fastened by one end to a table leg; the other end was 
 around her neck; she lay on the floor, face downward, clothing not 
 disordered. The brain was congested; lungs congested and emphysema- 
 tous; left side of heart empty (see Fig. 23). 
 
 11. Champoiiillon: Same journal, 1876, xlvi., p. 129. — Man, age 
 62 ; first tried to suffocate himself with charcoal smoke and then hung 
 himself, but the rope broke and the body fell. He lived two days. 
 
 12. Pellier : Lyon thesis, 1883, No. 188, p. 72. — Boy, age 16, hung 
 himself; rope broke; he was resuscitated; reddish circular furrow on 
 
 Fig. 23.— Suicide. The cord on the neck is 44 cent, from the cord on the table leg; vertex 
 of head 30 cent, from table leg. Case reported by Hurpy (see p. 717, Case 10). 
 
 neck, not like parchment; he had erection and ejaculation ; buzzing in 
 his ears and flashes before his eyes. 
 
 13. Lacassagne: Pellier thesis {supra), p. 71. — Man; hung him- 
 self; was cut down and sent to hospital; was aphonic for four days: 
 then a severe bronchitis set in, and at the end of a week a gangrenous 
 expectoration. The mark of the cord lasted fifteen days. 
 
 14. Maschka: Archiv. deVanthrop. crim., Paris, 1886, i., pp. 351- 
 356. — Man, age about 60, found dead under a tree in the woods near 
 Prague. No sign of violence. A cord thick as a sugar-loaf around 
 the neck; another cord attached to a branch of the tree. There was at 
 first a strong suspicion of violence, but the conclusion reached was that 
 he had hung himself and that the body had fallen frona breaking of 
 the coi'd; that death was due to asphyxia was showTi by the furrow on 
 the neck, the dark liquid blood, and the congested lungs. There was 
 no infiltration below the furrow in the neck, and no lesion of larynx. 
 The man had shown signs of melancholy. 
 
 15. Friedberg: Virchow's Archiv, 1878, Ixxiv., p. 401. — Suicidal 
 hanging. Examination twenty-eight weeks after death. The front of 
 the neck showed a groove above the larynx, firm and of gray color; 
 ecchymosis in subcutaneous tissue.
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES— SUICIDE. 763 
 
 16. Bollinger: Friedreich's Bldtt. f. ger. Med., 1889, xl., p.7.— 
 Man, age 48; found dead. Had made a ligature out of a night-gown 
 and tied it around his neck, the other end around top of a low bed- 
 post; his neck hung by the ligature placed below the larjTix. Illus- 
 trated. 
 
 17. Med. Times and Gaz., London, 1860, ii., p. 39. — Woman; had 
 collected accounts of celebrated persons Avho had been hanged; finally 
 hanged herself. 
 
 18. E. Hoffman: Mitt. d. Wien. Med. Doct. Colleg., 1878, iv., JW- 
 97-112. — 1st. Woman, age about 25; found dead sitting in bed, a hand- 
 kerchief around her neck fastened to the bed-curtain. The police 
 thought she had been killed and then hung, but the physician con- 
 cluded that she had committed suicide. An examination of the stom- 
 ach showed that she had previously tried to poison herself with ar- 
 senic. 
 
 19. 2d. Woman, age 51; found hanging in half-lying position. 
 
 20. 3d. Man, age 50. First tried to kill himself with phosphorus, 
 then sulphuric acid; finally hung himself in a half -kneeling position. 
 
 21. MUller-Beninga : Berlin, klin. Woch., 1877, xiv., p. 481. — 
 Man, age 40; hung himself. There was no swelling of genitals and 
 no soiling of clothing. Necroscopy showed death from asphyxia, and 
 in urethra near meatus quite a quantity of seminal fluid, as shown by 
 microscopical examination. 
 
 22. Tardieu: Op. cit., p. 18. — The Prince of Conde was found 
 hanging in his room, August 27th, 1830. He was suspended by two 
 handkerchiefs to a window fastening, his feet, however, touching the 
 floor. The knot was at the back of the neck (as shown by the illustra- 
 tion), the face turned slightly to the left, the tongue protruding; face 
 discolored; mucus at the mouth and nose; arms hanging and stiff; 
 fists shut; heels raised; knees half bent. The text says that the knot 
 was nearly under the right ear, but the illustration shows a different 
 position (see Fig. 32, p. 743). 
 
 23. Allison: Lancet, 1869, i., p. 636. — Three cases of sviicide by 
 hanging, in which there was no mark: 1st. Woman, hung herself 
 with a piece of sheep-net band; cut down before death. 2d. Man, 
 hung' with plough-string; cut down in about six minixtes. 3d. A heavy 
 man. 
 
 24. Tardieu: Op. cit., pp. 93-105. — Woman, died of coma and as- 
 phyxia from suicidal hanging, according to report of Drs. Costan and 
 i'acieu. Tardieu approved their rej^ort. It was at first thought a case 
 of homicide with subsequent hanging, more especially because of the 
 kind of knot used, noeud d'artificier. But Tardieu showed that it Avas 
 also a noeiid de batalier. Her feet touched a chair, and hei- knees 
 were bent. There was a neckcloth in front of her mouth, but it did 
 not seem to have interfered with respiration.
 
 764 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 25. Ibid., pp. 67-72. — The famous case of Marc-Antoine Galas, who 
 committed suicide by hanging (see Voltaire, "Traite sur le tole- 
 rance," etc., in Nouv. Philos. Histor., 1772, xxxii., p. 30). He hung 
 himself to a door. No sign of violence. The city hangman said it was 
 impossible for a man to commit suicide in that way. The father was 
 accused and convicted of homicide. Tardieu shows that the act was a 
 suicide. 
 
 26. Ibid., p. 72. — Another famous case. A woman, age 30, hung 
 herself to the key of her bedroom door. Her husband cut her down. 
 He was accused and convicted of the crime and condemned to prison, 
 where he died. Tardieu showed that the case was one of suicide. 
 
 27. Hofmann: Wien. med. Presse, 1880, xxi., p. 201. — Man, age 
 68, suicide by hanging. There was profuse hemorrhage from both 
 ears. 
 
 28. Ibid.: 1878, xix., pp. 489^93. — Woman, found dead sitting in 
 bed. She first tried to poison herself with arsenic, then hung her- 
 self. 
 
 29. Ibid. — Man, tried to poison himself with phosphorus and sul- 
 phuric acid, then hung himself. There was a transverse rupture of the 
 sterno-cleido mastoid muscle and suffusion in its sheath. 
 
 30. Maschka: Wien. med. Woch., 1880, xxx., pp. 714,747, 1075. — 
 Man, age 63. It was at first a question of suicide by hanging or 
 homicide by strangling. He concluded that it was the former. 
 
 31. Ibid. — Also man, age 58. Similar case. Same opinion. 
 
 32. Ibid.: 1883, ^u\rm.,pjp. 1118-1120.— Woman, age 23. Question 
 whether she committed suicide by hanging or was strangled and then 
 hung. Opinion, that it was a case of suicide. 
 
 33. Hofmann: Allg. Wien. med. Zeit., 1870, .xt\, pp. 192-214. — 
 Man, age 60. Suicide by hanging or homicide ; opinion, that it was 
 the former. 
 
 34. Van Haumeder : Wien. med. Woch., 1882, xxxii., pp. 531-533. 
 — Suicide by hanging or homicide. There were many wounds in the 
 head; these occurred during the delirium of typhus. 
 
 35. Maschka: ''Sammlung gericht. Gutacht.,''^ etc. (Prag), Leipzig, 
 1873, p. 137. — Boy, age 9; found dead in sitting position. Injuries on 
 neck and elsewhere. Question, had he hung himself or been choked ? 
 Were the injuries inflicted before or after death ? Opinion, suicide. 
 
 36. Ibid., 2^- 144. — Boy, age 13. Found hanging in sitting position. 
 Question whether murder, suicide, or accident. Opinion, suicide. 
 
 37. Ibid., p. 149. — Woman, age 60; found hanging, sitting posi- 
 tion. Suicide or homicide. Opinion, suicide. 
 
 38. Ibid., p. 156. — Woman, age 30; found hanging. Opinion, sui- 
 cide. 
 
 39. Ibid., p. 165. — Man, age 63. Suicide by hanging, or homicide 
 by strangling ? Opinion, suicide.
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — SUICIDE. 765 
 
 40. Berliner: Viert. f. ger. Med. und off. San., 1874, xx.,pp. 245- 
 253. — Woman, age 30 ; found hanging. Ojiinion, suicide. 
 
 41. Deininger: Friedreich's Blat. ^er. Med., 1884, jcxjcv., pj^- '^^~ 
 59. — Woman, age 61 ; fouad hanging. Opinion given, suicide. 
 
 42. Mader: Bericht d. k. k. Rud. Stiff., Wien. (1875), 1876, p, 
 378. — Woman, age 43 ; tried to hang herself. She was at once cul 
 down, bled, and taken to hospital unconscious. Next day, face red; 
 pulse and temperature normal. Third day, conscious and could s])eak, 
 but not aloud ; tongue twisted and turned to right ; paralysis of right 
 hypoglossal nerve. Uvula drawn to left. Skin of right limb felt 
 "furry." Applied electricity and gave strychnine; phonation was 
 more distinct during the use of the battery. Two months later she was 
 still aphonic, but the vocal cords were in better action. The right 
 hemiparesis was lessened. 
 
 43. Grant: Lancet, 1889, ii., p. 265. — Man, age 48; found sitting 
 against a door, hung to the knob "by a handkerchief. 
 
 44. White: Lancet, 1884, ii., p. 401. — Woman, age 53, insane. 
 Made several attempts at suicide ; once with a stoclcing around her 
 neck, once with an apron; the last time by fastening a pox'tion of her 
 dress to a ladder. She was quickly cut down, cold affusion a])plicd, 
 and artificial respiration (Sylvester). The eyes were prominent and 
 glassy, pupils widely dilated, no reaction to light; conjunctiva? insen- 
 sitive ; lips livid ; tongue swollen and pale ; face pale ; oblique de- 
 pressed mark on neck, most marked on left side ; skin cold ; no pulse ; 
 no heart-beat recognizable ; no respiration ; no reflex action. Galvan- 
 ism failed to arouse any muscular action. The details are too numer- 
 ous to give all of them. There w^as redu])lication of heart-sounds for 
 several days, due to interference with pulmonary cii'culation. She re- 
 covered both bodily and mental health. 
 
 45. Richards: Indian Med. Gaz., 1886, xxi., p. 78. — Man, age 20; 
 suicide ; was cut down and lived for four days. 
 
 46. Kite: Univ. Med. Mag., 1888-89, i.,p. 475.— Man, age 69; sui- 
 cide. 
 
 47. Terrier: Prog. Med., 1887, vi., pp. 211-214.— Two men, age 29 
 and 25, insane. Attempted suicide by hanging. Both resuscitated. 
 
 48. Nobeling: Aertz. Intellig.-hl., 1884, xxxi.,}^. 213. — Two suicides 
 by hanging ; men, ages 24 and 40. 
 
 49. Ritter: Allg. Wien. med. Zeit., 1886, xxxi., p. 375.— Soldier, 
 found hanging. Cut down in ten minutes. Artificial respiration ap- 
 plied; fifteen minutes later, an effort at resinration; face changing from 
 blue to white and then to red; pulse small, irregular; still imconscious ; 
 mark of ligature distinct ; a few hours later had a maniacal seizure ; 
 gave morphia hypodermically and he slept ; was also aphonic. Gradu- 
 ally recovered and returned to duty. 
 
 50. Strassmann: Viert. f. ger. Med., 1888, xlviii., pp. 379-381.—
 
 "66 
 
 HANGING LAMB. 
 
 Three cases of suicidal hanging in men, ages 27, 37, and 40. The 
 last was found kneeling. 
 
 51. Balta : Pest. Med. Chir. Presse, 1892, xxviii., p. 1244. — Man, 
 age 45-50; hanging; suicide. Thyroid cartilage and hyoid bone broken. 
 
 52. Hackel: Op. cit., p. 35. — Man, found hanging to a beam by a 
 sheet. Had previously tried to choke himself with his hands. 
 
 53. Ibid. — Two cases of suicidal hanging where the cord made no 
 mark. In the first the body hung free ; in the second the body was 
 
 partly supported. In the first 
 there was no rubbing of the 
 skin; in the second the body was 
 soon cut down. 
 
 54. Freund: Wien. Min. 
 TFoc/i., 1893, r?., pp. 118-121. 
 — Man, found hanging ; cut 
 'down, but could not be resusci- 
 tated. Ligature between hj'oid 
 bone and larynx, then crossed 
 over itself about middle line of 
 neck, passed up along each side 
 of face, knotted above the head, 
 then thrown over a beam, and 
 on the other side the loop .was 
 caught between his legs. 
 
 55. Hoffman: Op. cit., p. 525, 
 illustrated. — Case communi- 
 cated by Dr. Rosen, of Odessa. 
 Man, age 21, and woman, age 
 17, hung themselves by same 
 ligature thrown over an open 
 door, one of them on each side. 
 
 They had previously tried other means of suicide without success 
 (see Fig. 24). 
 
 56. Ibid., p. 530. — Man found hanging by handkerchief to branch of 
 tree but sitting on the ground. Mark of handkerchief superficial and 
 pale. When the necroscopy was made the mark had disappeared. 
 Also a similar suicide where there was no mark at all. 
 
 57. Ibid., 2^. 541. — Man found hanging to a window. Another man 
 cut the cord and the suspended one fell into a cellar, fracturing his 
 skuU. 
 
 58. Ibid. — Man found hanging ; cut down ; the fall caused rupture 
 of liver. 
 
 59. Ibid., p. 539. — Drunkard hung himself; there was evidence that 
 he had previously injured himself during his ch'unkenness. 
 
 60. Ibid. — Boy hung himself because he had been punished by the 
 
 Double Suicide (see Case 55).
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — HOMICIDE. 7(57 
 
 schoolmaster. There were marks on his back and lower limbs from the 
 punishment. 
 
 See also Taylor, "Medical Jurisprudence," pp. 451-452; Tidy, 
 "Medical Jurisprudence," incomplete hanging. Cases 33 to 36 and Q2\ 
 Hofmann, "Lehrbuch," p. 538. 
 
 Homicide. 
 
 61. Harvey: Indian Med. Gaz., 1876, an., p. 3.— Woman, age 20, 
 feeble. Her mother-in-law had kicked her; she probably had fainted; 
 supposing her to be dead, the husband hanged her to a tree within half 
 an hour after the supposed death. Autopsy: No marks of injury; 
 oblique mark of cord on right side of neck; tip of tongue between the 
 teeth; face somewhat livid; right side of heart full of dark blood: lungs 
 congested posteriorly. 
 
 62. Ibid., p. 4. — Woman, age 38. Kope close under the chin passed 
 upward behind the ears. Head bent on chest. Large wound above 
 clavicle. Under the rope was a depression (made after death) but no 
 hemorrhage. Much blood in abdomen and a hole in the liver. Kidney 
 bruised and blackened. Right lung torn through; Ijlood in pleurte. 
 Wounds were supposed to be gunshot, but the husband confessed that 
 he had thrust a sharp solid bamboo into her body and afterward hung 
 it up. She died of hemorrhage. 
 
 S3. Relim: Friedreich's Blcit. f. ger. il/ed., 1883, xxxiv., p>p- 332- 
 362. — Man, age 73; first roughly maltreated; afterward hung. 
 
 64. Tardieu : Op. cit., p. 125. — WoSkn found hanging in her room. 
 Circumstances indicated homicidal strangulation and tliat the hanging 
 was done to avert suspicion. Post-mortem examination showed the 
 base of the tongue ecchymosed, and ecchymosis extending up to the 
 soft palate ; mucous membrane of pharynx congested ; connective 
 tissue and mucous membrane between hyoid bone and larynx con- 
 gested posteriorly; epiglottis showed slight ecchymosis, mucous mem- 
 brane red. These ecchymoses were not caused b}' the cord, for the 
 latter was placed below the hyoid bone and this bone was not bi-okcn. 
 There were also marks on the collar-bone like the mai'k of two hands. 
 
 65. Ibid., p. 124. — Girl, 15 years old. Body found hanging. Post 
 mortem showed beyond doubt that she had been violated, then 
 strangled, then hung. Her head showed many ecchymoses from either 
 the fist or the foot; blood flowing from left ear. Brain slightly con- 
 gested. Tongue between teeth, bitten and bloody. On fi-ont of neck 
 were two marks: the lower were impressions of fingers close together, 
 nearly uninterrupted, and which had bruised, flattened, and tanned 
 the skin, which here was dry, hard, and horny. This lesion was above 
 the intraclavicular notch and extended toward the sides of tlie nock 
 Avith regularity of curve and neatness of imprint, evidently made with
 
 768 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 the right hand. Above the first furrow under the skin was a kind of 
 track, less extended, more regular, a bruising of the same nature as 
 the preceding, but continued, due to the pressure of the index finger 
 and thumb of left hand. A little below the jaw was a livid place on 
 the skin, which was otherwise unaffected by the ligature. There was 
 nothing to indicate a circular action of the ligature. Froth in larynx 
 and bronchi. Lungs apparently normal. Food had passed from 
 stomach into oesophagus and air-passages. 
 
 66. Ibid., p. 122. — Woman found hanging in her room, and was 
 resuscitated. She stated that the man who lived with her had tried to 
 strangle her and then hung her. Tardieu saw her in hospital. Res- 
 piration shoi't and embarrassed; pains in neck and jaw. Found nar- 
 row, circular, sinuous, horizontal, uninterrupted line around the neck 
 below thyroid cartilage; line everywhere equal, deep, and three to four 
 mm. wide; the skin excoriated and covered with thick crust. Below 
 this were several superficial excoriations. There were many contusions 
 on other parts of the body. Tardieu concluded that the mark on the 
 neck was from attempt to strangle; the wounds elsewhere to prevent 
 resistance. She had at the time pulmonary consumption. She died of 
 this disease aggravated by the assault. 
 
 67. Ibid., p. 106. — The Duroulle afi'air. Woman found hanging. 
 Presumption of homicide; arrest of husband; acqixitted. She was 
 found with her face to the fioor, one end of a cord around her neck; 
 another similar cord attached seven feet above to a rafter, over which 
 it passed three times. Bidault and Boulard reported it a suicide. The 
 results of the post mortem weii^as follows: Skin of a red-violet color; 
 face swollen; eyes prominent and congested; conjunctivae a vinous 
 red ; lips violet; tongue swollen, tip between teeth; froth in air-pas- 
 sages; lungs congested; brain congested; blood fluid. Circular de- 
 pression around neck with congestion of skin above and below; ecchy- 
 mosis in subcutaneous tissue on level of angle of jaw and about one 
 centimetre in size, supposed to correspond to the knot. Tardieu re- 
 ported that the marks rather resembled those of strangulation than 
 hanging; the ecchymoses were more like those produced by the hand 
 over the mouth. The marks on the face supposed to have been made 
 by a supposed fall of the body were by him considered to have been 
 caused by violence. He believed the woman had been strangled and 
 then hung. 
 
 68. Ibid., p. 130. — The Daugats afPair. Man found hanging, sitting 
 on the ground, head and trunk somewhat inclined to the left; legs 
 stretched out; clothing not disordered; the part of the cord which was 
 around the neck was applied to the neck of the waistcoat and shii't: on 
 his head a woollen cap. The ground had been recently swept. Necro- 
 scopy twenty-four hours afterward. Face pale; right eye open and 
 prominent, left closed ; mouth closed, contained food apparently from
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — HOMICIDE. 769 
 
 the stomach; tongue retracted; shglit mark on neck under which the 
 tissue was normal; atlas dislocated on axis, but tissues around were 
 normal; no lesion in spinal canal; penis not erect; moisture having- 
 the odor of urine on the shirt; large ecchymosis and infiltration of left 
 cheek; extensive contusions on scrotum, with hemorrhagic infiltration, 
 especially around right testicle. Veins of head engorged with black 
 fluid blood. Brain normal. Some black fluid blood in right cavities 
 of heart, left side empty. Lungs black. Other organs normal. 
 Causse and Orfila concluded that the man had been suffocated and 
 then hung. The wife and son confessed that they had injured the 
 testicle through the pantaloons; he then fainted; they then suffocated 
 him with the woollen cap placed over the mouth and nose: the son 
 kneeled on the man's belly, the body was then hung up and the head 
 violently twisted. 
 
 69. Passauer : Viert.f. ger. Med. und off. San., 1870, xxiv.,2)p- 26- 
 49. — Woman found hanging in a kneeling position. The ligature on 
 the neck was loose. The necroscopy showed the following: Tongue 
 between the teeth; eyelids swollen and livid; livid spots on face and 
 left ear; lower lip torn; a number of marks on neck; one red stripe 
 not sharply limited; skin not parchmenty and no ecchymosis; ecchy- 
 moses of scalp; periosteum of skull reddened; hemorrhage in tem- 
 poral muscle ; brain and pia mater congested; much fluid in ven- 
 tricle. Larynx and trachea dirty red -brown; right side of heart 
 empty ; a little dark fluid blood in left; great vessels, including aorta, 
 containing much dark fluid blood. Lungs congested and ccdematous. 
 Liver, spleen, and kidneys congested. Wpinion given that she died of 
 asphyxia and was either choked or hanged. Reference to Royal Col- 
 lege of Medicine, Konigsberg, where the opinion was given that she 
 died of injuries on head and neck and was afterward hanged. 
 
 70. Becker: Same journal, 1877, xxvii., pp. 463^73. — Woman, 
 age 52; found hanging. Death caused by shock and incipient asphyxia 
 from strangulation and probably the wounds on head and limbs. 
 
 71. Maschka: '' Samm. gericht. Gutacht.,^' etc. (Prag), Leipzig, 
 1873, published a number of interesting cases, in each of which there 
 was a question raised as to the cause of death. 
 
 72. Ibid. , p. 127.— Man found dead. Had he been strangled or hung, 
 or had he died some other way ? Opinion, death from paralysis of the 
 brain. 
 
 73., Ibid., p. 133.— Woman, age 42; found hanging; a mark around 
 her neck. Did she hang herself or die of other injuries ? Opinion, died 
 of other injuries. 
 
 74. Reh7n: Friedreich's Bldtt., 1883, xxxiv., pp. 322-362.— Man, 
 age 73; found hanging. Opinion, while weak, sick, and suffering from 
 wounds inflicted by his own son, he was hanged by his daughter-in- 
 law. 
 
 49
 
 770 HANGING — LAMB. 
 
 75. Hofmann: '' Lehrbuch,^^ p. 538. — A father hung his five chil- 
 dren, the eldest 9 years. Another man hung two children, the eldest 
 13 years. 
 
 See also Tidy, "Med. Juris.," Cases 40, 48, 51, 57 (?), 58 (?); "Hang- 
 ing after Death," Case 50. 
 
 Judicial Hanging. 
 
 76. MacLaren: Indian Med. Gaz., 1873, vin.,p. 234. — Three cases 
 of judicial hanging; hung at the same time and cut down and necro- 
 scopy begun forty minutes afterward; drop twelve inches. In the first 
 and third there were reflex movements for a few minutes after drop fell. 
 First man, age 40; pupils slightly dilated; no protrusion of tongue 
 or eyeballs; mark of cord above thyroid cartilage; no discharge of 
 semen or faeces; ecchymosis under cord, left side; dislocation of atlas 
 from axis; odontoid ligaments ruptured; transverse ligament unin- 
 jured. Brain and membranes miich congested; clear fluid in lateral 
 ventricles. Lungs collapsed, anaemic; one ounce straw-colored serum 
 (measured) in pericardium; dark fluid blood in both ventricles of heart; 
 liver much congested. 
 
 77. Second man, age 16; pupils widely dilated; eyeballs protruding. 
 Marks of cord same as in preceding case. No discharge of fseces or 
 semen. No ecchymosis under cord; dislocation and rupture of liga- 
 ments between axis and third vertebra. Brain did not show well- 
 marked congestion. Lungs %)llapsed and anaemic. One and one- 
 quarter ounces serum (measui^ed) in pericardium. Heart normal; dai'k 
 blood in both venti'icles; liver normal. 
 
 78. Third man, age 20; pupils slightly dilated; eyeballs and tongue 
 not protruded. Marks of cord as in preceding. No discharge of faeces 
 or semen. Slight ecchymosis under cord; mark in front of neck. Dis- 
 location of occipital bone from atlas. Brain and membranes much 
 congested. Lungs collapsed and anaemic. Half ounce serum in peri- 
 cardium. Heart normal; dark fluid blood in both ventricles; liver 
 normal. 
 
 79. Cayley: Ibid., p. 122. — Man, age 35; executed by hanging. 
 Scarcely any convulsive movements after drop fell. Necroscopy two 
 hours afterward. No congestion or protrusion or swelling of the 
 tongue; no muscular rigidity or contractions. About half-way around 
 the neck was indentation of cord, obliquely directed; hardly perceptible 
 in front; its surface appeared rubbed and compressed; no discoloration; 
 no ecchymosis under skin. Cord lay aci'oss upper part of thyi'oid car- 
 tilage. Larynx and trachea not injured. Fracture and dislocation of 
 upper cervical vertebrae. Lungs collapsed, not congested. Pericar- 
 dium empty; heart distended, left side with red blood just beginning
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES— JUDICIAL HANGING. 771 
 
 to clot; rig-lit side with fluid black blood. Liver and other abdominal 
 organs much congested. No discharge of fseces or semen. 
 
 80. Garden: Same journal, 1880, xv., p. 12. — Man, age 40, weight 
 about one hundred and twenty pounds; drop two feet; was in a faint- 
 ing condition, and had to be supported; was not probably fully con- 
 scious when platform fell. Thei-e were spasmodic retractions of arms 
 and legs for about two minutes; forty seconds after the dro]) lusjnngeas 
 fell off; his penis was in strong erection, and the ejaculatoiy move- 
 ments were seen. Necroscopy one and one-quarter houi's after drop 
 fell. Head and limbs cold; eyes open, natural; tongue not protruding; 
 fingers clinched; superficial veins contained fluid black blood. Mark 
 of cord extended from just below left mastoid process, where tbe knot 
 was applied, across the thyrohyoid membranes to a place on right side 
 about two inches below ear. There was .scarcely a trace of it behind. 
 Skin dark and ecchymosed, but no ecchymosis of subcutaneous con- 
 nective tissues. No discoloration nor fracture in neck. Subarachnoidal 
 fluid in excess; puncta vasculosa unusually numerous. Under surface 
 of epiglottis reddened and. showed two small dark red ecchymoses; 
 mucous membrane of larynx and trachea pale. Lungs showed venous 
 congestion; no infarctions or small ecchymoses; right lung emphyse- 
 matous; the left showed old firm adhesions throughout. Heart large, 
 flabby, pale, a very little blood in each ventricle; subpericardial ecchy- 
 mosis one-fourth inch square anteriorly, another larger one posteriorly; 
 extensive pericardial adhesions. Liver and kidneys congested. 
 
 81. See two cases of judicial hanging by Wilkie, same journal, 
 1881, xvi., p. 275. 
 
 82. Porter: Archiv. Laryngol., New York, 1880, i.,p. 142. — Rede- 
 mier hung. Drop five feet. Pulse beat rapidly a few minutes, then 
 lessened in frequency and stopped beating in fifteen minutes. During 
 this time there was violent spasm of muscles of thorax and upper limbs. 
 Necroscopy, dark groove around neck crossing larynx just below 
 po^nmn Adami. Brain congested. Lvmgs emphysematous. Cricoid 
 cartilage fractured diagonally. Laryngeal mucous membrane showed 
 ecchymosis and oedema. Vertebrae neither fractured nor dislocated. 
 
 83. Another criminal hung at the same time had dislocation of 
 cervical vertebrae. 
 
 84. Femvick: Canada Med. Jozir., 1867, Hi., p. 195.— Man exe- 
 cuted; drop six feet; second cervical vertebra torn from attachment to 
 third; medulla torn across; hyoid bone and tongue torn from thyroid 
 cartilage; general congestion of viscera; lenses normal ; eyes congested; 
 clot between sclerotic and choroid coats left eye. 
 
 85. Dyer: Trans. Amer. Ophthal. Soc, 1866, p. 13.— Man, age 24; 
 weight one hundred and seventy-four and a half pounds; drop three 
 feet; knot under loft ear; for two minutes at intervals, slight motion 
 of abdomen, like effort at respiration, and at same time knees drawn
 
 772 HANGING — LAMB, 
 
 up a little. Death speedy and quiet. Cut down at end of thirty 
 minutes. Necroscopy thirty-five minutes after drop. Body and head 
 moist and warm; emission of semen; face livid; upper lid discolored; 
 abrasion of skin under right ear; deep red mark around neck. Eye- 
 balls not prominent; eyelids closed; corneae dull; pupils a little dilated. 
 Both lenses fractured. Brain normal; spinal cord normal. Heart 
 empty. 
 
 86. Dyer: Same Trans., 1869, pp. 72-75. — Man hung. One eye 
 showed fracture of lens, the other lens showed fine lines. A second 
 case showed dislocation of a cataractous lens. A third showed fissure 
 of lens. 
 
 87. Green: Same Trans., 1876, p. 354. — Man hung; drop seven or 
 eight feet. Died quietly and without struggle. One-half to one hour 
 after drop fell, eyes were examined. No lesion of capsule or lens. 
 
 88. Keen: Amer. Jour. Med. Sci., 1870, lix.,p. 417. — Two criminals 
 hung; drop five feet. Hyoid bone fractured in one; no fracture of 
 vertebrae in other. 
 
 89. Clark: Boston Med. and Surg. Jour., 1858, Iviii., p. 480. — 
 Execution of Magee. Man, age 28; weight 130 pounds. Drop seven to 
 eight feet. No struggle nor convulsion. Urine discharged at once. 
 Seven minutes after drop fell, heart-beat one hundred; nine minutes, 
 ninety-eight; twelve minutes, sixty and fainter; fourteen minutes, not 
 audible; twenty -five minutes, body lowered. Face purple; puj)ils dilat- 
 ed; eyes and tongue did not protrude. Mark of cord just above thyroid 
 cartilage, a deep oblique furrow except a small space under left eai*; 
 knot over mastoid process. Forty minutes, cord and strap removed; 
 body, especially face, became paler. Necroscopy a little over an hour 
 after drop fell. Body pale; skin mottled; small ecchymosis just above 
 line of cord right side. Right sterno-mastoid muscle torn. Hyoid 
 bone fractured; spine not injured. No seminal dischai^ge. Ninety min- 
 utes, pulsation in right subclavian vein; heart -beat, eighty per minute; 
 thorax opened, heart exposed; right auricle showed full and regular 
 contractions and dilatations. The spinal cord was then divided. One 
 hundred and twenty minutes, heart-beats forty per minute. These 
 pulsations of right auricle continued at intervals for three and a half 
 hours longer; readily excited by point of scalpel. Heart normal; left 
 ventricle contracted; right ventricle not so; no coagulation. Brain 
 normal; lungs collapsed; liver and spleen congested; mucous mem- 
 brane of small intestine pinkish; other organs normal. In the discus- 
 sion, Dr. Gay thought the absence of cerebral congestion was due to 
 the circulation continuing in the left carotid. 
 
 90. Hofm,ann: Wien. med. Woch., 1880, xxx., pp. 477-480. — Man, 
 a ci'iminal, hung; after hanging ten minutes, the body was cut down. 
 Examination half -hour after drop fell. He was resuscitated and partly 
 regained consciousness, but died three days afterward of oedema of
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — JUDICIAL HANGING. 773 
 
 lungs after repeated severe convulsions. He liad tumors of the neck 
 which probably interfered with the compression of the trachea. See 
 also Allg. Wien. med. Zeit., 1880, xxv., p. 161, and Wien. med. Bliit., 
 1880, i., pp. 423-430; translated in Ann. Mai. Oreill. and Larvnx, 
 Paris, 1880, vi., pp. 99-112. 
 
 91. Kinkhead: Lancet, 1885, l, pp. 657, 658, and 701-703.— Causes of 
 hanging. In one, the body of the third cervical vertebra was Ijroken 
 across and the two pieces separated; in another case dislocation of sec- 
 ond and third cervical vertebrae. 
 
 92. Nelson: Southern Clinic, 1885, viii., pp. 198-202.— Two col- 
 ored men hung; drop five feet. In one there was atlo-axoid dislocation. 
 
 93. Dercum: Phila. Med. Times, 1886-87, xvii.,p. 368.— Descrip- 
 tion of the brain of a man executed by hanging. 
 
 94. Kirtikar: Trans. M. and P. Soc, Bombay, 1885, vi.,pp. 104- 
 107. — Man, age 25, and woman, age 35. Both hanged. Droj) nine feet. 
 Knot tied over cricoid cartilage, a little to left side. In falling, the 
 knots slipped to below the ear. There was fracture of the body of third 
 cervical vertebra and rupture of ligaments. The cord was ruptured 
 in each; in the woman in two places — once at the third cervical, the 
 other at the dorso-lumbar junction. 
 
 95. Lamb: Med. Netvs, Philadelphia, 1882, xli.,pp. 42-45.— Exe- 
 cution of Guiteau. Drop six feet; knot placed under left ear, but 
 slipped to back of head. Yellowish furrow a few lines wide around 
 the neck, directed downward and forward. Sterno-mastoid muscles 
 torn transversely about midway of their length. Thyro-hyoid ligament 
 ruptured; hyoid bone and thyi'oid cartilage widely separated. Large 
 blood-vessels not injured. No fracture or dislocation of vertebrae. 
 
 96. Thomson and Allen : Catalog. Surg. Sec. Ai^ny Med. Mus. ; 
 specimens 298 to 302. — Execution of Wirtz. Rope one-half inch diam- 
 eter; drop five feet; knot under left ear. Several slight shrugs of 
 shoulders, after which body was quiet; let down in fifteen minutes. 
 No involuntary evacuation. Face pale, placid. Eyes partly open; 
 pupils dilated; slight injection of conjunctivae. Mouth open; tongue 
 not protruding. Just above thyroid cartilage extending on right side 
 from median line in front to spinous process was a dirty brown deep 
 furrow with congested walls; on left side a line of discoloration due to 
 direct action of rope. Soft parts above and below the line much swol- 
 len, particularly on right side. Larynx and hyoid bone unnaturally 
 mobile. Right trajiezius muscle torn; sterno-ma.stoid divided ti-ans- 
 versely, leaving an interval of two inches. Slight ecchymoses between 
 muscle and larynx. Ecchymoses on ligamentum nuchas. Hyoid 
 bone, both greater cornua fractured and dislocated from body; lesions 
 more marked on right side. Several small ecchymoses in vicinity. 
 Larynx not injured. Brain normal. No bloody or frothy mucus in
 
 774 STJPFOCATION — LAMB. 
 
 air-passages. Lungs not congested. One drachm of straw-colored 
 serum in pericardium. Heart empty. Abdominal organs normal. 
 Bladder somewhat distended with urine. 
 
 See also Tidy, "Med. Juris.," Cases 1 to 4 '^,nd 60. 
 
 Accident. 
 
 97. Harvey : Indian Med. Gaz., 1876, xi., p. 3. — Boy, ageli years; 
 was swinging by two ropes attached to two posts; the ro^jes became 
 twisted around his neck. Necroscopy showed mark of very small rope 
 in front of neck from ear to ear; mucous membrane of larynx dark; 
 lungs much congested. 
 
 98. HacJcel: Op. cit., p. 35. — Man, age 19, sitting on a load of 
 wood, with the lines around his neck, fell and was hung by the lines. 
 
 99. Biggs and Jenkins: New York Med. Jour., 1890, lii., p. 30. 
 — Case 16; child, 6 months old, sitting on a high chau% fell between 
 the chair guard and seat and was asphyxiated by compression of neck. 
 
 See also Tidy (op. cit.), Cases 53 and 54. 
 
 SUFFOCATION. 
 
 The term suffocation is applied in a special sense to the act 
 and condition of preventing access of air in other ways than 
 by pressure on the neck, as b}^ pressure on the chest, b}^ obstruc- 
 tion at the mouth or nose, by obstruction in the air-passages or 
 on them from neighboring organs, by irrespirable gases, etc. 
 
 This article will consider all of these except drowning and 
 irrespirable gases, which are treated of elsewhere by other 
 writers. 
 
 Smothering is generally understood to mean the act and 
 effect of stopping the mouth and nose. 
 
 Causes. 
 
 External Causes.— Overlaying is a frequent cause of 
 suffocation in infants, which in such cases have usually occu- 
 pied the same bed with one or both parents. In some cases the 
 parents have been drunk or otherwise unable to prevent the 
 injury, and the infant may also be partly stupefied with the 
 alcohol derived from its mother's milk. Infants are also some- 
 times overlaid by domestic animals. Again, they have been 
 suffocated by being pressed too closely to the mother's breast, or
 
 CAUSES. _ 775 
 
 by covering with bedclothes, shawls, etc. Noble' attributes some 
 cases of asphj-xia in the new-born to anaemia of the brain from 
 pressure on the skull by forceps, etc., and recommends as treat- 
 ment for this condition hanging the child head downward, 
 so that the blood may gravitate to the brain (Cases 12 and 30). 
 
 Infants are sometimes smothered for mercenary' purposes. 
 
 Persons have been suffocated by the pressure of a crowd. 
 Pressure on the chest combined with forcible closure of the 
 mouth and nose was the method of Burke and Williams, in 
 the notorious burking murders, (Case 58). The close applica- 
 tion of a hand, cloth, or plaster over nose and mouth is of itself 
 sufficient to cause suffocation, especially in children and feeble 
 persons. Pressure on the abdomen crowds up the diaphragm 
 and interferes with breathing. It is very likely that no exter- 
 nal mark will be found in cases of pressure on the chest and 
 abdomen, but the lungs will be marbled and emphysematous. 
 
 Taking plaster casts of the face and neck without inserting 
 tubes in the nostrils has caused death in some cases. Suffoca- 
 tion often follows the falling of walls, houses, banks of earth, 
 piles of coal or corn or wheat. One may fall into and be im- 
 bedded in some mobile substance as coal, wheat, corn, quick- 
 sand, or nightsoil, and be suffocated. Infants have been de- 
 stroyed " by burying them in manure, ashes, bran, etc. In these 
 cases there is not only the entrance of the foreign body into 
 the air-passages, but the pressure of the mass against the chest 
 and abdomen. 
 
 Internal Causes. — The air-passages ma}' be closed up by 
 foreign bodies within them, or within adjoining organs, espe- 
 cially the oesophagus. A great variety of substances in one of 
 these two ways has caused suffocation : mud, cotton, rags, corn, 
 meat, beans, pepper, potato skins, the fang of a tooth, artificial 
 teeth, buckles, shells, flint, buttons, screws, crusts of bread, 
 bones, fruit, stones, heads of grass, coins, slate pencils, nuts, 
 nut-shells, shot, penholders, worms, fish, etc. (see Cases 6 and 
 55). Taylor ^ states that there were eighty-one deaths in one 
 j-ear in England and Wales from food in the air-passages. 
 
 Should an inspiration occur in the act of vomiting, the 
 
 ' Amer. Jour. Obstet., 1886, xix., -Tardicni, op. cit., p. 291. 
 
 pp. 349-352. =*"Med. Jur.," Am. ed., 1892, p. 
 
 428.
 
 776 SUFFOCATION— LAMB. 
 
 vomitus may pass into the air-passages ; a similar accident may 
 occur in a person who attempts to swallow and speak at the 
 same time. Infants have been suffocated by inspiring vomited 
 milk. Fitz ' states that food may pass from the digestive tube 
 to the air-passages after death. 
 
 A case of suffocation in an infant by retraction of the base 
 of the tongue is recorded. It has been stated that negroes have 
 committed suicide by doubling back the tongue into the throat, 
 or, as it is called, swallowing the tongue.^ In giving anaes- 
 thetics, the subject being supine, and the head and neck some- 
 what flexed, the tongue, epiglottis, and soft palate may fall 
 backward and suffocation may follow. Howard ^ states that 
 pulling the tongue forward under such circumstances may 
 reopen the pharynx, but will not lift the epiglottis. The thorax 
 should be raised and head and neck extended backward. He 
 believes that in giving ansesthetics the head should be lower 
 than the shoulders. In order to avoid vomiting no food should 
 be taken for some hours before the anaesthetic. 
 
 Cases are recorded of artificial teeth having fallen from the 
 mouth into the air-passages during anaesthesia and sleep, and 
 in epileptic and puerperal convulsions. It would appear advis- 
 able that these teeth should be worn only while eating (Case 
 13). 
 
 Hemorrhage from the lungs, from rupture of an aneurism 
 or from injury of the mouth or throat, may make its way into 
 the air-passages and cause suffocation. So also the bursting of 
 an abscess of the tonsils or other part near the air-passages 
 (Case 7). 
 
 CEdema of the glottis from scalding or other irritation of 
 the fauces or glottis, or from disease of the kidneys; tumors 
 pressing on some portion of the air-passages; rapid, profuse 
 bronchial secretion in infants ; acute double pleuritic effusion ; 
 cheesy glands ulcerating into trachea ; simultaneous oedema of 
 both lungs — all of these may cause suffocation (Cases 18 and 40) . 
 [For cases of enlarged thymus gland, see Hofmann, op. cit., 
 pp. 587, 588.] 
 
 Paralysis of the muscles of swallowing, from diphtheria or 
 
 ' Trans. Mass. Leg. Soc, 1878, i., -See Ogston, p. 550. 
 
 pp. 14-24. 3 Med. Times and Gaz., 1878, i., p. 
 
 603.
 
 CAUSES — SYMPTOMS. 777 
 
 other cause, predisposes to suffocation. Progressive asthenia 
 in which the muscles are exhausted; injurj- of spinal cord or 
 pneumogastrics ; paralysis of muscles of respiration from the 
 use of curare ; the spasms of tetanus and strychnia poisoning ; 
 the entrance of air into the pleural cavities with collapse of the 
 lungs — all tend to cause mechanical suffocation either by pres- 
 sure or by paralysis (for deaths in epileptics, see Cases 1, 10, 
 11, 33, and 40). 
 
 It is not necessary that the air-passages should be abso- 
 lutely closed to cause suffocation. 
 
 The cause of death is more likely to be pure asphj'xia, be- 
 cause of the absence of the complicating pressure of the hand or 
 ligature on the vessels and nerves of the neck, and of fracture 
 of larynx or vertebrae. 
 
 Symptoms. — Foreign bodies ' entering the trachea natu- 
 rally fall toward the right bronchial tube instead of the left 
 because of the size and position of the entrance of the right 
 tube. If then but one tube is involved, the signs will usually 
 be on the right side ; whereas if the foreign body stop in the 
 larynx or trachea, both sides will be affected. The latter con- 
 dition is much more dangerous. The symptoms would be 
 resonance over the lung with the respiratory murmur partly or 
 wholly absent ; less mobility ; puerile breathing on the unaffected 
 side. In either case there may at first be little disturbance, 
 especially if the shape of the foreign body is such as not to 
 greatly interfere with the access of air; otherwise there maj- be 
 at once, and almost alwaj^s will be after a time, more or less 
 urgent dyspnoea. Diminution of the necessary oxygen ma}* 
 cause convulsions, apoplexy, and other brain symptoms. Acute 
 emphysema of the portion of lung not obstructed may follow 
 its forcible distention. The local effect of the foreign body is 
 an irritation which causes spasm and cough. It may be car- 
 ried upward by the expirations and downward again by each 
 inspiration. Inflammation is likely to appear eventually and 
 may involve the lung. If the obstruction is not complete there 
 may follow periods of alternation of good and bad health, end- 
 ing perhaps in recovery. The foreign body may be expelled 
 after a greater or lesser interval. On the other hand death may 
 result from secondary causes. In the absence of correct his- 
 ' Johnson, Lancet, 1878, ii., p. 501.
 
 778 SUFFOCATION — LAMB. 
 
 tory the symptoms may lead to a wrong diagnosis and inappro- 
 priate treatment ; as where a patient whose symptoms resulted 
 from the presence of a piece of bone in the larynx, was treated 
 for syphilis. A foreign body may be coughed up from the 
 lung into the trachea and fall backward into the opposite lung. 
 
 Partial closure of the larynx, most likely caused by a flat or 
 irregular substance, rather than globular, may cause gradual 
 asphyxia with symptoms of apoplexy, making the diagnosis 
 difficult. 
 
 When a foreign body remains a long time in the larynx, 
 spasmodic cough aiid croupy breathing usually ensue, expec- 
 toration tinged with blood, hoarseness, or complete aphonia, 
 pain, dyspnoea, possibly crepitation and dulness over the lungs. 
 The case may end suddenlj' in death from closure of the 
 glottis, or the foreign body may pass into the trachea and set 
 up a new train of sj^mptoms, or it may be expelled. 
 
 The frequency with which foreign bodies in the pharjmx 
 or oesophagus obstruct respiration, and the facility with which 
 they may usually be removed, suggest a careful examination. 
 Otherwise the patient may be treated indefinitely for supposed 
 obstruction in the air-passages. Foreign bodies in the oesoph- 
 agus have perforated into the trachea, and even the lungs, 
 heart, and aorta. 
 
 In complete suffocation death Avill occur in from two to five minutes 
 (see remarks under Strangulation). Death may also occur instanta- 
 neously. 
 
 The experiments of the Committee on Suspended Animation' 
 showed that when the trachea of a dog was exposed, incised, and a 
 tube tied in, the average time covered by the respiratory efforts after 
 stop])ing \iY> the tube with a cork was four minutes five seconds; the 
 heart-beat stopping at seven minutes eleven seconds on tlie average. 
 After four minutes ten seconds it seemed to be impossible for the dog, 
 unaided, to recover. Faure - made the following experiment upon a 
 large dog: He fixed a cork in the trachea. At first the dog was quiet; 
 it then extended its neck, parted its jaws, and made efforts as if to 
 vomit; tlien tried to walk, but its gait was uncertain; fell do^vn and 
 rose up. Its eyes became dull, and finally it fell down on its side, and 
 became convulsed; then after several seconds stretched itself out. The 
 thoracic movements were at first tumultuous, then became rapidly 
 
 'Med.-chir. Trans., 1862, xlv. , p. -Archiv. gen. de Med., 1856, vii., 
 
 449. p. 300.
 
 SYMPTOMS — TREATMENT. 779 
 
 feeble; the heart beating very slowly. At the necroscopy the lungs 
 filled the thorax, were full of thick dark blood and emphysematous. 
 The blood was black and fluid in the left ventricle and arteries^ and in 
 the right cavities and veins resembled molasses. Liver darkly con- 
 gested. There was no mucus in the trachea and no ecchymosis in 
 the lungs. He also (p. 306) tried the experiment upon a large dog of 
 fastening boards against its thorax and tightening them by means of 
 cords. For some minutes it was quiet, but suddenly it became much 
 agitated, stood upon its hind legs, threw itself against the wall, rolled 
 on the ground, and uttered frightful cries; finally fell on its side. 
 There was no movement of the thorax, but the muscles of the neck 
 and belly were in full and rapid action, dry and sonorous rales were 
 heard, and a large quantity of mucus appeared at the nose and mouth. 
 The movements grew feebler, the respirations infrequent, and at the 
 end of thirty-four minutes it was dead. The necroscopy showed the 
 blood black and thick; heart x'elaxed; lungs red, a little emphyse- 
 matous, containing bvit little blood, and on their surface were blackish 
 points and small red spots. 
 
 The death of Desdemona (Shakespeare's "Othello") has been much 
 criticised. The declaration that she was strangled (or suffocated) does 
 not consist with the symptoms described (see 3Ied. Neivs, Philadel- 
 phia, May 1st, 1886, p. 489). 
 
 Treatment. 
 
 The obvious indication is to search for and remove the 
 obstruction. The means and methods of treatment are fully 
 treated of in surgical works, but may be briefly mentioned here. 
 
 Laryngoscopical examination may be necessarj". A curved 
 forceps is usually the best instrument for removing the foreign 
 body. A tallow candle may serve to push it into the stomach 
 if there is no bougie at hand. Suction maj" be used. Sneezing 
 may be brought on by tickling the nostrils; coughing by tick- 
 ling the glottis; vomiting by irritating the fauces, or by emetic; 
 the body of the subject may be inverted and in this position the 
 fauces ma}' be tickled, or fingers may bo passed back into 
 the pharynx. Johnson ' says that at the moment of inversion 
 the patient should try to take a deep inspiration; this opens the 
 glottis and facilitates the expulsion of the foreign body. The 
 inspiratory current has no appreciable effect in retarding 
 the movement of the foreign body in the direction of gravit}'. 
 
 Noble recommends inversion of the body in new-born infants 
 'Op. cif., p. 539.
 
 780 SUFFOCATION — LAMB. 
 
 in which asphyxia may be supposed to be due to anaemia of the 
 brain. Tracheotomy or laryngotomy may be necessary. It 
 may be necessary to administer oxygen. Foreign bodies Hke 
 beards of grass and iSsh-heads can be withdrawn only with diffi- 
 culty because of their sharp projections. Intense suffering and 
 dyspnoea in a robust subject may necessitate venesection. Gen- 
 erally speaking it is better to bring up the foreign bcdy than to 
 push it down into the stomach. Beveridge suggests to blow 
 into the ear, to induce a reflex action and cause expulsion of 
 the foreign body. Cold affusions, artificial respiration, galvan- 
 ism, frictions of the limbs, artificial heat, stimulants by mouth 
 and rectum, may one or all be needed. 
 
 Hamilton ' says that it is useless to expect good results 
 from electricity if five minutes have elapsed since life ap- 
 peared to be extinct; Althaus," that three hours after death 
 the muscles will cease to respond to faradization; and Rich- 
 ardson, ' that a low temperature prolongs the sensitiveness of 
 the muscle. 
 
 With regard to insufflation, Le Bon* objects to it in 
 asphyxia as being hurtful and not useful. Colin ^ tamponed 
 the trachea of a horse; in four minutes fifty seconds it was 
 apparently dead; the tampon was removed and insufflation 
 practised for fifteen to twenty minutes without effect. He 
 claims that artificial respiration is useless after the circulation 
 ceases. 
 
 Fell* and O'Dwj^er' recommend forced inspiration. 
 McEwen * uses a tracheal tube by the mouth. 
 
 Dew ® offers a new method of artificial respiration in asphyxia of 
 the new-born; Lusk '" considers the subject of life-sa'ST.ng' in still-bnths; 
 Forest,'* artificial respiration in the same; Read ''^ discusses Schultze's 
 method with approval; Duke '^ plunges the infant into hot water; Rich- 
 
 i^'Amer. Pract.," 1872, vi., pp. ^Brit. Med. Jour., 1880, ii., pp. 
 
 193-206. 122-124 and 163-165. 
 
 2 Brit. Med. Jour., 1879, i., p. 970. » Med. Rec, N. Y., 1893, xliii., 
 
 ^ " Nature, " 1879, xx. , p. 108. p. 289. 
 
 *Gaz. hebd. Med., Paris, 1872, '"Amer. Jour. Med. Sci., 1891, 
 
 ix., p. 806. ci., pp. 109-116. 
 
 '^Bull. Acad. Med., Paris, 1876, "Coll. and Clin. Record, 1892, 
 
 v., p. 764. xiii., pp. 170-173. 
 
 *Jour. Amer. Med. Ass., 1891, ''^ Glasgow Med. Jour. ,1885, xxiv., 
 
 xvi., p. 805. pp. 344-354. 
 
 'Trans. Amer. Tsed. Soc, 1891, '^j^led. Press and Circ, 1889, 
 
 iii., pp. 128-132. xlviii., p. 433.
 
 POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES. 781 
 
 ardson > recommends artificial circulation by injection of vessels, or 
 electric excitation; Jennings^ recommends the same; Richardson ^ also 
 considers fully the subject of artificial respiration and electrical excita- 
 tion; Woillez^ has described and recommended what he cal is a spiro- 
 phore. 
 
 After the removal of a foreign body the irritation remaining 
 may cause a sensation as if the body was still lodged. 
 Death may occur from hemorrhage after its removal. 
 
 PosT-MoRTEM Appearances. 
 
 These are mainl}' those of asphyxia. There may also be 
 evidences of external violence, homicidal or accidental, as of 
 pressure on the chest. Persistent deformity, flattening of the 
 nose and lips, and excoriation of these parts may result from 
 forcible closure of mouth and nose. 
 
 The SKIN and CONJUNCTIVA usually show patches of livid- 
 ity and punctif orm ecchymoses ; especially lividity on the lips 
 and limbs. The face may be pale or violet; it is often placid, 
 especially if the suffocation is accidental. Tardieu ^ admits 
 that infiltration of the conjunctiva and punctif orm ecchymoses 
 of the face, neck, and chest ma}^ also be found sometimes in 
 women after severe labor, and in epileptics. He records the 
 result of the examination of those who died from suffocation at 
 the Pont de la Concorde, 18GG. The face and upper parts of 
 the trunk were generally light red to a deep violet or black 
 color, with punctated blackish ecchymoses on the face, neck, 
 and upper part of chest. 
 
 The eyes are usually congested. Mucus and sometimes 
 bloody froth are found about the NOSE and mouth. The 
 TONGUE may or may not protrude. 
 
 The BLOOD is usually dark and very fluid. Wounds after 
 death may bleed. According to Tardieu " fluidity of the blood 
 is most constant in compression of the chest and abdomen, as 
 also its accumulation in the vessels and right side of heart. 
 Its color varies from red to black. 
 
 754, 904; and 1881, x., 
 
 'Asclepiad, 1885. ii., pp. 171-187. 
 
 v., pp. 611, 754, 9( 
 
 2 Lancet, 1885, 1., pp. 245-347, 
 
 pp. 847-852. 
 
 289-292. 
 
 ''Op. cit., p. 279, 
 
 ^Asclepiad, 1890. vii..p. 201. 
 
 " Op. cit., p. 288. 
 
 4 Bull. Acad. Med., Paris, 1876, 

 
 782 SUFFOCATION— LAMB. 
 
 The BKAix and pia mater are generally congested. This is 
 said to be invariable if the eyes are congested. Mackenzie in 
 thirteen cases found the brain congested in all. 
 
 The HEART varies much in appearance and condition. The 
 right side is often fall of blood; occasionally empty. Some- 
 times subpericardial ecchymoses are found, usually along .the 
 coronary vessels. The blood in the heart may be partly coag- 
 ulated if the agony has been prolonged and there has been a 
 partial access of air, which is gradually diminished. Mackenzie ' 
 found the right cavities full and the left empty in nine out of 
 thirteen cases. Johnson ^ as a result of experiment on animals 
 claims that when access of air is prevented there is a rise in 
 pressure in the arteries, the right side of the heart fills, the 
 pulmonary capillaries become empty, and therefore the left side 
 of the heart becomes empty. As a result of further experi- 
 ments ' lie verified his former conclusion, and added that in the 
 last stage of asphyxia there is increased pressure on the pul- 
 monary artery and lessened pressure in the systemic vessels. 
 He thinks'' that when both sides of the heart contain blood, 
 there is paralysis of vaso-motor nerves and the arteries. 
 
 The TRACHEA is usually bright red and often contains bloody 
 froth. The larynx or trachea as well as pharynx or cesoph- 
 AGUS may contain a foreign body. If the latter has been 
 removed the resulting irritation may be seen. The lungs are 
 sometimes congested, at others normal; color red or pale. 
 Sometimes one lung only is affected. Thej^ maj' be emphyse- 
 matous. Mackenzie found them congested in all of thirteen 
 cases examined by him. The lungs of young persons may be 
 found comparatively small, almost bloodless, and emphj^sema- 
 tous. Tardieu, Albi, a,nd others believed that the p?mc/(/"o;';>i 
 subpleural ecchymoses indicated suffocation, and were due to 
 small hemorrhages from engorged vessels which ruptured in 
 the efforts at expiration. These spots are usually round, dark, 
 from the size of a pin-head to a small lentil, and well defined. 
 The3^ are not like the petechise in the lungs and heart after pur- 
 pura, cholera, eruptive fevers, etc., nor like the hemorrhages 
 under the scalp after tedious labor, all of which are variable in 
 
 ' Indian Med. Gaz. , 1890. xxv. , ^Ih., 1891, p. 399. 
 
 P- 257. 4 Lancet, 1889. ii., p. 255. 
 
 - Brit. Med. Jour. , 1877, i . , p. 444.
 
 POST-MORTEM APPEARANCES. 783 
 
 size. These punctiform spots are usually seen at the root, 
 base, and lower margin of the lungs. Hofmann states (" Lehr- 
 buch") that they are found in the posterior part of the lungs and 
 in the fissures beween the lobes. They are indisputably fre- 
 quent after death from suffocation, and if well marked either in 
 adults or infants that have breathed, the}'^ indicate suffocation, 
 unless some other cause of death is clear. Simon,- Ogston, and 
 Tidy, however, have shown that they are sometimes absent in 
 fatal suffocation, and are sometimes present in the absence of 
 suffocation, as after hanging and drowning; in foetuses before 
 labor has begun ; often in still-births, although some of these 
 are probablj' due to suffocation from inhaling fluid or from 
 pressure. Also in death from scarlet fever, heart disease, apo- 
 plexy, pneumonia, and j)ulmonary oedema. Grosclaude ' quotes 
 from Pinard, who declares that these ecchymoses are found in 
 foetuses which die from arrest of circulation. Grosclaude him- 
 self made a large number of experiments on animals by drown- 
 ing, hanging, and strangling, and fracturing the skull. The 
 ecchymoses were found in nearly all the cases. 
 
 The ecchymoses are partly the result of venous stasis, which 
 overcomes the resistance of some capillaries; and the latter 
 rupture, parti}' from the aspirating action of the thoracic wall, 
 the lung being unable to fill itself with air, but mainl}-'^ from 
 vaso-motor contraction and lateral pressure at the maximum 
 of the asphyxia, the time of tetanic expiration. If the asphyxia 
 is interrupted before this stage, the spots do not appear. Simi- 
 lar ecchymoses ma}' be found under the scalp, in the tympanum, 
 retina, nose, epiglottis, larynx, trachea, thymus, pericardium, 
 in the parietal pleura, along the intercostal vessels, rarely the 
 peritoneum, in the stomach, and sometimes the intestines; and 
 in other parts of the body, especially the face, base of neck, and 
 front of chest; in convulsive affections, as eclampsia and epi- 
 lepsy, and in the convulsions of strychnia and prussic acid 
 poisoning there may be suffusion and congestion of the lungs 
 though not the punctated spots. 
 
 Mackenzie, in thirteen cases of suffocation from various 
 causes, failed to find the Tardieu spots either externally or in- 
 ternally. Briand and Chaude' state that they are less con- 
 
 ' Paris thesis, 1877, No. 327. ^"Med. Leg.," 1874, p. 406. 
 
 » Hofmann, " Lehrbuch, " p. 514.
 
 784 SUFFOCATION — LAMB. 
 
 stant and characteristic in those who have been buried in 
 pulverulent substances. 
 
 Ogston ' holds that in infants that are smothered the ecchy- 
 moses are found in greater number in the thymus gland ; while 
 in adults dying from other forms of asphyxia they were found 
 only once in that gland. The spots are found in clusters in 
 infants that are smothered, but only single and scattered in 
 adults who die from drowning, hanging or disease. They were 
 wanting in the lungs of but one infant. 
 
 They may be recognized as long as the lung tissue is un- 
 changed. The apoplectic spots in the lungs seen in strangula- 
 tion are not found in suffocation. 
 
 Tardieu ^ from experiments on animals and examination of twenty- 
 three new-born infants who showed traces of violence around the 
 month, found the lungs rather pale and aneemic, subpleiiral ecchymo- 
 ses well marked. All the deaths were rapid. In cases of compression 
 of chest and abdomen ^ the congestion of the lungs was extensive, and 
 pulmonary apoplexy frequent; more so than in other forms of suffoca- 
 tion. He gave strychnia to animals which died in convulsions, and 
 found very irregular and partial congestions, generally not marked be- 
 cause death was so prompt; blood always fluid; no subpleural ecchy- 
 moses. 
 
 The LIVER, SPLEEN, and kidneys are generally congested; 
 the kidney more than the other organs named. The spleen 
 is said to be often anaemic. Semen has sometimes been found, 
 unexpelled, in the urethra. 
 
 Page * experimented on three kittens, suffocating them in cinders. 
 The post-mortem examinations showed the veins engorged, left side 
 of heart empty, right side full of dark, half -clotted blood. Lungs dis- 
 tended, much congested, color violet; many small fluid hemorrhages 
 in substance; no subpleural ecchymoses. Frothy mucus tinged with 
 blood in trachea and bronchi; bronchi congested. Bi*ain and abdom- 
 inal organs normal. 
 
 Proof of Death by Suffocation. 
 
 It is sometimes difficult in a given case to state whether 
 death is due to suffocation. There is no lesion which of 
 itself could be accepted as proof. But a collation of the lesions 
 
 ' Op. cit. , p. 554. 3 Qp cif. , p. 288. 
 
 - Op. cit. , p. 275. ■* Ojx cit. , p. 2.S.
 
 PROOF OF DEATH BY SUFFOCATION. 785 
 
 found taken in connection with the surroundings of the body 
 will in many if not in most cases lead toa definite conclusion. 
 
 Infants have been found alive four and five hours after 
 having been buried in the earth.' If the pulverulent material 
 has penetrated into the oesophagus and stomach, the burial has 
 occurred during life. Exceptionally when burial has occurred 
 after death and traces of the material are found in the air- 
 passages, thej' are not found in the oesophagus or stomach. 
 
 The committee on "Suffocation," of the New York Med. Leg. See, 
 reiJortecP the following group of appearances as evidences of deatli by 
 suffocation: The general venous character of the blood, the turgidity 
 of the larger veins, the congestion of the ijarenchyniatous organs, 
 especially at the base of the brain, the lungs congested in a variable 
 degree and cedematous, frothy mucus in the bronchi, the right side of 
 the heart alwaj's fuller than the left. Fitz ^ holds that suffocation is a 
 condition comiDOsed of a group of symptoms and aj^pearances due most 
 probably to accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood and a defi- 
 ciency of oxygen. The appearances are: The blood dark and fluid 
 (though in gi-adual suffocation there may be clots in the right side of 
 the heart), the right side of the heart full, venous congestion of the 
 lungs (not constant), interstitial emj)hysema of the lungs, and venous 
 congestion of the liver, kidneys, and brain. He prefers the word en- 
 gorgement to congestion in this connection. 
 
 Tardieu * holds that when in infants buried in pulverulent 
 substances we find emphj'sema of the lungs in high degree, 
 bloody froth in the air-passages, abundant subpleural and sub- 
 pericardial ecchymoses and the blood fluid, the burial has oc- 
 curred during life. The same lesions are found in small ani- 
 mals similarly treated. 
 
 It must not be forgotten that an intoxicated person or one 
 in an epileptic spasm is practically helpless, and can, therefore, 
 be suffocated, accidentally or otherwise, under circumstances 
 in which one in possession of his senses would be able to escape. 
 
 Accidental, Homicidal, and Suicidal Suffocation. 
 
 Accidental sufEbcation is frequent, as has already ap- 
 peared. Suicidal suflFocation is very rare. Homicidal 
 suffocation occurs. Foreign bodies have been forced into the 
 
 'Tardieu, op. cit., pp. 296, 398. ^-jrans. Mass. Med. Leg. Soc, 
 
 2 Physician, etc., New York, 1878, i.. pp. 14-24. 
 1880, xiii., p. 181. * Op. cit., p. 291. 
 
 50
 
 780 SUFFOCATION — LAMB. 
 
 air-passages. Smothering has been done by holding the face 
 in various materials to prevent access of air ; by pressure on 
 the chest; by forcible closure of the mouth and nose as in burk- 
 ing; by laying compresses over the face, as in the case of 
 King Benhadad, ' whom Hazael killed. " And it came to pass 
 on the morrow that he took a thick cloth and dipped it in 
 water, and spread it over his face, so that he died ; and Hazael 
 reigned in his stead." Benhadad was already quite ill and not 
 expected to live. 
 
 Death by suffocation '' may be considered as presumptive of 
 homicide unless the facts are already referable to accident. 
 
 In infants, suffocation is, of course, either accidental or 
 homicidal ; in adults usually accidental. The absence of signs 
 of a struggle in adults suggests accident ; unless there is cause 
 of suspicion of previous stupefying with narcotics. 
 
 Taylor ' calls attention to a dangerous practice among some 
 attendants upon infants, of putting into the mouth of the child 
 to quiet it a bag containing sugar; and instances a case in 
 which the child would have died of suffocation but for the for- 
 tunate discovery of a part of the bag protruding from the 
 mouth. 
 
 In ten years, 3,612 deaths were reported in the city of 
 London, of infants smothered by being overlaid." 
 
 Infants may be born into a mass of blood and fseces, from 
 which the unattended mother in her weakness may be unable 
 to remove them. 
 
 Page * shows by experiment that tlie inspiratory effort when violently 
 exerted is sufficient to convey small . objects into the air-passages. 
 Cinders passed thus into the trachea and oesophagus of kittens and 
 rabbits. Berenguier® experimented on new-born pups, i^lacing them 
 in ashes, plaster, and starch. In ashes they lived fifteen hours; these 
 found their way into the middle of the oesoi^liagus, but were stopped at 
 the glottis. Plaster and starch formed a paste with the oral mucus 
 and the movement of the mass was not so great as the ashes. In no 
 case did either of the materials pass beyond the glottis. Tardieu ^ ex- 
 amined three infants which had been buried during life. One was in 
 ashes; the nose was obstructed, mouth full: ashes also in the cesoplia- 
 
 ' Second Kings, viii., 15. ^ Op. cit., p. 31. 
 
 -Tavlor, op. cit., p. 482. ^ Jour, de Med. de Toulouse, 1851, 
 
 ■Wp. cit., p. 434. iii., p. 237. 
 
 ••Tavlor. "Med. Jin-.," Am. ed., Wp.cit.,-p. 295. 
 
 1880, p. 485.
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — ACCIDENTAL. 787 
 
 gus and stomach, but none in larynx or bronchi. The second infant 
 was in manure; a greenish stuff was found in the mouth and stomach. 
 The third in bran (confessed to by the mother); the nose and mouth 
 were full, but there was none in the throat; a few grains in the trachea. 
 Tardieu experimented on rabbits and Guinea pigs by burying them in 
 bran, sand, and gravel, some of them being alive and the others dead. 
 In those buried alive he found the substance filling the mouth and 
 nose to the base of the tongue; in most of the cases the oesophagus and 
 trachea were not f)enetrated. In the animals fu'st killed and then 
 buried, the substance had not passed into the mouth or nose. In one 
 case only he found ashes in the larjaix and trachea of a rabbit which 
 had been buried many hours after death in a box of ashes. Matthyssen ' 
 held a Guinea pig, head downward, with its nose under mercury; the 
 lungs were full of globules of mercury (which has a specific gravity of 
 13.5). A dog was plunged head first into liquid plaster-of -Paris; the 
 plaster was found in the bronchial tubes. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES. 
 
 Accidental. 
 
 1. Huppert: Vier. ger. Med. und off. San., 1876, xxiv., pp. 237- 
 252. — Two cases. A man choked by piece of bread in pharynx. Sec- 
 ond, an epileptic, suffocated by flexion of chin on larynx. In both 
 cases seminal fluid was found in urethra near meatus, unexpelled; de- 
 termined by microscope. 
 
 2. Johnson: Lancet, 1878, ii., p. 501. — Boy swallowed penny, be- 
 came black in face; eyeballs protruded; symptoms soon subsided. 
 Some hours afterward it was found that he could not swallow solids, 
 and liquids only with difficulty and coughing. Tlu-oat much irritated; 
 discharge of mucus sometimes tinged with blood, from mouth; moist 
 rattling noise in throat in respiration; frequent cough; could not sleep. 
 LarjTigoscope showed penny in upper pai-t of oesophagus, just below 
 lar.\^lgeal opening. Removed by long curved forceps. 
 
 3. Ihid. — Man suddenly fell while at dinner; face blue; breathing 
 stertorous. Died. Piece of tendon found under epiglottis. 
 
 4. Ibid.— Boy, age 5 years. Button in larynx. Aphonia, dyspnoea, 
 stridulous breathing. Distress gradually subsided. Many years after- 
 ward found mucous membrane of larynx thickened; vocal cords red 
 and uneven. 
 
 5. Ibid. — Man, drunk, swallowed a half-sovereign. Urgent dysp- 
 noea; pain in throat; aphonia; stridulous breathing; dysphagia; cough; 
 copious mucous expectoration. Laiyngoscopic examination showed 
 coin in oesophagus. The crico-thyroid membrane was incised and coin 
 pushed upward and ejected. 
 
 'Ann. d'Hyg.; 1840, xxx. . p. '225.
 
 788 SUFFOCATION — LAMB. 
 
 6. Med. Times and Gaz., 1874, i., p. 486. — Man, age 20, had severe 
 dyspnoea. In taking- a living fish in his teeth (it was about four inches 
 long and had large dorsal fin), the fish passed into the pharynx and lay 
 doubled up. Impossible to remove it because of spines. Tracheotomy 
 at once. Twenty-four hours afterward the fish had decomposed enough 
 to be partly removed. Patient died of exhaustion. 
 
 7. Littlejohn: Edin. Med. Jour., 1875, xx.,p. 780. — Woman found 
 dead in bed. SuflPocated by pus from abscess of tonsil which burst 
 during sleep. Found pus in air-passages down to smallest bronchi; 
 lungs congested; right side of heart distended with dark fluid blood; 
 left side contracted and neai-ly empty. Blood everywhere fluid. Some 
 lividity of face. The woman had died quietly lying beside her hus- 
 band, who was not awakened. 
 
 8. Say re: Neio York Med. Jour., 1874, xix., p. 420. — Girl, age 7, 
 swallowed a bead. Had continuous cough; much pain under midtUe 
 of sternum. The bead moved upward and downward in resph-ation. 
 Tracheotomy. Four days afterward she coughed the bead out, in- 
 sjDired once, and apparently died. Artificial respiration used: alcohol 
 injected into rectum; galvanization of phrenic nerves. She finally 
 coughed up a piece of thick mucus and recovered. 
 
 9. Duffy: Trans. Med. Soc. No. Car., 1874, p. 126.— Boy, age 8, 
 swallowed a cow-pea. It lodged in the trachea. Some months after- 
 ward, laryngotomy performed. The boy seemed to die at once. Arti- 
 ficial respiration used. After a while he expelled first some mucus, 
 then the pea. RecoA^ered. 
 
 10. Tardieu: Op. cit., p. 290. — Man, age 50, found dead on the 
 floor. At base of neck and front of chest were many punctated ecchy- 
 moses. Brain and lungs much congested; the latter showed subpleural 
 spots. Tongue and lips bitten. Death was due to cerebral and pul- 
 monary congestion from an epileptic seizure. 
 
 11. Oesterlen: Vier. f. ger. Med. und off. San., 1876, xxiv.,x>. 10. 
 — "Woman, age 30, epileptic. Found dead. Examination showed signs 
 of asphyxia; blood-vessels engorged, marked oedema of lungs, etc. 
 Opinion given that she died in epileptic paroxysm, and certain injuries 
 observed were caused by a fall. 
 
 12. Tardieu: Op. cit., p. 322. — Two childi-en, one 2 months old, 
 the other 18 months old; in bed together. The older overlay the 
 younger, which died. Necroscopy: kings voluminous, in places con- 
 gested, in others j)ale; abundant subpleural ecchymoses; quite emphy- 
 sematous. Fluid blood in heart. 
 
 13. Blum: New York Med. Jour., 1885, xlii., p. 207. — Woman, 
 found dead. Vulcanite plate of usual size, with four teeth attached, 
 found wedged in trachea about two inches below lar}^lx. 
 
 14. Wyeth: Same journal, 1884, xl., p. 487. — Boy, age 12, inspired 
 a pin-dart in trjdng to blow it through a blowgun. Violent cough.
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — ACCIDENTAL. 789 
 
 gasping for breath, lividity of face for a few minutes; sjTiiiDtoms sub- 
 sided leaving slight cough. The dart had lodged in right bronchus 
 beyond first bifurcation, as shown by hissing, fluttering sound in both 
 inspu'ation and expiration. Tracheotomy. The dart could not be 
 reached. At a later date the dart was brought up into the mouth by a 
 strong expiration. 
 
 15. Partridge: Same journal, 1890, IL, p. 303. — Child, 4 months 
 old, found dead; fluid, partly digested milk in air-pa.ssages. 
 
 16-41. Biggs and Jenkins: Same journal, 1890, Hi., p. 30. — Re- 
 port of many cases of fatal suffocation from foreign bodies, etc. Boy, 
 age 15 — collar-button in larynx .Boy, age 10 — mass of butter in larynx. 
 Boy, age 5 — bronchial gland discharged into trachea at bifurcation. 
 Boy, age 3 — screw in larynx. Boy, age 5 — rubber balloon with whistle 
 attached; it was partly inflated with each expiration. Girl, age 10 — 
 a "jack " in larynx. Man, age 45 — had been di'inking freely; piece of 
 meat in larjaix. Man, age 40 — piece of meat in larynx and pharynx. 
 Man, age 40 — ditto. Insane patient — piece of meat in trachea. Man — 
 piece of meat in larjTix. Man, age 40 — crackei'S and cheese in larynx. 
 Child — rubber nipple in larynx. During administration of ether, pa- 
 tient vomited; vomitus entered larynx. Two children in bed asleep; 
 one, 3 years old, overlay the face of the younger, age 5 months. Wo- 
 man, age 25, exoileptic — fell on a child and smothered it. Two children 
 found dead, covered with bedclothing. Man, age 21, epileptic — found 
 lying on his face in bed. Girl, age 12, epileptic — ditto. Woman, age 
 21 — ditto. Girl, age 18 — ditto. Woman, age 35, epileptic— fell on the 
 floor. Woman, age 28 — ditto. Man, age 35, epileptic; vomited while 
 in spasm; vomitus entered larjaix. From Dr Janeway : Man, epilep- 
 tic, fell on his face in pile of manure, which entered larynx. Man, 
 drunk, li^dng on his face. 
 
 42. Roy. Indian Med. Gaz., 1880, xv., p. 71. — Man, believed to be 
 drunk, had vomited in bed ; vomitus entered trachea and bronchi. 
 
 43-47. Mackenzie: Same journal, 1890, xxv.,p.2^7. — Reports fatal 
 cases : Boy — bone button in larynx. Sailor — meat in larjaix. Boy 
 — vomited matter in larynx. Infant — while taking the breast, a rush 
 of milk suddenly filled the air-passages. Also three cases of crushing 
 under walls; two buried in loose earth; two crushed in a crowd; one 
 by bags of grain. 
 
 48. Feulard: Bidl. Soc. Anat., 1883, viii., pp. 384-386. — Woman, 
 age 79. Piece of beef in larynx. Necroscopy showed hematoma in 
 dura mater. 
 
 49. Poupon: Bidl. Soc. Clin., Paris (1882), 1883, vi., pp. 236-238. 
 — Boy, age 5^ years. Death from cheesy gland in trachea. 
 
 50. Pons: Jour. Med., Bordeaux, 1889-1890, xix., 2ip. 57-61.— 
 Woman, age 24. Death from CBdema of larynx from presence of par- 
 ticles of food.
 
 790 SUFFOCATION — LAMB. 
 
 51. Kemeny : Wien. med. Blat., 1890, xiii., p. 37. — Man, age 45. 
 Suffocated by curdled milk in air-passages. 
 
 52. Maschka: Vier. ger. Med., 1885, xliii., pp. 11-14. — Man, age 
 65. Accidental compression of chest. 
 
 53. Heidenhain: Same journal, 1886, xliv., pp. 96-101. — Vomited 
 matter passed into air-passages while subject was drunk. 
 
 54. Langstein: Wien. med. Woch., 1880, xxx., pp. 624-626. — 
 Child found dead in bed; had vomited food while asleep and breathed it 
 into air-passages. 
 
 55. Ward: Catalog. Army Med. Mus., Med. Sec, p. S3. — Soldier, 
 age 17; choked to death by lumbricoid worm passing from pharynx into 
 right bronchus. Specimen 7,737. 
 
 Suicide, 
 
 56. Sankey: Brit. Med. Jour., 1883, i., p. 88.— Epileptic; found 
 dead in bed, lying on his back. A round pebble in each nostril; strip 
 of flannel rolled up and stuffed in throat. 
 
 57. Macleod: Ibid., 1882, ii., p. 1246. — Suicidal maniac. Had to 
 be fed because he refused food. Was seen to be blue in the face and 
 breathing hard. His mouth was forced open; roll of flannel found in 
 throat. Macleod refers to another case, a woman in dissecting-room, 
 with similar roll of flannel in throat. 
 
 See Tidy, "Med. Jur.," Cases 15 to 17. 
 
 Homicide. 
 
 58. Christison: Edin. Med. Jour., 1829, xxxi., pp. 236-250.— The 
 famous Burking case. A woman was struck down to a sitting posture. 
 Burke then threw himself on her, kept her down by the weight of his 
 body, covered her mouth and nose with one hand and placed his other 
 hand under the chin for ten to fifteen minutes, till she died. Neci-o- 
 scopy showed a severing of the posterior ligamentous connections of 
 the third and fourth cervical vertebrae, with blood in spinal canal but 
 not under the dura mater; cord not injured. Chiistison made experi- 
 ments to ascertain if the injury to spine had been made during life, 
 
 59. Hackel: Dorpat Diss., 1891, p. 35.— Case of choking with pres- 
 sure on breast and belly. Woman found lying on floor, Avith many 
 injuries. 
 
 60. Tardieu: Op. cit., p. 315.— New-born infant; found buried in 
 earth. Mother stated that the child had not breathed. Putrefaction 
 had begun. There was a brownish tint of skin of upper front part of 
 neck below jaw; drops of sanious fluid flowing from nose; umbili- 
 cal cord had not been tied; subcutaneous hemorrhage in right temporal 
 region; brown bruised surface and contused wounds of pharynx, where
 
 ILLUSTRATIVE CASES — SUICIDE AND HOMICIDE. 791 
 
 particles like ashes and vomited niatter were found. Lungs filled the 
 pleural cavities, were rose-colored and showed abundant jiunctated 
 subpleural ecchymoses; bloody, frothy mucus in trachea and bronchi; 
 some serum in pericardium; respu-ation had been complete. Opinion 
 given, that the infant had been suffocated by obstruction of pharjoix, 
 probably by fingers. 
 
 61. Tardieu: Op. cit., p. 323. — New-born infant found under a 
 cask, partly eaten by a dog. The head showed transverse flattening 
 and svibcutaneous hemorrhage. Lungs voluminous, rosy; abundant 
 subpleural ecchymoses; hemorrhage in left lung. Heart filled with 
 fluid blood. Coagulated blood in abdomen. Opinion given, suffoca- 
 tion by jDressure on head, chest, and abdomen. The mother confessed 
 that she had placed the child under the cask. 
 
 62. Ibid., p. 325. — New-born infant found buried in the earth; gravel 
 and earth in pharynx and oesophagus down nearly to stomach, and in 
 trachea and right bronchus. Lungs congested, crepitant. Opinion 
 given, that the child had been buried while living. 
 
 63. Ibid., p. 326. — New-born infant found in ashes; nose and lips 
 ohstructed, mouth filled; ashes in oesophagus and stomach; none in 
 lar^^lx or trachea. Lvxngs distended with air, emphysematous; sub- 
 pleural ecchymoses; fluid blood in heart. 
 
 64. Ibid., p. 327. — New-born infant, buried in bran; nose and mouth 
 filled; some in trachea; none in oesophagus or stomach. Lungs dis- 
 tended with air, emphysematous; subpleural ecchjonoses; heart empty. 
 
 65. Devergie and Raynaud: Ann. dHyg., 1852, xlviii., pp. 187- 
 206. — Man found dead on a pile of grain; mouth, no.se, and eyes con- 
 tained some of the grain; some also in stomach, larynx, trachea, and 
 bronchi. Some marks of injuiy on face and other parts of body. In- 
 ternal signs of asphyxia. Opinion given, that the case was homicide. 
 The defence ofPered was that the man had fallen into the grain. 
 
 66. Rauscher : FriedreicKs Blat., 1886, xxxvii.,2jp. 324-330. — ^Vo- 
 man, age 71, suffocated by a cloth over nose and mouth. 
 
 See Tidy, "Med. Jur.," Cases 1 to 11.
 
 DEATH FEOM SUBMERSION 
 
 IN ITS 
 
 MEDICO-LEGAL EELATIOE'S. 
 
 BY 
 
 lEVING C. ROSSE, A.M., M.D., F.R.G.S. (Eng.), 
 
 Professor of Nervous Diseases, Georgetoivn University; Membre du Congres Interna- 
 tional d^ Anthropologie Criminelle, etc.
 
 DEATH BY SUBMEESIO]^ OE DE0W:N'ING. 
 
 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 
 
 The frequence and importance of drowning having arrested 
 attention from the days of Noah's Ark and those of Hippo- 
 crates down to the present time, it is quite possible to array in 
 chronological order the fictitious, transitory, and positive periods 
 that mark the sequence of ideas touching the subject. 
 
 Mooted questions relative to drowning have been debated 
 since the fourteenth century; and modern statistics show the 
 great development of this class of emergency, than which none 
 is of more startling character. In France between four and five 
 thousand cases of this kind of accident are officially recognized 
 each year, which is about one-third of all the accidental deaths, 
 and the number appears to increase yearly. Nearly the same 
 figures apply to the inland waters of England and Wales, not 
 including the coast. The Board of Trade Return shows that 
 out of 86,695 seamen who died in English ships abroad, 53,673 
 were drowned, and a late report of the Fisherman's Federa- 
 tion places the number drowned in the inland waters and upon 
 the immediate coasts of the United Kingdom and its adjacent 
 islands as 6,268 annually. The many hundreds drowned in 
 the late Victoria disaster and in the great storm that swept 
 the British Isles are matters of current knowledge. In our 
 own country accounts of drowning are of daily occurrence, and 
 help to the drowning forms the greater part of the work done 
 by that noble governmental branch, the Life Saving Service. 
 Not only does the sea claim its numerous victims, but the great 
 floods and cyclones have destroyed thousands, while on the 
 lakes and rivers drowning accidents are lamentably frequent. 
 If the statistics of such accidents were as available as those of 
 the late war, for instance, the exhibit would doubtless be sur- 
 prising. Where the aggregation of killed in action is shown 
 to be 67,058, there were drowned 106 officers and 4,838 men. 
 
 795
 
 796 DEATH FROM SUBMERSION — ROSSE. 
 
 The small regular army lost 5 officers and 89 men from this 
 cause ; the negro troops, 6 officers and 289 men ; and the volun- 
 teers furnished a large contingent, the State of Ohio alone hav- 
 ing lost 14 officers and 770 men from drowning.* 
 
 Aside from the point of view of public hygiene and that of 
 pathology, further evidence is not wanting to show the medico- 
 legal value of the phenomena of drowning, and the frequency 
 and importance of the judicial questions that may arise in this 
 class of accidents. 
 
 DEFINITION AND PHENOMENA OF DROWNING. 
 
 Late studies as to the cause and mechanism of asphyxia by 
 submersion or drowning warrant our speaking of submersion 
 as immersion complete enough to menace or to extinguish life. 
 
 When an animated body or a part only of the body is im- 
 mersed a sufficient time in water or any liquid mediuin what- 
 ever in such a way as to exclude fresh air from the respiratory 
 orifices, suffocation follows, and death by submersion or drown- 
 ing takes place. 
 
 The phenomena occurring in such instances are mostly those 
 common to imperfect aeration or non-aeration of the blood, and 
 for this reason the majority of medical writers describe asphj^xia 
 or apnoea, that is, death beginning at the lungs, as the deter- 
 mining cause of death by drowning. It must not be thought 
 that asphyxia is always the mode of death in those submerged, 
 although it is commonly present in a certain number of cases. 
 Other causes may often modify the circumstances of the death 
 or directly produce it, as congestion of the brain and syncope, 
 or the cause of death may be a mixed one. Occasionally one 
 reads accounts of persons resuscitated from drowning who, on 
 recovering from the primar}^ effects of the asphyxia, die sud- 
 denly without apparent cause after a lapse of a few minutes 
 or several days. Such cases are explained as the secondary re- 
 sults of the arrested interstitial nutrition that took place during 
 the period while breathing was temporarily arrested. Another 
 secondary cause is phj^sical injury to the lungs from water 
 penetration, which may result in a fatal pneumonia. A case 
 
 'See writer's "Bathing and Boat- Medical Association, April 19th, 
 ing Accidents," Jour. American 1890.
 
 MODE OF DEATH IN DROWNING. 797 
 
 related in England last summer is that of a drowning boy 
 who, on being resuscitated after submersion in contaminated 
 water, suddenly died of cholera. 
 
 MODE OF DEATH IN DROWNING. 
 
 Since various lesions may be found, accordingly as the death 
 from drowning has taken place from one or more of the fore- 
 going modes, it is necessary to have a clear notion of asphyxia 
 and to study in detail the mechanism of arrest of the thoracic 
 movements and of the hindrance to hgematosis. 
 
 Broadly speaking, there will be asphyxia when any obstacle 
 hinders air from entering the pulmonary vesicles, or when 
 the fluid that penetrates them is of any other nature than the 
 medium in which the animal is destined to live. Consequently 
 the name asphyxia is applied generically to all accidental con- 
 ditions in which life is threatened by any intervention whatever 
 of the respiration. (See Mechanical Suffocation, Vol. I., 
 p. 705 et seq., and Asphyxiating Gases, Vol. IV.) 
 
 Submersion in any liquid medium causes asphyxia. This 
 condition may be caused on being surrounded by a medium de- 
 void of oxygen and improper to support sufficient hsematosis, 
 as hydrogen, nitrogen, and the protoxide of nitrogen, gases not 
 toxic properly speaking, but considered irrespirable. Dimin- 
 ished respiration from deficiency of ox3^gen is the true cause of 
 asphyxia. No animal can maintain the respiratory process in 
 an atmosphere devoid of oxygen or in one that does not con- 
 tain at least ten per cent of this gas, and such quadrupeds as 
 whales, hippopotami, and seals or the pygopodous birds would 
 drown in the same manner as a dog if kept submerged long 
 enough. The suppression of the gaseous exchange by submer- 
 sion is also fatal to such aquatic insects as hydrophiles, dy- 
 tiscidse, and the like, which drown in the same manner as the 
 hymenoptera, coleoptera, diptera, or other terrestrial insects. 
 Ants drown in less than a minute when the body is wet, and 
 the disappearance of apparent vitality is accompanied by con- 
 vulsive movements indicating functional trouble of the nervous 
 apparatus. Sir John Lubbock found that after eight hours of 
 immersion they could be restored to life, and several ants after 
 two days and five days were restored to momentary life wit'i
 
 798 DEATH FROM SUBMERSION — ROSSE. 
 
 feeble motions, followed by death in two hours. Even a terres- 
 trial plant when submerged drowns like a terrestrial animal, the 
 mechanism of asphyxia by submersion being the same in plants 
 and aerian animals, and due to closure of the principal way of 
 gaseous exchange. 
 
 Notwithstanding the interruption of the gaseous exchange 
 necessary to support life, there is long persistence of vitality 
 after submersion of some creatures in which an intra-molecular 
 respiration or gaseous dialysis with aerated water takes place, 
 as in ants who have not been wetted before submersion. 
 
 The resistance of new-born animals to this mode of asphyx- 
 iation is especially noted in the greater time required to drown 
 a pup than an adult dog. One minute and a half usually suf- 
 fices to drown a dog, while a new-born pup often requires as 
 much as fifty minutes. This great difference is owing to 
 the less active change of tissue and the smaller consumption of 
 oxygen in the young animal. The more active the vital com- 
 bustion and the greater the demand upon the general store of 
 oxygen in the blood, the quicker the young animal perishes 
 when the respiration is obstructed. 
 
 It is observed in a general way that all kinds of death 
 caused by the j^rivation of respirable air have between them- 
 selves the greatest resemblance. Whatever be the obstacle that 
 intercepts the connection of the lungs with the atmosphere, the 
 apparent differences are only secondary and the essential symp- 
 toms are identical, because all act in suppressing the functions 
 of the blood and hsematosis. In fact, the phenomena of as- 
 phyxia are constant and related to disturbances in the respira- 
 tion, innervation, and circulation, which vary according as the 
 asphyxia is the result of submersion or of the absence of oxygen 
 in the surrounding medium, according as asphyxia is immediate 
 or slow. The fatal result of asphyxia is owing to the introduc- 
 tory arrest of the pulmonary circulation, the capillaries of the 
 lungs being incapable of conveying venous blood. The stagna- 
 tion of the blood in the lungs is followed by paresis of the respi- 
 ratory centre and stoppage of the heart. 
 
 STAGES AND SYMPTOMS OF DEATH BY DROWNING. 
 
 The authorities are that an individual who dies asphyxiated 
 by submersion passes through three stages. At first he experi-
 
 STAGES AND SYMPTOMS OF DEATH BY DROWNING. 799 
 
 ences a violent shock, followed by an inspiration of surprise, 
 which results from the contact of water with the lungs causing 
 a reflex cough. Then for some seconds there is a voluntary 
 suspension of respiration, giving rise to other forcible involun- 
 tary expirations. In this dyspnoeic second period the face and 
 brain become congested, owing to slowing of the encephalic 
 circulation. Loss of consciousness soon follows, when the 
 drowning person enters the third stage, which is that of 
 asphyxia. In this period the individual gasps deeply, the 
 pupils are dilated, the sphincters paralj^zed, and the limbs are 
 agitated by clonic convulsions. This is followed by complete 
 insensibility and speedy death. 
 
 When a fatal termination in drowning results from that 
 form of neuro-paralysis known as syncope, in which death 
 begins at the heart, we infer from experiments that the sudden 
 loss of consciousness arises from the violent impressions that 
 the sensitive nerves convey to the bulb. Such a result is more 
 likely to occur in persons with weak heart and languid circu- 
 lation, who are more susceptible to fright and shock or to the 
 sudden collapse from intense cold. It is also shown that stam- 
 merers, who have a defective innervation of the phrenic and of 
 the pneumogastric, succumb more rapidly than others. 
 
 The importance of sj^ncope as a cause of death in drowning 
 is much restricted when we consider the fact that the circula- 
 tion is the last of the functions extinguished in an animal that 
 for purposes of experiment has been subjected to submersion. 
 This has been shown in a sensuous way by experiment, aided 
 by the resources of the graphic method, which registers the 
 respiratory modifications as shown by the pneumograph and 
 also the condition of the femoral artery in connection with a 
 kymographion. The heart continues to beat as much as three 
 minutes after the animal has succumbed, and recent autopsy 
 gives almost constant proof of asphyxia. In fact, it is held 
 that syncope takes but small part in this form of death, the 
 general agreement of opinion being that nothing short of a syn- 
 cope that would be fatal either in or out of the liquid medium 
 can account for the entire absence of some of the signs of death 
 from asphyxia. 
 
 Among the symptoms often present in drowning persons, 
 many relate to nervous phenomena and the mental state, which
 
 800 DEATH FROM SUBMERSION — ROSSE. 
 
 may vary with individual presence of mind and moral force. 
 Persons who have escaped this kind of death have observed 
 auditory and visual hallucinations, as flashes of light, the ring- 
 ing of distant bells, and the like. Just before the outset of the 
 asphyxiation a rather curious functioning of the brain known 
 as hypermnesia ' takes place, in which the revivescence of ideas, 
 of objects, or of facts relates to anterior impressions long past 
 that seem to have been forgotten. According to the narratives 
 of many drowning persons who have escaped the last conse- 
 quences of asphyxia, this condition was attended by general 
 exaltation of the memory of such a nature that their whole pre- 
 vious conscious existence seemed, in an incredibly short period 
 and with great clearness and precision, to pass before them in 
 panoramic review. In Admiral Beaufort's letter to Dr. Wol- 
 laston, the memory impressions are said to have occurred in 
 retrograde succession . A medical man resuscitated from drown- 
 ing reports that just before losing consciousness this particular 
 cerebral activity, in his case, took on a most realizing sense of 
 the situation and of the consequences to his family. This 
 cerebral superexcitement is not, however, a constant thing, nor 
 do all subjects experience the ineffable agony of drowning. 
 Persons have been taken from the water apparently dead who, 
 on regaining consciousness, declared that they experienced 
 neither oppression nor suffering and had no recollection of what 
 had passed. A very intelligent woman of my acquaintance, 
 having such an experience a few years since at Newport, quotes 
 herself as and really believes that she is an instance of a person 
 once dead and afterward restored to life. 
 
 This peculiar vividness of mind has been observed in other 
 kinds of death than drowning, notably in chronic insanit}*. 
 A priest with extended experience at the Government Hospital 
 for the Insane tells me that he has often noticed the vatwina- 
 tio morientinm in the form of so-called lucid interval of the 
 insane when called on to administer the last rites of the Church. 
 The condition is explainable from the stoppage of the pulmonary 
 artery and the stimulus caused by circulation of non-oxj^genated 
 blood in the brain. 
 
 The condition known as asynesia, or amnesia, sometimes 
 
 ^ See writer's article, "Memory, Diseases of," in " Reference Handbook 
 of the Medical Sciences. "
 
 STAGES AND SYMPTOMS OF DEATH BY DROWNING. 801 
 
 follows the return to consciousness in persons asphyxiated and 
 apparently dead from drowning. Dr. F. A. Burrell reports the 
 case of a boy of eighteen, submerged for six minutes and resus- 
 citated after four and three-quarter hours, in whom the memory 
 of everything that had occurred from half an hour previous to 
 the accident up to return of consciousness had been entirel}^ 
 obliterated. When last heard from the lapse of memory still 
 remained.' 
 
 The statement that death from submersion results from true 
 asphyxia or from asphj^xia in a more or less modified form 
 rests on the authority of a large number of facts. Indeed, 
 recent investigators make the proportion so much greater than 
 formerly as to warrant the statement that asphyxia is the 
 generic cause of death by drowning. Dr. S. Coull Mackenzie "^ 
 reports 305 cases of drowning, in which 297, or 93.37 per cent, 
 died from asphyxiation; 1, or .33 per cent, from syncope; 1, or 
 .33 per cent, from apoplex}' and asphyxia; and in 6, or 1.9G per 
 cent, the mode of death could not be determined because of 
 advanced putrefaction. 
 
 As the post-mortem signs of drowning are known to vary 
 according to a number of circumstances, it is difficult to deal 
 with the subject unless certain fundamental points be kept in 
 mind. These relate more particularly to the external signs and 
 to the different lesions that follow the mode of death, although 
 they are not constant. Surgeon-Major E. G. Russell ^ illustrates 
 how widely the post-mortem appearances may vary in cases of 
 drowning, even when the outward circumstances of the period 
 of death are identical and the bodies have been subjected to 
 precisely similar conditions as regards duration of immersion, 
 subsequent exposure to air, and times of necropsy. He relates 
 that five persons were drowned while proceeding to a ship in 
 the Hooghley River. Three died the same death ; and at the 
 same time the bodies were recovered together after the same 
 period of immersion, and were examined together; thus from 
 beginning to end they had been under exactly similar conditions, 
 yet there were very marked differences in the state of preserva- 
 tion of the bodies and in the post-mortem appearances. After 
 
 ' Medical Record, August 22d, 1891. ^ Indian Medical Gazette, Decem- 
 
 - " Medico-Legal Experience in ber, 1888. 
 Calcutta, " Edinburgh, 1891. 
 51
 
 802 DEATH FROM SUBMERSION — ROSSE. 
 
 five hours' exposure in air at 88° F., one body, in which the 
 tissues were extremely fatty, showed beginning decomposition; 
 in the other two there were no signs. Decomposition in tho 
 scalp, face, and neck indicative of drowning had begun undc-r 
 water, although in ordinary cases it first invades the abdomen, 
 genitals, breasts, etc. Rigor mortis present in one case was 
 absent in the other. The penis was semi-erect in one case, 
 flaccid in the other, retracted and shrunken in the third. 
 Emission of semen and expulsion of faeces were also noted. 
 Tongue not swollen or protruded in any case, and cutis anserina 
 absent in all three, which may have been owing to the high 
 temperature. Water was inspired into the lungs in two cases. 
 The larynx, trachea, and bronchi had regular congestion and 
 scarlet ecchymoses in one case characteristic of asphyxia, and 
 there was muddy water in the stomach. 
 
 The first question likely to arise when a drowned body has 
 been found is the one of identit}-. All the circumstances in 
 which the body was observed before its removal to the place 
 where it lies for examination should therefore be minutely 
 detailed, and all lethal injuries and the like should be noted 
 with care, since the smallest accessories often lead to identifica- 
 tion. The locality in which a drowned body is found may be 
 a fact of considerable importance that may help to complete the 
 chain of evidence in which the matter of crime or of accident 
 turns upon the question of identity. It must be remembered 
 that bodies often drift many miles away from the spot where 
 the drowning occurred, owing to tides or currents. Such a 
 circumstance I noted a few j^ears ago at Brownsville, Texas, 
 where it was a common sight to see bloated cadavers going 
 down the Rio Grande. Time and putrefactive changes are also 
 elements that enter into the matter of recognizing the drowned 
 cadaver. To resolve this question with desirable precision, tlie 
 reader is referred to more detailed instruction in the chapter 
 on Identity. 
 
 TREATMENT OF THE APPARENTLY DROWNED. 
 
 Help to the drowned does not properly come within the 
 province of judiciary medicine, being rather a humane question 
 that belongs to public hygiene. Systematic writers, however, 
 treat the subject at considerable length, and the statistics of
 
 TREATMENT OF THE APPARENTLY DROWNED. 803 
 
 institutions for helping tiie drowned give such marvellous re- 
 sults that it would manifestly not be out of place to cite briefl}'" 
 some of the means employed for restoring life to persons taken 
 from the water asphyxiated and apparently dead. 
 
 The prime object in resuscitating the drowned is the intro- 
 duction of air into the pulmonary vesicles, which is best accom- 
 plished by artificial respiration, and the employment of such 
 means as excite the nervous system with a view to reanimate 
 sensibility and develop the reflex movements that contribute to 
 the re-establishment of the respirator}' function. 
 
 The exigencies of drowning also call for special means to 
 restore the animal heat and the circulation, as well as the pre- 
 caution of removing mucus and fluids from the obstructed air- 
 passages. 
 
 As the knowledge of securing patency of the air-passages by 
 artificial respiration is generally diffused among medical stu- 
 dents and is taught in some schools, it would be superfluous to 
 repeat in detail the procedures of Hall, Sylvester, and others. 
 
 Laborde's method of resuscitating those apparently dead 
 has lately gained some notoriety. It consists in stimulating 
 the respirator}* reflex by regular rhythmical traction of the 
 tongue, which should be vigorously pulled forward fifteen or 
 eighteen times a minute, to correspond in frequency to the 
 normal respiration. 
 
 Another method, alleged to have marvellous effects over the 
 respiration, is that of anal dilatation. Its advocates claim that 
 irritation of the anus is a much more effective measure in re- 
 suscitating the drowning or narcotized.' 
 
 Respiration may be further promoted by alternate dashes of 
 hot and cold water on the face and chest, by smelling-salts, 
 tickling the throat and nares with a feather, and by electriza- 
 tion of the diaphragm and inspiratory muscles. Protracted 
 galvanism may, however, prove dangerous. 
 
 When signs of life appear, a warm tonic stimulating drink 
 should be given. A hypodermic injection of caffeine is also 
 recommended. 
 
 Whatever means are employed should be used on the spot 
 in the open air and without a moment's delay. 
 
 Restorative efforts may be kept up for two or three hours, 
 ' Jour, of Orificial Surgery, April 1st, 1893, p. 709.
 
 804 DEATH FROM SUBMERSION — ROSSE. 
 
 although in the majority of cases life is extinct in the human 
 subject after two minutes' submersion or even less, and the 
 chance of restoration after five minutes' complete submersion is 
 doubtful. To be sure, trained tank performers remain under 
 water longer than two minutes, and exceptional instances occur 
 of recovery after twenty minutes' submersion in individuals in 
 a state of syncope or with catalepsy. 
 
 CADAVERIC SIGNS IN CASES OF DROWNING. 
 
 The signs alleged to be common to death by drowning and 
 characteristic of it are difficult to deal with, for the reason that 
 there are no sure signs of drowning and the lesions furnished 
 by necropsy are of feeble importance. There is consequently 
 a divergence of opinion on this subject. 
 
 External Signs. 
 
 Among the external diagnostic signs consistent with the 
 supposition of death by drowning, the presence of froth at the 
 mouth and nostrils is of first importance. Cadaveric rigidity, 
 pallor, goose-skin, rosy or violet discolorations on various parts 
 of the body, retraction of the penis and scrotum, fish-like ex- 
 pression of the eye, peculiar position of the tongue, maceration 
 of the palmar and plantar epidermis, and convulsive contrac- 
 tion of the limbs, particularly of the hands, which may be 
 clinched after the manner that marks death by asphyxia, are 
 all signs which when united form strong presumption in favor 
 of submersion. 
 
 These typical and classic signs may, however, be varied by 
 many circumstances. Hence the dissidence of authors. Dr. 
 F. W. Draper states that after inspecting 149 drowned bodies, 
 he has never observed that important sign of death, the pres- 
 ence of substances grasped in the hands.' Sand or mud in the 
 hollow of the nails and excoriations of the fingers are also 
 regarded as probable, not certain, signs, since each of these 
 might have occurred either before or after death. The peculiar 
 clinched condition of the hand is not pathognomonic, though 
 strongly suggestive of drowning, as it may appear in asphyxi- 
 ation from other causes. I have lately noticed this among the 
 ' Trans, of the Massachusetts Medico- Legal Society, vol. i., No. 8, 1885.
 
 INTERNAL LESIONS. 805 
 
 external appearances of the bodies taken from the Pompeiian 
 excavations. Tlie further index of drowning known as washer- 
 woman's or cholera hand, with non-adherent tendency of the 
 epidermis, is an effect that may be produced upon the living 
 after a prolonged bath, notably in the aged and habitually un- 
 clean. Nor is the position of the tongue a special and distinc- 
 tive characteristic of drowning. Only a few months ago I 
 observed its presence in some of the victims of mechanical suf- 
 focation in the Ford's Theatre disaster in Washington. 
 
 The shrunken state of the genital organs is apparently of 
 little i^ositive value as a thanatological sign, since the negative 
 and opposite state of erection has been often observed, and Dr. 
 Ogston states that he met semi-erection in twenty-two cases. 
 
 The value of " goose-flesh" as a link in the chain of evidence 
 is also weakened when we consider that it frequently occurs 
 after other violent modes of death. Anserine skin is often met 
 with during life, and cases of drowning are recorded where 
 this appearance has been absent. 
 
 The aspect of the face and the general position of a drowned 
 cadaver may likewise var}" according to the mode of death. 
 Immobility of the body in the attitude of agony, the horrible 
 grimaces of asphyxia, the pale, calm features of syncope, and 
 putrefactive changes are further circumstances of medico-legal 
 detail that may complicate the problem and render an autopsy 
 necessary in order to invalidate or confirm the uncertain con- 
 clusions furnished by the external signs. 
 
 Internal Lesions. 
 
 Autopsies on the drowned are remarkable owing to their 
 negative signs. But as an extension of diagnostic means, the 
 autopsy ma}' show the vertical (though not invariable) position 
 of the epiglottis ; the presence of water and foreign matter in 
 the bronchi ; swelling and emphysema of the lungs ; hydroemic 
 engorgement of the liver; fulness of the right heart and empti- 
 ness of the left; fluidity of the blood; water in the stomach and 
 middle ear ; and a characteristic f rothj'^ mucus or lather more 
 or less bloody, which most observers and writers consider the 
 only constant post-mortem appearance of drowning. 
 
 Examination of the respiratory apparatus is of extreme im-
 
 806 DEATH FROM SUBMERSION — ROSSE. 
 
 portance in a question of this kind, for it is contended that the 
 presence of foreign bodies is a proof of submersion.' 
 
 This opinion is in part erroneous, since it has been observed 
 that when a body is submerged after death water will penetrate 
 the larynx, trachea, and remote bronchi, as well as the stomach 
 and middle ear. Moreover, Dr. Ogston states that in 48.7 per 
 cent of cases of drowning no water was found in the lungs. 
 
 The emphysematous condition of the lungs, which are said 
 to force their way out of the chest on removing the sternum, is 
 difficult to distinguish from the result of putrefaction. Dr. 
 Gilberti shows that in the drowned the lungs disintegrate rap- 
 idly, while the heart, in which putrefaction begins chronolog- 
 ically, is relatively in a good state of preservation.'' 
 
 Since many cases have been observed in which both sides of 
 the heart may be partly filled or both be empty and flaccid, or 
 the left side distended more than the right, we are obliged to 
 regard the exceptions concerning this post-mortem sign of 
 drowning as coextensive with the rule. 
 
 Excessive fluidity of the blood depends upon the rapidity 
 with which the drowning took place. Slight hydrsemia occurs 
 in rapid submersion, but when the drowning has taken place 
 slowly a large amount of water passes into the blood. In cer- 
 tain poisonings by opium this fluidity also exists; but it is 
 claimed that analysis and the spectroscope may clear up the 
 diagnosis. 
 
 Hydrsemic engorgement of the liver is regarded as a char- 
 acteristic fact by Lacassagne, who claims to be able to diag- 
 nosticate drowning from a single examination of this organ.' 
 
 It is now generally admitted that the presence in the stom- 
 ach of a certain quantity of liquid in which the body was found 
 immersed may be considered as a sign almost certain of as- 
 phyxia by submersion. 
 
 Dr. Fagerlund concludes from his experiments that liquids 
 do not penetrate after death either the stomach or anus unless 
 strong pressure be made. But when asphyxia occurs in water 
 the liquid is found in the stomach and the intestines, where it 
 
 'Lesser, Dr. Adolph : "Ueber die Annegamento nel Cadavere in Pu- 
 
 wichtigsten Sectionsbefunde bei trefazione, " 1889. 
 
 dem Tode durch Eitrinken in diinn- ^Barlerin, Paul, le Dr.: "Etude 
 
 fliissigen Med ien," Berlin. 1884. Medico-legale sur la Submersion," 
 
 ■'Gilberti, Dr. A. : "ISegni dell' Tarare, 1891.
 
 ACCIDENTAL, SUICIDAL, OR CRIMINAL. 807 
 
 is helped on by peristaltic movements. The pylorus is an ob- 
 stacle to the passage of this water, the movement of which is 
 easier when the stomach is emptj- and the submersion pro- 
 longed.' 
 
 The quantity and quality of the water may constitute im- 
 portant evidence; but to be of full value the water or other 
 fluid found in the stomach ought to be the same as that in 
 which the immersion has taken place. 
 
 The liquid, which may have been taken just before drown- 
 ing, should not be noticed unless it exceeds half a pint ; but anj^- 
 thing peculiar in the fluids, either of the lungs or stomach, 
 should be subjected to microscopic or other examination. 
 
 Presence of water in the middle ear is regarded as a thana- 
 tological sign of great value. Dr. Bourgier claims as the result 
 of his examination that 23 cases out of 27 had water in the 
 middle ear. Several German observers pretend to have found 
 amniotic liquid in cases of foetal asphyxia. The fluid may be 
 aspired b}' a small pipette. 
 
 Many of the foregoing signs and lesions disappear or undergo 
 variable alterations after sojourn in water, putrefaction, etc. 
 They maj^ as they have done in the past, give rise to many 
 controversies, so that presumptions only can be established. 
 Hence the necessity for careful and detailed necropsy in such 
 cases, with a view not only to minimize conjecture and uncer- 
 taint}', but to prevent opposing counsel from entering the plea 
 of negligence and incompleteness. 
 
 WAS THE DROWNING ACCIDENTAL, SUICIDAL, OR 
 CRIMINAL? 
 
 Assuming the probabilities to be in favor of death by sub- 
 mersion, the question next turns upon the character of the 
 event. 
 
 In the absence of lesions it is almost impossible to say 
 whether the individual fell in, jumped in, or was pushed in the 
 submerging fluid. The person's antecedents should be inquired 
 into — whether subject to epilepsy, vertigo, intemperance, or 
 mental aberration. Alcoholism is an important factor in acci- 
 
 ' Fagerlund, L. W. : "Ueber das jahrschrift fiir gerirhtl. Med. imd 
 Eindringeu von Ertrankungsfliis- off. Sanitiitswesen,'' Berlin, 1890. 
 sigkeit in die Cedarnic," Viertel-
 
 808 DEATH FROM SUBMERSION— ROSSE. 
 
 dental drowning, and a person intoxicated may be drowned in 
 very shallow water. A few years ago a young man over six 
 feet tall, while bathing in a tributary of the Potomac River, 
 near Washington, was drowned in only three feet of water. 
 On considering all these circumstances, it may not be possible, 
 even after careful inspection of the body and minute explora- 
 tion of all the organs, to declare the drowning the consequence 
 of an accident. The existence of traces of violence or of injury 
 which may have occasioned death or disability, of such a nature 
 as to render the person unable to defend himself, would seem 
 to merit particular attention. But their presence leads to fur- 
 ther consideration — were the marks of injury caused by the 
 water itself, by some object in the water, or were they self- 
 inflicted? Dislocations, fractures, and other injuries have been 
 caused by jumping or falling into the water from a great 
 height. I know an instance of a professional Vv'ho, on jumping 
 from a height of ninety feet, split his upper lip on striking the 
 water with his mouth open. The autopsy in the case of 
 Odium, the Brooklyn Bridge jumper, is said to have shown 
 rupture of the liver. On the other hand, many persons jump 
 from great heights into water with perfect impunity. For 
 many weeks at the London Aquarium a performer has nightl}' 
 jumped into a tank from an elevation of 137 feet, and several 
 persons have successfully jumped from bridges much higher. 
 
 Objects in the water that may account for cadaveric lesions 
 are numerous. I have known a soldier, a good swimmer, to 
 break his neck on diving from a river bank.' Other traumatic 
 lesions may occur in a rapid current, from the breaking up of 
 ice, from the screw or paddle-wheel of a passing steamer, or 
 from aquatic animals. 
 
 A matter much discussed in connection with this subject — 
 that of shark-bites — may enter into the question of survivorship 
 where it is alleged that several persons during shipwreck or 
 other disasters at sea have been devoured by sharks. Though 
 an occasional accident, such bites are more a figment of the 
 mind than a reality, as the concurrent testimony of disinter- 
 ested observers will show. After years of investigation among 
 nautical people and much experience as a swimmer in widely 
 
 ' Circular No. 3, War Department, Surgeon -General's Office, Washing- 
 ton, 1871, pp. 129-131.
 
 ACCIDENTAL, SUICIDAL, OR CRIMINAL. 809 
 
 different parts of the world, I have no personal knowledge of 
 such injuries, and have met hut two persons that had any 
 actual personal knowledge of shark-bites. 
 
 Documentary evidence as to shark-bites is also very scanty. 
 During the last fifty years soldiers by the tens of thousands 
 have swum at Fort Monroe, Virginia, yet there is no record 
 of one having been bitten by a shark ; nor have I been able to 
 ascertain that any accident of the kind has occurred at Malta 
 or at Gibraltar. There does not appear to be a record of any 
 ■one ever having been bitten off the British Isles. I have been 
 unable to ascertain that a single bite of the kind is reported 
 among the medical records of our War or Navy Department 
 or those of the Marine Hospital. In the West Indies but few 
 facts are reported indicating danger from sharks, and these are 
 not well authenticated. The same may be said as to newspaper 
 accounts, which deserve about as much credence as the reports 
 concerning sea-serpents. A few years ago a public journal 
 gave an account of a boy who was bitten while swimming near 
 New York and afterward died in a hospital. 
 
 But medical literature has a few reports of shark-bites. After 
 ten years' diligent search I have found seven references, 
 the earliest in the London Medical Gazette, 1823, and the 
 latest in the London Lancet, 1886. The bites occurred in 
 Australia, South Africa, and India. The Hooghley and Ganges 
 Rivers are the worst place in the world for sharks and alligators. 
 A particular kind of shark, the Carcharras Gangeticus, which 
 is very fierce and bold, sometimes dashes among the crowds at 
 the bathing ghats, and has been known to bite a boy in two 
 feet of water. All persons bitten at these places generally die 
 from the bite, for the reason that the shark, living on carrion, 
 portions of which stick between the teeth, carries infection to 
 those whom it may afterward bite. The former habit of 
 throwing the dead in the river is supposed to account for the 
 boldness of these particular sharks in attacking the human 
 species. 
 
 Self-inflicted wounds rather suggest suicide, as numerous 
 instances attest, where one or two kinds of death were intended 
 to make assurance doublj^ sure. I once saw an Eskimo stab 
 himself and then jump overboard from a ship off the Siberian 
 coast. But as a rule suicidal drowning is unaccompanied by
 
 810 DEATH FROM SUBMERSION — ROSSE. 
 
 traumatic lesions, unless it be those produced by falls. Hence 
 the absence of lesions leads to the presumption that the indi- 
 vidual while living fell into the water or other fluid accidentally 
 or voluntarily. 
 
 Exception may be made in the case of infanticide and 
 homicidal submersion as the result of surprise, where a person 
 taken unawares is suddenly and unexpectedly pushed or thrown 
 into the water. A case in point is that of a man suddenly 
 robbed and seized by three persons, who threw him into the 
 river. Another is that of a man who, wishing to get rid of his 
 wife, gave her arsenic. The effects of the poison being slow 
 he induced her to take a walk along the river, and when her 
 back was turned he pushed her rapidly off the bank into the 
 stream, where she drowned. Death by submersion is rarely the 
 result of murderous intent, and in the case of adults it is sud- 
 denly resorted to in order to paralyze resistance and facilitate 
 the success of crime. 
 
 Submersion is oftener intended to hide a crime. A body 
 may be taken from the water after murder or rape. Whether 
 the cadaver is recent or one that has lain in the water a long 
 time, the expert is confronted with a question of the differences 
 that he may expect to find in a body drowned and one thrown 
 into the water after death. This difficulty can only be resolved 
 by considering all the signs and lesions furnished by the 
 autopsy. No single sign or post-mortem appearance is charac- 
 teristic of drowning, and none enables us surely to diagnosticate 
 death by submersion either in putrid or fresh cadavers. Nor 
 do we have any significant infallible signs that may serve as a 
 parallel between the immerged post mortem and the submerged. 
 The exterior signs being nearly the same in the two, the diag- 
 nosis must necessarily depend upon assembled circumstances, 
 and these are liable to vary. 
 
 CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MAY AFFECT THE TIME OF 
 SUBMERSION. 
 
 Putrid decomposition is the chief obstacle to diagnosis in a 
 body that has been drowned. This presents great differences. 
 The death happening in winter or summer, in a temperate or 
 intertropical country, and sojourn of the cadaver in salt or fresh
 
 CIRCUMSTANCES AFFECTING TIME OF SUBMERSION. 811 
 
 water, are each and all important details to be considered in 
 studying the submergence of a bodj^.' 
 
 It is only by studying the events in this order, along with 
 the immediate signs of death, that the duration of the sub- 
 mergence may be conjectured. With anatomical appearances 
 as the only guide it is impossible to fix the time of immersion. 
 Many elements combined ma}^ affect even the gaseous putrefac- 
 tion that takes place in submerged bodies. Summer heat and 
 shallow or stagnant water hasten the development of putrid 
 gas and subcutaneous emphj^sema which bring the cadaver to 
 the surface, and that, too, sometimes in spite of precautions 
 taken to insure the submersion. A case in point is the body 
 of the Italian admiral, Caraccioli, mentioned in Sou they 's 
 "Life of Nelson." Bodies weighted with lead or other heavy 
 substance for the purpose of hiding crime have also been 
 known to float in consequence of the putrefactive phenomena. 
 
 At Evansville, Ind., unsuccessful efforts were made to raise 
 a sunken steamer with thirty head of cattle between decks. A 
 few days after the attempt was abandoned the steamer was 
 suddenly seen to float. The carcasses of the putrefying animals, 
 swollen by gas, had sufiiced to bring the wreck to the surface. 
 
 A great development of gas is very noticeable in what is 
 known as a " blasted" whale, the stomach of which assumes 
 balloon-like proportions. A few summers ago, at Province- 
 town, Mass., it was my rare fortune to be within a few feet of 
 an enormously distended putrid whale, which suddenly ex- 
 ploded. 
 
 In cold countries drowned bodies are longer in coming to the 
 surface. In Russia, for instance, in spring after the rivers and 
 lakes have thawed, the bodies of numerous victims of alcohol- 
 ism and accidental drowning of the previous winter are taken 
 from the water. Last summer, at Quebec, I was present when 
 the body of a man drowned the winter before came to the sur- 
 face of the St. Lawrence River. On a visit to the northern 
 lakes many persons connected with the navigation of Lake 
 Superior told me that bodies drowned in its waters seldom or 
 never came to the surface. 
 
 Specific gravity of the water itself may be an additional 
 
 ' The subject has been well stud- I'Anthropolosie Criniinelle et des 
 ied by Dr. A. Carre, Archiv. de Sciences Penales, 15Janv., 1892.
 
 812 DEATH FROM SUBMERSION — ROSSE. 
 
 cause for the body coming to the surface. Dr. Tidy says that 
 every structure of the human body floats in the water of the 
 Dead Sea. The same cannot be said about the buoyancy of the 
 water of Great Salt Lake, the accounts of which have been 
 greatly exaggerated. It does not " support a bather as if he 
 were sitting in an arm-chair and float him like a fresh egg." 
 Experience shows that there is no difficulty either in swimming 
 or in sinking in its waters, the solid constituents of which are 
 estimated to be about six and a half times more than that of 
 sea-water. Analysis of Dead Sea water places the solid con- 
 stituents at 24.580, while that of Salt Lake is 22.282. An- 
 ottier strong natural brine in the United States is said to be 
 that of Syracuse Saline, New York, which contains 1?.35 per 
 cent of sodium chloride. 
 
 It is evident from what has been stated that no positive 
 assertion can be made as to how soon a drowned body will rise 
 to the surface, and at best any conclusion as to the date of 
 submersion is so unsatisfactory that it ma}^ be said to be an 
 unscrupulous use of guessing privileges. Errors in legal med- 
 icine are sadder in their consequences than those of medical 
 diagnosis. The medical legist would therefore do well to pre- 
 serve the frame of mind that often doubts and rarely affirms, 
 and he should be circumspect enough to avoid dogmatic asser- 
 tions about matters of uncertainty.
 
 DEATH FROM STARVATION. 
 
 IN ITS MEDICO-LEGAL ASPECT. 
 
 BY 
 
 ENOCH V. STODDARD, A.M., M.D., 
 
 Emeritus Professor of Materia Medica and Hygiene in the University of Buffalo; 
 
 Member of the Medical Society of the State of New York and of the Central 
 
 New York Medical Association; Fellow of the New York Academy 
 
 of Medicine and of the American Academy of Medicine; 
 
 Late Surgemi 65th Regt. N. Y. Vols. ; Late 
 
 Health Commissioner, Rochester, 
 
 N. Y. ; etc. , etc.
 
 STARVATIOJN". 
 
 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 
 
 Physiology teaches that Hfe can only be maintained in 
 the living organism by a constant equilibrium between its 
 waste and repair. Nutrition is a term by which we describe 
 this double movement of renewal of the molecular structure of 
 the body, and in this general sense only, that nutrition is synony- 
 mous with the maintenance of the organism in a stable condi- 
 tion, is it employed here. 
 
 This condition of equilibrium is maintained by a regular 
 and constant supply of food. 
 
 A food may be defined to be a substance which, after intro- 
 duction into the bod}-, supplies material for the renewal of its 
 tissues or sustains some of its vital processes. Foods vary 
 greatly in their properties as restorative or constructive agen- 
 cies, some containing but few essential properties, while others 
 combine almost all of the elements required. As some foods 
 contribute elements for tissue restoration, others are specially 
 concerned in the calorifacient activities of the organism,' while 
 others are marked in their tendency to take part, almost exclu- 
 sively, in special chemical processes.'' 
 
 The various articles used as foods contain nutritive ele- 
 ments combined with innutritions substances. They have been 
 variously classified, but are conveniently divided into 
 
 I Orrranir foods ■^"- ^^*^"Senous(C.H.O.N.). ( oieaLnnous 
 L Oigamcfood., ^,, Non-nitrogenous (C.H.O.), ] g^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 TT T • ^ 1 i «• Water, HoO. 
 
 IL Inorganic foods, ] ,, Saline substances. 
 
 Nitrogen enters largety into the composition of the body, and 
 hence must be abundantly supplied and in combination. 
 
 'Flint's "Text-Book of Phvsiol- -Foster, "Handbook of Pliysi- 
 
 ogy," Ed. 1877, p. 517; I. Forster, ology," Ed. 1880, p. 457; Kirkc's 
 
 "Zeitschrift fiir Biologie, " tome "Handbook of Physiology,'- 11th 
 
 ix., 1872. Ed., vol. i., p. 311. '
 
 81G STARVATION — STODDARD. 
 
 Of the non-nitrogenous elements the most important are faty 
 sugar, and starch. 
 
 The inorganic principles are essential to the process of nu- 
 trition. Water, constituting 87 per cent of the bulk of the 
 body, is demanded in constant supply; while the saline sub- 
 stances are necessary for the perfect performance of many of 
 its chemical processes. 
 
 It is apparent that no single element can alone carry on 
 the nutrition of the body, and hence variety in the supply of 
 food, as well as sufficiency in its quantity, is essential to nor- 
 mal nutrition. Nor are these the only factors in this complex 
 problem. Proper preparation of food, its supply at necessary 
 temperatures,' and other requirements enter into the question 
 of normal or sufficient alimentation.^ 
 
 Alimentation is sufficient when it is so regulated that all 
 the functions of the body are performed in a complete and reg- 
 ular manner. Insufficient alimentation induces a series of phe- 
 nomena and a result which have been designated " inanition, ^^ 
 or "starvation." 
 
 The exact amount of aliment required by each individual 
 can only be stated in a general way. In the circumstances in 
 which he is placed, the supply must be of such character and 
 quantity as shall be proportionate to the constructive and repa- 
 rative needs of his body.* It is possible, however, to state a 
 mean for the various ages and occupations of life. 
 
 Phj^siologists generally agree that in ordinary conditions 
 of exercise the following represents the amounts of the several 
 food elements necessary for the adult individual daily : 
 
 Albuminous substances 130 gms. = 4 oz. 
 
 Fatty substances 60 " = 2 " 
 
 Carbohydrates 360 " =12 " 
 
 Taking the fatty matters as the unit, the daily allowance 
 would bear the following proportions : 
 
 Fats, 1; albuminoids, 3; carbohydrates, 6. 
 
 These quantities and especially the fats and carbohydrates, 
 in conditions of hard muscular labor, must be increased ; and 
 the proportion would then stand : 
 
 ' F. Spaeth, "Archiv fiir Hy- -Rochard, "Encyclopaed. d'Hy- 
 
 giene," 1886, pp.. 68-81. giene," vol. ii., p. 796.
 
 ACUTE STARVATION. 817 
 
 Fats, 1; albuminoids, 1.7; carbohj^drates, 7, 
 
 The division of this amount of food elements into proper 
 portions during twenty-four hours is important. This must 
 be regulated b}^ the habits and other circumstances of the indi- 
 vidual. ' 
 
 The occurrence of death solely from privation of food is 
 comparatively rare ; yet it is suflBciently frequent to be consid- 
 ered as one of the causes of violent death and to demand inves- 
 tigation, since circumstances may be such as to constitute a 
 homicide from criminal neglect or a suicide from intentional 
 abstinence from food. 
 
 "Starvation," or "inanition," may be considered as 
 being acute or chronic according as the requisite food has 
 been suddenly and completely or gradually withheld. 
 
 ACUTE STARVATION. 
 
 The complete deprivation of food induces a series of modifi- 
 cations of the functions of the body, differing somewhat from 
 those developed by a partial and prolonged deprivation. The 
 length of time during which complete absence of food can be 
 endured varies with circumstances. In absolute stoppage of 
 the food supply the acute sensatiori1K)f hunger pass away after 
 the first one or two days, and are succeeded by profound func- 
 tional disturbances with weakness and depressing sensations 
 over the epigastric region, accompanied by distressing thirst.^ 
 The mouth is dry and the tongue heavily coated; the breath is 
 fetid; the skin is harsh, dry, and exhales a disagreeable odor; 
 the feces become more and more scanty until the latter da3'S of 
 life, when diarrhoea usually supervenes ; the face and extremi- 
 ties become rapidly emaciated ; the person walks with a weak 
 and tottering gait ; ^ the urine is small in quantity and very 
 acid ; muscular feebleness gradually reaches complete inability 
 to move ; ringing in the ears, insomnia and, in some cases, hal- 
 
 ' For elaborate statements con- Ed. 1873, p. 179; Levy, "Traite de 
 
 suit Edward Smith, "Foods," Int. Hygiene, " vol. i., p. 739. 
 
 Sci. Ser., N. Y. Ed., 1878; PavJ^ ^corrigan, "On Famine and 
 
 "On Food," 2d Ed., 1881, N. Y., p. Fever." etc., Dublin, 1849. 
 
 467; Buck, "Hygiene," Ed. 1879, sDonnivan, "On Famine," Dub- 
 
 vol. i., p. 190; Parkes, "Hygiene," lin Med. Press, 1848, p. 67. 
 .52
 
 818 STARVATION — STODDARD. 
 
 lucinations ' with delirium and convulsions precede death, 
 though these latter symptoms are not uniformly observed.^ 
 
 "CHRONIC STARVATION," "CHRONIC INANITION." 
 
 This form of starvation, met with most extensively during 
 the prevalence of famine, also occurs in conditions demanding 
 legal investigation. 
 
 The symptoms are suflBciently constant and characteristic. 
 Emaciation becomes extreme, the skin dry and rough, exhaling 
 a disagreeable odor and often covered with a coating not en- 
 tirely attributable to filth; the breath is fetid and offensive. 
 With some exceptions, the victim retains his consciousness and 
 ability to move about, muscular efforts becoming more and 
 more feeble; the voice becomes faint; the evacuations infre- 
 quent, dry and dark ; the urine scanty and high-colored, death 
 occurring suddenh' at the end, with delirium in some cases. 
 
 The length of time during which these sj^mptoms are de- 
 veloped and their intensity depend mainly upon the amount 
 and character of the aliment actually supplied during the period 
 before death. 
 
 Upon the pulse and circulation the effects of starvation 
 are manifest in increased g:equency and feebleness of the car- 
 diac contractions and lesi^ned force of the cardiac impulse ; this 
 is more and more marked as the anaemic condition becomes 
 profound. In some cases the pulse is greatly reduced in fre- 
 quency, as well as in force, dropping as low as thirty-seven 
 beats in the minute,^ and auscultation reveals the existence of 
 cardiac bruits. 
 
 In connection with enfeeblement of the circulation, a ten- 
 dency to hemorrhagic conditions is common, with purpuric and 
 petechial eruptions in some cases. 
 
 Temperature. — A subnormal temperature is frequently 
 noted in the progress of chronic wasting disease. In inanition, 
 which in some respects induces a similarly profound disturb- 
 ance of the functions of nutrition, an analogous lowering of the 
 
 ' Folet, Ann. de Hygiene et de Times and Gazette, 1861, vol. i., p. 
 Med. Legal, 2d ser. , vol, xlviii. 344. 
 
 '■* Sloan, London Med. Gazette, '^ Chossat. " Recherches experi- 
 
 vol. xvii., p. 265; Martin, Med. mentales sur inanition," Paris, 
 
 1843, p. 45.
 
 CHRONIC STARVATION — CHRONIC INANITION. 819 
 
 body temperature occurs. Chossat clearly shows in his ex- 
 periments the influence of starvation in depressing the body 
 temperature. This abasement of temperature does not remain 
 constant, but daily oscillations appear, differing from those 
 occurring in conditions of normal alimentation. 
 
 While the normal diurnal variation in the fully nourished 
 is about 0.3° to 1.0° C. (0.5° to 1.7° F.), in the starving this 
 variation reaches 3.28° C. (5.4° F,). This rises to nearly double 
 this amount during the latter days of life, and is greatly in- 
 creased above this figure during the day preceding death. 
 The temperature at the close falls to a mean of 24.9° C. (76° 
 F.), and at the moment of death has been noted at 18.5° C. 
 (66° F.). 
 
 Emaciation. — Loss of w^eight is the most striking and con- 
 stant symptom of starvation. The rapidity of its production 
 and its extent are modified by circumstances. A very consid- 
 erable loss of weight can be sustained by the ordinary individ- 
 ual without a fatal result. 
 
 Chossat ' fully demonstrated the effects of inanition upon 
 the various functions and organs of the body in animals, and 
 has drawn the conclusion that a loss of weight exceeding four- 
 tenths of the entire weight of the jbody is productive of a fatal 
 result. These deductions may be gf^opted as applicable to the 
 human species. This statement must be accepted as a inean, 
 as it is capable of variation by circumstances, such as age, 
 obesity, etc. 
 
 Death may occur before so great a loss has been reached in 
 some cases, and in the obese the fat may disappear entirely 
 and cause a loss reaching five per cent of the entire weight of 
 the body, in a very fat animal, without a fatal result. 
 
 Bouchardat ^ considers that the important question is the 
 extent to which the blood and organs of the bod}' contribute to 
 this loss of weight. Impoverishment of the blood b}^ inanition, 
 which at the time of death has been found to amount to six- 
 tenths of its solid constituents, is one of the most vitallj" serious 
 elements of this loss; and a relative increase of its water}" por- 
 tion appears, without regard to the employment of water as a 
 beverage. 
 
 ' "Rechei'ches experiinentales sur ^Bouchardat, "Del' Alimentation 
 
 inanition," 1845. insutiissant, " Paris, 1852, p. 10.
 
 820 STARVATION — STODDARD. 
 
 It must be remembered that in wasting diseases extreme 
 emaciation may occur under a liberal diet, and may continue 
 for a considerable time before death.' 
 
 The muscular system becomes greatly enfeebled, atrophied, 
 and unable to perform its functions; the loss sustained by the 
 muscles least used being most marked. The extent of muscular 
 power possible in starvation varies in different individuals and 
 in various circumstances. 
 
 The vigorous and healthy adult, as a rule, retains muscular 
 power to a greater extent and for a longer period than the child 
 or aged person, under similar circumstances. 
 
 Exposure to a rigorous climate, prolonged fatigue, etc., rap- 
 idly reduce capacity for muscular effort in conditions of inani- 
 tion. 
 
 The Period at which Death Occurs. 
 
 This is influenced by many circumstances. It is difficult to 
 fix an exact period for the duration of life in complete depriva- 
 tion of food, or acute starvation, and it is certainly more so 
 in chronic inanition, when the modifying circumstances are in- 
 creased in number and con^lexity. 
 
 A large number of cases of prolongation of life during a 
 period of absolute deprivation of food which has been stated 
 to extend over weeks and even months, cannot be accepted as 
 free from error, and hence are not considered here. 
 
 A sufficient number, accurately observed and well attested 
 by unimpeachable authorities, have led to the conclusion that 
 the healthy adult, in a total deprivation of food, can exist for a 
 period not exceeding ten to twelve days. On one of the Inman 
 line of steamers, a young man, aged twenty years, endured ab- 
 solute deprivation of all food and water during eleven days, re- 
 covery following.^ 
 
 Sarah Jacobs, a child of thirteen years ("the Welsh fast- 
 ing girl"), had been exhibited by her parents as a miraculous 
 being under the pretence that she had eaten nothing during two 
 yearns. 
 
 The child being placed ^under complete surveillance by four 
 
 ' Greenfield, ^Brit. Med. Jour., '^Dr. McLoughlin, London Lan- 
 
 Oct. 20th, 1877. ^ cet, Nov. 2d, 1878.
 
 THE PERIOD AT WHICH DEATH OCCURS. 821 
 
 nurses from Gu3''s Hospital for eight da3's, during which period 
 no food was taken, died on the ninth day. 
 
 The post-mortem examination showed all organs of the body 
 to be in a healthy condition. The stomach was empty, with the 
 exception of three teaspoonfuls of a thin acid fluid. The intes- 
 tines were also empty and their walls were not thinned. A 
 layer of fat, half an inch or more in thickness, was found under 
 the skin of the chest and abdomen. The liver was in a healthy 
 condition, as also the kidneys and spleen. The bladder wai 
 empty. 
 
 The parents were tried on a charge of manslaughter and 
 were convicted of causing death by criminal negligence. ' 
 
 Caspar gives the details of a case observed b}' him of a 
 man aged thirty-six years, who endured total abstinence from 
 all food for eleven days, recovery following." 
 
 Cases are reported of miners who have been imprisoned by 
 accidents in mines for eight, nine, and nine and one-half days, 
 with recovery following rescue at the end of this time."* 
 
 While the period stated may serve as a maximum limit to 
 which life may be extended in acute starvation, there are cir- 
 cumstances which must be considered as modifying this. 
 
 Body Condition. — It need hardly be stated that the indi- 
 vidual in perfect health can sustain complete inanition longer 
 than the enfeebled or diseased. The presence or absence oi fat 
 modifies considerably the power of endurance. 
 
 Age. — Infants bear starvation badly and succumb more 
 quickly than the adult. The aged, while they bear a moderate 
 amount of food better than the young adult, do not endure a 
 complete deprivation for so long a time. 
 
 Cold. — The depressing influence of cold upon the vital func- 
 tions, especially in the young and feeble, renders it a powerful 
 factor in shortening the duration of life in starvation. 
 
 The Supply ofWater. — When all food is withheld, free 
 use of water as a drink tends to increase the length of the inter- 
 val before death. In several cases of protracted fasting, the 
 use of water in moderate amount has been resorted to with 
 
 'Reg. V. Jacobs and wife, Car- Syd. Soc. Pub., vol. ii., p. 29; 
 
 marthen Summer Assizes, 1890 ; Lcmdon Lancet, April 11th, 1877, 
 
 also London Lancet, 1890, vol. ii., pp. 580-620. 
 
 p. 132. ■ -^Thornhill, Med. Gazette, Nov. 
 
 '^ Caspar, " Forensic Medicine, " 28th, 1835, p. 39Q, 

 
 822 STARVATION— STODDARD. 
 
 the apparent result of amelioration of some of the distressing 
 symptoms and lengthening the period of endurance. 
 
 Dr. Tanner, a physician, attempted in July and August, 
 1880, at New York, a complete fast of forty days' duration, with 
 the exception of the free use of water. In this case absolute 
 abstinence from all nourishment is questioned, as no strict 
 medical surveillance was maintained. 
 
 The Italian Succi, at New York, in 1890, undertook a vol- 
 untary abstinence from food for forty days, under surveillance, 
 with the use of simple liquids and of some narcotic substance. 
 He completed the fast, but beyond this fact the case is with- 
 out scientific value. 
 
 Catalepsy. — Certain abnormal conditions of the nervous 
 system are met where the activity of the vital functions is very 
 considerably lowered and the various processes of the economy 
 are in a condition of semi-suspension. Cases of this character 
 have been observed where the supply of food has been almost 
 entirely suspended for a period of several days, with but little 
 emaciation and other symptoms characteristic of inanition. 
 
 WAS STARVATION ACCOMPANIED BY OTHER ILL 
 TREATMENT ? 
 
 This question may aris« where evidences of starvation are 
 apparent. 
 
 Such cases are met among young children neglected or 
 abused by parents or those in whose care they may have been 
 placed, or among the alienated or sick in the care of cruel or un- 
 sympathetic attendants. 
 
 Infants placed with " wet-nurses " or found in the so-called 
 "baby farms" also furnish cases which fall under this head. 
 
 A careful examination into the collateral circumstances of 
 the case, together with the results of a careful post-mortem ex- 
 amination, usually render a positive answer to this question 
 possible. 
 
 POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION. 
 
 The dead body exhibits appearances quite characteristic. 
 
 Emaciation is very marked and sometimes reaches an ex- 
 traordinary degree, surpassing that of prolonged and wasting 
 diseases.
 
 POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION. 823 
 
 In extreme cases the fat entirel}' disappears throughout the 
 body ; the omentum and mesenteiy are entirely devoid of it, as 
 well as the subcutaneous and intermuscular cellular tissue. 
 The muscles are atrophied and the heart is sometimes consid- 
 erably reduced in size ; the liver and kidneys in some cases show 
 great reduction of volume. The spleen also is small and often 
 softened. 
 
 The stomach, and intestines usually display an extensive 
 thinning of their walls, so muali so that their contents maj' be 
 distinguished through them; their calibre also is frequently 
 found to be diminished, though occasionally they may be dis- 
 teuded with gas. Usually they are empty, or contain only a 
 small quantity of bile and fecal matter. In some cases various 
 foreign substances which have been swallowed by the victims 
 to appease hunger have been found in them. 
 
 The thinning of the walls, so constantly noted, has been con- 
 sidered as a specially characteristic symptom of starvation.' 
 
 The congestion, softening, and ulcerations which have been 
 observed in some cases cannot be considered as evidences of 
 starvation or as its results, but rather as being due to an enter- 
 itis induced by the ingestion of improper substances. 
 
 The gall bladder is usually f«und filled with dark and 
 inspissated bile. In death by starvation the entire organs of 
 the body exhibit no specific form of disease. Evidences of the 
 existence of an organic affection observed in the post-mortem 
 examination at once raise the question : 
 
 WAS DEATH CAUSED BY STARVATION OR DISEASE? 
 
 Was the original disease aggravated by a failure to supply 
 the patient with food, or are the lesions observed the result 
 of starvation? A positive conclusion can be reached in such 
 cases by carefully considering the results of a post-mortem ex- 
 amination together with other facts elicited by the inquiry. 
 
 Harriet Staunton," a 5'oung girl, had been kept in close con- 
 finement by four interested persons, and removed in great 
 
 'Caspar, "Forensic Medicine," '^"The Penge Case;" Reg. v. 
 
 Syd. Soc. Pub., vol. ii., p. 3G ; Staunton, Central Crim. Court. 
 
 Martin, Med. Times and Gazette, 1817. 
 March 30th, 1861 (Case 132).
 
 824 STARVATION — STODDARD. 
 
 haste, when in a condition of extreme prostration, to Penge, 
 where she died, on the day succeeding her removal, in a state 
 of extreme exhaustion and emaciation. Fat was absent from 
 every part of the body ; the stomach and intestines were empty, 
 contracted, and their walls were greatly thinned. 
 
 A small deposit of tubercle was found at the summit of the 
 left lung and a recent deposit of miliary tubercle beneath the 
 arachnoid, upon the surface of one of the cerebral hemispheres. 
 No other tuberculous deposits were found. The opinion given 
 by the physicians making the post-mortem examination was 
 that death resulted from starvation. This opinion was shared 
 by Professor Virchow, of Berlin, who stated that the tubercu- 
 lous deposits found could not explain the cause of death. 
 
 In this case the extreme emaciation, entire absence of fat, 
 thinning of the intestinal walls, etc, were the determining con- 
 ditions. While extreme emaciation alone is not suflScient to 
 decide the case to be one of starvation, its existence, taken in 
 connection with some of the conditions found constantly in 
 persons known to have died of starvation, is a strongly corrob- 
 orative fact. Nor can its absence be taken as conclusive evi- 
 dence that death occurred from other cause than starvation, 
 since in some cases of deaSli from inanition emaciation has not 
 been extreme and in a few cases not at all marked,' Instances 
 of this character are reported by Taylor and others, 
 
 DISEASES PRODUCED BY STARVATION. 
 
 The effect of insufficient alimentation in the production of 
 disease has long been recognized. It is understood that this 
 result follows the deficiency in either quality or quantity. The 
 so-called "famine fever," prevalent in times of dearth, has 
 afforded extensive opportunity for observation of the effects pro- 
 duced. The symptoms developed are those directly referable to 
 impoverishment of the blood. Pallor, emaciation, nervous de- 
 pression, derangement of the digestive organs, and muscular 
 enfeeblement appear in every case. 
 
 The development of strumous, herpetic, and cutaneous dis- 
 eases generally is marked. 
 
 Of the secondary effects, the cachectic condition induced ex- 
 ' The case of Reg. v. Jacobs and wife.
 
 DISEASES PRODUCED BY STARVATION. 825 
 
 presses itself in pulmonary phthisis largely, while in infants 
 and very young children intestinal disorders are specially fre- 
 quent. Organic diseases already existing are seriously aggra- 
 vated; wounds fail to heal, become ulcerative and sometimes 
 gangrenous ; while all degenerative processes are rapidly hast- 
 ened to a fatal issue.' 
 
 'Holland, "On Morbid Effects of Deficiency of Food," London, 1839.
 
 '^
 
 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Abdomen, contusions of, 580 
 
 post-mortem examination of, 370 
 
 wounds of, 580 
 
 Abdominal viscera, rupture of, 583 
 
 wounds of, 583 
 
 Abscess of brain 563 
 
 Actions to recover for services (see Privileged Communica- 
 tions,) 26 
 
 amount of recovery in, 45 
 
 elements to be proved in, 47 
 
 evidence in, 23-48 
 
 Actions for malpractice, 73-87 
 
 Adipocerb, 451 
 
 Age, determination of, 399 
 
 Alcoholism, 564 
 
 Anthropometry, . . . . . f 432 
 
 APNtEA, .*'.... 709, 796 
 
 Arteries, wounds of, 578 
 
 Asphyxia, 708 
 
 by submersion, 790, 797 
 
 external appearances due to, 715 
 
 internal appearances due to, 718 
 
 Autopsies, 301, 349 
 
 in cases of poisoning, 356, 371 
 
 late, 378 
 
 of fragments 380 
 
 order of, jf . . . . 356 
 
 Bills for services, effect of, 43 
 
 Bladder, rupture of. 585 
 
 wounds of, 585 
 
 Blank charges, woui^ds by, 617 
 
 Blood, coagulation of, 488, 701 
 
 condition of, after burns, 653 
 
 extravasation of, in brain, 565 
 
 on weapons, 535 
 
 stains, 350
 
 828 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Body (see Dead Body), examination of, 537 
 
 temperature of, 629 
 
 Bones, identification of human, 390 
 
 old or recent? 391 
 
 Books, medical, when and where used in court, . . . .64 
 of original entry, when admissible in evidence, . . . .48 
 of physician, see Privileged Communications 
 
 Brain, abscess of, 563 
 
 concussion of, 561 
 
 congestion of, in drowning, 796 
 
 extravasation of blood in, 565 
 
 post-mortem examination of, 362 
 
 wounds of, 569 
 
 Bui/LETS, 595 
 
 loss of weight of, 601 
 
 track of, 595 
 
 Burking, 775 
 
 Burns, 360, 639 
 
 by acids, . . . 641 
 
 burning oil, 640 
 
 corrosives 641 
 
 electrical currents, 664, 676 
 
 flame 640 
 
 fused metals, 640 
 
 lightning, 694 
 
 petroleum, 641 
 
 cases of, 657 
 
 causes of death by, 645 
 
 classification of, 642 
 
 constitutional efifects of, 644 
 
 local effects of 643 
 
 period of death from, 649 
 
 post-mortem appearances of, 647 
 
 whether ante- or post-mortem, 6^9 
 
 Cadaveric changes (see Post-mortem), ...... 441 
 
 Cadaveric saponification, 451 
 
 Cases of burns, 657 
 
 of hanging, 760 
 
 of strangulation, 726 
 
 of suffocation, 787 
 
 Catalepsy, 822 
 
 Cause of death, see Coroners 
 
 from burns, 645 
 
 severe mechanical injury, 499 
 
 submersion, 797 
 
 wounds, 496, 497
 
 INDEX. 829 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Cause of Death, 
 
 hemorrhage as, 497 
 
 latent disease as, 503 
 
 shock as, 499 
 
 was it natural? 503 
 
 wounds as secondary, 509 
 
 Clothing, examination of, 353, 537 
 
 Cold, effects of extreme, 630 
 
 Combustion, spontaneous, G47 
 
 Communications, privileged (see Privileged Communications), . 33 
 Compensation, see Physician and Patient ; Expert Witness; Coi*- 
 oners ; Medical Examiners 
 
 Concussion, 472 
 
 of brain, 561 
 
 spinal cord, 573 
 
 Congenital peculiarities, identity from, 403 
 
 Constitutionality of statutes regulating practice of medicine 
 
 and surgery, 7-11 
 
 Contracts between physician and patient (see Physician and 
 
 Patient), 25 
 
 contre-coup, 559, 611 
 
 Contusions, 358, 467, 470, 523 
 
 by lightning, 695 
 
 of abdomen, 580 
 
 of head, 558 
 
 of neck, 570 
 
 Coroner (see Post-mortem Examinations), 331 
 
 is virtute electionis in America, 332 
 
 duties of, are both judicial and ministerial, 332 
 
 judicial authority of, relates to inquiries into cases of death, . 332 
 
 jurisdiction of, 332 
 
 kinds of, at common law, 331 
 
 presumption that he has acted in good faith, .... 332 
 pi'otected under same principles which protect judicial officers, 333 
 
 Effect of evidence and verdict, 343 
 
 at connuon law was equivalent to indictment by grand jury, . 343 
 not so now, yet inquisition has same power until grand jury 
 
 passes upon the case, . 343 
 
 Evidence before, when admissible upon a subsequent trial, . . 344 
 Inquest, all evidence must be presented to jury, .... 342 
 coroner cannot hold a second inquest while the first is undis- 
 charged 334 
 
 «oroner has power to hold, 332, 334 
 
 is a jvidicial investigation, 333 
 
 must be held in view of the body 335 
 
 separate inquests must be held over eacli of several bodies, . 333 
 Jury and inquest, coroner may compel attendance of witnesses, . 341 
 
 i>
 
 830 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Coroner, 
 
 Jury and inquest, jurors must be from jurisdiction wherein coroner 
 
 is empowered to act, 341 
 
 jurors must be sworn by coroner, 341 
 
 jurors must investigate and determine the facts, . . . 341 
 
 jurors must view the body, 341 
 
 jurors not challengeable, 341 
 
 witnesses must be sworn bj' the coroner, 342 
 
 Massachusetts, see Medical Examiners 
 
 office abolished by statute in, 338 
 
 statutory provisions in, 338 
 
 who may hold an inquest, 338 
 
 New York, coroner may issue warrant of arrest of person charged 
 
 with the death 341 
 
 must, after examination of charges, hold defendant to answer 
 
 or discharge him, 341 
 
 must px'oceed to examine charges against accused upon his ar- 
 rest, 341 
 
 inquisition and testimony must be filed, 340 
 
 jurors must inspect the body and hear the testimony, . . 340 
 jury must render verdict and certify it by an inquisition, . . 340 
 
 six or more jurors must be sworn, 340 
 
 statutory i^rovisions, 339 
 
 testimony must be reduced to writing, 340 
 
 when inquest may be held, 339 
 
 Powers of, 
 
 cannot delegate authonty or appoint deputy 333 
 
 contract will bind county for payment of reasonable compensa- 
 tion, ............. 336 
 
 may employ professional skill to aid him 335 
 
 may have body disinterred, 335 
 
 may issue process of apprehension, 343 
 
 Return of inquisition, 342 
 
 inquisition should be signed by the coroner and jury, . . 343 
 should certify that witnesses before the coroner were sworn, . 343 
 verdict of the jury is final, . 342 
 
 Rights of accused party before, 342 
 
 has not the right to be represented by counsel or to cross- 
 examine witnesses, 342 
 
 is not permitted to produce witnesses to show himself innocent, 342 
 
 privilege of prisoner upon arrest 344 
 
 testimony may be taken by the coroner in his absence, . . 342 
 under New York criminal code defendant is entitled to a 
 hearing before a magistrate, 344 
 
 Craniometry, 394 
 
 Cremation, 389 
 
 Custom of phvsieians to serve each other gratuitouslv, . . .52
 
 INDEX. 
 
 831 
 
 301 
 
 Dead Body, 
 
 autopsies, 
 
 changes in, 
 
 chemical examination of, 
 
 cooling of, 
 
 coroners' duties concerning (see Legal Status of, Appendix), 
 crimes against (see Legal Status of, Appendix), . 
 
 disposal of. 
 
 dissection, when permitted (see Legal Status of, Appendix), 
 
 district attorney's jjowers concerning, 
 
 duty of burial, 
 
 examination of gunshot wounds, 
 
 exhumation of, 
 
 external examination of, 
 
 flaccidity of, 
 
 internal examination of, 
 
 legal status of, 
 
 Appendix, giving statutes concerning, .... 
 physical examination of (see Autopsies), .... 
 post-mortem examination of (see Autopsies ; Post-mortem Ex 
 
 aminers), . 
 
 putrefaction of, 
 
 right of burial or removal 
 
 saponification of, 
 
 seizure for debt forbidden, 
 
 statutes regulating interment or exhumation, etc., generally, 
 
 Alabama, . . 309 
 Arizona, . . 309 
 Arkansas, . . 309 
 California, . . 310 
 Colorado, . . 311 
 Connecticut, . 311 
 Delaware, . . 312 
 Florida, . . .313 
 Georgia, . . 313 
 Idaho, . . .313 
 Illinois, . . . 313 
 Indiana, . . 313 
 Iowa, . . .314. 
 Kansas, . . . 314 
 Kentucky, . . 314 
 
 tempo ratui-e of, . 
 Death, apparent, 
 
 from anaesthetics, 
 burns, causes of, . 
 period of. 
 whether accidental 
 
 Louisiana, . . 
 
 Maine, . . . 
 
 Maryland, . . 
 Massachusetts, 
 
 Michigan, . . 
 
 Minnesota, . . 
 
 Mississippi, . . 
 
 Missouri, . . . 
 
 Montana, . . 
 
 Nebraska, . . 
 
 Nevada, . . . 
 
 B15 
 315 
 315 
 316 
 316 
 317 
 317 
 318 
 318 
 318 
 319 
 
 New Hampshire, 319 
 New Jersey, . 330 
 New Mexico, . 330 
 New York, . . 330 
 
 North Carolina, 
 North Dakota, 
 Ohio, . . . 
 Oklahoma, 
 Oregon, . . 
 Pennsylvania, 
 Rhode Island, 
 South Carolina, 
 Tennessee, 
 Texas, , . . 
 Vermont, . . 
 Virginia, . . 
 Washington, 
 W(>st Virginia. 
 Wisconsin, . 
 
 suicidal, or homicidal? 
 
 441, 
 
 , 349 
 441 
 303 
 441 
 301 
 299 
 398 
 303 
 303 
 298 
 610 
 300 
 358 
 443 
 360 
 397 
 304 
 303 
 
 303 
 445 
 301 
 451 
 299 
 304 
 331 
 331 
 322 
 323 
 333 
 323 
 324 
 324 
 324 
 325 
 825 
 335 
 336 
 336 
 326 
 453 
 439 
 516 
 ()45 
 .549 
 657 
 
 o
 
 832 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Death, from cold, 633 
 
 post-mortem appearances in, 034 
 
 electrical currents, 683 
 
 hanging, proof of, 757 
 
 latent disease, 503 
 
 natural causes, 503 
 
 slight injuries, 507 
 
 starvation, 813 
 
 strangulation, proof of, 721 
 
 submersion, 794, 798 
 
 suffocation, proof of, 784 
 
 surgical operations, 515, 624 
 
 wounds, causes of, 496, 497 
 
 signs of, 440 
 
 time of, 437 
 
 Deformities, identity from, 403 
 
 Delirium tremens, 514, 624 
 
 Diaphragm, rupture of, 57& 
 
 wounds of, 57^ 
 
 Diploma or license, how proved in court, 20 
 
 Dislocations, 476 
 
 Drowning (see Submersion), 793 
 
 Ecchymoses, 467 
 
 ante-mortem, 444 
 
 post-mortem, 443, 444, 485' 
 
 Electric cars, . 668 
 
 Electric light, effects of, on eyes, 676 
 
 Electrical apparatus, injuries from, 664 
 
 Electrical currents, burns from, C64, 676 
 
 direct injuries from, 671 
 
 direct symptoms of injury from, 676 
 
 fatal, ■ . .682 
 
 high tension, 666 
 
 indirect injuries from, 670 
 
 injury from, 664 
 
 internal symptoms caused by, 678 
 
 mechanical effects of, 675 
 
 mental symptoms from, 68^ 
 
 muscular contraction from, 677 
 
 Electrical resistance, 673 
 
 Electricity, 661 
 
 medical, 664 
 
 static, . 673 
 
 Electrocution, 683 
 
 Erosion 471 
 
 Erysipelas, 511
 
 INDEX. 833 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Examination of body, 537 
 
 of clothing, 537 
 
 of surroundings 541 
 
 Excoriation, 471 
 
 Experiments, testing powder-marks, 613 
 
 with cadavers, 607 
 
 Expert witness (see Privileged Communications), . . . 49-72 
 
 compensation of, 60 
 
 competency of, 61 
 
 conduct of, in court, 65 
 
 definition of, 53 
 
 examination of, scope of, 65, 68 
 
 impeachment of, 64 
 
 in civil and criminal cases, 61 
 
 medical books, how may be used in examining, . . . .64 
 
 practical suggestions, 70 
 
 summons of court must be obeyed, 60 
 
 system in Germany and France compared with that in United 
 
 States ' 54 
 
 Exposure, effects of, 630 
 
 Extremities, wounds of, 589 
 
 Face, wounds of, 569 
 
 Falls 549 
 
 Faradism, 673 
 
 Firearms, evidence from, . . 600 
 
 examination of, 612 
 
 Flash, identity by, 619 
 
 Footprints, 427 
 
 Fractures, 359, 474, 491, 553 
 
 by gunshot wounds, 610 
 
 of ribs, 574 
 
 skull, 559 
 
 spine, 571 
 
 spontaneous, . . . ^. 474 
 
 Gall-bladder, wounds and rupture of, 584 
 
 Garrotting, 571, 707 
 
 Genital organs, post-mortem examination of, ... . 376 
 
 wounds of, 588 
 
 Gunshot wounds, see Wounds, Gunshot 
 
 HiEMATOMATA, 468 
 
 Hair, identity from, 406 
 
 on Aveapons, 535 
 
 Handwriting, 434 
 
 53
 
 834 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Hanging, 707, 735 
 
 accidental, cases of, 774 
 
 cases of, 760 
 
 homicidal, 759 
 
 cases of, 767 
 
 judicial, cases of, 770 
 
 post-mortem appearances 746 
 
 proof of death by, 757 
 
 suicidal, 758 
 
 cases of, 760 
 
 symptoms in, 740 
 
 treatment in, 744 
 
 Health, Boards of, see Practice of Medicine and Surgery 
 
 physicians reporting contagious diseases to, not liable for mis- 
 taken reports, 23 
 
 powers, how governed, 23, 24 
 
 Head, post-mortem examination of, 361 
 
 wounds of, 557 
 
 Heart, in strangulation, 719 
 
 post-mortem examination of, 366 
 
 rupture of, 578 
 
 wounds of, 575 
 
 Heat, effects of extreme, 635 
 
 Hemorrhage, 483, 497, 716 
 
 Hypostases, 443, 716 
 
 internal, 444 
 
 Identification, 383 
 
 by flash of gunpowder 619 
 
 from congenital peculiarities, 403 
 
 deformities 403, 430 
 
 entire skeleton, 392 
 
 imprints . 427 
 
 injuries, 403 
 
 scars, 419 
 
 stigmata, 426 
 
 tattooings, 421 
 
 teeth, 401 
 
 in death from submersion, 802 
 
 of burnt remains, 389 
 
 human bones, 390 
 
 mutilated remains, 408 
 
 recently dead, entire cadaver, 415 
 
 surface signs for,' 419 
 
 Imprints, 427, 542 
 
 Incised wounds, see Wounds 
 
 Infants, liability of, for medical services, 37
 
 INDEX. 835 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Information, duty of patient as to (see Physician and Patient), . 33 
 
 Injuries, coag-ulation of blood in, 488 
 
 fatal, actsperformed after, 493 
 
 identification from, 403 
 
 medical inspection of, 101 
 
 of abdominal walls, oSO 
 
 viscera, 580 
 
 spinal cord, 571 
 
 spine, 571 
 
 slight, death from 507 
 
 whether ante- or post-mortem, 482 
 
 Inquest, see Coroners 
 
 Insane PERSONS, liability of, for medical services, . . . .39 
 
 Insolation, 636 
 
 Insulation of electrical conductors, 667 
 
 Intestines, post-mortem examination of, 371 
 
 wounds of, 586 
 
 Kidneys, post-mortem examination of, 370 
 
 rupture of, 584 
 
 wounds of, 584 
 
 Larynx, in death from hanging, 754 
 
 strangulation, 718 
 
 post-mortem examination of, 369 
 
 License (see Practice of Medicine and Surgery), .... 7 
 
 (or diploma), how ])roved in court, 20 
 
 licensed physician presumed competent as an expert witness, . 58 
 licensed practitioner, pretending to be, when not a misde- 
 meanor, 22 
 
 statutes requiring, constitutional, 7 
 
 suits cannot be maintained by persons without, . . . .18 
 unlicensed practitioner not presumed competent as expert wit- 
 ness, 62 
 
 when may be compelled by courts, 14 
 
 when presumed, 19 
 
 Lightning, 690 
 
 burns from, 694 
 
 contusions by, 695 
 
 effects on internal organs, 702 
 
 loss of consciousness from, 696 
 
 memory from, 696 
 
 paralysis from, 697 
 
 pathology of, stroke of, 700 
 
 staining of skin V)y, 69fi 
 
 symptoms produced by, 693, 696 
 
 wounds by 695
 
 836 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Liver, post-mortem examination of, 375 
 
 rupture of 582, 808 
 
 wounds of, 582 
 
 Lungs, in death from strangulation, 719 
 
 submersion, 805 
 
 post-mortem examination of, 368 
 
 wounds of, . . . 575 
 
 Lymphorrhagia, 470 
 
 Malpractice, 73-87 
 
 abortion is, . .74 
 
 civil cases concerning 80 
 
 contributory negligence in, 87 
 
 criminal cases concerning, 73 
 
 damages for, 83 
 
 definition of, 73 
 
 degree of care and skill in, 80 
 
 evidence in, 84 
 
 inspection before trial in, . 85 
 
 partners liable for, 84 
 
 Maxxlicher RiFiiE, effects of, 619 
 
 Marks of powder, 608 
 
 Married women, liability of, for medical services, . . . .37 
 Master, liability of, for services rendered servant, . . . .39 
 
 Massage, not practising medicine or surgery, 28 
 
 Medical examiners, see #3roners 
 
 contract of coroner with, binds county to payment of reasona- 
 ble compensation, 336 
 
 coroners may employ, 335 
 
 In Massachusetts: 
 
 cannot hold autopsy unless authorized, ..... 338 
 
 cannot hold an inquest, 338 
 
 in place of coroners, 338 
 
 Medical societies, by-laws of, 15 
 
 fee bill, 22 
 
 Medicine and surgery, see Physician and Patient; and Practice 
 
 of Medicine and Surgery 
 Muscular contraction, from electrical current, . . . .677 
 Mutilated remains, identification of, 408 
 
 Nails, identification from, 406 
 
 Neck, contusions of^ 570 
 
 wounds of, 569 
 
 CEsoPHAGUS, post-mortem examination of, 369 
 
 Overlying, 774
 
 INDEX. 837 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Pancreas, post-mortem examination of, 375 
 
 Patient, rights of, concerning confidential communications, . 96 
 
 Physician, action for professional services, 133 
 
 his books containing confidential entries, 110 
 
 his rights and duties concerning confidential communications, 132 
 receiver not entitled to his books of account, . . . .110 
 
 what is a professional capacity? 133 
 
 Physician and patient, 
 
 contracts between, compensation for services 37 
 
 conditional and unconditional, 34 
 
 consulting physicians, 44 
 
 duties of patient, 29, 30 
 
 physician, 28 
 
 employment, how terminated, 26, 28, 30 
 
 may be declined 24 
 
 estates of deceased persons, when liable for, . . , .43 
 
 express or implied 26 
 
 express, 27 
 
 implied, elements of, 28 
 
 infants, liability of, 43 
 
 insane persons, when liable, 45 
 
 married women, generally not liable, 43 
 
 masters, liable for services rendered servants, . . .45 
 
 measure of recovery for, 45 
 
 patient presumed liable, 37 
 
 person calling in j^hysician not presumed liable, . . 36, 41 
 physicians treating each other, vmen they may recover, . 47 
 railway company, when liable for, in case of accident, . 42 
 railway physicians, authority of, . . . . . .42 
 
 relation of physician and patient, 119 
 
 compensation for services, right to sue for in United States, . 20 
 
 how lost, 19 
 
 students' services, 44 
 
 skill and care required of (see Malpractice), . . .28. 31, 32, 33 
 schools of medicine not recognized by courts, . . .15 
 standard of school professed must be attained, . . .31 
 stranger may not be called in without patient's consent, . 29 
 
 Pithing, 572 
 
 Poisoning, 597 
 
 Position of victim, 541, 540 
 
 Post-mortem appearances, in death from burns, . . . 047 
 
 cold 034 
 
 hanging 740 
 
 starvation, 822 
 
 strangulation, 713 
 
 submersion, 801, 804 
 
 sunstroke 638
 
 838 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Post-mortem changes, 
 
 eechymoses, 
 
 hypostasis, 
 
 lividity, 
 
 rigidity, 
 
 Post-mortem examinations (see Autopsies, Coroners), 
 
 PAGE 
 
 . 441 
 
 443, 485 
 . 443 
 . 443 
 
 442, 453 
 . 354 
 
 when and how made by coroner, 337 
 
 Post-mortem wounds, 355 
 
 Powder-marks, 608, 612 
 
 Practice of medicine and surgery (see Physician and Patient), 7-25 
 acquirement of right, regulated by statutes, .... 7 
 
 constitutionaUty of, statutes regulating, 8 
 
 criminal cases, jjroof of 19, 22 
 
 license for, may be compelled, 14 
 
 how proved, 20 
 
 medical societies and by-laws of, 14 
 
 15 
 
 22 
 
 14 
 
 fee bills, 
 
 massage not, ..... 
 patent medicines, .... 
 statutory regulations concerning, in: 
 
 Alabama, . 
 
 . 137 
 
 Arizona, . . 
 
 , 139 
 
 Arkansas, . 
 
 . 140 
 
 California, . 
 
 . 141 
 
 Colorado, . 
 
 . 144 
 
 Connecticut, 
 
 . 145 
 
 Delaware, . 
 
 . 148 
 
 Dist. of Columbia, 149 
 
 Florida, . . . 
 
 . 150 
 
 Georgia, . . 
 
 . 151 
 
 Idaho, . . 
 
 . 152 
 
 Illinois, . . 
 
 . 153 
 
 Indiana, . . 
 
 . 155 
 
 Iowa, . . . 
 
 . 157 
 
 Kansas, . . 
 
 . 160 
 
 Kentucky, . 
 
 . 160 
 
 Lij^Hsiana, . 
 
 . 162 
 
 Msune, . . 
 
 . 164 
 
 Maryland, . 
 
 . 165 
 
 Massachusetts 
 
 . 167 
 
 Michigan, . 
 
 . 167 
 
 Minnesota, . .168 
 Mississippi, . . 169 
 Missouri, . . . 171 
 Montana, . . .173 
 Nebraska, . .175 
 Nevada, . . .177 
 New Jersey, . . 178 
 New Hampshire, 181 
 New Mexico, . 181 
 New York, . . 183 
 North Carolina, 189 
 North Dakota, . 191 
 Ohio, .... 193 
 Oklahoma, . . 193 
 Oregon, . . . 194 
 Pennsylvania, . 197 
 Rhode Island, . 203 
 South Carolina, 203 
 South Dakota, . 204 
 Tennessee, . . 205 
 . . 207 
 
 Utah 209 
 
 Vermont, . . 211 
 Virginia, . . . 212 
 Washington, . 215 
 West Virginia, 219 
 Wisconsin, . . 222 
 Wj'oniing, . . 223 
 Great Britain, . 224 
 Scotland, . . 224 
 England. . . 224 
 Ireland, . . . 224 
 Brit. Columbia, 238 
 Manitoba, . . 242 
 N. Brunswick, 248 
 Newfoundland, 255 
 
 N. W. Terr., . 
 Nova Scotia, . 
 Ontario, . . . 
 Prince Edw. Is., 
 Quebec, . . . 
 
 258 
 262 
 
 268 
 278 
 284 
 
 Texas, . . 
 
 Privileged communications, 91 
 
 cause of death, Ill 
 
 communications to physician not privileged at common law, . 91 
 
 "confidential communications," 115,118 
 
 between physician and patient, when privileged, . • 94 
 dependent upon professional capacity, 98
 
 INDEX. 839 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Privileged communications, 
 
 effect of excluding privileged evidence, 130 
 
 evidence admitted not to be commented on. .... Ill 
 
 in criminal actions 101 
 
 in lunacy proceedings, 103 
 
 of abortion, 102 
 
 of adultery, 102 
 
 of crime in civil actions, 101 
 
 of criminal intimacy, 102 
 
 of habitual drunkenness, 103 
 
 of value of physician's services, 133 
 
 to establish privilege, lOG 
 
 function of the court, 128 
 
 ground of privilege, 91 
 
 harmless admission no ground for exception Ill 
 
 how evidence of physician taken in New York, . . . .97 
 
 how privilege established, 131 
 
 in actions for divorce, . . . . • 102 
 
 in criminal actions, 101 
 
 "information," !»7. 115 
 
 "matters confided," 99 
 
 "matter committed," 97, 118 
 
 "matter necessary to enable a physician to prescribe or a sur- 
 geon to act," 124 
 
 mental condition of patient, 103 
 
 necessity, 98 
 
 objections to evidence, 109 
 
 when made, 110 
 
 objection once made need not be repeated, Ill 
 
 partner of physician, as privileged witness, 122 
 
 patient's ignorance immaterial, 110 
 
 rights concerning confidential communications, . . . .96 
 
 physician defined, 105 
 
 " duly authorized," 105 
 
 as witness to establish privilege, .• . .131 
 
 physician's advice, . . . 98 
 
 books, 1^ . 110 
 
 cannot refuse to disclose when patient waives privileg*^ . 99 
 
 knowledge, 98 
 
 presumption from failure to give privileged evidence. . 130 
 
 privilege is patient's, not physician's 107 
 
 "professional capacity," 123 
 
 purpose of statutes prohibiting disclosures 9G 
 
 relation of physician and patient, 119, 122 
 
 result of legislation, 134 
 
 rights and duties of physician, 132 
 
 statutory privileges concerning confidential communications, . 93
 
 840 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Privileged communications, 
 
 statutory privileges for waiver of privilege, 96 
 
 surgeon defined, 105 
 
 testamentary causes, . • 103 
 
 waiver after death of patient, in New York, . . . .98 
 
 waiver of privilege after patient's death, 108 
 
 by application for Insurance, Ill 
 
 by proof of death to insurance company, .... Ill 
 
 by contract, 112 
 
 by Infant, . .108 
 
 by patient's attorney, 107 
 
 by representative of deceased patient, 103 
 
 by requesting physician to witness will, 113 
 
 certificate of death, . . .115 
 
 effect of 107, 110 
 
 mfant's, 113 
 
 taking physician's deposition, 112 
 
 testimony of patient, Ill 
 
 what constitutes, Ill 
 
 what evidence is excluded, 97 
 
 what is privileged, 115 
 
 when patient may be contradicted%y physician, . . 112 
 
 who may waive, 106 
 
 whose testimony is privileged, 105 
 
 witness, . . . .97 
 
 Projectile, course of, . 615 
 
 evidence from, 600 
 
 Punctured wounds, see Wounds 
 
 Putrefaction, 445, 453 
 
 circumstances favoring, 447 
 
 retarding, 448 
 
 of immersed bodies, 450, 810 
 
 PYiBMIA, 511 
 
 Race, determination of, from hair, 393 
 
 skeleton, 393 
 
 Railwa^ companies, when liable for medical services, . . .41 
 Railway physicians, authority as to employing nurses, . . 42 
 
 Reports, medico-legal, 381 
 
 Resistance, electrical, 673 
 
 Respiration, suspended, 439 
 
 Ribs, fracture of, . . . . . 574 
 
 Rifle, Mannllcher, 619 
 
 Rigor mortis, 442, 453, 701 
 
 Rupture of abdominal organs, . 582 
 
 bladder, 585 
 
 gall-bladder, 584
 
 INDEX. 841 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Rupture of heart, 578 
 
 internal organs, 553 
 
 kidneys, 584 
 
 liver, 582, 808 
 
 spleen, 584 
 
 stomach, 586 
 
 Saponification, 451 
 
 Scalds, 639 
 
 Scars, in relation to identity, 419 
 
 Schools of medicine not recognized by courts, . . . .15 
 
 Septicemia, 510 
 
 Sex, determination of, 400 
 
 Sharks, bites of, 808 
 
 Shock, 499 
 
 Shot-guns, wounds by 607 
 
 Signs of death, 440 
 
 Skin, marks on, 419 
 
 Skull, fracture of, . ^. 559 
 
 measurements of, 394 
 
 Small SHOT, wounds by, 617 
 
 Smothering, . . . ? " 774 
 
 Spinal cord, concussion of, 573 
 
 post-mortem examination of, 377 
 
 wounds of, . . . . . 571 
 
 Spine, dislocation of, 572 
 
 fracture of, 571 
 
 wounds of, 571 
 
 Spleen, post-mortem examination of, 371 
 
 rupture of, 584 
 
 wounds of, 584 
 
 Spontaneous combustion, 647 
 
 Stabs, 463 
 
 Stains, could assailant have escaped without ? 538 
 
 Starvation, acute, . 817 
 
 chronic, 818 
 
 death from, ^ . 813 
 
 diseases produced by, * . 834 
 
 or disease, which was cause of death ? 823 
 
 period of death from, 820 
 
 post-mortem appearances in, 822 
 
 whether accompanied by other ill-treatment 832 
 
 Stature, determination of, 398 
 
 Sternum, fracture of, 574 
 
 Stigmata, 426 
 
 Stomach, post-mortem examination of, 373 
 
 rupture of, 586
 
 842 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Stomach, wounds of, 586 
 
 Strangulation 707, 708 
 
 accidental, 724 
 
 cases of, 734 
 
 cases of, . 726 
 
 external appearances due to, 713 
 
 homicidal, 725 
 
 cases of, 726 
 
 internal appearances due to, 727 
 
 post-mortem appearances, 713 
 
 proof of death by, 721 
 
 simulated, 725 
 
 stages of, 710 
 
 suicidal, 724 
 
 cases of, 732 
 
 symptoms of 708 
 
 treatment of, 712 
 
 Struggle, signs of, 536 
 
 Submersion, 793 
 
 asphyxia by, 796 
 
 cadaveric signs in death by, 804 
 
 circumstances modifying time of, 810 
 
 definition of, 796 
 
 mode of death by, 797 
 
 post-mortem appearances, . . 801 
 
 stages and symptoms of death by, 798 
 
 • treatment of apparently drowned, 802 
 
 whether accidental, suicidal, or homicidal, . . . . . 807 
 
 Suffocation, 707, 774 
 
 accidental 785 
 
 cases of, 787 
 
 by submersion, 796 
 
 cases of, 787 
 
 external causes of, 774 
 
 Homicidal 785 
 
 cases of, 790 
 
 internal causes of, 775 
 
 mechanical, 705 
 
 post-mortem appearances, 781 
 
 proof of death by, 784 
 
 suicidal, . . . 785 
 
 cases of, 790 
 
 symptoms of, 777 
 
 treatment, 779 
 
 Sunstroke 636 
 
 Surgeon, definition of term 56 
 
 duties of, see Physician and Patient
 
 INDEX. 843 
 
 PARE 
 
 Surgical operations, death from, 515 
 
 Survival, 556 
 
 SyivX'OPE, 796, 799 
 
 Tattooing, 42i 
 
 Teeth, determination of identity from 401 
 
 Temperature of body, 029 
 
 of dead body, 441, 453 
 
 Tetanus, 513 
 
 Thorax, post-mortem examination of, 365 
 
 wounds of, . 573 
 
 Time op death, 4:37 
 
 how determined, 452 
 
 Veins, air in, . . .579 
 
 wounds of, 578 
 
 Weapons, 853, 524 
 
 evidence from, GUO 
 
 as to origin of wounds, 533, 549 
 
 examination of, ' 613 
 
 presence of blood and hair on, 535 
 
 was it fired from a distance or near ? 612 
 
 Witness, see Expert Witness; Privileged Communications 
 
 physician as expert and ordinary -witness, 50 
 
 when must testify as, 60 
 
 Wounds, . . 1 358, 457 
 
 as directly cause of death, 497 
 
 as secondary cause of death 509 
 
 by what instrument made? 517, 524 
 
 cause of death from, . 496, 497 
 
 coagulation of blood in, 488 
 
 consequences of non-fatal, 556 
 
 contused, 467, 470, 523 
 
 death from, after long periods, f\. 508 
 
 definitions of, . . . 459 
 
 description of, 482* 
 
 direction of, 529 
 
 eversion of lips of, 489 
 
 evidence from weapon, 533, 549, 600 
 
 examination of, 476 
 
 from crushing, 553 
 
 falling 549 
 
 lightning, 695 
 
 gunshot, 593 
 
 by blank charges, 617 
 
 by shot-guns 607
 
 844 INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Wounds, gunshot, by small shot, 617 
 
 complications of, 624 
 
 course of projectile, 615 
 
 death from surgical operations in, 624 
 
 description of, 594 
 
 dimensions of perforations, 609 
 
 direction of, 599 
 
 examination of, 594 
 
 of body in, 610 
 
 of entrance, ......' 614 
 
 of exit, . 614 
 
 situation of, 598 
 
 treatment of, 620 
 
 imputed, 544 
 
 incised, 460, 517, 557 
 
 diagnosis of, , . . . 462 
 
 kinds of, 459 
 
 lacerated, 471, 523 
 
 mortal, 460 
 
 nature of, 548 
 
 number and extent of, 531 
 
 of abdominal viscera, 580 
 
 walls, 580 
 
 arteries and veins, 578 
 
 bladder, 585 
 
 brain, 569 
 
 ^iaphragm, 579 
 
 extremities, 589 
 
 face, . .569 
 
 gall-bladder, 584 
 
 genital organs, 588 
 
 head 557, 558 
 
 heart, 575 
 
 intestines, 586 
 
 kidneys, 584 
 
 liver, 582 
 
 lungs, 575 
 
 neck, 569 
 
 spinal cord, 571 
 
 spine, 571 
 
 spleen, 584 
 
 stomach, 586 
 
 thoracic viscera, 573 
 
 thorax, 573 
 
 throat, incised, 526 
 
 origin of, evidence from weapons, 533, 549 
 
 punctured, 463, 518, 557
 
 INDEX. 845 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Wounds, regionally considered, 557 
 
 retraction of sides of, 490 
 
 severe, 400 
 
 situation and position of, 527, 548 
 
 slight 400 
 
 whether accidental, 547 
 
 ante-mortem or post-mortem, 482 
 
 necessarily the cause of death, 500 
 
 self-inflicted or by another, 525. 544, 548 
 
 which of several was first inflicted? 554 
 
 two was cause of death? 500
 
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