Crimes
Forensic medicine is also called Medical Jurisprudence or Legal
Medicine, and includes all questions which bring medical matters into
relation with the law. It deals, therefore, with (1) crimes and (2)
civil injuries.
1. A crime is the voluntary act of a person of sound mind harmful to
others and also unjust. No act is a crime unless it is plainly forbidden
by law. To constitute a crime, two circumstances
proved--(a) that the act has been committed, (b) that a guilty mind or
malice was present. The act may be one of omission or of commission.
Every person who commits a crime may be punished, unless he is under the
age of seven years, is insane, or has been made to commit it under
compulsion.
Crimes are divided into misdemeanours and felonies. The distinction
is not very definite, but, as a rule, the former are less serious forms
of crime, and are punishable with a term of imprisonment, generally
under two years; while felonies comprise the more serious charges, as
murder, manslaughter, rape, which involve the capital sentence or long
terms of imprisonment.
An offence is a trivial breach of the criminal law, and is punishable
on summary conviction before a magistrate or justices only, while the
more serious crimes (indictable offences) must be tried before a jury.
2. Civil injuries differ from crimes in that the former are
compensated by damages awarded, while the latter are punished; any
person, whether injured or not, may prosecute for a crime, while only
the sufferer can sue for a civil injury. The Crown may remit punishment
for a crime, but not for a civil injury.
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Abortifacients
Emmenagogues are remedies which have the property of exciting the catamenial flow; ecbolics, or abortives, are drugs which excite contraction of the uterus, and are supposed to have the power of expelling its contents. The vegetable substances com... Aconite
=Aconite= (Aconitum Napellus, monkshood).--Root and leaves. Poisonous property depends upon an alkaloid, aconitine. Aconite is one of the constituents of St. Jacob's Oil. Symptoms.--Numbness and tingling in mouth, throat, and stomach, giddiness... Action Of Poisons; Classification Of Poisons
=Action of Poisons.=--They may act either locally or only after absorption into the system. 1. Local Action, as seen in (a) corrosive poisons; (b) irritant poisons, causing congestion and inflammation of the mucous membranes--e.g., metallic and... Alcohol Ether And Chloroform
Alcohol, ether, and chloroform, induce general anæsthesia, often preceded by delirious excitement, and followed by nausea and vomiting. When they cause death, it is by inducing a state like apoplexy or by paralyzing the heart. =Alcohol.=--Abso... Antimony And Its Preparations
=Tartar Emetic= (tartarized antimony, potassio-tartrate of antimony) occurs as a white powder, or in yellowish-white efflorescent crystals. Vinum antimoniale contains 2 grains to a fluid ounce of the wine. Symptoms.--Metallic taste, rapidly foll... Antipyrine Antifebrin Phenacetin And Aniline
Many of the synthetical coal-tar products now so largely employed as analgesics are powerful toxic agents. =Phenazone, Antipyrine, or Analgesin=, is a complex benzene derivative prepared from aniline, aceto-acetic ether, and methyl iodide. It is... Arsenic And Its Preparations
=Arsenic= is the most important of all the metallic poisons. It is much used in medicine and the arts. It occurs as metallic arsenic, which is of a steel-grey colour, brittle, and gives off a garlic-like odour when heated; as arsenious acid; in th... Assault Murder Manslaughter Etc
=Assault.=--This is an attempt or offer to do violence to another person; it is not necessary that actual injury has been done, but evil intention must be proved. When a corporal hurt has been sustained, then assault and battery has been committed... Barium Salts
=Chloride of Barium= occurs crystallized in irregular plates, like magnesium sulphate, soluble in water and bitter in taste. =Carbonate of Barium= is found in shops as a fine powder, tasteless and colourless, insoluble in water, but effervescing w... Belladonna Hyoscyamus And Stramonium
=Belladonna.=--The root, leaves, and berries, of the Atropa belladonna are poisonous from the presence of alkaloid atropine. Symptoms.--Dryness of mouth and throat, intense thirst, dysphagia and dysphonia, quick pulse, noisy delirium and stupor.... Blackmailing
There are in London and every large city scores of men and women who live by blackmailing or chantage. There are many different forms of this industry. There is the man who knows something about your past life, which he threatens to reveal to your... Camphor
The liniment, oil, and spirit have been poisonous in large dose. Symptoms.--Odour of breath, languor, giddiness, faintness, dimness of vision, difficulty of breathing, delirium, convulsions, with hot skin, flushed face, and dilated pupils. Fa... Cantharides
=Cantharides.=--Spanish fly, or blistering beetle, is the basis of most of the blistering preparations. It is sometimes taken as an abortifacient or given as an aphrodisiac, but whether it has any such action is open to question. It acts as an irr... Carbolic Acid
=Carbolic Acid, Phenic Acid, or Phenol=, is largely employed as a disinfectant, and is often supplied in ordinary beer-bottles without labels. Symptoms.--An intense burning pain extending from the mouth to the stomach and intestines. Indication... Cause Of Death In The Foetus
The death of the foetus may be due to--(1) Immaturity or intra-uterine malnutrition, or simply from deficient vitality; (2) complications occurring during or immediately after birth, which may either be unavoidable or inherent in the process of pa... Chloral Hydrate
It was formerly largely used as a hypnotic, and many fatal consequences ensued. It is prepared from alcohol and chlorine. Symptoms.--Deep sleep, loss of muscular power, diminished or abolished reflex action and sensibility, followed by loss of c... Chlorate Of Potassium Etc
=Chlorate of Potassium= produces irritation of stomach and bowels; hæmaturia; melæna; cyanosis, weakness, delirium, and coma. Post-Mortem.--Blood is chocolate-brown in colour, and so are all the internal organs; gastro-enteritis; nephritis. ... Cocaine
=Cocaine.=--Any dose above 1/2 grain applied to a mucous membrane or injected hypodermically may give rise to alarming symptoms. These are intense pallor, faintness, giddiness, dilatation of pupils, paroxysmal dyspnoea, rapid, intermittent, and we... Conium And Calabar Bean
=Conium Maculatum= (Spotted Hemlock).--All parts of the plant are poisonous, often mistaken for parsley. Contains the poisonous principle coniine, a volatile liquid alkaloid with a mousy smell; insoluble in water; soluble in alcohol, ether, and ch... Contused Wounds And Injuries Unaccompanied By Solution Ofcontinuity
If a blow be inflicted with a blunt instrument, there is produced a bruise, or ecchymosis, of which it is unnecessary here to describe the appearance and progress. A bruise may be distinguished from a post-mortem stain by the cuticle in the former... Copper And Its Preparations
Poisoning with copper salts is rare. The most important are the sulphate, subacetate, and arsenite. =Sulphate of Copper= (bluestone, blue vitriol) in half-ounce doses is a powerful irritant. Has been given to procure abortion. =Subacetate of ... Crimes
Forensic medicine is also called Medical Jurisprudence or Legal Medicine, and includes all questions which bring medical matters into relation with the law. It deals, therefore, with (1) crimes and (2) civil injuries. 1. A crime is the voluntar... Death By Drowning
Death by drowning occurs when breathing is arrested by watery or semi-fluid substances--blood, urine, etc. The fluid acts mechanically by entering the air-cells of the lung and preventing the due oxidation of the blood. The post-mortem appearances... Death By Hanging
In hanging, death occurs by asphyxia, as in drowning. Sensibility is soon lost, and death takes place in four or five minutes. The eyes in some cases are brilliant and staring, tongue swollen and livid, blood or bloody froth is found about the mou... Death By Strangulation
This differs from hanging in that the body is not suspended. It may be effected by a ligature round the neck, or by direct pressure on the windpipe with the hand, in which case death is said to be caused by throttling. Strangulation is frequently ... Death By Suffocation
Signs and Symptoms.--There are usually three stages: 1. Exaggerated respiratory activity; air hunger; anxiety; congested appearance of face; ringing in ears. 2. Loss of consciousness; convulsions; relaxation of sphincters. 3. Respirations f... Death From AnÆsthetics Etc
The coroner in England and Wales and Ireland must inquire into every case of death during the administration of an anæsthetic. The anæsthetist has to appear at the inquest, and must answer a long series of questions relative to the administratio... Death From Cold Or Heat
=Cold.=--The weak, aged, or infants, readily succumb to low temperatures. The symptoms are increasing lassitude, drowsiness, coma, with sometimes illusions of sight. Post mortem, bright red patches are found on the skin surface, and the blood rema... Death From Lightning And Electricity
The signs of death from lightning vary greatly. In some cases there are no signs; in others the body may be most curiously marked. Wounds of various characters--contused, lacerated, and punctured--may be produced. There may be burns, vesications, ... Death From Starvation
The post-mortem appearances in death from starvation are as follows: There is marked general emaciation; the skin is dry, shrivelled, and covered with a brown, bad-smelling excretion; the muscles soft, atrophied, and free from fat; the liver is sm... Definition Of A Poison
Though the law does not define in definite terms what a poison really is, it lays stress on the malicious intention in giving a drug or other substance to an individual. It is a felony to administer, or cause to be administered, any poison or othe... Delivery
The signs of recent delivery are as follows: The face is pale, with dark circles round the eyes; the pulse quickened; the skin soft, warm, and covered with a peculiar sweat; the breasts full, tense, and knotty; the abdomen distended, its integumen... Dementia: Acute Chronic Senile And Paralytic
In dementia the mental aberration does not occur until the mind has become fully developed, thus differing from amentia, which is congenital or comes on very early in life. =Acute Dementia.=--This is a condition of profound melancholy or stupor,... Detection Of Blood-stains Etc
Stains may require detection on clothing, on cutting instruments, on floors and furniture, etc. The following are the distinctive characters of blood-stains: (a) =Ocular Inspection.=--Blood-stains on dark-coloured materials, which in daylight m... Detection Of Poisons
Notice the smell, colour, and general appearance, of the matter submitted for examination. The odour may show the presence of prussic acid, alcohol, opium, or phosphorus. The colour may indicate salts of copper, cantharides, etc. Seeds of plants m... Digitalis
All parts of the plant Digitalis purpurea (purple foxglove) are poisonous. Contains the glucoside digitalin and other active principles. Symptoms.--Nausea, vomiting, purging, and abdominal pains. Vomited matter grass-green in colour. Headache, g... Duration Of Pregnancy
The natural period of gestation is considered as forty weeks, ten lunar months, or 280 days. A medical witness would have to admit the possibility of gestation being prolonged to 300 days, and if this time were not very materially exceeded it woul... Duty Of Practitioner In Supposed Case Of Poisoning
If called to a case supposed or suspected to be one of poisoning, the medical man has two duties to perform: To save the patient's life, and to place himself in a position to give evidence if called on to do so. If life is extinct, his duty is a s... Evidence Of Poisoning
It may be inferred that poison has been taken from consideration of the following factors: Symptoms and post-mortem appearances, experiments on animals, chemical analysis, and the conduct of suspected persons. 1. Symptoms in poisoning usually co... Evidences Of Live Birth
The signs of live birth prior to respiration are negative and positive. A negative opinion may be formed when evidence is found of the child having undergone intra-uterine maceration. In this case the body will be flaccid and flattened; the ilia p... Examination Of Persons Found Dead
When a medical man is called to a case of sudden death, he should carefully note anything likely to throw any light on the cause of death. He should notice the place where the body was found, the position and attitude of the body, the soil or surf... Examination Of Persons Of Unsound Mind
The following hints with regard to the examination of patients supposed to be insane will be useful: The general appearance and shape of head, complexion, and expression of countenance, gait, movements, and speech, should be noted; the state of th... Feigned Diseases
Malingering in its various forms is by no means uncommon, and by many is regarded as a disease in itself. It is necessary, however, to distinguish between those cases in which it is feigned for some definite purpose--for example, to escape punishm... Foeticide Or Criminal Abortion
This consists in giving to any woman, or causing to be taken by her, with intent to procure her miscarriage, any poison or other noxious thing, or using for the same purpose any instruments or other means whatsoever. It is a felony to procure or a... Gaseous Poisons
=Carbon Dioxide.=--Carbon dioxide is a product of combustion and respiration, and is generated in many ways during fermentation. It is a constituent of choke damp due to explosions in coal-mines, and is given off from lime-kilns, brick-kilns, and ... Gunshot Wounds
These may be punctured, contused, or lacerated. Round balls make a larger opening than those which are conical. Small shot fired at a short distance make one large ragged opening; while at distances greater than 3 feet the shot scatter and there i... Hydrochloric Acid
=Hydrochloric Acid=, muriatic acid, or spirit of salt, is not uncommonly used for suicidal purposes, being fifth in the list. Method of Extraction from the Stomach.--The same as for sulphuric acid. As hydrochloric acid is a constituent of the ga... Hydrocyanic Acid
=Prussic Acid= is the most active of poisons. The diluted hydrocyanic acid of the Pharmacopoeia contains 2 per cent. of hydrocyanic acid, Scheele's 4 per cent. It is a colourless liquid, feebly acid, with odour of bitter almonds. =Cyanide of Po...