The principles of forensic medicine, systematically arranged and applied to British practice / By John Gordon Smith.

  • John Gordon Smith
Date:
1821
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The principles of forensic medicine, systematically arranged and applied to British practice / By John Gordon Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    67/544 page 45
    cause, the mere absence of indications of a suspi- cious nature, will warrant the verdict “ Died by the visitation of God.” | § 2. Under the second head of this chapter * are to be included those cases where persons lose their lives without reference to any previous disease, or lesion of organs; caused by the interference of certain agents that kill, but not to be considered as connected with crime. Such are death by lightning, exposure to noxious gases, to cold and hunger, im- moderate use of spirituous liquor, imprudently swallowing cold water, &c. All of these may, and. for the most part do take place in a sort of acciden- _ta]l manner, or are at the worst but the consequence of imprudence, being scarcely imputable either to criminal intent on the part of the sufferer, or to cri- minal attempts on that of others. To settle this point is very often the object of magistratorial investi- gation; and our aid may be necessary towards establishing the truth, The remarks given upon apoplexy will be appli- cable here. If a person is known to have exposed himself to such dangerous agencies as I have now enumerated, and thereby comes to his death under the observation of reputable witnesses, there can be no mystery about the case ; for all the world knows that the circumstances alluded to are adequate to cause death. A person, however, may be found dead with no other means of accounting for the * See page 36,
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