A handy-book of forensic medicine and toxicology / by W. Bathurst Woodman and Charles Meymott Tidy.

Date:
1877
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A handy-book of forensic medicine and toxicology / by W. Bathurst Woodman and Charles Meymott Tidy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    1213/1268 (page 1177)
    ON SELF-INFLICTED INJURIES. quarrel had suddenly stabbed the prosecutor, whose life was in danger for a fortuight, and he was laid-up for a month. Baron Bramwell, in commenting on the defence, that prisoner had no intent to produce grievous bodily harm, said, “ the jury might satisfy themselves on that point, by looking to the circumstances of the case. Could a man inflict such a wound as this without having an intention to inflict grievous bodily injury 1 The prisoner was not so drunk but that he knew what he was doing, and all the circumstances showed premeditation and intention, the nature of the wound, the weapon used, and the part of the body struck, when an injury was so likely to be dangerous.” The prisoner was found guilty of the intent. [Nee also liey. v. Maslin, Devizes Summer Assizes, 1838.] Dr. Taylor justly remarks that the intent is usually proved by wow-medical evidence. But there may be dying declarations. See before. [Taylor, p. 456.] Beck adds to his chapter on this subject of maiming a resume of the laws of most of the United States. By the statutes of Delaware, North Carolina, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Vermont, castration, or cutting off all, or any of the genitals, is felony, and in the two first-named States punished with death. We must remember that many minor injuries are seif-inflicted. In countries where conscription is enforced, it is customary for young men to mutilate their fingers and thumbs.* Even severe injuries are some- times purposely inflicted on themselves by criminals who either wish to extort money, or to disarm and divert suspicion. The case of Maumee Roux, who charged his master, Mons. Armand, with intent to murder him [see p. 955], is an example of the former. Those who cut the throats of others will often just scratch their own throat with a knife, to make it appear that they have been attacked. Sometimes they overdo their part. Numerous illustrations of self- inflicted wounds will be found in Casper, Fodere, Beck [p. 31, Ac.], Taylor (pp. 552—556), Paris, and others. One such case is given by Dr. Marc [in the “ Annalcs d’Hygiene,” vol. i., p. 257. These “ Annales ’’^contain many other cases of a similar kind in the different volumes]. A civilian, with an idea, as it would seem, of rendering himself so important to a relative as to secure his gratitude, pretended to have had a murderous conflict with some assassins, although no dead bodies could be found. His head was wounded longitudinally to the extent of about one inch, and in direction from left to right. Only the integuments were divided. His hat of soft felt was cut for nearly three inches, and in a direction from right to left. A cotton bonnet, and a silk handkerchief, which lie wore under his hat, were also divided. So powerful a blow as to divide all these, says Dr. Marc, should have inflicted a less superficial lesion on the head. The knife used by him “ in killing the assassin,” had a thick covering of blood, as if daubed on. * Poltroon is said to be derived thus :—From pollex, a thumb ; and truncare to cut off, because the cowards of ancient days used thus to disable themselves. M. Pomian has given us the following :■—“A Russian conscript was charged with boring the drum of his ear [membrana tympani], to escape military service. The accusation was supported by medical evidence. It was referred to a commission, including M. Pomian, who found, on careful examination, that the aperture, besides resembling those made by disease, was in the lower part of the membrane. Now as the meatus auditorius extemus has a backward and upward direction, an artificial opening would most probably have been in the middle or upper part of the membrane : it was, however, at the bottom of it. On these grounds the man was acquitted.