Medical Jurisprudence, Forensic medicine and Toxicology. Vol. 1
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:
—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.
—Multiple and antiquate spelling of specialistic words, expecially in French and German, have beed manteined out of consistency and due to the impossibility of determining what the spelling whas at the time this work was composed
—The transcriber of this project created the book cover image using the front cover of the original book. The image is placed in the public domain.
FORENSIC MEDICINE
AND
TOXICOLOGY
R. A. WITTHAUS, A.M., M.D.
Professor of Chemistry, Physics, and Hygiene in the University of the City of New York, etc., etc.
AND
TRACY C. BECKER, A.B., LL.B.
R. A. Witthaus
Tracy C. Becker
---
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION.
MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE.
CHAPTER I.
OF THE RIGHT TO PRACTISE MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
CHAPTER II.
ACQUIREMENT OF LEGAL RIGHT TO PRACTISE MEDICINE AND SURGERY.
CHAPTER III.
OF THE CONTRACTUAL RELATION BETWEEN PHYSICIAN AND PATIENT.
CHAPTER IV.
OF THE LEGAL RIGHT OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS TO RECOVER COMPENSATION FOR SERVICES.
CHAPTER V.
EXPERTS, HOW SUMMONED INTO COURT.
CHAPTER VI.
MALPRACTICE.
CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN PHYSICIAN AND PATIENT.
PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATIONS.
COMMON LAW.
THE RULE IN THE UNITED STATES.
THE STATUTES.
JUDICIAL INTERPRETATION OF THE STATUTES.
THE PROVINCE OF THE COURT IN DEALING WITH THE PRIVILEGE.
THE EFFECT OF ENFORCING THE PRIVILEGE.
THE CHARACTER AND WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE TO SUSTAIN THE OBJECTION.
THE RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF THE PHYSICIAN WITH REFERENCE TO THE PRIVILEGE.
THE RESULT OF THE LEGISLATION.
SYNOPSIS OF THE EXISTING STATUTES
THE ACQUIREMENT OF THE RIGHT TO PRACTISE MEDICINE AND SURGERY IN THE UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, AND THE CANADIAN PROVINCES.
LEGAL STATUS OF THE DEAD BODY.
APPENDIX.
POWERS AND DUTIES OF CORONERS AND MEDICAL EXAMINERS.
I. The Coroner and his Court.
II. The Jury and Inquest.
III. The Effect of the Evidence and Verdict.
AUTOPSIES.
SURROUNDING OBJECTS—POSITION OF THE BODY.
POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION.
ORDER OF AUTOPSY.
EXTERNAL EXAMINATION.
INTERNAL EXAMINATION.
The Head.
Thorax and Abdomen.
The Spinal Cord.
AUTOPSIES OF FRAGMENTS.
PERSONAL IDENTITY.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.
IDENTITY OF BURNT REMAINS.
IDENTIFICATION OF HUMAN BONES.
THE HAIR AND NAILS.
IDENTIFICATION OF MUTILATED REMAINS.
ENTIRE CADAVER DEAD BUT A SHORT TIME.
SURFACE SIGNS OF IDENTITY.
SIGNS FURNISHED BY MARKS, SCARS, STAINS, ETC., ON THE SKIN.
VALUE OF STAINS AND DIFFERENT IMPRINTS.
DEFORMITIES AND PATHOLOGICAL PECULIARITIES.
JUDICIAL ANTHROPOMETRY.
MEDICO-LEGAL DETERMINATION OF THE TIME OF DEATH.
SIGNS OF DEATH.
POST-MORTEM CHANGES.
DATA UPON WHICH OPINION AS TO TIME OF DEATH IS FORMED.
WOUNDS.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF WOUNDS.
EXAMINATION AND DESCRIPTION.
WAS THE INJURY INFLICTED BEFORE OR AFTER DEATH?
THE CAUSE OF DEATH FROM WOUNDS.
INCISED AND PUNCTURED WOUNDS AND WOUNDS OF BLUNT INSTRUMENTS REGIONALLY CONSIDERED.
WOUNDS OF THE HEAD.
WOUNDS AND INJURIES OF THE SPINE AND SPINAL CORD.
WOUNDS OF THE THORAX AND THORACIC ORGANS.
WOUNDS AND CONTUSED INJURIES OF THE ABDOMINAL WALL AND VISCERA.
RUPTURE OR WOUNDS OF THE ABDOMINAL VISCERA.
INCISED, PUNCTURED, AND CONTUSED WOUNDS OF THE EXTREMITIES.
GUNSHOT WOUNDS.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.
EXAMINATION AND DESCRIPTION.
EVIDENCE FROM THE SITUATION OF THE WOUND.
EVIDENCE FROM THE WEAPON AND PROJECTILE.
EVIDENCE FROM EXAMINATION OF THE DEAD BODY.
IDENTITY FROM A FLASH OF GUNPOWDER.
GENERAL MEDICO-LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS.
OF THE VARIOUS CONDITIONS WHICH COMPLICATE GUNSHOT WOUNDS AND MAKE THEIR RESULTS UNCERTAIN,
DEATH BY HEAT AND COLD.
TEMPERATURE OF THE BODY.
EFFECTS OF EXTREME COLD.
EFFECTS OF EXTREME HEAT.
SUNSTROKE.
BURNS AND SCALDS.
THE CLASSIFICATION OF BURNS.
EFFECTS OF BURNS.
WAS THE BURN ANTE MORTEM OR POST MORTEM?
MEANS OF DISTINGUISHING ANTE-MORTEM FROM POST-MORTEM BURNS.
WAS DEATH ACCIDENTAL, SUICIDAL, OR HOMICIDAL?
CASES.
MEDICO-LEGAL RELATIONS OF ELECTRICITY.
RESULTS OF ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES FROM ELECTRICAL MACHINES AND CONDUCTORS.
SYMPTOMS.
FATAL CURRENT.
ELECTROCUTION.
MENTAL OR PSYCHICAL SYMPTOMS.
LIGHTNING.
MECHANICAL SUFFOCATION.
STRANGULATION.
ILLUSTRATIVE CASES.
HANGING.
ILLUSTRATIVE CASES.
SUFFOCATION.
ILLUSTRATIVE CASES.
DEATH BY SUBMERSION OR DROWNING.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.
DEFINITION AND PHENOMENA OF DROWNING.
MODE OF DEATH IN DROWNING.
STAGES AND SYMPTOMS OF DEATH BY DROWNING.
TREATMENT OF THE APPARENTLY DROWNED.
CADAVERIC SIGNS IN CASES OF DROWNING.
WAS THE DROWNING ACCIDENTAL, SUICIDAL, OR CRIMINAL?
CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MAY AFFECT THE TIME OF SUBMERSION.
STARVATION.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.
ACUTE STARVATION.
“CHRONIC STARVATION,” “CHRONIC INANITION.”
WAS STARVATION ACCOMPANIED BY OTHER ILL TREATMENT?
POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION.
WAS DEATH CAUSED BY STARVATION OR DISEASE?
DISEASES PRODUCED BY STARVATION.
INDEX.
FOOTNOTES:
