INDEX.
| PAGE | |
| Alleged drowning, uncertainty concerning, | [47] |
| — overlaying, uncertainty concerning, | [47] |
| — still-birth, uncertainty concerning, | [47] |
| Blood-circulation preceding sudden death, | [48] |
| Civil actions, the fees in, | [44] |
| Common witnesses of facts, | [8] |
| Coroner’s court, constitution of, | [8] |
| — — the fees in, | [39] |
| Criminal proceedings, the fees in, | [41] |
| Dead, the examination of, | [21] |
| Deglutition and peristalsis preceding sudden death, | [48] |
| Drawing up a medico-legal report, | [24] |
| Evidence, classes of, | [8] |
| — given before entering court, | [10] |
| — in court after being sworn, | [30] |
| — in court before being sworn, | [28] |
| Examination of the dead, | [21] |
| — of the living and the dying, | [18] |
| — of the living, dying, and dead, | [17] |
| Expert witnesses, | [9] |
| Fees, the rules as to, | [39] |
| Hearsay testimony, when receivable, | [50] |
| Limitations imposed by inadequacy of knowledge, | [46] |
| Limitations to medico-legal evidence, | [45] |
| Living and dying, the examination of, | [18] |
| Manner, the, of giving medical evidence, | [30] |
| Matter, the, to be given in medical evidence, | [33] |
| Medical certificates, when not to be given, | [11] |
| — evidence, the manner of giving, | [30] |
| — — the matter to be given, | [33] |
| Medico-legal report, the manner of, | [24] |
| — — the matter of, | [26] |
| Neuromuscular action and sudden death, | [49] |
| Post-mortem evidence, limitations of, | [47] |
| Precautions under suspicious circumstances, | [52] |
| Preparation of evidence, | [14] |
| Preparing and giving evidence, | [10] |
| Respiration preceding sudden death, | [48] |
| Rules as to fees, | [39] |
| — of evidence, limitations imposed by, | [45] |
| Slow poisoning, if suspected, how to act, | [52] |
| Stepping stones of medical evidence, | [57] |
| Sudden death, vital activities preceding, | [48] |
| Suicide, threatened or attempted, | [54] |
| To escape attending as witness, | [13] |
| Vital activities preceding sudden death, | [48] |
| Witness, to escape attending as, | [13] |
| Witnesses, classes of, | [8] |
Golden Rules of Medical Evidence.
Every legally qualified and registered medical practitioner in actual practice in or near the place where the death in question happened, by the Coroners Act, 1887, may be summoned by the Coroner to give medical evidence as to the cause of that death. Thus medical men may be compelled to practise medical jurisprudence if called upon so to do. With the growth of knowledge and exact observation, the weight which is attached to medical evidence has increased proportionately. It is still true, however, that “the exercise of a sound judgment, which is of far more value in medico-legal matters than all the substance of all the ancient medicina forensis, must be our guide.”
The Coroner’s Court differs from other tribunals in that, primarily, it conducts an enquiry to which there are no formal parties. The evidence received by this Court is on that account much less bound by technical rules.