The wide appreciation of the importance of medico-legal science in the United States is also indicated by the fact that at the present time there are but few medical schools in which the subject is not taught. To ascertain the extent of medico-legal instruction at the present time, a circular of inquiry was sent to the deans of 124 medical schools and of 56 law schools in the United States and British provinces. Answers were received from 103 medical colleges. Of these only 3 are without a teacher of “medical jurisprudence.” In 38 the teacher is a physician, in 50 he is a lawyer, in 5 he is a graduate in both professions, and 3 have two teachers, one a lawyer, the other a physician. The average number of lectures given is 21, and the average in those schools in which the teacher is a lawyer, and therefore presumably teaches only medical jurisprudence, is 15. The medico-legal relations of their subjects are taught in their lectures by the neurologist in 62 schools, by the surgeon in 66, by the obstetrician in 69, and by the chemist (toxicology) in 91. It appears from these reports that not only is the importance of medico-legal science appreciated, but that in the majority of our medical schools the distinction between medical jurisprudence and forensic medicine is recognized in the fact that the instructor is a lawyer, who presumably teaches medical jurisprudence, while the different branches of forensic medicine and toxicology are taught by the specialists most competent to deal with them. Every practising physician requires thorough instruction in medical jurisprudence, which, being strictly legal, is best taught by one whose profession is the law. The general practitioner only requires so much knowledge of the different branches of forensic medicine as will enable him to intelligently fulfil his obligations in such medico-legal cases as will be forced upon him as results of his ordinary practice. He can become a medical expert only by a particular study of and a large experience in some particular branch of the subject.
In our law schools the teaching of medico-legal science is not as general as in schools of medicine. Of 35 law schools, only 10 have professors of medical jurisprudence. Of these 6 are lawyers, 1 is a physician, 2 are graduates in both professions, and 1 is a doctor of divinity.
In this work the existence of specialists in the various branches of medico-legal science has been recognized for the first time in a treatise in the English language. Each branch has been assigned to a specialist in that subject, or at least to one who has made it a particular study.
In the arrangement of the matter, the primary division into the three sciences of medical jurisprudence, forensic medicine, and toxicology has been adopted. The division of pure medical jurisprudence is contained in the present volume, while the legal aspects of neurology, obstetrics, etc., will be treated of in future volumes along with the subjects to which they relate. In the division of forensic medicine the classification of Casper has been followed: i.e., Thanatological; including those branches in which the subject of inquiry is a dead body (contained in the present volume). Bio-thanatological; relating to questions concerning both dead bodies and living persons (in the second volume). Biological; relating to living persons (in the second and third volumes). The applications of the microscope to forensic medicine will be treated of in the second volume. The fourth volume will contain the division relating to toxicology.
R. A. W.
MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE.
THE LEGAL RELATIONS