- 1. The result of artificial respiration.
- 2. The result of putrefaction.
The value of these objections will be discussed in the following pages.
The following table is given by Tidy:
| Lungs that have not Breathed. | Lungs that have Breathed. |
| 1. Dark in colour (black-blue, | 1. Light in colour (rose-pink, |
| maroon, or purple), resembling | pale pink, light red, or crimson), |
| liver. No mottling. | mottled. |
| 2. Air-vesicles not visible | 2. Air-vesicles distinctly |
| to the naked eye. | visible to the naked eye, or a |
| lens of low power (say a two-inch, | |
| or even a common reading-glass). | |
| 3. When squeezed or cut, do not | 3. Crepitate or crackle freely. |
| crepitate or crackle. | |
| 4. Contain but little blood, | 4. Contain a good deal of blood, |
| therefore little escapes on section. | which escapes freely on section. |
| 5. The blood present is not | 5. The blood present is freely |
| frothy, unless there be | mixed with air, and therefore |
| putrefaction. | appears frothy. |
| 6. Sink in water, unless putrid, | 6. Float in water; or, at all |
| and often not then. | events, the parts which have been |
| events, the parts which have been | |
| expanded, or have breathed, float. | |
| If fully expanded, they will buoy | |
| up the heart. | |
| 7. Bubbles of gas arising | 7. The air cannot be squeezed |
| from putrefaction may be | out by pressure. |
| squeezed out, and as they | |
| escape are usually noted to | |
| be of large size. |
Hydrostatic Lung Test
(Docimasia pulmonum hydrostatica)
The value of this test, which is a test of respiration and not of live birth, is founded on the supposition that a lung in which respiration has taken place will float if placed in water, and that when this has not occurred it will sink. Admitting that a lung floats as a result of respiration, it has been objected that this is no proof of live birth, for respiration may take place in:
- 1. The womb, vagitus uterinus.
- 2. The maternal passages, vagitus vaginalis.
- 3. Cases when the head protrudes, the body not yet being born.
With regard to the two first objections, it will be sufficient to say that, in all the cases of so-called intra-uterine respiration, the respiratory acts have occurred in difficult or instrumental labours, where it is justifiable to suppose that, in the endeavour to remove the child, a certain amount of air may have been unavoidably admitted into the maternal passages. But the cases with which the medical jurist has to deal cannot be classed with these, for in all those brought under his notice delivery has been more or less rapid and unassisted.
To the last objection the same reply may be given, that rapid delivery in doubtful cases must be considered as the rule, and that the time which elapses between the birth of the head of the child and its complete delivery is so short as not to lead to any great error in diagnosis. It is true that the woman may faint with the child half born, and that respiration may thus take place; and it has not yet been decided how many inspirations a child must make to entirely inflate its lungs, or the length of time required to do so.