Preface to Eighth Edition
This work of the late Dr. William Murrell having met with such a large measure of success, the publishers thought it would be well to bring out a new edition, and invited me to revise the last impression.
This I have done, and while retaining Dr. Murrell’s text closely, I have made large additions, in order to bring the “Aids” up to present requirements. I have also rearranged the matter with the object of making the various sections more consecutive than they were previously.
W.G. AITCHISON ROBERTSON.
Surgeons’ Hall,
Edinburgh.
June, 1914.
Part I — Forensic Medicine
| | PAGE |
| I. | Crimes | 1 |
| II. | Medical Evidence | 2 |
| III. | Personal Identity | 10 |
| IV. | Examination of Persons found Dead | 12 |
| V. | Modes of Sudden Death | 13 |
| VI. | Signs of Death | 16 |
| VII. | Death from Anæsthetics, etc. | 19 |
| VIII. | Presumption of Death; Survivorship | 20 |
| IX. | Assaults, Murder, Manslaughter, etc. | 21 |
| X. | Wounds and Mechanical Injuries | 21 |
| XI. | Contused Wounds, etc. | 22 |
| XII. | Incised Wounds | 23 |
| XIII. | Gunshot Wounds | 24 |
| XIV. | Wounds of Various Parts of the Body | 26 |
| XV. | Detection of Blood-Stains, etc. | 30 |
| XVI. | Death by Suffocation | 34 |
| XVII. | Death by Hanging | 35 |
| XVIII. | Death by Strangulation | 35 |
| XIX. | Death by Drowning | 36 |
| XX. | Death from Starvation | 38 |
| XXI. | Death from Lightning and Electricity | 38 |
| XXII. | Death from Cold or Heat | 39 |
| XXIII. | Pregnancy | 40 |
| XXIV. | Delivery | 41 |
| XXV. | Fœticide or Criminal Abortion | 42 |
| XXVI. | Infanticide | 44 |
| XXVII. | Evidences of Live-Birth | 46 |
| XXVIII. | Cause of Death in the Fœtus | 50 |
| XXIX. | Duration of Pregnancy | 50 |
| XXX. | Viability of Children | 51 |
| XXXI. | Legitimacy | 52 |
| XXXII. | Superfœtation | 53 |
| XXXIII. | Inheritance | 54 |
| XXXIV. | Impotence and Sterility | 54 |
| XXXV. | Rape | 55 |
| XXXVI. | Unnatural Offences | 59 |
| XXXVII. | Blackmailing | 60 |
| XXXVIII. | Marriage and Divorce | 60 |
| XXXIX. | Feigned Diseases | 63 |
| XL. | Mental Unsoundness | 67 |
| XLI. | Idiocy, Imbecility, Cretinism | 68 |
| XLII. | Dementia | 70 |
| XLIII. | Mania, Lucid Intervals, Undue Influence, Responsibility, etc. | 71 |
| XLIV. | Examination of Persons of Unsound Mind | 76 |
| XLV. | Inebriates Acts | 78 |
Part II — Toxicology
| I. | Definition of a Poison | 80 |
| II. | Scheduled Poisons | 80 |
| III. | Classification of Poisons | 83 |
| IV. | Evidence of Poisoning | 85 |
| V. | Symptoms and Post-Mortem Appearances of Different Classes of Poisons | 86 |
| VI. | Duty of Practitioner in Supposed Case of Poisoning | 89 |
| VII. | Treatment of Poisoning | 90 |
| VIII. | Detection of Poison | 91 |
| IX. | The Mineral Acids | 94 |
| X. | Sulphuric Acid | 95 |
| XI. | Nitric Acid | 97 |
| XII. | Hydrochloric Acid | 98 |
| XIII. | Oxalic Acid | 98 |
| XIV. | Carbolic Acid | 100 |
| XV. | Potash, Soda, and Ammonia | 101 |
| XVI. | Nitrate of Potassium, etc. | 103 |
| XVII. | Potassium Salts, etc. | 103 |
| XVIII. | Barium Salts | 104 |
| XIX. | Iodine—Iodide of Potassium | 104 |
| XX. | Phosphorus | 105 |
| XXI. | Arsenic and its Preparations | 107 |
| XXII. | Antimony and its Preparations | 112 |
| XXIII. | Mercury and its Preparations | 113 |
| XXIV. | Lead and its Preparations | 116 |
| XXV. | Copper and its Preparations | 117 |
| XXVI. | Zinc, Silver, Bismuth, and Chromium | 118 |
| XXVII. | Gaseous Poisons | 120 |
| XXVIII. | Vegetable Irritants | 123 |
| XXIX. | Opium and Morphine | 124 |
| XXX. | Belladonna, Hyoscyamus, and Stramonium | 127 |
| XXXI. | Cocaine | 128 |
| XXXII. | Camphor | 129 |
| XXXIII. | Tetrachlorethane | 129 |
| XXXIV. | Alcohol, Ether, and Chloroform | 130 |
| XXXV. | Chloral Hydrate | 134 |
| XXXVI. | Petroleum and Paraffin Oil | 134 |
| XXXVII. | Antipyrine, Antefebrin, Phenacetin, and Aniline | 135 |
| XXXVIII. | Sulphonal, Trional, Tetronal, Veronal, Paraldehyde | 137 |
| XXXIX. | Conium and Calabar Bean | 138 |
| XL. | Tobacco and Lobelia | 139 |
| XLI. | Hydrocyanic Acid | 140 |
| XLII. | Aconite | 143 |
| XLIII. | Digitalis | 144 |
| XLIV. | Nux Vomica, Strychnine, and Brucine | 145 |
| XLV. | Cantharides | 146 |
| XLVI. | Abortifacients | 147 |
| XLVII. | Poisonous Fungi and Toxic Foods | 148 |
| XLVIII. | Ptomaines or Cadaveric Alkaloids | 150 |
| Index | 152 |