e yellow, with an odour of decayed cheese. Small portions of the body
may show signs of this change in six weeks.

=Post-Mortem Examination.=--Never make an autopsy in criminal cases
without a written order from the coroner or Procurator Fiscal. If
authorized, however, first have the body identified, then photographed
if it has not been identified. A medical man representing the accused
may be present, but only by consent of the Crown authorities or of the
Sheriff. Clothing should be examined for blood-stains, cuts, etc.

Examine external surface of body and take accurate measurements of
wounds, marks, deformities, tattooings; note degree and distribution of
post-mortem staining, rigidity, etc.

Examine brain by making incision from ear to ear across vertex, reflect
scalp forwards and backwards, and saw off calvarium. Examine brain
carefully externally and on section.

Examine organs of chest and abdomen through an incision made from
symphysis menti to pubis, reflecting tissues from chest wall and cutting
through costal cartilages.

In cases of suspected poisoning have several clean jars into which you
place the stomach with contents, intestines with contents, piece of
liver, kidney, spleen, etc., and seal each up carefully, attaching label
with name of deceased, date, and contained organs, and transmit these
personally to the analyst.

=Exhumation.=--A body which has been buried cannot be exhumed without an
order from a coroner, fiscal, or from the Home Secretary. There is no
legal limit in England as to when a body may be exhumed; in Scotland,
however, if an interval of twenty years has elapsed, an accused person
cannot be prosecuted (_prescription of crime_).

VII.--DEATH FROM ANAESTHETICS, ETC.

The coroner in England and Wales and Ireland must inquire into every
case of death during the administration of an anaesthetic. The
anaesthetist has to appear at the inquest, and must answer a long series
of questions relative to the administration of the drug.

Before, therefore, giving an anaesthetic, and so as to furnish yourself
with a proper defence in the event of death occurring, you ought to
examine the heart, lungs, and kidneys of the patient to see if they are
healthy. Should a fatal result follow, the anaesthetist will require to
prove that it was necessary to give the anaesthetic, that the one
employed was the most suitable, that the patient was in a fit state of
health to have it administered,