ly a small quantity
of liquid venous blood is effused; the edges are close, yielding,
inelastic; the blood is not effused into the cellular tissue, and there
are no signs of vital reaction. The presence of inflammatory reaction or
pus shows that the wound must have been inflicted some time before
death, probably two or three days.

_Self-inflicted wounds_ are made by the person himself in order to
divert suspicion, or in order to bring accusation against another. Such
wounds are always in front, not over vital organs, and superficial in
character. Note the condition of the clothes in such cases.

XIII.--GUNSHOT WOUNDS

These may be punctured, contused, or lacerated. Round balls make a
larger opening than those which are conical. Small shot fired at a short
distance make one large ragged opening; while at distances greater than
3 feet the shot scatter and there is no central opening. The Lee-Metford
bullet is more destructive than the Mauser. The former is the larger,
but the difference in size is not great. The Martini-Henry bullet
weighs 480 grains, the Lee-Metford 215, and the Mauser 173. Speaking
generally, a gunshot wound, unlike a punctured wound, becomes larger as
it increases in depth; the aperture of entrance is round, clean, with
inverted edges, and that of exit larger, less regular than that of
entrance, and with everted edges.

In the case of high-velocity bullets from smooth-bore rifles, including
the Mauser and Lee-Metford, the aperture of entry is small; the aperture
of exit is slightly larger, and tends to be more slit-like. There is but
little tendency to carry in portions of clothing or septic material, and
the wound heals by first intention, if reasonable precautions be taken.
The external cicatrices finally look very similar to those produced by
bad acne pustules.

The contents of all gunshot wounds should be preserved, as they may be
useful in evidence. A pocket revolver, as a rule, leaves the bullet in
the body.

Wounds inflicted by firearms may be due to accident, homicide, or
suicide. Blackening of the wound, singeing of the hair, scorching of the
skin and clothing, show that the weapon was fired at close quarters,
whilst blackening of the hand points to suicide. Even when the weapon is
fired quite close there may be no blackening of the skin, and the hand
is not always blackened in cases of suicide. Smokeless powder does not
blacken the skin. Wounds on the back of the body are not