Outlines of medical jurisprudence for India / by J.D.B. Gribble and Patrick Hehir.

  • Gribble, J. D. B. (James Dunning Baker), -1906.
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Outlines of medical jurisprudence for India / by J.D.B. Gribble and Patrick Hehir. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    they are too far distant, until it has been inspected by the village authorities. The inquest 38. The result of this inspection must be at once reduced to writing, and in this document—called in the Madras Presi- dency ;i maliazqrnamaJi and in Bengal, sooruihal,—every cir- cumstance should be carefully noted. In the mofussil, the village magistrate occupies the position of the coroner, and it very often depends upon the accuracy with which his report is drawn up, and the confidence which can be placed upon it, whether a crime results in detection or not. Identification 39. The first point is the identification of the body. In of the body. country, where there are so many wild animals, it is often very difficult to identify human remains as being those of a supposed deceased person. A case occurred in the June sessions at Cuddapah (1883), in which the body of a woman, who had been killed twenty-six hours previously and left in a vanka or dry river-bed, was found entirely stripped of flesh. The body was, however, identified by a missing- tooth in the jawbone and by some of the articles of clothing found lying near it. This is, probably, one of the most rapid cases on record in which all traces of flesh have been removed. Generally speaking, from three to four days elapse before all traces disappear, and even after this lapse of time, bodies are sometimes found almost intact. Owing to the scanty clothing which natives wear, it is otten exceedingly difficult to identify remains, and it is, therefore, of importance that nothing should be omitted which can bear upon the question of identification. As a matter of fact, many cases have been convicted—and the convictions confirmed by the High Court—in which there has been no identification of the remains ; but, as a general rule, in such a case, the sentence is generally not one of death, but of transportation for life. This, however, is not invariably the rule, as will be seen by a reference to Illustrative Cases 1 and II. General details 40. The ensuing summary of the details to be generally to be observed okayed and noted in the examination ot persons, or ot bodies, 535? t0 or of bones regarding identity may be interesting :