The history of medical jurisprudence and criminal procedure in primitive and medieval times : being the introductory lecture of the course of forensic medicine in St. Mungo's College / by John Glaister.

  • Glaister, John, 1856-1932.
Date:
[1897?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history of medical jurisprudence and criminal procedure in primitive and medieval times : being the introductory lecture of the course of forensic medicine in St. Mungo's College / by John Glaister. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    unknown, except in respect of their effects. We refer to ordeals for the detection of crime. Ordeals may be said. to have been prevalent among many nations in primitive times, as far apart, geo- graphically, as our own country and India. They were usually associated with religion, and were usually only effective as was the power of religion, or rather, of priestcraft, over the people. Among the Hindus, a very favourite ordeal was that of rice. Its use was as follows:—A crime having been committed, the suspected persons were apprehended and brought before the priest. Each suspect was given a certain amount of dry rice to masticate in a given time, after the expiry of which, each had to eject the holus upon a piece of dry bark. The suspect whose rice came out dry, was condemned as the guilty party. This ordeal is evidently based on the fact that, from the fear of detection, and its consequent punishment, the nervous mechanism of the salivary gland had failed in its action, or rather, was inhibited, and saliva had not flowed into the mouth. A similar ordeal was existent in England in early Saxon times, viz.: that of the Corsed, or hallowed morsel. This small piece of bread, previously blessed by the religious functionary, was placed in the mouths of the suspects. If it was swallowed instantly and without apparent discomfort, by each suspect, they were deemed innocent; but if one had difficulty in swallowing it, he was deemed guilty. This test is evidently based on the same physiological principle. A second form of ordeal in India, based upon the relation of mind on body in the production of disease, from fear or otherwise, was that of causing the suspects to drink three draughts of water in which the images of the Sun Grod, or other revered deity, had been previously immersed. If within fourteen days there- after, any suspect suffered any bodily harm, he was pronounced guilty; if not, innocent. When we