2. Circumstances to be learnt by an examination of surrounding and collateral objects.
The information which may be occasionally derived
from the state of the objects surrounding the body,
will be best illustrated by the numerous cases in
which they have furnished the principal means of
discovery.
Whether the spot in question be of a description to explain the cause of the deceased having been found there; or how far its retired situation excites the suspicion that the body has been conveyed thither for concealment, or some other purpose?—Having examined all the circumstances which attach to the person of the individual, we should direct our attention to the spot in which the body is found. The Cornish case which is related at page 27, offers an admirable illustration of the utility of such observations. The nature of the place may perhaps suggest the probability of the person having fallen down from some height, in which case any appearance of wounds must be examined with reference to such a suspicion. We may also in the progress of such an inquiry be led to conclude that the spot may have been infested with some unwholesome vapour, destructive of life; the various circumstances which may contribute to the generation of noxious air have been fully examined under the head of Suffocation, vol. ii, p. 48, and were we to discover a dead body in the vicinity of a lime-kiln, or in an unventilated apartment, where charcoal[1] had been burning, or
- ↑ See "An account of the symptoms and death of the sailors who were affected in consequence of a fire having been kindled in the hold of their vessel, and their neglecting to leave the hatches open, by Dr. King." Edinb. Med. and Surg. Journ. no. 26, April, 1811.
