under lips, is of a circular or horse-shoe form, and acts, when attached to any substance, as a sucker, by means of the muscular apparatus at the upper part of the œsophagus. There is another sucker at the posterior extremity.

There are two openings in the belly. The one termed generative, round and small, placed about an inch and a half from the lower lip, and containing the penis in a sheath. The other a quarter of an inch behind the first, extremely small, termed vagina, and leading to the uterus.

There is a third foramen in the back, a little above the rim of the posterior sucker. It is the anus.

2. The eyes are ten in number, ranged in a crescent form at the pointed extremity on the back of the head. Touch probably resides in the margins of the suckers. Taste at the upper part of the œsophagus. Hearing, we discover no organ of. Smell Dr. J. imagines to reside at the breathing holes.

S. Some naturalists regard the leech as breathing by the mouth, others by puncta respiratoria.

Although leeches live some time when immersed in oil, earth worms, which are known to breathe by spiracula, do the same; and Dr. J. found a leech live as long after a string had been tightly drawn around its head, as when immersed in oil.

4. As to the internal structure, they have an epidermis, cutis, muscular coat, and membranous coat, with intervening cellular substance. The epidermis is cast every four or five days. The fibres of the muscular coat are both longitudinal and circular. The membranous coat lines the whole internal cavity.

The pincers are three in number, rounded, cartilaginous, have sharp edges, resting on small eminences, and meet in the centre under equal angles. Poupart thought the wound was produced simply by suction, but Dr. J. has found the pincers, which become stiff at the time, buried in the wound, on lifting up the sucker with a pen-knife. He says, they are moved backwards and forwards, gradually making the wound; during action, they are in constant oblique motion from side to side.

Around the œsophagus is a nervous ganglion, which distributes filaments to different parts of the body.

The blood-vessels have red contents. What has been considered as a nerve, Dr. J. has found to be really a blood-vessel,

which he denominates the abdominal vessel. It proceeds in a straight line from the mouth to the tail, expanding into a diamond form in several points of its course. There are also two lateral blood-vessels, and one dorsal, all four anastomosing by irregularly distributed transverse branches. These Dr. J. has seen pulsating, but could never discover, like Durandeau, any thing like a heart.

The leech is hermaphrodite, but whether capable of self-impregnation, is unknown. Besides testes, and uterus, and ovaria, there are many abdominal vesicles, containing a fluid like that of the testes. The lateral vesicles are about thirty in number, and usually regarded as organs of respiration; but as far as our author has remarked, they merely secrete that unctuous matter with which the body is covered, preventing it from being easily seized, and preserving the pliability and elasticity of the rings.

The esophagus is about a quarter of an inch in length. The cells or stomachs, are from eighteen to twenty-four, and run along four-fifths of the body. The alimentary canal runs between the rows of stomachs, and the intestine beginning from the posterior edge of the opening to the last cell, is about an inch in length, has a valve at its anterior part, to prevent the regurgitation of the fæces, and a sphincter to prevent the escape of a plenteous repast.

In some parts, persons occupy themselves solely in furnishing and applying leeches. The leeches are thus afforded at least as cheap as from the shops, and the animals being properly taken care of afterwards by the persons to whom they belong, do not suffer that prodigious destruction which occurs in London. We wish heartily with Dr. J. that this custom was as general as possible. If leeches are kept out of water an hour at least before application, they are rendered much more voracious. If they adhere to a wrong part, they may be removed by inserting the nail between the mouth and the patient's surface. They fill in about ten or fifteen minutes, and often adhere indolently, but may be roused by sprinkling them with cold water. Snipping their tails while sucking, makes them suck for a longer period; but it renders the leech some

time afterwards extremely languid. The best mode of making a leech disgorge, Dr. J. says, is, to pour a little vinegar upon its head.

Leeches are liable, especially in hot weather, to ulcers, constrictions, and flaccidity. A healthy leech is firm in the hand. Such is this work, which reflects great credit upon its author.

MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE. Foderé Médecine légale, 8vo. 6 vols. Paris, 1813.

[From the Journal of Science and the Arts. No. V.]

OUR attention has been directed to the science of Medical Jurisprudence or State Medicine, as it is termed in Germany, by some recent publications of considerable merit. As a science it is not known in this country, nor does it form any part of the necessary studies of the medical practitioner. In the present Paper, we shall point out what we consider to be its leading branches; and we are so convinced of the benefit which would result to mankind from a more general attention to this science, that we shall not apologize for having entered on a subject which may probably be considered not to be immediately within the limits of our journal. The science of Medical Jurisprudence comprehends the evidence and opinions necessary to be given in courts of justice, by practitioners, on all subjects relating to their profession: according to the English laws, the testimony or the opinions of medical men are not directly required, though it is usual in certain cases, to require their evidence on professional subjects: public attention has been of late called to the laws now in force relating to coroner's inquests, and the mode in which they are administered. This subject is intimately connected with Medical Jurisprudence. Without wishing to discuss the propriety of the laws for the punishment of suicide, so far as they relate to the forfeiture of property, and the giving publicity to the offence; there can be little question but that the exposure of the body of the suicide is not consonant to the

feelings of the present age: and yet it cannot be forgotten, that within a short period the body of an unfortunate wretch was, in open day, dragged in procession along the public way, headed by the civil power. Very slight evidence, or rather no evidence at all, but merely the discretion of the coroner, is sufficient to procure a verdict of lunacy; and that such verdicts are often corruptly procured, no person who has attended to the proceedings of coroners inquests, can have any doubt. It may be questioned whether an ignominious burial has any direct tendency to the prevention of suicide; and unless it is clearly established that it has, in an enlightened age, like the present, so barbarous and disgusting a law should be abolished, or at least why should not the very fact of suicide be considered in all cases, as affording evidence of insanity? It is of the utmost importance to the due administration of justice that the evidence before the coroner should be complete and correct. To insure this, it will be requisite that enactments should be made, at once regulating the mode of producing such evidence, and the class of persons by whom it is to be given. Several instances of the grossest neglect and irregularity in the evidence of medical persons have come to our knowledge; the following is one of the most flagrant:a servant had died in consequence of poison; it was supposed she had taken it purposely, though she stated that it was taken by her as a dose of salts which had been carelessly left about by another servant: there was, however, reason to suspect that she had been pregnant, and had lately miscarried. The prejudice was considerably excited in favour of the deceased having taken the poison accidentally. Two medical gentlemen of eminence attended to examine the body; the apothecary who was to give evidence before the coroner, was also in attendance; and as, from the early part of the examination, there was little question but that the woman had been pregnant, on the examination proceeding, the apothecary actually left the room, stating, that as he was to be examined before the coroner, if he gave any evidence which might seem prejudicial to the character of the deceased, it would seriously affect his professional interests in the neighbourhood! Now, in this case, independently of false evidence hav

ing been in fact given before the coroner, injustice was done to the servant who was supposed to have brought the poison into the house. In order to insure proper attention and skill on the part of medical persons who may be called in to give their evidence before coroners, we should propose, that in addition to the usual course of education, all medical students should be required to attend a certain number of lectures exclusively on the subject of Medical Jurisprudence, in which their attention would be particularly called to those parts of the science of medicine, respecting which they would be liable to be called upon to give their opinions, in courts of justice, with peculiar directions as to the nature of the proof required, and the effect of their testimony. In addition to this, we conceive much benefit would arise from the prescribing particular rules to be adopted in all cases of sudden or suspicious death; and making it imperative on the coroner to employ particular medical persons (who should be remunerated;) and for this purpose a certain number of practitioners in each county, who had previously passed such examination as might be thought fit, should be named as the persons to be employed by the coroner; and that every such examination should be made according to certain directions to be determined on, and a report of it in writing signed and sworn to by the person making it. In order to facilitate the mode of making these examinations and reports, certain printed formulæ might be devised, stating the mode of examination to be pursued, and the results; such formulæ, of course, to be varied according to circumstances. This is the mode adopted in France, and in other countries in Europe, and from the adoption of which we conceive much benefit would arise. The reporter might still be examined vivá voce, either before the coroner, or on the trial. Independent of the improvement which would result from this, in the administration of justice, much good would arise from the removal of doubt and suspicion in the public, which is often misled by the evidence given before coroners, on medical subjects, owing to the unfitness of the persons employed. There can be little question, that had the examinations and analysis been skilfully made, no public disturbance or discontent would have arisen in the case of Elizabeth Fenning, who VOL. VIII. No. 29.

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