Section 6th in The Government of Rajasthan's Instructions Regarding Medico Legal Work (1960)

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State of Rajasthan - Section

Section 6th in The Government of Rajasthan's Instructions Regarding Medico Legal Work (1960)

6th. - Even in the case of metallic poisons, which can be detected after absorption, if sufficient time (three weeks to a month) elapse before death, the whole of the poison may be eliminated from the system by the kidneys, etc., and the patient may die from the lesions caused by the poison.

Appendix B(See Part D General)

(a)A short Memorandum by the Chemical Examiner Punjab, of the symptoms produced some of the more common poisons

Poison	Usual Symptoms
Arsenic—	Vomiting, burning pain in the stomach;
Native name Satnnial-far Sankhya—	Great thirst, purging, sometimes cold skin;cramps in the limbs and sleepiness.
Hartal and Mansil—	Sleepiness, pupils small, complete insensibility,skin sweating, vomiting seldom occurs.
Opium, Afium, Afim—	Numbness and tingling in the mouth and throat,afterwards in the limbs, frothing at the mouth, sleepiness.
Aconite Bish—	Occasionally convulsion or delirium or paralysis.
Dhatura—	Sleepines, Pupils enlarged, deliriuminsensibility, vomiting rare.
Nux Vomica Kuchila—	Twitching in the limbs followed by violent spasmsand often lock jaw. The spasm ceases for a time and then againreturns often without evident cause; it usually affects the wholebody.Shortest time before symptoms, 5 minutes.Shortesttime before death, 1 hour.
Note—Anyoneof the above symptoms may be absent, though the poison by whichthey are usually caused has been administered.
Arsenic—	Ordinary interval between taking the poison andthe appearance of symptoms, 1/2 to 1 hour.Ordinary timebefore death, 6 to 12 hours.
Opium—	Ordinary interval before symptoms 1/2 to 1hour.Ordinary interval before death 6 to 12 hours.
Aconite—	Ordinary interval before symptoms 14minutes.Ordinary interval before death 1 to 8 hours
Dhatura—	Ordinary interval before symptoms, 5 to 10minutes.Ordinary interval before death 6 to 12 hours
Nux-Vomium—	Ordinary interval before symptoms 1/4 to 1hour.Ordinary interval before death 6 to 12 hoursOrdinaryinterval before death, 6 to 12 hours

(b)Questions that may be put to Medical and Other witnesses in certain cases.

No. 1Questions which may be put to a medical witness in a case of suspected poisoning after Post-Mortem Examination of the body.I. Did you examine the body of.......... late a resident of....... and,if so, what did you observe ?II. What do you consider to have been the cause of death ? State your reasons.III. Did you find any external marks of violence on the body? If so, describe them.IV. Did you observe any unusual appearance on further examination of the body? If so, describe them.V. To what do you attribute these appearances; to disease, poison or other cause?VI. If to poison, then to what class of poisons ?VII. Have you formed an opinion as to what particular poison was used?VIII. Did you find any morbid appearance in the body besides those which are usually found in cases of poisoning by.........? If so describe them.IX. Do you know of any disease in which the Post-Mortem appearances resemble those which you observed in this case ?X. In what respect do the Post-Mortem appearances of that disease differ from those which you observed in the present case ?XI. What are the symptoms of that disease in the living ?XII. Are there any Post-Mortem appearances usual in cases of poisoning by........... but which you did not discover in this instance?XIII. Might not the appearances you mention have been the result of spontaneous changes in the stomach after death ?XIV. Was the state of the stomach and bowles compatible or incompatible with vomiting and purging ?XV. What are the usual symptoms of poisoning by............. ?XVI. What is the usual interval between the time of taking the poison and the commencement of the symptoms ?XVII. In what time does........... generally prove fatal ?XVIII. Did you send the contents of the stomach and bowels (or other matter) to the Chemical Examiner ?XIX. Were the contents of the stomach (or other matters) sealed up in your presence, immediately on removal from the body ?XX. Describe the vessel in which they were sealed up and what impression did the seal bear ?XXI. Have you received a reply from the Chemical Examiner, if so, is the report now produced that which you received ?XXII. (If a female adult) what was the state of the uterus?No. IIQuestions that may he put to a non-professional witness in case of suspected poisoningI. Did you know......... late a resident of......... ? If so, did you see him during his last illness and previously ?II. What were the symptoms from which he suffered ?III. Was he in good health previous to the attack ?IV. Did the symptoms appear suddenly ?V. What was the interval between the last time of eating or drinking and the commencement of the symptoms ?VI. What was the interval between the commencement of the symptoms and death? (If death occurred).VII. What did the last meal consists of ?VIII. Did anyone partake of this meal with............IX. Were any of them affected in the same way ?X. Had........ever suffered from a similar attack before ? (If any of the following symptoms have been omitted in answer to question I, special questions may be asked regarding them as follows.)XI. Did vomiting occur ?XII. Was there any purging ?XIII. Was there any pain in the stomach ?XIV. Was........very thirsty '?XV. Did he become faint ?XVI. Did he complain of headache or giddiness ?XVII. Did he appear to have lost the use of his limbs ? XVIII.Did he sleep heavily ?XIX. Had he any delirium ?XX. Did convulsions occur ?XXI. Did he complain of any peculiar taste in the month ?XXII. Did he notice any peculiar taste in his food or water ?[XXIII. Was he sensible in the intervals between the convulsions ? [This is with reference to Nux-Vomica][XXIV. Did he complain of burning or tingling in the mouth and the throat, or of numbness and tingling in the limb ? [This is with reference to aconite]No. IIIQuestions that may be put to a medical witness in case of supposed death by wounds or blows, after post-mortem examination of the body.I. Did you examine the body of........... late a resident of.......and,if so, what did you observe ?II. What do you consider to have been the cause of death ? State your reasons.III. Did you find any external marks of violence on the body ? if so, describe them.IV. Are you of opinion, that these injuries were, inflicted before or alter death ? Give your reasons.V. Did you examine the body internally ? Describe any unnatural appearance which you observed ?VI. You say that in your opinion......was the cause of death, in what immediate way did it prove fatal ?VII. Did you find any appearance of disease in the body ?VIII. If so, do you consider that, if the deceased had been free from this disease, the injuries would still have proved fatal ?IX. Do you believe that the fact of the suffering from this disease lessened his chance of recovery from the injuries sustained ?X. Are these injuries taken collectively or is any one of them ordinarily and directly dangerous to life ?XI. Have they been caused by manual force or with a weapon ?XII. Did you find any foreign substance in the wound ?XIII. By what sort of weapon has the wound been inflicted ?XIV. Could the injuries have been inflicted by the weapon now before you (No........... in the Police charge sheet) ?XV. Could the deceased have walked so far, or spoken, etc. alter the receipt of such an injury ?XVI. Have you chemically, or otherwise, examined the stains on the weapon, clothes,etc. now before you (No.......... in the Police charge sheet) ?XVII. Do you believe the stains to be those of blood ?XVIII.What time do you think elapsed between the receipt of the injuries and death ?XIX. What was the direction of the wound, and can you form an opinion as to the position of the person inflicting such a wound with respect to the person receiving it ?XX. Is it possible for such a wound to have been inflicted by one on his own person ? Give your reasons.XXI. Give precise direction of the wound (in gun shot wounds).XXII. Did the appearance of the wound indicate that the gun had been discharged close to the body or at some distance from it ?XXIII.Did you find any slug, bullet, wadding, etc., in the body ?XXIV.Do you think it possible that you could have mistaken the aperture of entrance for that of exit ?No. IVQuestions that may be put to a medical witness in case of supposed infanticide after post-mortem examination of the body.I. Did you examine the body of a male/female child sent to you by the District Superintendent of Police on the........of......19 ?II. Can you state whether the child was completely born alive or born dead, State the reasons for your opinion.Ill. What do 'you consider to have been the cause of death ? Give your reasons.IV. What do you believe to have been the uterine age of the child ? State your reasons.V. What do you believe to have been the extra-uterine age of the child ? Give reasons,VI. Did you find any marks of violence or other unusual appearances externally ? If so, describe them accurately.VII. Did you find any morbid or unusual appearances on examination of the body internally ? If so, describe them accurately.VIII. Do you believe injuries you observed to have been inflicted before or after death ? Give reasons.IX. Can you state how they were inflicted ? Give reasons.X. Do you consider that they were accidental or not ? Give reasons.XI. Had the infant respired fully, or at all ?XII. Did you examine the person of..............the alleged mother of the infant ?If so, have you reason to suppose that she recently delivered of a child ? Can you state approximately the date of her delivery ? Give reasons.No. VQuestions that may be put to a medical witness in case of supposed death by hanging or strangulation.I. Did you examine the body of......late a resident of........? And if so, what did you observe ?II. What do you consider to have been the cause of death ? State the reasons for your opinion.III. Did you observe any external mark of violence upon the body ?IV. Did you observe any unnatural appearances on examination of the body internally ?V. Was there any rope or other such article round the neck when you saw the body ?VI. Can you state whether the mark (or marks) you observed were caused before or after death ?VII. By what sort of articles do you consider the deceased to have been hanged (or strangled) ?VIII. Could the marks you observed have been caused by the rope or other article now before you (No. ..........of the Police charge sheet) ?IX. Do you think that this rope could have supported the weight of the body ?X. Would great violence be necessary to produce the injuries you describe ? (If strangulation)No. VIQuestions that may be put to a medical witness in case of supposed death by drowning, after post-mortem examination of the body.I. Did you examine the body of........late a resident of......... And if so, what did you observe ?II. What did you consider to have been the cause of death ? State your reasons.III. Were there any external marks of violence upon the body ? If so, describe them.IV. Describe any unnatural appearances which you observed on further examination of the body.V. Did you find any foreign matters, such as weeds, straw etc., in the hair, or clenched in the hands, of the deceased or in the air-passages, or attached to any other part of the body ?VI. Did you find any water in the stomach ?No. VIIQuestions that may be put to a medical witness in a case of alleged rape.I. Did you examine the person of Mussammat........? If so, how many days after the alleged rape did you make the examination, and what did you observe ?II. Did you observe any marks of violence about the vulva or adjacent parts ?III. Are these injuries such as might have been occasioned by the commission of rape ?IV. Was the hymen ruptured ?N.B. - This question only to be asked in the case of the rape of a girl of tender years.V. Did you observe any further marks of violence upon the person of the women ?VI. Had she passed the age of puberty ?VII. Can you state approximately what her age was ?VIII. Did you find her to be a strong, healthy woman, or so weakly as to be unable to resist an attempt at rape ?IX. Did you examine the person of the accused ?X. Did you observe any marks of violence upon his body ?XI. Was he suffering from any venereal disease ?XII. Did you find the woman to be suffering from a similar or other venereal disease ?XIII. Had a sufficient time elapsed, when you examined the person of the woman, for veneral disease to have made its appearance, in case of her having been infected ?XIV. Can you state, approximately, how long the accused had been suffering from this complaint ?XV. Can you state, approximately how long the woman had been suffering from this (venereal) complaint ?XVI. Have you examined the stained articles forwarded to you, and now in Court (No.......... of.........) Police charge sheet) ?XVII. What is the result of your examination ?XVIII.Do you believe that a rape has been committed or not ? State your reasons.No. VIIIQuestions that may he put to a medical witness in case of suspected insanity.I. Have you examined..........?II. Have you done so on several different occasions so as to preclude the possibility of your examinations having been made during lucid interval of insanity ?III. Do you consider him to be capable of managing himself ? And his personal affairs ?IV. Do you consider him to be of unsound mind, in other words, intellectually insane ?V. If so, do you consider his mental disorder to be complete or partial ?VI. Do you think he understands the obligation, of an oath ?VII. Do you consider him, in his present condition, competent to give evidence in a Court of Law ?VIII. Do you consider that he is capable of pleading to the offence of which he now stands accused ?IX. Do you happen to know how he was treated by his friends (whether as a lunatic, an imbecile or otherwise) prior to the present investigation and the occurrences that have led to it ?X. What, so far as you can ascertain, were the general characteristics of his previous disposition ?XI. Does he appear to have had any previous attacks of insanity ?XII. Is he subject to insane delusions ?XIII. If so, what is the general character of these ? Are they harmless or dangerous ? How do they manifest themselves ?XIV. Might such delusion or delusions have led to the criminal act of which he is accused ?XV. Can you discover the cause of his reasons having become affected ? In your opinion was it congenital or accidental ?XVI. If the latter, does it appear to have come on suddenly, or by slow degrees ?XVII. Have you any reason for believing that his insanity is of hereditary origin '? If so, specify the grounds for such an opinion; and all the particulars bearing on it as to the insane parents or relatives of the accused; the exciting cause of his attack; his age when it set in, and the type which it assumed.XVIII.Have you any reason to suspect that he is, in any degree, feigning insanity ? If so, what are the grounds for this belief ?XIX. Is it possible, in your opinion, that his insanity may have followed the actual commission of his offence, . or been caused by it ?XX. Have you any reason to suppose that the offence could have been committed during a lucid interval, during which he could be held responsible for his Act ? If so, what appears to you to have been the duration of such lucid interval ? Or, on the contrary, do you believe his condition to have been such as altogether to absolve him from legal responsibility ?XXI. Does he now display any sign of homicidal or of suicidal mania, or has he ever done so to your knowledge ?XXII. Do you consider it absolutely necessary, from his present condition that he should be confined in a lunatic asylum ? or again;XXIII. Do you think that judicious and unremitting supervision, out of an asylum, might be sufficient to prevent him from endangering his own life or the lives or property of others ?No. IXQuestions that may be put to a medical witness in a case of alleged causing miscarriage (Section 312, 316 Indian Penal Code).I. Did you examine the person of Mussamat.........If so, when ? What did yo observe ?II. Are you of opinion that miscarriage has occurred or not ? Give your reasons.III. In what mode do you consider the miscarriage to have been produced, whether by violence per vaginal, or by external violence or by the use of irritants internally ? Give your reasons.IV. It is alleged that a drug called.........was used, state the symptoms and effects which the administration internally of this drug would produce. Do you consider that it would produce miscarriage ?V. Can you state whether the Woman was quick with child when the miscarriage was produced ? State your reasons.VI. Did you see the foetus ? If so , at what period of gestation do you consider the woman to have arrived ?No. XQuestions that may be put to a medical witness in a case of grievous hurt.I. Have you examined.......? If so, state what you have observed ?II. Describe carefully the marks of violence which you observed ?III. In what way do you consider the injuries to have been inflicted? If by a weapon, what sort of a weapon do you think was used ?IV. Do you consider that the injuries inflicted could have been caused by the weapon now shown to you (No...........of Police charge sheet ) ?V. What was the direction of the wound, and can you form an opinion as to the position of the person inflicting such a wound with respect to the person receiving it ?VI. It is possible for such a wound to have been inflicted by any one on his own person ? Give your reasons.VII. Do you consider that the injuries inflicted constitute any of the forms of "grievous hurt" defined in section 320 of the Indian penal Code ? If so, which of them ? Give you reasons.The Magistrate in putting this question will show the Indian penal Code to the witness, or the Magistrate may vary the form of a question so as to elicit the required information without calling the witness's attention to the Code.VIII. Do you consider that the person injured is now out of danger ?IX. It is alleged that the injuries were caused by........Could they have been caused in the manner indicated ?X. Have you chemically or otherwise examined the stains (on weapon, clothes, etc.)now before you (No........... in the police charge sheet) ?XI. Do you believe the injuries being gun-shot wounds questions XXI to XXIV under the head of No. III (Death by wound) may be put to the witness.

(C)Points to be inquired into in a Case of Death from Rupture of the Spleen.

Report on rupture of the spleen, by Dr. Burton ? Brown, late Principal of the Lahore Medical College.Rupture of the spleen usually occurs from violence affecting the spleen when it is already diseased, but it may occur when the structure is quite healthy if the violence is very great, or it can happen without violence if the spleen is in a very diseased state; rupture has been known to have occurred either from muscular efforts, or straining, coughing or vomiting or even, it is stated spontaneously in intermittent fever, but these cases are very rate. it is, therefore, of great importance to termine that what was the condition of the spleen in all cases in which death has been caused by rupture of this substance.When the spleen is ruptured by violence the marks of that violence can sometimes be seen on the body but not in all cases, since rupture of the spleen often produces death so rapidly that no effusion of blood can occur, and also sometimes the violence appears only to affect the spleen, and not to injure other parts.It is, therefore, quite possible that the spleen should be ruptured by violence and yet no evidence of the injury be seen on the skin or other parts of the body.The condition of the spleen previous to rupture can generally be determined by its size and consistency after death. A healthy spleen measures about 5 or 5 1/2 inches long 3 or 4 wide; and 1 to 1/2 thick, and it weighs about 6 ounces varying from 4 to 8. When the spleen is so diseased as to render a rupture from slight violence probable, it will often weigh from 10 to 30 ounces, and measures from 7 to 12 inches in length. The healthy spleen does not project beyond the ribs but the diseased spleen does so often to a considerable distance.The consistency of the spleen, when healthy, when healthy, is moderately firm, so that it may be out with case, leaving a sharp edge and smooth surface when divided, but in disease the spleen may become quite soft and pulpy or even en diffluent, so as to fall away like a thick liquid when the capsule is divided. The condition, however, may also occur from putrefaction of the body if kept long after death or if the weather is very warm and therefore these circumstances should also be ascertained.The enlargement and softening of the spleen from disease is usually a result of previous attacks of intermittent fever or ague; it may also occur in other diseases, especially typhoid fever scurvy and purpura.The part of the spleen which is usually ruptured is the concave or inner surface and the extent of the rupture varies greatly; but death usually occurs more rapidly in proportion as the rupture is larger and deeper. When the rupture is small, the patient may live several days, or may even recover entirely.If the rupture is extensive, the person is usually incapable of moving from the place where the rupture occurred.Lastly, in some instances, the spleen is covered with a layer or membrane caused by previous attacks of inflammation; this may delay or even prevent death by limiting the rupture or preventing excessive bleeding.The questions, therefore, which appear necessary to ask in case of death from rupture of the spleen are:-

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State of Rajasthan - Section

Section 6th in The Government of Rajasthan's Instructions Regarding Medico Legal Work (1960)

6th. - Even in the case of metallic poisons, which can be detected after absorption, if sufficient time (three weeks to a month) elapse before death, the whole of the poison may be eliminated from the system by the kidneys, etc., and the patient may die from the lesions caused by the poison.