* Some mistake arose as to the name and the description of this man, at the time of dissection, which I have not been able to rectify.

Before I make any remarks on the cases which have been given, and the appearances which they offer, I shall proceed to lay before the Society a description of the state of the stomach in five malefactors, who suffered death for murder, and who, before their execution, were in good health.*

CASE I.

Philip Nicholson, a man of about thirty years of age, was executed at Penningden Heath, near Maidstone, on the 23d of August 1813, at two o'clock in the afternoon. The body was taken to Bromley the same night, and was opened in my presence, and the stomach examined by me, on the following day, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

The whole of the abdominal viscera were loaded, as if by minute injection, with dark-coloured blood. Here and there, however, there were florid vessels, which were distinctly traceable into dark-coloured ones.

The stomach had its external vessels very turgid. It had no fluid contents; but on inverting it, after an incision was made in the anterior part, through the pylorus, the whole cavity was found lined with dark-coloured, clotted blood, which was pretty firmly attached to the villous coat and its mucus, and came off, but with some little difficulty, on putting the whole into water. Much of it, however, still continued to hang about the plice, at the great end, though the other parts were freed. The plica were distinct over the whole stomach, but not much elevated. Where the blood was washed off, it discovered the whole surface of the villous coat of a red colour; dark, where a portion of the blood continued to adhere; but florid, where it had been separated. The florid appearance was produced by minute vessels, which were, in general, distinct; but here and there in points, and occasionally in apparent daubs, consisting

* I was indebted to the kindness and liberality of several professional friends, for the opportunity of these examinations.

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of extravasations, more or less extensive, and when more closely examined by a glass, divided into smaller portions of extravasation. The vascularity was unequal, being sometimes in irregular lines, with small portions of the proper strawcoloured hue of the villous coat interposed. Where the straw colour was pretty well marked, (which was in very few places,) there were still seen appearances of faint, and minute vascularity, in the substance of the villous coat, which imparted a very obscure red tinge to the straw-coloured hue.

On dissecting off the villous coat, its inner surface was found to be covered with numerous vessels, which were connected with larger ones, and were traceable into the substance of the villous surface.

The stomach was reverted; and on examination the following day, it was found, in many places, to have lost the florid vascular appearance above mentioned, and to have become of a pretty uniform crimson hue. It was then put into rectified spirit; but in the course of a few hours, was deprived, not only of the slight remains of vascularity which it possessed, but altogether of its sanguineous hue, assuming a brown tint, which it still preserves.*

CASE II.

Charles Masureaux, a young French prisoner, was executed at Gillingham in Kent, on Monday the 23d of August, 1813, early in the forenoon. The stomach was taken out on the Tuesday, was sent to me in London on the Wednesday evening, and was examined on the Thursday morning.-It had been tied up at both openings, and a portion of the contents left in it. It was transmitted in a jar, at my request, without spirit or other fluid put up with it.

• Nicholson was reported to have died unusually hard, and to have been greatly convulsed. Times Paper of Aug. 25.

VOL. V.

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No. 17.