166 ' Extracts from Dr. Yeats' s 



fortunately declined of late, for morbid dissections, expecting every 

 thing to be developed at the point of the scalpel. Qui ergo inter 

 sepulcreta anatomica diu defixus, e cadavere quovis inerti et de- 

 functo, actionum quorumcunque animalium causas intimiores, 

 utcunque audacter, frustra tamen eruere tentat — Frustra per mor- 

 tem ipsam, ad vitam illustrandam progreditur, omnes nodos cultro 

 solo rescindendos esse frustra jactitat, ac velut augur exta consulens 

 pro deorum effatis frustra commenta reportat sua. {Dissertation &c., 

 d Thoma Okes, init. 1770.) I trust I am not understood as mean- 

 ing to depreciate the utility of anatomy, as intending to undervalue 

 the exertions of those who have worked, and are still working in 

 this fatiguing and fruitful field of inquiry. We are much indebted 

 for information to the patience, the talents, and the industry of 

 those who have given such anatomical accuracy to the splendid 

 achievements of the artist in his graphical descriptions which have 

 issued and are still issuing from the press. 



The minutest knowledge of anatomy is indispensably necessary 

 to the practice of surgery ; and a most accurate acquaintance with 

 the different appearances between healthy and diseased structure, 

 is equally indispensable to the forensic physician, or the one who 

 studies juridical medicine ; but even here, this knowledge, however 

 deep, will often not avail the latter at all without the aid of that me- 

 dical philosophy to which I have alluded ; for some active poisons 

 leave no traces behind them of the mode by 'which they have accom- 

 plished the destruction of life ; and even where traces of deranged 

 structure are left, this change is so similar to what sometimes occurs 

 without the violence producing death, as to make the argument 

 upon the morbid appearances of little or no weight : here the philo- 

 sophical mind, tutored by clinical observations in the discrimi- 

 nation of symptoms, is of the first importance. This brings to my 

 recollection an anecdote of the late Dr. Baillie. A person, whose 

 life had, been insured at one of the Life-offices, had died rather sud- 

 denly, it was said of apoplexy with convulsions ; a phial containing 

 some laudanum was found near him. The managers at the office 

 suspected he had destroyed himself. The history of the case was 

 drawn up and sent to Dr. Baillie ; he returned it with the answer 

 that he could give no opinion on the subject, as he had never seen 

 a person die under the influence of laudanum. 



Some years ago, I was subpoenaed to give my opinion respecting 

 the cause of the death of a young woman, who had been severely 

 kicked on the region of the stomach by a man. She was never well 

 from that time to the day of her death, which happened several 



