induce bleeding. The sardines were t,nen immediately released in a live 

 pound and their subsequent progress was observed. As the following 

 table shows, those in which cerebral Hemorrhages had been produced reached 

 their maximum death rate about a day later while tnose in which hemorrhages 

 had been induced in the liver or spleen snowed the peak of their mortality 

 somewhat later,, 



Again in the latter part of March, 1954., in the bait fish experiment 

 aboard tne Fuji Maru, Assistant. Technician Mishio^) observed a large 

 number of dead sardines and, although this was merely judging from external 

 appearances, he reported that the hemorrhages in the head appeared first 

 and those of the belly later, 



Wnen we collate the accounts of the actual experience of fishermen, 

 as given above, the examples cited by Messrs* Kimura and Mishio, and 

 the author's experiment in artificially causing injuries to sardines, it 

 seems most correct to consider that the main cause of the abrupt increase 

 in mortality of sardines L - 2 days after they have been placed in 

 captivity is not the lack of free oxygen already referred to, nor is it 

 based on sudden changes in the water temperature, but it is rather the 

 result of hemorrhages from subcutaneous wounds c 



2) Brain contusions 



When, because of a collision or from some other cause, a rather 

 large force of inertia is applied to the brain, brain contusions are 

 caused, nemorrnages occur locally (mostly in the cerebrum) in the brain 

 tissues, finally a large amount of blood is shed in tne brain case, and 

 within a day after the injury death ensues 



The presence of brain contusions can generally be detected indirectly 

 by the bleeding in the snout of the fish resulting from the impact. The 

 occurrence of brain hemorrhage can be judged through noting the extra- 

 vasation of blood into the cornea or into the T-shaped region at the top 

 of the skull corresponding to the fcnticuli, (See Plate I«) 



5) Rupture of internal organs and accompanying injury to blood vessels 



When a large force is applied to the belly of the fish, in most cases 

 such soft part-: as the liver and spleen or the deep arteries and veins 

 associated with these organs are injured so that large quantities of 

 blood are hemorrhaged into the body-cavity. (See Plate I, ) The time 

 involved varies considerably depending on the extent of the injury, but 

 usually most of the fish die several days after being hurt, Kofmann 26 ' 

 in his work on forensic medicine gives a detailed account of how roughly 

 the same results appear in the case of ruptures of the internal organs in 

 humans* 



The foregoing deals with brain contusions and ruptures of the liver 

 and spleen wnich are sufficient to indicate clearly the cause of death, 



38 



