130 : REPORT—1862. 
tissues after death. He, however, pointed out that this was not strictly true; for 
even in the case of arsenic, which was supposed to be the most persistent of all 
poisons, if the patient only lived long enough, the mineral might be entirely elimi- 
~nated by the excretions before death, and afterwards not a trace remain to be de- 
tected in the body. Such occurred in Alexander’s case, when, although it was 
Imown that arsenic was the poison which caused death, none was found in the 
body. Alexander, however, did not die till the sixteenth day. For this and other 
reasons the author then said, “that as the not finding poison in the system after 
death is no absolute proof that the patient did not die from its effects, the symptoms 
observed during life, in conjunction with the morbid appearances observed after 
death, even when no poison is discovered by chemical analysis, ought to be suffi- 
cient to convict the poisoner; and even the symptoms alone, if there be good cir- 
cumstantial evidence, especially if combined with proof of a motive, ought to con- 
vict, just as was done at Palmer’s trial.” The author concluded by saying that in 
all cases of suspected murder, great care should be taken to avoid telling the persons 
around the patient of the suspicion. The patient himself should be the first confidant ; 
for if there was no motive for suicide, he was the most likely to be aware of a 
motive in the persons surrounding him. The next confidant should be the doctor, 
who, by obtaining some of the secretions and having them carefully analysed by a 
competent person, would soon be enabled to decide if it was a case of secret murder, 
and perhaps also give a clue to the detection of the criminal. 
Suggestions towards a Physiological Classification of Animals. 
By James Hinton. 
It is scarcely necessary to remark that no system of animal classification has yet 
been accepted as entirely satisfactory, or that it is universally allowed that no 
linear series can possibly fulfil the requirements of the case. As bearing upon this 
subject, the author’s attention has been drawn to the relation in which the Articu- 
lata and Mollusca stand to each other. It is manifestly impossible to place either 
group, as a whole, below the other; but there exists a marked phystological differ- 
ence between them. In the Articulata,for instance, the organs of animal life pre- 
ponderate, and give a decided character to the group, while in the Mollusca the 
organs of vegetative life are not less strikingly predominant. The two classes 
might well stand as representatives of the two great elements in which animal life 
consists. With this thought in mind, it appeal to the author that the whole 
animal series arranged itself (with certain difficulties and doubtful points of course, 
but still on the whole very readily) in conformity with this idea. Thus, for in- 
stance, between reptiles and birds a similar relation obtains. 
The author further illustrated his views by reference to other classes. 
On Simple Syncope as a Coincident in Chloroform Accidents. 
By Cuarizs Kipp, M.D., M.R.CS. 
At two former Meetings of this Association, several reasons, chiefly obtained 
from the large field of clinical experience of London hospitals and their operating- 
theatres, were stated, and given in detail, why we should regard deaths from 
chloroform administration as pure accidents; and deaths in hospital, as not to be 
considered exactly similar to deaths from overdoses in lower animals. The author 
is desirous at present to state, that the leading facts and reasonings then expressed 
have since been borne out by further experiments and explained, but that at that 
time part of the subject was Benasely left incomplete. 
There is reason to believe that a large percentage of so-called chloroform deaths 
arise from simple fainting-fits, or “shock” (as known long before chloroform 
was discovered at all), but that mow chloroform gets the discredit of them. The 
deaths from sulphuric ether used as an anesthetic (at least twenty-five in number) 
were nearly all the result (most probably) of secondary hemorrhage after operations, 
which it very much favours, as also a state of deep narcotism like that from 
morphia, previously misunderstood, and therefore not guarded against in sufficient 
time to saye life, “The accidents from simple syncope are of the nature of accidents 
