230 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



overcome, and with much difficulty dragged the body out into 

 the lobby, where he applied artificial respiration, sending mean- 

 while for medical assistance. Dr. Herbert Byrne, the medical 

 officer of the district, speedily arrived, and could only pronounce 

 life extinct. 



The necropsy, done by myself next day at the Coroner's 

 request, revealed no trace of any disease in the body, which was 

 that of a finely- developed young man. Rigor mortis extreme : the 

 blood was still perfectly fluid, and bright cherry-red in hue. I may 

 add that it was still uncoagulated a fortnight after collection. I 

 was unable to detect much difference between a dilute solution of 

 this blood and a similar one of normal blood (my own) after 

 shaking with coal-gas to complete saturation. An accurate titra- 

 tion by Haldane's colorimetric method revealed the fact that the 

 sample which I took from the right auricle was 87*3 per cent., 

 and the sample from the left auricle 87*7 per cent., saturated 

 with carbon monoxide. 



I learn from Prof. Lorrain Smith, of Belfast, who kindly did 

 the titration for me, that this is the highest percentage of satura- 

 tion as j'et seen in the human subject. There remained only one- 

 eighth of the subject's haemoglobin available for oxygen-carriage. 

 The deceased would appear to have sat reclining in the bath until 

 deprived of seven-eighths of his hsemoglobin, and on arising and 

 attempting to step out, had fallen unconscious on the floor, where 

 death must have speedily supervened. 



Inspection of the premises. — A bath-room about 7 feet by 7, 

 with a sloping roof varying from 6 to 7^ feet high. Most of the 

 available floor-space was taken up by a full-sized metal bath and a 

 pedestal w. c. which stood beside it, at the head end. At the 

 other end was a chair, and there was just space to stand com- 

 fortably between the door and the side of the bath. The upper 

 half of the wide double doors was glazed with muffed glass. They 

 fitted tightly. On the other side of the bath was a large " French " 

 window, which was closed at the time of the occurrence. On 

 the same side of the room was an ordinary " Sheringham " valve, 

 near the roof. Its flap was properly counterbalanced by a weight, 

 and was described at the inquest as " slightly open " at the time 

 of the occurrence. The " Greyser " was placed over the foot end 

 of the bath. It consisted of a metal heater of about two gallons 



