700 
COAGULATION OF THE BLOOD. 
cles, leaving a layer of clear liquor sanguinis at the top. If 
two ligatures be applied, about an inch apart, upon a sub- 
cutaneous vein of one of the legs of a cat, care having been 
taken not to disturb the connections of the vessel, or inflict 
injury upon it, and the leg be suspended by the paw in the 
vertical position, the clear appearance will begin to show 
itself below the upper ligature within five minutes. If now 
the limb be left for several hours, the skin having been care- 
fully replaced so as to prevent evaporation, the clear colour- 
less upper layer will be found to occupy nearly two thirds of 
the length of the portion of vein, and to be sharply defined 
from the black lower layer which contains all the red corpus- 
cles. If now the upper part be punctured, the clear liquor 
sanguinis will flow’ out, and coagulate upon any object held 
to receive it. 
Some of the observations above described will have a bear- 
ing upon medico-legal inquiries, showing, as they do, that 
not only ecchymosis, which some have denied, but even 
inflammation may be developed post-mortem , provided that 
the return of blood by the veins is in some way prevented. 
There are other bearings, both upon pathology and prac- 
tice, to w^hich I cannot even allude on the present occasion ; 
but I thought it best to place the facts at once before my 
professional brethren, confident that they will receive from 
them all the attention that they may deserve. 
In conclusion, I have to express my thanks to my friend, 
Mr. Craig, for the kind and able assistance which he has 
offered me throughout this investigation, and also to my 
friends, Drs. Gourlay and Hill, who have on several occasions 
lent me most valuable aid . — Edinburgh Journal of Medicine, 
