DEATH CERTIFICATES.
[To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR.")
Sin,—In the latest edition of Taylor's Principles and Practice of Medical Jurisprudence, edited by Fred. J. Smith, M.D., it is stated, under the subsection Reality of Death—" Each of the ordinary signs of death has been found to be open to fallacies when considered alone, but in their totality they offer no room for mistake, provided that observations are carefully made over a few hours, and the editor must express his own total disbelief in premature burial, in England at any rate, and also his conviction that it is quite unnecessary to wait for actual signs of putrefaction before admitting that death has taken place." It would appear, therefore, that the certifying doctor would require to make his observations over a few hours, either during a prolonged visit, or by repeating his visit several times, if the conditions laid down in this standard work on medical jurisprudence were to be complied with. This would not be easy in a scattered country practice.—I am, Sir, &c.
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