Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1860-06-27
THE RAFTsNlADl'S JOURNAL.


| deyel loped /; the chest arched in front hair
] and nails perfect, ears standing out from the
| head and well developed; testicals in the scro-
| tum About one inch below the left ears, on
| the neck, saw white mark. also saw what
supposed to be finger nail mark on the
| chest. Found the child to weigh 81 lbs. DIR.
| Wilson then opend the chest, and found the
| thymus gland we'll developed, occupying its
| proper place. Examined the lungs, found
| them prominent and projecting forward, the
| right lung extending little over the median
| line, and covered portion of the pericardium
or membrane surrounding the heart. The
| lungs presented light red rather bright color,
and had q marble appearance, particularly on
the lower side. The lower part of both lungs
| slightly mottled-still darker. Removed the
| lungs and heart and placed them in bucket of
water and they foated, in consequence of
having been filed with air. This is the hydro
static test. Then examined the brain, and
| found it fully developed. Bones of the head
were partly ossfed. The vessels of tho brain
were stained with dark colored blood. After
| that, looking over it, saw three marks on the
| body. When the body was lifted from the
water in the River and let go, it Immediately
sunk again. thought the body was lying near
where it was first thrown in, from the fact that
! the current was not strong, and that when the
| body was lifted it Immediately sunk again.
| Had the body been thrown in above the bridge:
| it would likely have been found further out,
perhaps on the opposite side Of the River. 1t
| was fully developed child. L think it was
born alive. There are two tests-the hydro
static and static. The hydrostatic test was
| employed. i believe the child had breathed.
1t is said a child can breathe before absolute
birth. 1t is my opinion, from examina-
ton, that the child did not die natural death
| that it died by violence. The distending of
| the blood vessels of the head and of the up
per portion of the body, would lead me to
suppose that it died by suffocation-which is
the immediate cause of death by drowning.
| X.-The hydrostatic test might consider
infalIible, but is not by all-there is a differ
ence of opinion in regard to it. Before the
child is born, suppose in one-third of the
| cases, the child cries. The lungs could be-
come inflated afterthe lungs and head had
passed. There are other causes which would
initiate the lungs and cause them to fOat-ar-
tificial imitation, putrefaction, and emphyse-
ma or rupture of the air vessels and passage
of the air into the lungs. Can't say whether
there was entire extra uterine life--my opinion
nclines that way. If the putrefying gases
were to pass into the lungs, they would float.
In answer to Comth.-I would think that
fully developed child, such as this was, must
have had an independent circulation from its
mother. Noticed no evidences of putrefac-
tion, artificial imitation, or internal disease.
Adjourned at ~ to meet at J o'clock.
Court met at II o'clock, P. NJ.
DR.. Il. V. Wilson, sw.-A child was found
in the river, which was called to assist in ex-
amining at the Town Hall. Saw the child be-
fore it was removed from the water. / lifted
it out. Assisted at the post mortem examina-
tion. II had all the marks of perfectly ma
tured and we'll developed child. The after
| birth was attached. The brain was healthy
and we'll developed, somewhat congested and
filled with dark blood. Its lungs were we'll
| 1ay fplly dad nd of
lor, such as we would expect to find in child
after Firth. We employed the hydrostatic
| test. Also examined the heart and lungs in
| my Office after the inquest. So far as our ex
| animation extended and anatomical tests were
| applied, there was nothing to contradict the o.
| pinion that the child had been born alive.
| There was strong presumptive evidence that
death had been caused by strangulation-suf-
location rather than strangulation. OF this,
| however, entertained some doubts. Its lungs
were filled with frothy mucous, which is, ac
| cording to the books, one of the evidences of
| suffication by drowning. No evidences of pu-
| trefaction in the chlld-none of artificial infa-
ton. There were eydent>signs of lite. Found
| several marks on one side OF the neck, just
| below the ear. The hydrostatic test is not, in
/ itself, considered conclusive, but associated
| with other circumstances pertaining to the
| condition of the child, it becomes conclusive
| as to the fact of respiration. The circumStan-
ces inducing belief that the child had respired
/ were, the condition in which it was found
its perfect development rendering it evident
| ly capable of sustaining an independent exis-
| tence-the complete expansion of the lungs
Reconsideration healthy color, and the ab-
sence of any putrefactive changes. The con-
dition of the anatomical and foetal parts,
should also be taken into account. From its
density, wouldn't suppose the body of the
child had fioated far. / have no doubts about
this child having lived after BIRTH
XII don't believe that as perfect respira-
tion could have taken place until after partial
birth. 1t has happened in my own practice a
number of times that the umbilcal chord was
around the neck of the child-I have found it
around once, twice, and once so tight that /
had to sever it. The average time that will
be.required for a body to rise in the water
is stated by New-Y ork coronors to be from 4
to days. The child might have breathed
and not have had complete extra-uterine life
the limbs might not have been free. The lungs
t are the last parts of the body that are .subjec-
ted to change in water. [ had no doubts in
my own mind that the child breathed after it
was born.
Robert Archy, sw.-Was working on the
river bank on the morning the child was found
| Was cutting sod for Mr.. Grams. Went to the
bank with VIM. Morgan, Jr., to see whether
couldn't get better. Went to spring at the
waters edge to get drink. Went to where
was digging, when he said, Bob what is that
there. looked at it, and said why it's child
Came up to Morrow's and told Dave Halsey
! Morrow, Halsey and myself went down then.
M. a. Frank, sworn.--Am Justice of the
Peace, held the inquest, there being no Coro-
ner. The body was found in the river in the
Borough of Clearfield. The physicians were
t called in by my direction.
Maria Shugarts, sw.-I saw Mrs. Brennemau
! three times during the past six months. Took
her to be in a delicate situation.