In deciding whether a case is one of _suicide_ or _homicide_, besides the previous state of mind of the deceased, the posture and position of the body, hands, etc., the appearance of the clothing, and the character of the wounds or injuries, are the points to be particularly noted, as well as the absence or presence of evidences of robbery. _Gunshot wounds_ produced upon dead bodies, are never as deep as similar ones would be in a living body; the track of the bullet can be distinctly traced; and the edges of the wound show no appearance of vital reaction. Hence they can readily be distinguished from such as have been produced during life. _Burning_ of a dead body does not in general produce vesication; by exceedingly intense heat it may, however, be produced. The bullæ, however, last but a few minutes, never contain serum, but only watery vapor, and never exhibit any trace of the bounding line of redness, nor any trace of color on their basis. They are, therefore, easily distinguished from burns inflicted during life. In distinguishing between spontaneous apoplexy and _cerebral hæmorrhage_ the result of injuries, it will be sufficient to note that, in the former case, but a very small amount of blood is effused, so that the discovery of very extensive and considerable extravasation of blood within the cranial cavity, can be regarded as a proof of the application of external violence. In the case of a dead body found _hanging_, it is in most instances to be regarded as a case of suicide, unless the examination of the body should show external marks of violence, or internal signs of death from another cause. _Where a body has been found in the water_, the question may arise whether it was alive or dead when it entered the water. The investigation of the body will reveal the cause of death. The surest sign that the body was alive when it was thrown or fell into the water, is the presence in the stomach of some of the fluid in which it was lying, if this fluid be such as is never voluntarily drank. Whether the drowning was a case of suicide or homicide, it is sometimes impossible to determine. All the various circumstances of time and place, and concomitant appearances, must be minutely investigated, in order to hope to arrive at a probable conclusion. In the case of _supposed poisoning_, where the fact of the administration of poison has been proved, and the person has died with symptoms attributable to poisoning, and the post-mortem appearances reveal no other cause of death—then the death is to be regarded as the actual results of the poison, whether its existence in the body can be proved by chemical analysis or not. Only such poisons are used by suicides as a general thing, as are known to be _certain_ poisons, and such as have a very disagreeable taste are, from this fact, hardly ever used for the purpose of murder, except in the case of very small children, or persons rendered insensible by any means. (Caspar.)