=Refresh the memory= from your clinical or other notes just before giving evidence rather than when in the witness box. Any =notes read in the witness box= are open to the inspection of the Court. They must have been made by you at the time of the event in question, or immediately thereafter. All clinical notes and personal memoranda should be destroyed upon the death of a medical practitioner, who should see that his Will contains such a direction. MEDICO-LEGAL EXAMINATION OF THE LIVING, THE DYING, AND THE DEAD. “The best memory is a record =made at the time=.” =Make a note on the spot= as to the person examined, the place, the date, and hour of the commencement of the examination. Daylight should be chosen. If possible, choose a time such that you can complete the enquiry at one sitting, as it may be final. Where criminal charges may arise, =associate the police= (and, when necessary, the relieving officer) with the case at once. If called by a police-constable, do not fail to note down his number (from his collar). =Decline= to perform technical processes which are probably beyond your skill: thus the Coroner will usually secure the permission of the County Council for analyses in suspected poison cases. =Exclude lawyers and curious laymen=, but invite another medical man, especially if your own previous actions may be in question. Whatever you discover must be =kept secret= until you give evidence in court. As a matter of courtesy, the Coroner may be informed privately, before the inquest is held, of any unexpected or grave results; do not, however, inform press men. MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF THE LIVING AND OF THE DYING, FOR THE PURPOSE OF EVIDENCE. All persons examined physically =must be informed= of, and =consent= to, the purpose and possible legal consequences. Never take directions from a third person (e.g., police, magistrate, employer). If a =further examination= may be necessary (e.g., under an anæsthetic), that fact should be stated. =Witnesses= should be present, especially in the case of the examination of females. =Do not send written certificates= to third persons as to the result of the examination, unless (1) In an open envelope, having read the certificate to the patient who takes it to its destination; (2) After having received the written consent of the patient so to do. The payment of the fee by a third person does not absolve from the rule of professional secrecy. The symptoms and =feelings of a patient= are sometimes admitted as (hearsay) testimony from a medical witness, especially where the former is dead. =Letters= from a patient to a medical man containing such statements are not allowed.