If the wound has involved any large vessels, it is improbable that the weapon can have been thrown any distance from the body, and when it is, there are always fair grounds to expect interference with the original position of the body. One circumstance which always strongly points to suicide is the finding of the weapon firmly grasped in the hand of the cadaver. The hand of a dead person cannot be made to grasp or retain a weapon as does the hand which has grasped it at the last moments of life. The amount of blood on the weapon should be noted, but it must be remembered that a knife may have produced a fatal stab wound and still no blood be found on it. This is explained by the fact that in a rapid plunge the vessels were compressed, and only after the drawing of the knife and relieving of the pressure blood began to flow, or possibly the blood may have been wiped off the knife by the elasticity of the skin. When a person has died of a gunshot wound, especially at close range, it is important to look for any wadding or paper found in the wound, as in a number of instances the finding of such has led to the detection of the criminal. For example, handwriting has been found on the paper, or it has formed part of a printed page the rest of which has been found in possession of the accused. When a gun is discharged near the body, a portion of the wadding is almost always found in the irregular wound produced. POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION. Having completed the examination of the surroundings, one next proceeds with the post-mortem examination, which should be conducted according to a well-defined plan, following which the results obtained will always be satisfactory. If possible the body should be removed to a large, well-ventilated, and especially well-lighted room. No artificial light, if it can possibly be avoided, should be used when performing the autopsy; artificial light is especially bad on account of its yellowness and its power to modify natural color. Many diseased conditions cannot be satisfactorily determined by artificial light. The body should be placed on a high table, and the facility with which the autopsy is made will often depend on having the table high enough to render stooping unnecessary. Never make an autopsy, if it can possibly be avoided, on a body while in a coffin, as the examination is always unsatisfactory. The size and surroundings of the room, and how it is lighted, should be entered in the note-book. =Instruments.=—If possible the following instruments should be at hand before proceeding with an examination, although some of them may be dispensed with: (1) Large section knife; (2) scalpels; (3) enterotome (for opening intestines and stomach); (4) costotome, or large bone forceps (for cutting ribs); (5) scissors, large and small (one blade blunt); (6) saw; (7) chisel; (8) dissecting forceps; (9) probe; (10) blowpipe; (11) curved needles and strong twine; (12) measuring and graduated glass; (13) small scales.