Such stinging criticisms as these, and others which might be cited, of a like character, may not be always merited. It is certain that medical experts’ opinions, if fully enlightened by scientific research and free from partisan bias, ought to occupy a position like that of judicial opinions in weight and decisiveness upon the questions submitted to them. Such was the position occupied in the public estimation, and in that of judges and counsel, by the great Dr. Caspar in Germany, and Foedere or Pinel, and others since their time, in France. But this position was acquired chiefly because of the fact already mentioned, that under the system of administration of justice which prevails in those countries these great men were regarded, and acted, as a component part of the judicial system. They were called in as officers of the law to assist the court in forming a judgment, and determining disputed questions of fact, in cases involving life and death, or the devolution of property, where scientific experience, knowledge and skill, not possessed by judges or by counsel, was necessary for the determination of the questions involved. The root of the evil in America is, as already pointed out, to be found in the system which allows parties to retain and pay their own experts without any substantial restrictions. Sooner or later, among the other reforms in our judicial system, it will be found necessary to reform this evil by the enactment of laws requiring that the witnesses in medico-legal cases, particularly those in which a crime is alleged to have been committed, shall be designated by the court, or by some public authority, and paid from the public treasury instead of by the parties. Such experts would then occupy their proper position of special counsel, advising and assisting the legal counsel and the court, but they would not be taken out of this sphere and put in the utterly inconsistent one of witnesses. Their status and their duties would be as clearly distinguished from that of expert witnesses as now known, as the status and duty of the lawyer are from the status and duty of the judge. The present system has been said to be very much like putting a lawyer, who has just argued his client’s case, on the bench to decide it. Whether experts should be appointed as permanent government officials, like our judges, or should be selected specially for each case like juries, referees, or arbitrators, and in the latter event whether they should be nominated by the parties and selected by the court from such nominees, or otherwise, are all questions of detail.