Medical Jurisprudence, Volume 3 (of 3)Paris, John Ayrton
Science
Medical Jurisprudence, Volume 3 (of 3)
Paris, John Ayrton
Medical laws and legislation -- Great Britain
for any marks about her head and neck, it was impossible for us to
discover it, because they were so rotten.
_Edward Clement_ (a seaman) sworn. In the year 89 or 90, in Beachy
fight, I saw several thrown over-board during the engagement, but one
particularly I took notice of, that was my friend, and killed by my
side; I saw him swim for a considerable distance from the ship; and a
ship coming under our stern, caused me to lose sight of him, but I saw
several dead bodies floating at the same time; likewise in another
engagement, where a man had both his legs shot off, and died instantly,
they threw over his legs; though they sunk I saw his body float:
likewise I have seen several men who have died natural deaths at sea,
they have when they have been dead, had a considerable weight of ballast
and shot made fast to them, and so were thrown overboard; because we
hold it for a general rule, that all men swim if they be dead before
they come into the water; and on the contrary, I have seen men when they
have been drowned, that they have sunk as soon as their breath was out
of their bodies, and I could see no more of them. For instance, a man
fell out of the Cornwall, and sunk down to rights, and seven days
afterwards we weighed anchor, and he was brought up grasping his arm
about the cable: and we have observed in several cases, that where men
fall overboard, as soon as their breath is out of their bodies they sink
downright; and on the contrary, where a dead body is thrown over-board
without weight, it will swim. * * * Men (that are killed) float with
their heads just down, and the small of their backs and buttocks
upwards, * * * why should government be at that vast charge to allow
threescore or fourscore weight of iron to sink any man, but only that
their swimming about should not be a discouragement to others.
_Robert Dew_ sworn—* * * (Question by the Prisoner) After she was taken
out, did you observe any froth or foam come from her mouth or nose?
_Dew_—There was a white froth came from her, and as they wiped it away,
it was on again presently.
—— _Young_—(another witness to a similar question)—* * And when they had
taken her up (out of the water) they laid her down upon a green place,
and after she was laid down a great quantity of froth, like the froth of
new beer, worked out of her nostrils. * * * It rose up in bladders, and
ran down on the sides of her face, and so rose again.
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