The _pericardium_ may now be laid open by a longitudinal incision, and we should note the quantity of fluid found in this cavity; in that of a healthy subject there is generally as much as a tea-spoonful of serum. It is important also that we should observe the quality, as well as quantity, of this liquor. Blood has occasionally been found in this situation, when neither a rupture of the heart, or any of its vessels could be discovered; in such cases _Dr. Baillie_ is of opinion that the blood has either passed through the coats of the vessels upon the surface of the heart, by transudation, or been poured out by the relaxed extremities of the small vessels opening upon the surface of that portion of _pericardium_ which forms the immediate covering of the heart.[32] The general appearance of the heart, as to colour, flaccidity, size, and external character, should be observed before its cavities are opened; for the energy of the heart may, in some degree, be inferred from the tension of its fibres, and the red colour of its substance; on the contrary, the opposite appearances would indicate a very different condition of this vital organ, as is well illustrated in the _asphyxia idiopathica_ of _Mr. Chevalier_.[33] It is not very unusual to find adhesions connecting the heart more or less closely to the pericardium; and it is perhaps worthy of remark that the length of these adhesions will furnish, in some measure, an indication of the interval that has elapsed, since the occurrence of the inflammation by which they were produced; for they become gradually elongated by the heart’s motion. _Dr. Baillie_ has noticed in his “Morbid Anatomy” an appearance which the author has frequently met with in his dissections,—a white opaque spot, as if from a thickening of the pericardium; in some cases, it is not broader than a sixpence, at other times, it equals in size that of a crown piece; it is most commonly situated on the surface of the right ventricle, and consists of an adventitious membrane formed on a portion of the pericardium, which covers the heart, and may be easily dissected off, so as to leave that membrane entire. The attention of the enquirer is directed to the subject with a view to remind him, that the appearance is one that ought not to be considered as morbid in its origin, or dangerous in its effects. In acute rheumatism a fatal translation of the disease to the heart sometimes occurs, in which case, its surface will be found encrusted with coaguable lymph.—The condition of the blood-vessels forms the next object of research; and they should be examined previous to the removal of the heart, as to their calibre, and thickness, and whether any inflammatory indications are observable, or any aneurism; this latter disease has often existed without exciting any suspicion during life. In opening the body of George II, the aorta was found callous at the lower border of its curvature, and so dilated at its upper border,