that it was as thin as the finest paper, in which part the rupture took place, and which was succeeded by a fatal hemorrhage; and yet the king, before his death, had not the slightest symptom that appeared to deserve much attention. In every case of sudden death the heart should be removed from the body for the purpose of examination, and no anatomical evidence should be received as conclusive, unless such an operation has been duly performed. For this purpose, the blood-vessels should be first secured by ligatures, for it is very essential to prevent the effusion of blood; and, having then separated it from its attachments, we should proceed to examine the organ in the following manner. Slit open, longitudinally, by means of scissars, the right auricle, at its foreside, then make an incision from the mouth of the pulmonary artery to the point of the heart, guarding against the accident of injuring the two sets of valves; now cut open the whole length of the pulmonary artery, except at its beginning, and at its valves, which ought to be left entire; lastly, open the pulmonary veins, and then the left auricle and ventricle, in a similar manner with what was done to the corresponding parts of the right side. We beg to direct the attentive consideration of the anatomist to this important part of the inquiry; he ought to notice the quantity of blood contained in the cavities of this organ, as well as its colour, and state of coagulation, especially in relation to the arterial and venous sides of the heart; the indications which such an examination may afford will be fully appreciated by referring to our chapter upon “the causes and phenomena of sudden death,” and that upon “suffocation.” In examining the cavities of the heart, especially the ventricles, it not unfrequently happens, that a mass of coagulated lymph, of a yellowish colour, and of considerable firmness, is found to occupy them; this phenomenon, from the manner in which its processes extend into the fasciculi of muscular fibres of the heart, has acquired the name of “_polypus of the heart_,” and was regarded by the older anatomists as a very common and fatal disease. It is necessary to observe that the phenomenon is now better understood, and it is universally admitted to be the result of slow coagulation after death. The state of the valves of the heart should be attentively inspected, for a disease in these parts may have been the cause of the sudden death which we are endeavouring to discover. The three _semi-lunar_ valves at the origin of the aorta, and the _mitral valves_, are sometimes in a state of ossification; those placed at the commencement of the pulmonary artery, and the _tricuspid_ are less disposed to take on morbid action than the preceding ones that occupy the arterial side; indeed, there are very few well authenticated instances of such a change. Such a state of the valves of the heart necessarily places the life of the individual in