“I have recently heard of a case which illustrates the utility of a medical examination before burial. A soldier in the German army, during the forced march on Paris, became unconscious, with five others, from sunstroke, and the six were put aside for burial by their comrades, when the timely examination of the army surgeon prevented premature burial of the person referred to, who is alive and well at the present time.” [STRINGENT LEGISLATION SUGGESTED.] The _Daily Chronicle_, London, September 16, 1895, in a leading article on the danger of premature burial, says:--“The truth is, the whole system of certifying for burial needs to be reconsidered and reformed, and that for other reasons than the danger of entombment before life is extinct. We do not want a coroner’s inquest, with its jury, for every death; but the doctors should be compelled, under severe penalties, to discover the certain sign of death before they authorise the burial, and to know the cause of death in every case. We trust now too much to individuals in a generally trustworthy profession, who may not reach the high general standard of their class, or may grow listless through the indifference wrought by use and wont, or who think they can detect the _rigor mortis_ at a glance, never having seen the severest form of catalepsy. There would be no difficulty in getting Parliament to pass a more stringent regulation for death-certificates without much discussion, and there is no reason why Sir Matthew White Ridley should not turn his attention to the matter, and, with such medical advice as the Health Department of the Local Government Board will be pleased to lend him, propose a necessary little bill to the House of Commons next February.” The following letter by a German resident in England appeared in the _Times_ of September 20, 1895:-- “BURIED ALIVE. “Sir,--As this important subject appears to be arresting the attention of the public in England, may I venture to state the law as to the examination of corpses in my own country? In a copy of the official regulations in Würtemburg for the inspection of dead bodies (‘Dienst-Vorschriften für Leichenhaüser in Würtemburg, 1882.’ Stuttgart, W. Kohlhammer), I find the following:-- “‘No corpse must be interfered with before the arrival of the inspector, who is expected to pay several visits before granting the death-certificate, which he alone is authorised to do. In cases of death from infectious disease the body must be removed to a mortuary, where it is carefully watched.’