=Diagnosis.=--The absence of any other cause of death--such as cancer of the stomach, stricture of the œsophagus, &c.--and the previous history of the case will assist in forming an opinion, care being taken not to confound the results of wasting disease with those due to starvation. =Legal Relations.=--The question of death from starvation may be raised in a case of infanticide by omission. Although rare as an act of homicide, it must be remembered that the law does not require the absolute deprivation of food to be proved, but only that the necessary quantity and quality of food has been withheld; but malice at the same time must be proved. In cases of infanticide by starvation, the mother and not the father is responsible for the proper feeding of the child; but in the case of an apprentice, the master and not his wife is bound to supply proper food to such apprentice. In questions of survivorship, and in criminal cases, the medical witness may be asked how long a person may survive after complete withdrawal of food. Little is known as to the length of time required to cause death by starvation, but it is certain that life may be prolonged for some time without food, if water be allowed. Starvation is less rapid in its effects if the body be kept warm. In a case recorded in the _Lancet_, a man who had been shut up in a coal-mine for twenty-three days, with only a little dirty water to drink, lived three days after his liberation, and then died of exhaustion. In adults the average is from seven to ten days without water. Tidy (_Legal Medicine_, vol. i. p. 392) is of the opinion that the young die first, then adults, and the aged last. Taking into account the enfeebled vitality of the aged, it is more probable that the young or middle-aged adult would survive the longest. Where water is freely obtainable, life may be prolonged to the fifty-eighth day (_Foderé_, vol. ii. p. 276) or even more. Apart from age, account must be taken of the condition of the person in reference to bodily health prior to the withdrawal of food. The following tables, showing the average weight and height of children up to twelve years of age, are from the Report of the British Anthropometric Committee (1883): Male Children +------------+-----------+ | Age. | Weight in | | | Pounds. | +------------+-----------+ | At birth | 6.8 | | One month | 7.4 | | Two months | 8.4 | | Three “ | 9.6 | | Four “ | 10.8 | | Five “ | 11.8 | | Six “ | 12.4 | | Seven “ | 13.4 | | Eight “ | 14.4 | | Nine “ | 15.8 | | Ten “ | 16.8 | | Eleven “ | 17.8 | | Twelve “ | 18.8 | +------------+-----------+