----------------------------------+---------------------------------- In the Adult. | In the Child. ----------------------------------+---------------------------------- 1. If examined soon after the | 1. There may not be sufficient commission of the offence, the | penetration to rupture the hymen, hymen of the adult virgin may | consequently there will be be ruptured, and the fourchette | no hæmorrhage. In other cases may be lacerated, and the parts | the external organs will be covered with blood. | bruised, and in many cases | severely lacerated, the | lacerations depending on the | amount of penetration and force | used. | 2. Difficulty in walking, in | 2. Same as in the adult, but passing water, and sometimes | lasting for a longer time--from when the bowels are relieved. | eight to fourteen days. These signs in the adult pass | off in a day or two. | | 3. Injuries on the person abused,| 3. For obvious reasons these such as scratches and ecchymoses,| do not occur on children. may be present as the result of a| struggle. These may be | self-inflicted. | ----------------------------------+---------------------------------- Directions as to manner of making a Medico-Legal Examination in a Case of Alleged Rape. 1. Be careful to note everything, for it is in such cases as the one under discussion where apparently unimportant signs may become of the greatest moment. 2. Give the female no time for preparation, but make your visit, and at once proceed to an examination. The visit to be of any practical service should not be delayed beyond the third or fourth day after the alleged offence, “by which time the lacerations will have healed, the cicatrices disappeared, and the torn hymen be in such a state as to make it difficult to say whether it had been divided recently or at an earlier period.” But remember that you _are not justified in using force_; and in this, as in cases of suspected pregnancy, if you examine a woman against her will you render yourself liable for an action for assault, and may have to pay heavily for your enthusiasm. (_a_) Note time of a visit. (_b_) Note time of alleged offence. _Why?_ May prove the accused party innocent by an _alibi_. (_c_) Avoid leading questions. 3. Age, strength, and condition of the health of the complainant. Examine the wounds asserted to have been inflicted, and see if they correspond with the history given of their infliction. 4. Examine organs of generation.