To give answers to these questions will in many cases be impossible, and each must be decided by such circumstances as present themselves in each individual case. For instance, if the body be found stiff, blanched, naked or nearly so, lying on the ground, the vessels of the interior gorged with blood, whilst the superficial vessels are contracted and can be seen only with difficulty; at the same time, the hydrostatic test shows that respiration has taken place, and in the absence of all external or internal causes--the probability is in favour of death by cold. In close relation with the present subject is the question-- =Has the Infant bled to Death?=--Fatal hæmorrhage from the cord may occur, especially if it be divided by a sharp instrument close to the body of the child. As a rule, hæmorrhage does not occur from a ruptured cord. (The signs of death from hæmorrhage have been noticed, page 81.) =How Long did the Child survive its Birth?=--The answer to this question is by no means easy, and the data on which a decision can be based are not very reliable. The presence or absence of the _vernix caseosa_ should be noticed. In still-born children the closed eyelids, when raised, do not remain open; in the live-born, on the other hand, the eyes remain half open even after repeated attempts to close them. Another guide to the determination of the length of time the child survived its birth may be found in the absence or presence of the meconium in the intestines. The meconium--so-called from its resemblance to inspissated poppy juice--is found in the large intestine as a dark-greenish pasty mass, more or less filling that portion of the bowel. In the upper portions of the intestines it varies from a light-yellowish or greyish to a greenish-brown colour, till in the large intestine it assumes the colour and consistence above mentioned. It is generally discharged by the infant in from four or five to forty-eight hours after birth. In breech presentations it may be passed during the process of delivery, although the child be still-born; but its entire absence from the intestines is presumptive of existence for some days after birth. [Illustration: Fig. 27.--Photo-micrograph of starch granules, × 250 (potato). (R. J. M. Buchanan.)] The following are some of the points to be considered in forming a diagnosis: (1) Changes in the skin. (2) Changes in the umbilical cord. (3) Changes in the circulatory system. Table showing how long a New-born Child has Lived.