_Post-mortem Appearances._--The appearances found after death depend upon the quantity of the dose and the length of time which supervenes between the taking of the poison and death. Inflammation of the stomach is a marked effect of the action of this substance on the system; and this condition is in most cases present whether the poison be swallowed, sprinkled on an ulcerated surface, or rubbed into the skin. The inflammatory redness, which may assume the appearance of _crimson velvet_, may be found in cases where death has taken place in _two_ hours. It is sometimes found spreading over the entire surface of the stomach; at others, at the cardiac end only. The red colour is increased on exposing the stomach to the air. When the poison has been swallowed, the stomach may be found covered with white patches of arsenic, embedded in dark-coloured thick mucus, mixed with blood. Dr. Paterson thus describes the condition of a stomach he examined: Its lining membrane was generally very red and injected; but in addition there were very numerous stellated patches of vivid red, leading to a darker tint; in the centre of some of them was noticed a minute clot of blood; in others, an exceedingly rough particle of a crystalline substance, which was afterwards found to be arsenious acid. Perforation of the stomach is extremely rare, if it has ever occurred, but ulceration of the same organ has been observed in a person who died from the effects of arsenic in _five_ hours (Christison, on _Poisons_, p. 340). In opposition to all the statements just made it has been shown that arsenic may prove fatal without leaving any sign of inflammatory action (R. _v._ M‘Cracken; R. _v._ Newton). The mouth, pharynx, and gullet are generally found free from any inflammatory action. The small intestines may or may not be affected: in most cases the duodenum alone shows any signs of irritation. The rectum is that part of the large intestine most prone to inflammation. I have seen marked ulceration of the colon after death from inhalation of arseniuretted hydrogen. The other internal organs--the liver, spleen, and kidneys--do not appear to be appreciably affected by arsenic. Due probably to the antiseptic properties of arsenic, the stomach and intestines retain for a long period after death the appearances of irritant poisoning. In two cases, this was so well marked as to be visible--in the one case, _twelve_ months, and in the other, _nineteen_ months after interment. In suspected cases portions of the liver should always be preserved and examined for arsenic. =The Period after Death when Arsenic may be Detected=