It becomes necessary sometimes to exhume the bodies of persons who have been buried. The cases which generally call for this always unpleasant proceeding are those where a suspicion of poisoning or violence has arisen some little time after the burial of the supposed victim. Or the necessity may arise to show that the body buried is that of a person whose death it is absolutely necessary to prove. In the case of Livingstone, though this can scarcely be called a case of exhumation, yet an examination some months after death of the arm of the corpse alleged to be that of Livingstone, proved the existence of a badly united fracture which the deceased was known to have had. In conducting the exhumation, it is necessary that the medical experts should be present to see the body removed from the coffin, and also any person or persons who may be in a position to speak as to the identity of the corpse--as, for instance, those who dressed it and prepared it for burial. The person who made the coffin may also be of assistance to speak as to its identity. As soon as the medical men are armed with the proper authority, no time should be lost in order to get the body as fresh as possible, and at once prove or disprove the accusation of the crime, which, in the case of innocent persons, cannot be too quickly removed. The best time to take up the body, if in the summer, is early in the morning; and, in all cases, the examination, if possible, should be made during daylight. Everything necessary for making a medical inspection should be taken, and also a table on which to place the body. Rubber gloves should be worn. A pail containing a solution of some disinfectant, for the inspectors to wash their hands after the exhumation is finished, should be close at hand. And it is as well to expose the body for a short time to the air before beginning the inspection. There is seldom any risk to health in removing a single body, yet certain precautions are necessary; thus it is as well to stand on the windward side of the corpse. Vaults should not be entered as soon as they are opened, but time allowed for their ventilation. Carefully note the amount of preservation of the coffin, and, if broken, if any of the surrounding earth is in contact with the body. This precaution is necessary in cases of suspected mineral poisoning (as in arsenic, &c.), and it is as well also to save one or two pounds of the earth immediately above the coffin for analysis. The body may then be examined externally, any hair left on head or face preserved for identification; and then an inspection of all the cavities made, the contents of the stomach and bowels being placed in dry earthenware jars or glass bottles, corked and capped with thin indiarubber skin, and so tied and sealed that the string must be cut or the seals broken in order to open them. The ends of the string should be sealed in the presence of the authorities. In the examination, the instructions