_General Characters._--Incised wounds are somewhat spindle-shaped, their superficial extent being greater than their depth; the edges are smooth and slightly everted, and the wounds are always larger than the weapon which inflicted them--due to retraction of the divided tissues. If a wound be in a line with the fibres of a muscle, there will be less “gaping” than when the wound is directly or obliquely across the muscle. From muscular contraction, or the elasticity of the skin, an incised wound may assume a crescentic form. The cellular tissue is infiltrated with blood, and coagula are found at the bottom and between the edges of the cut. It must be borne in mind that a wound with smooth edges may be made by a _blunt_ weapon over bones near the surface, as on the scalp and over the tibia or shin, but a certain amount of contusion may, in most cases, be detected by careful inspection a short time after the receipt of the injury. It is often of importance to distinguish where the weapon entered, and where it was drawn out. The end where the weapon entered is usually more abrupt than the other, which is naturally more drawn out. But in some cases I have seen, when the weapon was simply drawn across the part, both ends of the wound alike. 2. Punctured Wounds The orifice is generally a little smaller than the weapon. A stab may sometimes present the appearance of an incised wound; the depth will, however, help to distinguish the one from the other. The wound may not at all correspond with the shape of the weapon, and the same pointed instrument may produce very different-shaped wounds in different parts of the body. Much depends upon the movement of the instrument in the action of puncturing; in the case of a double-edged instrument the wound will most probably be fusiform or diamond-shaped. When made with a knife the wound may be wedge-shaped if the knife have a thick back. A circular weapon splits the skin and leaves a slit; broken glass and pottery act in a similar way, but the wounds may have jagged edges and show signs of contusion in them. On dissection, two or more punctures may be found in the soft parts, with only one external orifice; these are due to the weapon being only partially withdrawn at each stab. Punctured wounds are always more dangerous than incised. They cause little, if any, hæmorrhage externally, unless a large vessel, such as the femoral artery, be injured, but they may cause internal hæmorrhage or penetrate a viscus, _e.g._ the lung or heart. These wounds generally heal by suppuration, and not infrequently an abscess is formed in and around the track of the wound. Perforating wounds generally have a large entrance wound with inverted edges, and a small exit with everted edges; if the weapon be rough, the reverse may be the case. 3. Lacerated and Contused Wounds