STATE OF MAINE. IN SENATE, June 1, 1849. ORDERED, That 500 copies of the foregoing report, together with the accompanying resolves, be printed for the use of the legislature, and that 500 additional copies thereof be printed for the use of the house. DANIEL T. PIKE, Secretary. TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE. No. 7.] STATE OF MAINE. [SENATE. IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINE. AN ACT additional to the one hundred and seventy-sixth chapter of the revised statutes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled, as follows: SEC. 1. Whenever any coroner's inquest shall be 2 holden as provided in the one hundred and seventy3 sixth chapter of the revised statutes, it shall be the 4 duty of the coroner to issue his subpoena in the man5 ner provided in section seven of the chapter aforesaid, 6 to one or more, not exceeding three legally qualified 7 regular medical practitioners to attend as witnesses at 8 such inquest. Wm. T. Johnson, Printer to the State. SEC. 2. The coroner may either in his subpœna 2 for the attendance of medical witnesses, or at any 3 time between the issuing such subpoena and the ter4 mination of the inquest, direct the performance of a 5 post mortem examination with or without an analysis 6 of the contents of the stomach and intestines by the 7 medical witness or witnesses who may be summoned 8 to attend any inquest; provided, that if any person 9 shall state upon oath before the coroner that in his or 10 her belief the death of the deceased individual was 11 caused partly or entirely by the improper or negligent 12 treatment of any medical practitioner or other person, 13 such medical practitioner shall not be allowed to per14 form or assist at the post mortem examination of the 15 deceased. SEC. 3. Whenever it shall appear to the greater 2 number of the jurymen sitting at any coroner's inquest 3 that the cause of death has not been satisfactorily ex4 plained by the evidence of the medical practitioner or 5 practitioners, witness or witnesses, who may be exam6 ined in the first instance, such greater number of ju7 rymen are hereby authorized and empowered to name 8 to the coroner in writing, any other legally qualified 9 regular medical practitioner or practitioners, and to 10 require the coroner to issue his subpoena in the form 11 herein before mentioned, for the attendance of such 12 last mentioned medical practitioner or practitioners as 13 a witness or witnesses, and for the performance of a 14 post mortem examination with or without an analysis 15 of the contents of the stomach and intestines, whether 16 such an examination has been performed before or 17 not; and if the coroner having been thereunto re18 quired, shall refuse to issue such subpoena he shall 19 be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. SEC. 4. Whenever any legally qualified regular 2 medical practitioners have attended upon any coro3 ner's inquest in obedience to any such subpoena as 4 aforesaid of the coroner, the said practitioners shall 5 be entitled to the same travel as witnesses at the su6 preme judicial court and dollars each for at7 tending to give evidence when no post mortem exam8 ination is made; and if a post mortem examination of 9 the body of the deceased is made either with or with10 out an analysis of the contents of the stomach and 11 intestines, such practitioners shall receive travel as 12 aforesaid and dollars each to be paid by the 13 state; provided that no fee or remuneration shall be 14 paid to any medical practitioner for the performance |