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When examining a female corpse, one must not shy away or avoid it due to modesty.
If the deceased is an unmarried woman (chǔnǚ), after completing the survey of the four boundaries (sìzhì) around the body, move it to a bright and level place. First, instruct the midwife (zuòpó) to cut off her middle fingernail and wrap it in cotton. Order the deceased's mother, blood relatives, and two or three neighboring women to examine together whether she was indeed an unmarried woman. Have the midwife insert the finger with the cut nail into the vaginal opening; if dark blood appears, she was an unmarried woman; if not, she was not.
If a woman dies with unclear pregnancy status, order the midwife to verify whether there is truly a fetus inside the abdomen. If pregnant, pressing from below the heart to the umbilicus will feel hard as ironstone; if not pregnant, it will be soft.
If there is no pregnancy and no visible injuries, order the midwife to carefully examine the vaginal canal for any other foreign objects.
In cases where a pregnant woman is murdered or dies during difficult labor, and the body has been buried in a cellar, upon exhumation, a dead fetus may be found expelled. Investigating the cause, this occurs because the body, buried in the cellar, is affected by earth, water, fire, and wind elements, causing the corpse to bloat and joint fissures to open, thus expelling the intra-abdominal fetus. The fetus, along with its umbilical cord, is found at the feet of the corpse. Blood and lochia flow from the vaginal opening.
For female servants in wealthy households, after measuring the four boundaries of the death scene, carry the body to a main road for examination of injuries in public view to avoid suspicion.
In cases where a child is killed during a struggle to facilitate murder, the perpetrator holds the child's limbs and crushes the throat with their heel. To verify this method, have the coroner (wǔzuò) or runners press on the throat with their hands; it should collapse easily, confirming the authenticity of the injury.
When identifying child skeletal remains, state: "A child of twelve or thirteen years old." If questioned: "Why not determine the gender?" Reply: "I initially specified only the age of twelve or thirteen, not the gender, as the law uses the term 'child' (ér) without specifying male or female."
Regarding induced abortion, according to the law: if the fetus is unformed, one hundred strokes of the heavy bamboo are administered; if the fetus is formed, three years of penal servitude are imposed. The law states: "Abortion" refers to being beaten until expulsion. Referring to the *Wuzang Shenlun* (Treatise on the Spirits of the Five Viscera): at one month of gestation, the embryo resembles morning dew; at two months, like a peach blossom; at three months, sex is distinguished; at four months, form is complete; at five months, bones and sinews develop; at ten months, full term is reached.
If examination reveals an unformed fetus, inspect it as a mass of flesh and blood or a lump. If left for days and decomposed, it often liquefies. If the aborted fetus is formed, meaning the head, mouth, eyes, ears, nose, hands, feet, and nails are complete, along with an umbilical cord, have the midwife determine the gestational age and whether it has taken human form or remains unformed, recording the statement in the case file.
If a fetus dies in the womb due to fright and is subsequently expelled, the placenta (yībāo) will be purple-black, and the surrounding blood tissue weak; if the fetus dies outside the womb after birth, the corpse will be pale red, lacking purple-black discoloration and white placental tissue.