The Biological or Precipitin Test for Blood considered mainly from its medico-legal aspect

Abstract

A Point of great importance in medico-legal practice is the differentiation of human from other bloods. In dealing with fresh stains no difficulty has been found in distinguishing mammalian from avian and reptilian bloods. The more difficult operation of differentiating between mammalian bloods, for example between human and pig's blood, had up till the introduction of the biological, or preferably precipitin, test, except with the freshest material, baffied the ingenuity of the expert in legal medicine. In 1901 Nuttall (1. VI. '01) was amongst the first to draw attention to the possible value of this test for blood and serum in forensic practice.