If one avoids the foul odor and does not personally inspect, it often leads to errors.
When the corpse has changed and emits an unbearable stench, burn *Atractylodis Rhizoma* (Cangzhu, 苍术) and *Gleditsiae Fructus* (Zaojiao, 皂角) to dispel the miasma; apply sesame oil to the nostrils, or make paper wicks soaked in oil to plug both nostrils; also place small pieces of fresh ginger inside the mouth. During inspection, firmly close the mouth to prevent foul air from entering.
After measuring and recording, wash away maggots and filth with water. Only when the skin and flesh are clean can the examination proceed. Do not use vinegar and bran yet; frequently pour newly drawn cold water around all sides of the corpse.
Where the corpse is rotting, marks from beating or blade injuries show redness in the flesh; severe cases appear dark blue-black. The flesh adhering to the bone does not rot, as maggots cannot consume it.

For corpses lacking conclusive evidence, state: hair has fallen out, temples, face, and entire body skin and flesh are uniformly dark blue-black; skin is broken and rotted, bitten through by maggots, exposing bones.
If flesh has digested, state: skeletal remains are exposed, upper and lower flesh completely digested; only minor undigested parts remain connected to muscles and bones. Currently, it is impossible to verify if there were injuries or other causes on the deceased's body before death, nor to determine age, shape, or cause of death based on evidence. Furthermore, palpating the entire body reveals no bone damage.

First, spread charcoal fire approximately matching the length and width of the deceased. Place a thin cloth on top, equal in thickness to the charcoal layer, and sprinkle with water until slightly damp. Lay the corpse upon it. Cover the head, face, and limbs with cloth, then cover again with charcoal to ensure full coverage. Replace the cloth and sprinkle with water again. After some time, the corpse's skin and flesh will soften and rise.
Remove the cloth and charcoal to inspect. If the flesh is soft and raised, wash with hot vinegar. For injured areas, mix scallion, Sichuan peppercorn, salt, white plum, and bran into a paste, form into cakes, and warm them over fire. First place paper over the corpse, then apply the warm bran cake. The injury marks will become visible.

Humans have 365 joints, corresponding to the 365 days of a year.
Men's bones are white; women's bones are black. (Women's bones turn black due to blood loss during childbirth like a river; if bones are black from poison, careful determination is required.)
Skull: Men have eight plates from the crown to the ears and back of the head. (People from Caizhou have nine.) There is a transverse suture at the back of the head, and another vertical suture directly down to the hairline. Women have six plates, with a transverse suture at the back but no vertical suture downwards.
Teeth: 24, 28, 32, or 36 in number.
Three bones in the chest.
One heart bone, tender, size of a coin.
Neck and spine each have twelve segments.
From neck to waist, there are twenty-four vertebrae, plus one large vertebra above.
One plate each for the shoulder wells (Jianjing area) and left/right clavicles.
Left and right ribs: Men have twelve each (eight long, four short). Women have fourteen each.
Each man and woman has one bone in the waist, palm-sized, with eight holes arranged in four rows, resembling [specific shape].
Hand and foot bones each have two segments. In men, the wrists and sides of the [radius/ulna] have additional bones called "bai" bones. (Women do not have these.) Each knee has a [patella-like] bone hidden within, thumb-sized. Palms and soles each have five clefts. Thumbs and fifth toes of hands and feet each have two segments; the remaining fourteen fingers each have three segments.
The coccyx resembles a pig kidney, lying under the joint.
In men, the junction with the spine is concave, with pointed lobes on both sides like rhombic or wilted horns, surrounded by nine openings.
In women, the junction with the spine is flat and straight, surrounded by six openings.
There is one opening each for urination and defecation.
Skeletal remains should be strung with hemp cords or fine bamboo splints, labeled with paper tags indicating which bone is which, to avoid errors during inspection.