In this act the transit of the air into the lungs is prevented by
forcibly closing the nostrils and mouth. It is very obvious that such a
mode of destruction can very rarely occur in an adult; for a
comparatively feeble resistance will be sufficient to overcome the
assailant in such an attempt. It may, however, occur accidentally; it is
not difficult to imagine that a person, in a fit of intoxication, may be
unable to extricate himself from a position in which he might fall, and
in which respiration could not be performed. In children this mode of
suffocation is less rare, and it may be either the result of design or
accident, to which we shall have occasion to refer, when treating the
subject of Infanticide.