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New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 16, 15 April 1908, Page 5

A newly-suggested test of death—claimed to be infallible —depends upon the alleged fact that hydrogen sulphide always forms within the lungs within 12 to 24 hours after death, and finds its way out of the body through the air passages. The presence of the gas is determined by placing in the nostril of the supposed corpse a piece of absorbent paper moistened with a solution of lead acetate. The paper is blackened by any trace of the gas, but remains unchanged if life still lingers in the body.