Mayhem
Dictionary of Terms and Phrases Used in American or English Jurisprudence · Benjamin Vaughan Abbott · 1879
Dictionary of Terms and Phrases Used in American or English Jurisprudence
The offence of violently depriving a person of any limb, member, or organ useful in fighting, either offensive or defensive; also, the personal injury which may have this effect is called a mayhem, or a maim. See Maim. Cutting off a finger, putting out an eye, breaking out a fore-tooth, are commonly mentioned as examples of acts constituting mayhem. A mere disfigurement or a temporary disability is not enough. Mayhem imports a permanent inJOTy; a temporary disabling of a finger, an arm, or an eye is not sufficient to constitute the offence.
State v. Briley, 8 Port. 472.