The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-23 00:00:00

TRIAL OF WILLIAM PALMER.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT (THIS DAY).
NINTH DAY.
This morning the entrances to the court were densely
crowded as early as eight o'clock, and in a few minutes
after the doors were opened the court became crowded.
The interest exhibited to-day-decidedly exceeded that
of yesterday, and as the case approaches a termination
that interest becomes more and more excited and intense.
The bench was very fully attended, and among the not-
ables present were the Duke of Wellington, Sir J. Pak-
ington, and the Mayor of Bristol.
The examination of the medical witnesses for the de-
fence was continued, reed the first witness called was
Mr. John Ross—l am house-surgeon to the Lon-
don Hospital. I recollect a recent case of tetanus. It
was brought on the 22d of March to the hospital about
half-past seven in the evening. It was a male, aged
about 37, and the patient had had a paroxysm in the
receiving-room before I saw him. He had a rapid but
feeble pulse his breathing was laborious, his jaws
closed and fixed, and an expressive anxiety at-out the
countenance. His features were sunken, and he was
unable to swallow. The muscles of the abdomen and
back were somewhat tense. He had another paroxysm
which lasted about a minute. He was then quiet for a
few minutes. He then had another and died, having been
in the hospital about half an hour. Thera was an
inquest held on the body, and a post-mortem examina-
tion took place, but no poison was found. I attribute
death to tetanus. There were three wounds in the
body—two on the back of the right elbow, each about
the size of a shilling, and one on the left elbow, about
the size of a sixpence. The man told me he had had
the wounds from 12 to 16 years. They were old
chronic indurated ulcers, circular in outline, the edges
thickened round them, and covered with a:ditty white
coating, without any granulation. I cannot say what
was the origin of the wounds. I have seen old chronic
syphilitic wounds like those I have mentioned, but they
were on the legs of the body. Those wounds were the
only thing that would account for tetanus.
Cross-examined by the Attorney-General—Poultices
had recently been applied to the wounds a day or two
before the man was brought to the hospital, and the
application of a particular poultice had been objected to
by the patient. It was made of linseed meal. The jaws
were firmly closed when he was brought to the hospital,
so it was impossible to administer anything by the
mouth. The man emit' he had been so taken at his din-
ner, at eleven o'clock. Tetanic patients een speak,
although they cannot open the jaw. There were symp-
toils of rigidity about the abdott • eel and lumbar
muscles. The man did not say bow long he had felt the
rigidity. Another medical man, I believe, had seen
the case before it was brought to the hospital. I
have no doubt that the disease had been coming
on the whole of the morning. They were ugly sores, of a
chronic character, and integument connected the two,
and they were confluent. There were no signs of heal-
ing, and they had the appearance of being old neglected
sores. They were near the ulna nerve. It is a sensitive
one, near what is commonly called the funny bone. I
believe the man had had paroxysms the whole of the
afternoon before he came to the hospital. There was no
convulsion of the legs and arms. The particular tetanic
symptoms were spasm, lock-jaw, the muscles of the
abdomen and back being rigid, and pains in the stomach.
I did not hear the symptoms of Cook's case described.
Mr. Grove—Was not strychnine suspected in this
case ?—lt was.
Examination continued—The nerves of the tongue
are very delicate. I heard the case of tetanus described
yesterday, and am of opinion that it was idiopathic te-
tanus, arising from cold.
Mr. Mantell, house surgeon of the London Hospital—
I had the case just referred to under my care, as well as
Mr. Ross, and the description given by him is quite
correct. The patient died from tetanus caused by the
old sores.
Dr. Rightson examined by Mr. Kenr.ealy—l was
pupil of Liebig, at Giessen, and am now an analytical
chemist at the school at Birmingham. I have made
poisons my study, and amongst them strychnine. I
have beep employed by the Crown in the detection of
poisons. I think most decidedly that strychnine may
be detected. I have discovered it in pure and corrupt
matter.
Mr. Kennealy—What class of corrupt matter ?
Witness—Bilious matter and putrifying blood. I
have turned my attention to the tissues, and have found
it there. I found it in a cat poisoned, and in the blood
of a dog poisoned by strychnine, and also in the nerve
of another dog poisoned by strychnine. lam of opinion
that strychnine does not decompose in the act of poison-
ing, or in entering the circulation ; in that opinion I
am decided. It might possibly change into a substance
in which it would still be able to be detected. We
have had such cases. The most minute portions of
strychnine might be found, upon an analysis, in the
case. Where it was found in the blood of the dog two
grains were given. When found in the urine of the
dog. one grain and half. A grain was tried to be given
to the cat, but a great portion was lost. I should have
no doubt in saying, generally, that strychnine given to
a man should be found upon analysis.
Mr. Sergeant Shee—You say generally. Have you
heard the discussion of the particulars in the ca ,e of
' Cook ?
Witnes—l have ; and from that description, should
say certainly, that if strychnine had been taken, it would
have been found upon an analysis.
By the Attorney-General—lf the entire dose taken
be absorbed is it filially deposited in the blood or tissues
upon reaching the point at which it kills ?—I cannot
say.
Attorney-General—lf the whole was absorbed into
the blood would you expect to find any in the stomach !
—Certainly not, unless some clung to the coats of the
stomach. I should search for it in the blood and tissues,
and I should expect to find it in each of them supposing
a minimum dose had been taken and absorbed in the
system.
Re-examined by Mr. Sergeant Shee—lf I had known
a man had had strychnine administered to him one
hour and a half before death it could have been detected
in the stomach ; if administered in the shape of pills
I cannot say if it would have been all absorbed by that
time. Not knowing the dose administered, and the
power of absorbation, I cannot say, with absolute cer-
; tainty, if it could have been detected in the coats of the
stomach, but I should think it probable. I cannot give
any decided opinion as to the quantity of strychnia that
must have been administered to cause death in an hour
and a half after the first paroxysm.
Lord Campbell expressed his admiration of the man-
ner in which this witness had given his evidence.
Witness recalled—By Mr. Baron Alderson --I cannot
give an opinion as to the exact effect of strychnia on the
system before it kills. It ought to be found in the
blood.
Mr. Partridge, examined by Mr. Grove —I have been
many years in practice as a surgeon, and I am Professor
of Anatomy in King's College. I have heard the evi-
dence of the symptoms in Cook's case, and as to the
post mortem examination, The spine should be exa-
mined shortly after death. Granules, such as I have
desCribed would be, in my opinion, likely to cause in-
flammation of the membranes. I have no doubt such
inflammation, if it existed, would have been found on
an examination of the of the part shortly after death.
Cases of granules producing tetanic convulsions are on
record, but I have never seen such a case. Meningitis
inflammation of the anachroid produces sometimes con-
vulsions and sometimes not. I cannot form any posi-
tive opinion from the evidence I have heard of the cause
of Cook's death. No conclusion as to the cause of death
can be drawn from the contracted state of the body after
death. If I found a body drawn back and c treed after
death, I should be inclined to attribute it to the convul-
sive form of death. There are a varieties of degrees of
rigidity which succeed a natural death. The clenching
of the hand and the arching of the feet is not unnatural.
Cross-examined by the Attorney-General—l under-
stood the granules were on the inner surface of the spi-
nal cord. The granules are not generally found. Tney
can exist with health. Arachnitis producing convul-
sions never came under my observation. This disease
would not affect the brain by sympathy before death.
Where granules have produced arachnids they have
varied in size. I never knew of a singlecase of arachnitis
where a patientdied of convulsions. Icannot say whether
it would affect the general health. Ido not nk a man
would be well between the intervals of convulsions. I
should expect that there would be pain ; the muscles
would be unusually convulsed. I should not expect
freedom from pain and convulsions 24 hours before
death. Ido not think the symptoms exhibited by John
Parsons C ink before his death arose from arachnitis. I
never knew a case where the hands were so firmly closed
from natural causes that the fingers had to be vio-
lently forced open. The arching of the feet is
common in death. I have not known them to be
so much arched as Cook's. I have no doubt but that
from the position in which Cook died that death was
occasioned by tetanus. From the do scription given by
Jones, and the evidence I have heard, some symptoms
are consistent and others are inconsistent with death
from strychnia. lam of opinion that from the convul-
sions of the muscles, the throat and legs, the bending of
the body into a bow, and the difficulty of respiration,
that those are consistent with death from 't aanue. I
have never known traumatic tetanus terminate in death
in less than three or four days. I have never known, in
all my experience, such symptoms as those exhibited by
Cook to have resulted from natural causes.
Re-examined by Mr. Grove.—Sickness before death is
not consistent with strychnine I also consider the beat-
ing the bed clothes as inconsistent, and also the want
of sensitiveness, the sudden cessation of c ,avulsions,
and apparent complete recovery, show very apparently
an absence of muscular agitation making it irreconileable
with strychnia. Convulsions arising from injuries to
the spine are very various. I know an intermission of
symptoms does sometimes occur in traumatic tetanus.
'the granules described are more unusual in young than
in old. I cannot say whether it is more indicative of
disease. I should not feel myself justified after so long
a time in stating that the spine was not free from disease.
I do not think that after nine weeks the spine would be
in a sufficiently /perfect state to arrive at any positive
conclusion as to the absence of disease.
Dr. John Guy examined by Mr. Gray—_I am a fellow
of the College of Surgeons, and for 18 years surgeon to
the Royal Free Hospital. I had under my care a case
of traumatic tetanus in a boy. That was in 1843. The
boy was 8 years old. He was brought into the hos-
pital July 28, and died upon the 2d of August. The
accident bringing it on had taken place one week
before. He had great pains and stiffness about the
ueck. Could not open his mouth. Upon the first night
he started up convulsed ; and this occurred upon the