The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-19 00:00:00

on the brain. lam not aware of convulsions unaccom•
panied by epilep y leaving no trace behind.
By the Attorney-General—Cook had none of the
symptoms of epilepsy. I have never seen a case of con-
vulsive disease like this. Convulsions from other causes
are very different from those from tetanus.
Mr. Henry Lees, examined by Mr. Bodkin—l am
surgeon to King's College and the Lock Hospitals. I
have been connected with the latter for 18 years, and
specially devoted to syphilitic cases. I have seen at
least 3,000 cases a-year at both hospitals. I have never
known that disease in any of its forms terminate in te-
tanus. I have never seen nor read of such a case, but
I have heard of one.

Dr. Robert Corbeli examined by Mr. James.—l am
a physician, practising at Barrhead, near Glasgow. I
recollect the case of Agnes Sinnett, a patient in Glas-
gow
Hospital. She died 27th September, 1845, from
taking strychnine. I saw her the day she was under
the influence of the poison. She was a patient in
the hospital, and was perfectly well the
day before. She took the pills by mistake, which bad
been prepared for a paralytic patient. I saw her when
under the influence of the poison in bed. She was la-
bouring under a retraction of the mouth—the face much
suffused and red, the pupils of the eye dilated, the head
bent back, the spine curved, and the muecles rigid
and hard like a board. Her arms were stretched out
and the hands clenched, severe paroxysms occurring
every second. She died in about an hour and a quarter
after taking the pills. The paroxysms lasted nearly an
hour. There should have been a quarter of a grain in
each pill. She took three pills. The paralytic patient
was to have taken one each night.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sergeant Shee—The retraction
of the mouth was continous, but was worse at one time.
I (lid not notice it after death. The hands did not re-
main clenched after death ; they were half bent, which
was a very common occurrence in all cases of death by
violence. She was attacked with the symptoms 20
minutes after taking the medicine. [ tried to make her
vomit with a feather after she had an emetic first, and
;be vomited partially.
Re-examined by the attorney-General - She could open
'ler mouth and swallow during the spasmodic action.
There was not what was catled lock-jaw.

By Mr. Serge,..nt Shee—l can't say if she was in such
a state that mere touching her would throw her into a

paroxyAm.

Dr Watson, examined by the Attorney-General, said

he was a physician of the Glasglw Hospital, and recol-
lected the case of Agnes Sinnett. I wag called in about

a quarter of an hour after she was taken ill. I found her
in violent convulsions. Her arms were stretched out
and rigid ; the muscles of the body were rigid, and kept
quiet by rigidity. Her feet and legs were also rigid.
She did not breathe, from the muscles of the whole frame
being rigid from the tetanic attack. It subsided, and
after a short interval was renewed, and continued. She
waq half an hour dying after that. She appeared per-
fectly conscious. I did net observe the state of her
ands. Ou a pest mertem examination the pores of the
heart were stiff, and the cavities empty. My father
published an account of the case.
Cross•examined by Mr. Grove—The head was open
when I saw it; by that the blood might have flowed
out, and have emptied the heart.
By the Attorney.General—The spinal cori appeared
all right.
By. Lord Campbell—The heart was contracted.

Dr. Patterson, examined by Mr. Welsby—ln 1345, I
was an apprentice in the Glasgow Infirmary laboratory.
I dispensed the prescriptions. In September of that
year I dispensed a prescription for a paralytic patient, in
the form of pills ; the four .contained 1 grain—a in
each.

By Mr. Baron Alderson—There was a complaint of
there ha ving been taken by another person.
Mary Kelly, examined by Mr. Bodkin—ln Septem-
ber, 1845, I was a patient in the Glasgow Infirmary. I
had to attend to a paralytic patient in my ward, and
also a patient who went by the name of 'Sinnett or
French, and died there from taking pills prescribed for
the paralytic patient. I saw her swallow two of the
pills and sit down by the fire. From twenty minutes to
three-quarters of an hour after she took them she was
taken ill and fell hack on the floor. She was put en the
bed and the doctor sent for. She could not move, and
was like a poker. The nurse had to cut her clothes off.
She never spoke after she fell on the floor.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sergeant Shee—lt was about
three-quarters of a❑ hour between the death of the girl
and the taking of the pills.
Caroline Hickson—l was a nurse in 1845 to Mrs.
Smith. She lived at the time near Basingstoke. The
mamily were residing near Romney. Mrs. Smith was
unwell, and Mr. Jones, a surgeon, residing in the neigh-
bourhood, made up a prescription for Mrs. Smith. I
remember the medicine being brought back; it was in
the evening about 6 o'clock. It was a mixture in a
bottle. I saw Mrs. Smith take about hall a wine glass
lull. She took it the following morning about 5 or 10
ninutes past 7. Having given her the medicines I left
the room. In 5 or 10 minutes I was alarmed by the ring-

ing of a bell. When I went in I found her leaning on

chair in her night dregs. I thought she had fainted.
She appeared afterwards to ba suffering from spasms. I
ran down stairs and ordered the coaduman to go to Mr.
Taylor, a surgeon. I returned up stairs
Ind found Mrs. Smith lying on the floor, she screamed
♦ery much, but she did not open her teeth. She wished
to have her arms and legs held straight. I took hold
)f her arms and legs and found them drawn up very
,nuch. She still screamed and seemed in great agony,
and requested that some cold water might be thrown

ever her. It was done. Her feet were turned inwards.
I put a bottle of hot water to her feet ; it had no effect.
Shortly before her death she said she felt easier, and
before she died the last words she uttered were " Turn
me ever." (Great sensation.) I turned her over. She
was lying on the floor. A very few minutes before
she died she said "Turn me over." She died very
tranquilly, and was quite conscious, as she knew me
quite well. Altogether it was about an hour between
taking the medicine and her death. It was about ten
minutes after she took the mixture that she rang her
bell.

Cross-examined by Mr. Grove —She could not sit up
at all after I saw her, The cold water did not take any
effect, as she was in a paroxysm. The paroxysms lasted
about an hour and a quarter. Her hands were clenched.
By the Attorney•General—The fit came on is about
ten minutes.

Mr. Taylor, a surgeon, living at Romsey —I attended
Mrs. Smith, and I remember seeing her dead. It was
between eight and nine. The body was on the floor.
The hands were clenched; the feet were contracted and
turned inward. The soles of the feet were hullowed up
and the toes remarkably contracted, I should suppose,
from spasmodic action. The inner edge of each foot
was turned up. The limbs were remarkably stiff.
By Lord Campbell—rhe body was still warm.
By Mr. Weisby—The eyelids were tightly adherent

to the eyeballs. The druggist who made the mixture
was Jones. I met him running up to the house. I
made a post mortem examination three days after
death. At that time the contraction of the feet con-
tinued, but it had gone off somewhat from the rest
of the body. I did not find any trace of disease in the
body. The heart was contracted and perfectly empty,
and all the large arteries leading from the heart were
also empty, and the blood was fluid. I subsequently
analysed the medicine, and found in it a large quan-
tity of strychnine, dissolved and undissolved. Toe
mixture contained nine grains of strychnine, of which
Mrs. Smith had taken three, so six remained in the
bottle. (Great sensation.) I took out the stomach and
bowels, but did not examine the parts sufficiently to
say from the examination the cause of death. That was
so very apparent that no close examination was made.
Cross-examined by Serz,eant Shee —A c irpse would
stiffen in the position it died in. In this case there
seemed to have been great difficulty in laying out the
body. The feet had to be tied together. We first exa-
mined the trunk and then the head. Charles Broxholme
was the apprentice to Jones, the chemist. Jones is
since dead. Mr. Smith's prescription contained a
salicire. 'Upon the shelf beside it was strychnine, and
a mistake was made, and strychnine administered. I
did not give it ; it was my mater, who afterwards com-
mitted suicide.
Jane Witham examined by *Mr. Edwin James—ln
March last attended a lady who died.
Laird Campbell—YOU need not state her name.

Witness—She first complained of her back, and said,

" Come to my back." I could not get to it. There
was a twitching. Her eyes were staring and fixed.
She first complained of this illness upon 25th February,
;he died the 3d of March. She had five attacks, one a
slight one, upon the day of her death. She was first
attacked at 8 and died about 11. She had. been better
end up on the afternoon of her death. She was attacked
with twitching of the muscles. She requested that her
arms and legs might be rubbed.
Cross-examined—lt was at the beginning of the at•

ack she asked to be rubbed. When she asked that

her legs were rigid during the intervals. Touching her
brought the spasms on. She could not swallow during
the spasms. After death her body was stiff. She was
sensible, but did not speak. The last attack was the
most violent one.

Geo. Morley, surgeon, attended the lady last alluded
to. He was attending her for functional disarrangement.