The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-18 00:00:00

cal poisoning. There was also an absence of those nervous
symptoms which peculiarly characterise arsenical poisoning.
Those symptoms are tremor of the limbs—suppressed con-
vulsion. I don't believe it possible that all these symptoms
could be absent in a case of arsenical poisoning. The post

mortem exanfr ation, taken altogether, is not in my opinicn

consistent with arsenical poisoning. In my opinion it is
quite impossible for a person to be poisoned with arsenic
without its being found in the tissues. It would not mat-
ter what way the arsenic was introduced, traces
of it would always be found. I made experi-
ments on the 26th of May and the 2d of June last,
with respect to arsenic. The first experiment was made
out of philosophical curiosity, and not with reference to the
prisoner. I made my experiments in the presence of Dr.
Webb In one of the experiments we took a large dog and
daily gave it arsenious acid and chlorate of potash. I gave
the latter in such doses as to ensure diuretic action. I

gave small doses for 18 days, three times a day, with food;
18 grains of arsenious and 365 grains of chlorate of potash.
Sometimes the animal could not take its food, and then I
decreased the dose. I then killed the animal, and on ex-
amining it I found arsenic in the liver, slight traces in the
spleen and in the kidneys. The greatest part was in the
liver.

The Lord Chief Baron.--you must have expected that
when you went on giving arsenic and then suddenly
stopped ?

Witness--I thought the chlorate would have been
eliminated.

The Lord Chief Baron—Then it was eliminated ?
Witness—No. I would add that in the dog there was
intense ulceration in the stomach, and in the lower part of
the alimentary canal.

The Lord Chief Baron—How much arsenic did you find ?
Witness—l cannot say.
The Lord Chief Baron—Can you venture to say you
found a grain ?
Witness—No, I cannot.

The Lord Chief Baron—l don't think any experiments
made since the 9th of May can be considered, with reference
to this case, part of the general body of medical evidence.
Witness continued—l consider, from what I have heard,
that Miss Bankes would be a likely person to be subject to
dysentery. I have analysed bismuth. The result of my
experiment is that every specimen in London contained
arsenic.

Mr. Giffard—As a matter of chemical science, are you
aware that arsenic is to be found in bismuth ?
Witness—Yes.

The Lord Chief Baron—ln what quantities ?
Witness—lt varies very much.
The Lord Chief Baron—What are the limits ?
Witness—The largest quantity I know of is half a grain
to the ounce. I have had a patient to whom I have ad-
ministered as much as five grains three times a day for
six days. I analysed the urine and found arsenic.
The Lord Chief Baron—How much ?
Witness—l cannot say—there was the fiftieth part of a

Cross-examined by Sergeant Ballantine—Did you give
the bismuth with respect to this case ?

Witness—l began my experiments on the dog on the 26th
of May. It was merely to see whether chlorate would pass
off the arsenic. I had seen the report of the case in the
papers, and read Dr. Taylor's evidence. I did not
communicate the result of the experiments to the prisoner
or his solicitor.

Mr. Ballantine—How, then, did you become connected
with the ease ?

Witness—Mr. Humphries, the solicitor, called upon me.
Mr. Ballantine—Without your communicating with any

person ?

Witness—My experiments were known to two or three
collegians.
Mr. Ballantine—You were examined on Palmer's trial ?

Witness—l came to give my opinion that death was
occasioned by angina pectoris, and not strychnia. I men ly
gave a similar case to that of Cook's, and argued that
Cook might have died of angina pectoris. It is true
that I gave an opinion that Cook's symptoms were
those of angina pectoris, as given by all the best authors,
and that they were more consistent with that disease than
with death by strychnia. I don't dispute that I want to
support the theory of death by angina pectoris. I have
been consulted in one other criminal case, but I was not
called.