Western Reserve chronicle and weekly transcript of the times. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1854-1855, 1855-04-04
WHOLE NO. 2O10.1

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that they were caused by some disease;
he had been sick so long, that it would
be nothing strange if new SYMPTOMS came
up in his case. Cross Erauaissation.) } /
have known Mr.. Leet about 80 years,
and have attended him some during that
period ] have lived in his neighborhood
several years, Is perhaps; when l FIRST
knew hin, he was a dyspeptic, with ten
dency to dependency of mind would
no; like to say his symptoms were caused
by stryehnine, but it is difficult TO ac-
count for them in any other way (; | should
suspect strychnine the symptoms might
be accounted for, except the sensitiyeness
to The touch; never saw a case of Te-
tanus; know but little Of strychnine
II is medicine am afraid of; is con-
sidered kind of last resort in extreme
cases; 10 cases of death from convulsion,
spasrns ofthe respiratory muscles prevent
breathing, and so stop the circulation by
preventing the blood from flowing into
the heart. 71.l lss
Professor John u. Cassels.-I reside
in Cleveland, and am Professor of Ma
terra Medica and Botany in the Cleveland
Medical College. Doctor Moore brought
me bottle and human stomach on the
llth of December | examined the bottle
first; 1t was about 1 full of muddy liq-
uid, and by holding it TO ligh. there aP-
peared white sediment; l shook por-
ton oft, and guided by the symptoms
described by DR.. Moore, I tested it for
strychnine; / did this, because otherwise
l might go on for a week without a salts
factory conclusion /; / added acid to make
il more soluble strychnine is not very
soluble in water alone / first tried if by
Nitric acid, which gives bright red col.
or this is, strictly speaking, the test for
Brucine; Our Strychnine Of commerce is
made up of both their properties are
nearly the same afterward tested It for
strychnine proper; took about one hun
dred parts Of sulphuric acid to one of
nitric acid; On using this test upon the
liquid, no change of color is given, but by
adding the peroxide of lead, it gives first
blue, then violet, and afterwards settles
down into beautiful green ; this is
test to which no other know substsnee an
swers; then took the stomach this ex-
animation was so late, being days af-
ter the death, that could not depend
much upon the appearance of the organ
itself; took its contents, washed them
out, evaPorated by distillation, filtered
the liquid thus obtained several times, and
then tried the same teste as with the IL
quid in the bottle, with the same results;
had no doubt that strychnine was found
in both bottle and stomach, and gave
certificate to that effect. tried, for
the sake of certainty, the same expert
ments with strychnine which ! knew to be
pure, and found precisely the same re-
suits. Strychnine is generally of a dark
grayish white. The grayish tinge is
owing to the presence of coloring mat
ter. 1t is usually about the color Of
buckwheat meal. From my examination
| could not tell the quantity of strychnine;
the fact of finding strychnine in the stom-
ach, together with the symptoms told by
DR.. Moore, 1 considered very strong eyi-
dence ofrhe death ofthe patient by strych-
nine If she had not died from its effects,
the probability is that none would be
found in the stomach; If a person should
take strychnine for some time as med
icine, and then should die from some other
cause, it would be very unlikely that any
should be found in the stomach, for it is
taken in such minute doses that it would
be absorbed into the system have never
seen person under The Poisnous effects
of stryehnine those who take it as medi.
cine have not uniform symptoms different
individuals are differently affected. The
first evidences generally are a peculiar
sensation in the lower limbs, which the
patient describes as pricking, as if small
animals were crawling under the skin.
Next comes peculiar sPasmodic action,
ike a orick in the neck Physicians
would stop here; but if the doses were
further increased, so as to become pois-
inous, 1 should expect these symptoms to
90 on till rigidity of the whole system
should ensue the brain would be affected,
the face and neck becomes swollen and
livid, and the pupils of the eyes dilated.
The intellect is not generally affected till
the spasms, after frequent returns, bring
on an asphyxiated state in which the patient
dies. From what have heardofthe symp.
toms here, and from the presence Of
sirychnine in the stomach, should think
the yonng woman died from strychnine ;
there is a differences between what has
been described as shocks in the muscles
and a tetanic rigidity the redness of the
tonr,,,o nr,neade fronl irritation of tha