The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-19


turning on minute points, occasionally arise
in medical iurisprudente. Such is the case
of the attack on the Duke Of Cumberland by
his valet, Sells, who afterwards committed
suicide; some vague popular suspicion at
taChed to the duke, and Sir Edward Home
made a point in the case in the dukes
favor on the distinction between venous
and arterial blood. We notice that,
in his index, Or. Taylor gives no less than
three illusions to the case Of the Due de
Praslin. DR.. Taylor also discusses ii g case OF
General Pichegru, who was found strangled
in prison through the ligature of his neck
being tghtened by a twisted slick. A strong
suspicion of murder was excited, and it was
thought that death had been caused through
an order of the Emperor Napoleon. DR..
Taylor states that the evidence of this having
been an act of homicide is very weak and
that, so far as the medical circumstances ex-
tend, there is no reason to doubt that IL was
an act of suicide.
There was a remarkable case of strangula-
tion which happened in London many years
ago, and which many may recoll ect. There
was an unfortunate man who used to ex-
hiblt himself publicly in the act Of hanging,
and at certain point released himself
without having sustained any injury.
One day the poor fellow continued the ex-
pertinent a little too far, and was hanged in
real earnest. The curious fact is that a gap
allowed him to hang for thirteen minutes
before the suspicion was entertained that some
thing might be wrong. Every medical man
is constantly liable to be called into the wit
ness-box in cases of violence, poisoning and
that numerous and most melancholy class
concealment of birth. DR.. Taylor advises him
to make his antecedent examinations most
carefully, and to be very careful as to the kind
of figure which he cuts in the witness-box.
DR.. Taylor speaks rather severely of counsel,
and at times counsel have spoken rather
severely of DR.. Taylor; he inclines towards a
contemptuous feeling in reference to juries
with which it is impossible not to feel some
measure of sympathy. The most remarkable
cases which occur in medical Jurisprudence are
unquestionably those Of chronic poisoning.
At the present time there appears to be a
fearful race between the art Of the pOisoner
and the art of detecting poison. The history
of the processes employed to test for poisons
is highly curious, and of much scientific in
terest. DR.. Taylor says that persons have
died from the effects of poison eleven months
after the poison had been swallowed, and that
there is no reason to doubt that instances may
occur of a still more protracted nature. "The
occurrence of such cases as these suggests
grave reflections on the insecurity of life,
when poison is used with skill and cunning,
and on the ineficency of the present system
of registering causes of death. The editor
of the LdW Wagazine has truly said, in
commenting upon the Smethurst case, "All
that is requisite for future murderers by
poison to do is to use small doses, combine
the use of various destructive drugs, and
subpoena the proper witnesses. If the judge
and Jury should, nevertheless, be convinced
that the skilful poisoner was guilty, 1T is then
open to him to work the papers and public
opinion get other doctors evidence, and
apply to the Home Office. That this will be
.oI f.k,, 30
highly probable hence the characters of
chronic poisoning have acquired a special
interest for the medical jurist." The single
subject of frauds upon insurance offices opens
up wide field of medical jurisprudence. The
public obtained glimpses of this in the case of
Palmer, but the cases were not fully gone into,
as a conviction was obtained in the indictment
respecting Cook. 1t may, however, be said
that the insurance cases of which the public
obtain glimpses are few when compared with
the insurance cases of which the public know
nothing. A collection Of such cases would
form one of the most curious and fearful books
of the age. 1t sometimes happens that an
Office has no moral doubt, though it has little
legal proof; and if they venture to resist a
claim, it will probably happen that the claim
will not be insisted upon. We give the fol-
lowing anecdote on the authority of a medical
friend. woman insured one or two lives in
an Office, and the lives rapidly fell in. When
this happened with a third life, the Office
having seen some reasons for suspicion, de-
INJURED as to the payment of the policy. The
woman called at the Office, and said angrily to
the manager, "Do you think l poisoned my
own relation p" A sudden thought struck
the manager. He walked up to the. woman,
put his hand on her shoulder, and looking
fixedly at her, said, "We knolo you did," The
woman, in great agitation, left the Office and
was never seen there again.
Very much that is very remarkable belongs
to the diagnosis and prognosis of case. No
two medical cases exactly resemble one an
other any more than two human faces are ex-
actly alike, or any two blades of grass even.
A man can no more be a physician by reading
book than man can be an artist by reading
all extant publications on form and color.
Each case is separate study in itself. Now
this diagnosis is exceedingly troublesome
work. Patients often cause a a good deal of
this trouble. They send for a medical man,
and at once expect him to explain what is the
matter, and to write them a prescription. II
a medical men will not do this off-hand,
they lose confidence in him, and will
apply to some other practitioner. 1t is per
fectly wonderful how London physician in
extensive practice will examine and prescribe
in very few minutes. But, as rule, aEman
ought to have an opportunity of studying
a chronic case minutely before he adopts any
decided treatment. Invalids have also another
way of proceeding, which is sore trouble to
some medical men. They make round OF
the London physicians, and take morDld ols-
light in discovering "a conflict OF medical OPT
Mon. They 60 to some doctor, ana When i EIney
have extracted an opinion from him, they
- !, y - t,,,,, ,,,und and saw that his views