The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1876-09-14
Poisoning as u Fine Art.

London Examiner,
During the course Of the trial Of Pal
mcr, now, as nearly rs may he, twenty
years ago, Dr. Taylor, the wcll-known
writer ON medical jurisprudence, eY.
pressed his belief that secret poisoning
was far more common than was supposed,
and that it was indeed prevalent to an
alarming degree There is too much
reason to fear that the statement was not
at all exaggerated,
"Thc secrets of the grave DR.. Tay.
lor says, care only kn0&n TO those who
practice medical jurisprudence IN the
course Of the last thirty years at least
fifteen cases of the cXhumation Of dead
bodies have been referred TO me. On
some of these inqucstS had been held.
but no inspections were made. NrrdiclS
of death from cholera and natural causes
had been returned, and at intervals Of
from one month to twenty two months
the bodies have been disntcrrcd. and It
has been proved that the deceased had
died from poison. In some of these eases
the deaths we're sudden and in others
slow; in the latter the symptoms during
life were mistaken for those Of disease,
medical certificates Of the cause of death
were Given without sufficient inquiry
and thus it is that crime passes undc-
tectcd, and several lives may he destroyed
in succession before Il criminal is ar
rested There is a popular notion, in ac-
cordancc with the ancient statute, that
sudden deaths only require an invcsti%a.
ton hv the coroner; but this is an error
\ large proportion Of sudden deaths take
place from woll-known natural causes,
easily elected by a proper medical IN.
quiry, and they strictly demand no Judi.
cial proceedings. On the Other hand,
in all cases Of chronic poisoning, the form
which secret murder has Of hate wears
assumed, the patient has fingered ON
with intemitting symptoms, and death
has taken place only after an illness Of
some weeks duration. There is no pro-
vision for the detection OF such eases
Their discovery appears to he n matter
of accident
These measured words seem so hor-
liblr that at first one can hardly believe
them true II i, 4 natural and, loa GER
tain extent cOmmcndabIe tendency Of
most people to believe in the goodncS,
of human nature, and when we are told
that secret poisoning Goes ON III IN ab
Wholesale manncr we are dis.
posed to think that the world can not
possibly bc 40 wicked and that the state.
mcut is one Of those cXaggcrations into
which scientific men are apt to he I'M
betrayed hv uvcr-attcntim
to their own special subject, 1t is prob.
able, however that men such Il, Dr.
TAYLOR, medical men. and Lawyers, to
whom ,hc moral nature Of man presents
itself ~ Il phenomenon to be studied in
exactly the same way aS any other, have
y more accurate knowledge of the wick
rdncss that really gOtS on in the world
than our first impulse would allow lis to
'rcdt them with
When, the year before last, we were
threatened with an outbreak Of cholera,
me Of the most eminent physicians ut
present practicing in London, observed
Taycly that he seriously hoped it WAS
not going to be 50, ior that during an
Of cholera, when sudden deaths
ire taken very much aS a matter ot
course, there is always Il i'rightiul IN
'rca,e of secret poisoning.