Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-16

Is recovered as possible. Did you hear the testimony of Dr. Prudden and Dr. Painter?
 1 did, sir.
 Now if body is taken out of the water in \ early morning. lays on the beach for two hours, Is then carried to morgue mile dis tant after a superficial examination it Is taken four miles to an undertakers, the body I Is then washed and turned over several times, then put on ice and two days after @ post mortem examination is made and no water js ' found ln the stomach or lungs. would that indicate that the person was not drowned No, sir with the handling of the body as ! ,ou have stated should say not. ! Now if you should find reddish fluid in I the pleural cavity how would it have got \ there?
 I see no way except through the lungs. ! Would that indicate that the person was l drowned
 l It would, sir.
 If you should find particles of sand two l thirds the way down the gullet of person i drowned how would you say that it got l there?
 | don't see how it could have got there ex- { cept by the act of swallowing. It might be I said that 1t washed in there, but I don't see E how that is possible it might wash into the ] lungs, but not into the gullet. ! Suppose here is body lying on the beach ' how sand could get into the gullet? I do not if the mouth was closed. Do the authorities speak of this subject Of sand iii the gullet?
 Yes, SIT, most of them do. Witness here read from TayIors jurlspru- dence on the subject. Do the authorities speak of water in the pleura1 cavities of drowned persons Yes, sir.
 Are the mouth and eyes generally open or closed in the case of drowned persons In many cases the eyes and mouth are closed and in many cases they foun open. Goose skin is not always present in cases of drowning the absence of water in the stomach is not always an indication that the person may not have died by drowning. Has your attention been called at any time as to the specific gravity of water in the body?
 It has. The specific gravity of sea water is OPS; fresh water .O25. The specific gra- vity of the human body is slightly greater l than that of water, seven per cent. of the body is water 28 per cent. dry solids: fat of the average body is lighter than water hay Ing specific gravity of .92; about per cent. 1n the body of an adult is fat, being about one-twentieth of the weight the muscles have specific gravity of .O95, the soft organs o5 and the lungs filled with air .94 the average weight of the dry skeleton is, male
  ed body is placed in the water it has ten dency to sink, but if clothed would not sink 80 readily until the clothes become thorough ly soaked, thereby expelling the air from the clothing. I now give you the specific gravi ty of dead body. It is from .O8O to 100. Sometimes dea body will not sink owing
 to air in the lungs; fat body will float more
 healthy male heart is given as II ounces, that
 of female ounces The brain of a male
 49 ounces, female A ounces. Spinal cords
 1 34 ounces. The liver will vary from 50 to
 60 ounces, the sweet bread 1-4 to l-2
 ounces, spleen 1-2 to ounces, lungs in
 male 45 ounces, female 22 ounces; thyroid
 gland to ounces, thymus 1 2 ounce, kid
 Reys ounces, capsule inclosing kidneys 7
 ounces, prostrate gland to ounces. The
 specific gravity of dead body is greater
 than salt water and there is of course ten dency of the body to sink.
 If 8 person sheu1d throw themselves from an elevation in the water and fall on the stomach, causing 8 concussion would you expect to find much water in the lungs?
 l should hardly expect to find water in the lungs
 Is the absence of water in the stomach an indication that the body was not drowned?
 No, sir. Witness here read from the au- thorities on the same subject.
 Doctor, have you had any experience in post mortems in cases of arsenlcal poisoning?
 I have, sir, in number of cases of parties supposed to have d1ed from such cases.
 How Is a person affected before death who dies from arsenical poisoning?
 One of the first symptoms would be burning sensation in the stomach and might be attended by vomiting Arsenic being an irritant poison, inflammation of the stomach would follow and the inflammation would extend to the alimentary canal and 1ntestlnes and down to the rectum or lower bowels; as the inflammation proceeds the burning pain increases. the throat becomes dry, the voice husky and the patient dies in 8 short period of time from exhaustion; sometimes, how ever, the patient may die from shock to the nervous system collapse.
 Suppose the person should die from col lapse would you expect to find vomiting?
 No, sir but in ordinary cases I should ex- pect to find excessive vomiting.
 Suppose you dissected dead body and you found the stomach and other organs in healthy condition, would you conclude that the person died from arsenical poisoning?
 No, sir, should not.
 Suppose girl 20 years of age took arsenic in solution sufficient to cause death, how would you expect to find the stomach?
 should expect to find it lnhamed. l think all the authorities agree that it makes but lit tie difference as to the form in which arsenic is taken as regards inflammation. Of course if taken in liquid form 1t is more rapidly ab- sorbed, and would have less immediate effect on the coats of the stomach than if taken in solid form. The same symptoms are found when arsenic is applied externally, as in cases of ulcers or diseases of the scalp.
 Witness read from Taylor on the subject i of inflammation of the stomach and general | appearance after taking arsenic.
 Continuing witness said that if he did not | find the stomach of a person infamed who 1 lied from arsenical poisoning he should con- 3ider it an anomaly.
 Is arsenic an irritant when it comes in con- act with the body?
 It is, sir, and is used as an irritant. All tgree on the subject that arsenic is irri- ant.
 A recess of ten minutes was ordered at this point.
 After recess Dr. Jewett resumed his testi- nony. He continued to read from the au- horities in regard to the inflammation caused y arsenical poisoning He said cases were eported where arsenic did not cause an in- of the stomach, but these were he exception and not the rule. He said Voodman and Tidy reported six cases where here was no inflammation. He had never cen case himself where there was not more r less inflammation of the stomach.
 Mir. Jones-Doctor, are experiments on nimals always reliable in regard to poison az by arsenic