Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-03-02

poison waS put ID the nSedicins BY some
patient. The medicine being Got out In
the hall is an Unsafe practice and has been
unsafe for twenty years. Witness was
struck with this Oh one occasion by seeing
patient walk up to the medicine waiter
as it sat in the hall, take his own cup of
and swallow its contents. The library of
the Institution has always been in the
medicine room and some Ct the patients
sometimes come there to get book. I
have not prescribed aconite or prussic acid
since l have been here.
l omitted to state that DR.. Hamilton
after he came over assisted in the treat
ment of the poisoned men.
TED The AUTOPsIEs,
teing sworn. said came to the Asylum
last Saturday about 4 O'Clock, being re-
quested to do so by the Coroner. saw the
bodies of the five dead, and also the three
living, who were said to have had the same
SYMPTOMS with those that had died. The
ymptoms had nearly all subsidized when
saw them. Mr.. Vaughan 8 s. mptoms when
| saw him were coma or unconsciodsns IS.
entire loss of muscular power; even the
muscles of respiration having lost their
power except, in particular. the dia-
phraghm, so that the breathing was en-
tirely abdominal, abnormal. in frequency
and rythm and buccal in character. The
pulse was abnormal in frequency. the ex-
tremities we're cold and clammy. Theirs,
was an entire loss of senslbility. The re-
lex movements of the eye were absent.
The pupils of the eyes were both the same.
size and slightly dilated and insensible to
light. There was no vomiting whilst
was observing him, and no purging. When
| saw the other two living, their symp-
toms had alb nut subsidized as have stated.
With Thomas there was stilI some ten
derness to pressure over the pit of the
stomach, his pulse rather feeble, and his
txtremities cold and somewhat clammy.
On sunday at noon, Prof. Mallet, for
whose arrival it had been postponed
being present, began the post norton ex-
amination on the body of j. Thos. Hollo-
man in the presence of Drs. Hamilton
Butler, Strain and Crockett. In the cav
'ty OF the chest found the remains of Az
old pleurisy which had affected the pleursl
lining OF almost the entire surface of the
right lung. Tue heart aud its covering,
the pericardium, were in normal condition
except that the walls of the left ventrice.
of the heart were slightly bypertrophied
The arch of the aorta had undergone gen.
eraf dildtation and atherometus degene-
ration. The liver was found to be in normal
condition. The kidneys were both at
fected with mepnitris, and each one OF
them had one or more small cysts ON it's
surface. The mucous membrane of thu
stomach and lower portion Of the esopha--
gus as well as the upper portion of the
small intestine were found to be cOnges-
ted in spots, more or less over the entire
surface. There were no evidences of abra-
sion in the stomach, esophagus or intes-
tine. On opening the cavity of the sk ulI
we found the membranes of the brain H.
normal condition. The surface of the
brain itself presented normal appearance.
The basilar artery at the base of the brain
was found completely plugged, which was
evidently not of recent occurrence because
of the fact that the plug was more or less
organized and had contracted adhesiOns
to the walls of the vessel. There were va
ri0us other arteries in the brain and other
portions of the body which had undergone
degeneration similar to that found in the
aorta. Wealso found the spleen very much
enlarged, soft and friable.
In the post naortem of J. W. Hines, we
found the lungs, heart, the large blood
vessels Of the chest. the brain, liver and
Kidneys IN normal condition; except in the
posterior portion Of the lungs. there exist
ed hyp0static congestion. There was
also congestion of the mucous ill.,
ing of the stomach and other portions
Of the small intestine this congestion be-
ing distributed in spots similar to those it,
the case of HollOman, but less extensive
There was no abrasion of these mucous
Innings.
In the case Of Thomas W. Adams none
Of the internal organs were ex ,mined ex.
cept the liver, stomach and upper portion
Of the small intestine. The liver was
found to be normal. The mucous lining
If the stomach was found to be congested
throughout its entire extent, being much
more marked than in the cases of the othes
two. This same condition existed in tn.
mucous lining of the upper portion of thu
small intestine. We found also eYldences
Of chronic gastritis exis ing in the mu-
cous lining of the stomach. The eplthelial
covering of the mucous membrane of the
stomach was more or less abraded. In none
Of these stomachs did there exist an od0r
that cOHld be identified. All of the hearts
examined were free from blood, except
that of Hines. the cavity of the right ven.
tricle of which contained considerable
quantity of liquid blood. From the re-
suits OF the post norton examination. coup
led with the symptoms that the men man
ifested before death, as related by the at
tending physicians, am of the opinion
that they died from the effects OF some poi
son having been introduced into their
stomschs. Judging las ascertained from
the attending physicians) from the fact.
that those persons who had been pre-
vinusly enjoying their usual state OF
health. manifested symptoms of poi
soning very soon after having taken a
dose of medicine, infer that a poisonous
agent must have been introduced iuto
their stomachs along with that dose of
medicine.
ROBERT HALL, ATTENDANT AT THE
Sd WARD
testified. I first found Mr.. Vaughan
mn q 1,; in n of tho roopr