New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-13
A THEORYTU FIT THE FACTS
TESTIMONY OF DIR. GEORGE L. PEABODY.
HE BELIEVES MRS BUCHANAN DIED FROM
ATRopINE AND MORPHINE.

HE BELIEVES MRS BUCHANAN DIED FROM
ATRopINE AND MORPHINE.
DR.. George L. Peabody was on the witness stand all
Of Yesterday IN the trial Of Dr. Robert W. Buchanan
telling why lie thought that narcotic poisoning and
nothnr else caused The death OF the prisoners wife
Dr. Peabody after hearing all the symptoms OF the
woman described declared In MS Judgment that she
died from Two poisOns. OF when one was morphine
and the other aropine some other preparation OF
b,iladonna or one Of two or three other
substances Of similar nature lie then In great detail
told why she could not have di'd from any disease
The symptoms and results OF the autopsy precluded
any belief that death was due TO anything except
narcotic poisoning.
District Attorney Nic0ll mentioned significant fact
II was that while onc-tenth OF Il grain Of morphine
was found I'm Mrs. Buclarans stomach. only one
one.hundredth was found In Helen Potts's. Yet
Carlyle W. Harris himself Is now satisfied that
moi rhine killed his wife. The prosecution has one
more expert witness and six others. so W. j. O'suli
may not De- called Oh 10 open the case ior '"c
defence until next week.
Dr p,obody lives at No. 81 West ThIrty-eighh-
ST. lie Is a Columbia man. class Of 20. and was
graduated In 1873 ut the College Of Physicians ana
surgeons For nine years he has been attending
Musician nt the NewYor Hospital and Professor OF
MacrIa Mcdica aud Therapeutics IN tie College Of
PLY slcians and Surgeons lie had made from 800 to
IN
and atropnc poisoning, he told Mr. Nicoll. who did
not however. ask him any thing further on the sub
ioct The witness WAS certain that coma never re-
suited from cohgcstion Of the brain
Mr. Nicoll PM a long hypothetical question to Dr.
Peabody in which all TIE womanS symptoms were
described and the results OF the autopsy d'taiieu
Then the witness was asked what was. In his OPINION
the cause OF death. Charles W. Brooke jumped UP
with n host Of objections 10 the question. ana MI
n,t'. lara. Mr
declared that any assumption that atropine was iouhd
T., In. body was unwairantrd hut Recorder smS'h
decided not 10 strike ont that part OF the question
referring to the drug
"Taking the symptoms prior to 3 y. m. on the dny
She was taken H. what would you say caused them
Mr.. Nco asked. ,,.o
81 should say they were cctsiSt'nt WIFI a""P'''
poisoning. The pain In the head inc ""A'p' ''i ~,
restriction n, the throat the nervousness. were al
signs Of atropine.
" And m. symptoms after o'clock!
al h.,lcv. they were due TO the combination Vi
nornhinc and a,ropnc poisons. The temperature
+ in accordance with the coma from morph'h" anu
atropine combined. The pulse showed more "'''p'"
han morphine.
as atrorine an antd0c OF morphine -
Atroplne IS 10 certain extent a. u ,''''s ~
coun;eract some Of IT, effects. Given IN III" ns,''
dose If will do So bat It IS by no means adj" exactly
to e. unlcract morphine. Mr"phe III III o'''"''
will deepen the morphn" CONF
If one tenth of a grain Of morphine was Iouni III
the BODY forty DAYS after death. what WIS vi"
,,ro, oll. emount Of the poison administered =
81 should say possibly four or iv" era'hS' ""
v.,r,d Dr. PealoGy. lie then told why uraehi" anu
yariols other diseases g nd not nav" ca"S'u
death. Mr. O'sullivan asked the witness "Do"'
the case Of poisoning from morphine ana aTop'he
combined Tho symptoms In this Instance were
different from tho.n = Mr.. Buchanan. Mr. . snIl-
van read "A long statement from Nt1ndaf'i 'n'nor
a bout the symptoms 81 airopin". som" o. 'f'"' ~.
r.aifdy had not mentioned. Then II" hsh'u I'D
narcotics always lower the temp rllhr'
- lnoy Of one case of choral poisoning WIT"
the temu,rpinre wa not lowered.
How d. yru account fer this wonans '''np'rl'
fur being iO,i under two narcotics mat Ioth oi'"
Il don't admit that they reduce the temperature.
The coma NAV raise it without any I"icr"hc" I" i"'
Ioisous.@ 100 :, 81,
grnd.fcd IN ia. lody which viii produce coma . ,
have heard -. but hav" never Known " III
my own experience -,
AT one point Mr.. Nicoll disaTced with Recorder
Smvth about a certain fact which had been ttstlhci
TO- MIR Brooke upheld Mr.. Nicoll.
This f. the first time "" have agreed IN thls rlai
saId MIR NIccIl turning 10 his adversary.
This l. The first time YOU have been right. rr.
iortcd Mr. IroOkc. blandly. There was general
laneh DIR. Peabody viii take the stand again THIS
morning