Birmingham age-herald., 1895-07-23
Arsenic, However, Was Discovered in Large Quantities, But Used in Embalming.
EFFECT OF THAT PROCESS ON MORPHINE
Professor Ross Now Ansly2ing the Contents of the Intestines-He Wished His Letter Suppressed, But It
 Was Too Late.
Age-Herald Bureau,
 Exchange Hotel,

Montgomery, July AH. Probate Judge J. B. Gaston today re- ceived a letter from State Chemist B. Is. Ross of Auburn containing the othciai analysis made of the stomach Of w. ii. Spivey, who died here some time ago, and whose body was exhumed last week and the stomach sent to MT. Ross to De analysed for traces of morphine poison ing, his wife, Mrs. May Spivey, having been arrested on the charge of having poisoned him to obtain the $70O0 insur- ance on his life. The letter is as follows.
 State Chemical Laboratory, Horticultural and Mechanical College,
 Auburn, July 20 Dr. J. B. Gaston, Judge or Probate or Montgomery County, Montgomery, Ala:
 Dear Sir: I have completed my exami- nation for morphine of the stomach and contents (of stomach) of w. H. Spivey, deceased, and have been unable to de- tect the presence of that alkalold by any of the well recognized and standard tests' 1 included in the analysis. also, DOT ton of the liquid contents of the jar con tainng the stomach and organs.
 l divided the materials upon which l worked into two portions and conducted the analysis of these two portions in- dependently in order to insure accuracy ard correctness in the results.
 All precautions necessary to secure purity of reagents used were taken and evidences obtained from the stomach were purified as thoroughly as possible before testing the same
 found arsenic in large quantities in the stomach, but as l found this sub stance in large proportions in the em- balming fluid it's presence in the body was easily accounted for.
 When l was first informed of the use of the embalming fluid in the preserva- tion of the body I was quite doubtful Of being able to identify and detect such poison as morphine after the lapse of more than three weeks.
 Such a standard authority on tox1col- ogy as Taylor states that the presence of the antiseptic agents is in many cases fatal to the successful detection or pols- ons, and while it is difficult to find liter ature bearing directly on all of the points involved it is not at all improbable that such substance as morphine should undergo change in the presence of such active chemical agents as are found in embalming fluids.
 Most embalming fluids contain strong oxidizing or reducing agents, and nor phine is quite susceptible to change in the presence of agents of this character and some of the chief tests for morphine are dependent upon this fact.
 Morphine exercises a reducing influ- ence upon a number of metallic com bounds, and although I can find no ref erenceS to it's action on arsenic tor as- senic on morphne), nevertheless several tests which I have made in the labora- tory indicate that acid solutions or ar senious acid are reduced by morphine to only a moderate heat.
 As arsenic is an ingredient or thls eln- balming fluid. it seems highly probable that such substance as morphine, Dy continued contact with the fluid. par ticularly in, the presence of decomposing organic matter, would at least aIter some T atnnf taa
 Ordinarily such poisons as morphine and strychnine can be detected after the lapse of considerable time GIT Tn any quantity, and have been able to detcct the latter more than two months after death. But the presence of antiseptic agents. however, presents strong obsta- cies to their successful detection
 There can be no other reason assigned. as Taylor and Wormley state, for the non-detection of morphine, such as vom- iting. etc. and as the latter says, the failure to detect the latter does not argue at all that this substance was not taken. I have nut far examined the lnteS- tines, having devoted my whole time to the stomach and contents and portion of the fluid in the jar with the stomach. and as I have been unable to detect mor- phine in these I think it extremely i'm probable that it could be found in the in- testines. If you desire intestines ana lyzed also please notofy me by return mail. Very reSpect1uiiy.
 B. B. Ross, State Chemist. P S-If ntestines are analysed it will be several days more before completion of analysis B. K. ROSS.
 Upon receipt of the analysis Judge Gaston wrote Mir Ross to continue the analysis until completed. and upon re- ceipt of his letter Mr. Ross telegraphed asking that his letter of the 20th be not given out for publication until after the final report, but as the reporters had al ready stenographed the letter it could not be suppressed.
 Verdict of the Coroner's Jury