Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-22
Opinion of Dr.. LOOMS as to Death of
Il. @. Barnet.
Re PERFORMED THE AUTOPSY
Found NoTrace of Diphtheria Germs
in Subject
QUESTIONS BY Mr.. WEEKS

| NEW YORK, January 22.-The first wit
ness in the Mollneux trial today was DIR.
Henry T. Loomis, who performed an au-
| topsy on the body of II. c. Barnet.
We found the body in an exceedingly
good state OF preservation the witness
said. ut was as if the man had been dead
only a week or ten days. All the organs
were removed and subsequently portions
were prepared for microscopical examina-
ton. All the organs were found practical
ly in a normal condition. The heart showed
some signs Of weakness. chiefly In the
walls. All the tissues Of the throat were
removed and carefully examined. No evil
dence of Klebs-Loeff1er bacilli were found
| in the throat tissues. nor any evidence of
| diphtheria. There was evidence present
| that Barnet died from any disase, and l so
reported to the district attorney
The witness, replying to Mr.. Osborne,
said that in case of death from diphtheria
| he should have expected to find evidence of
| dphtheria at the end of three months. con-
sidering the body's good state of preserva-
| ton.
He said that the streptococci were some
times found in the throat of a perfectly
healthy man.
SquabbIe Over Form of Questions.
Mr.. Osborne asked the witness long hy-
| pothetical question to cover the history of
the illness of Barnet similar to the one
which he put to DR.. Andrew Smith on Fri
day last After several objections from
Mr.. Weeks on the ground that the ques-
ton was not formed in accordance with the
evidence, Mr.. Osborne finally got the ques-
ton acceptably formed, and then asked
DR.. LOOMS what he believed was the cause
of BarnetS death.
q believe" replied DR.. Loomis. that he
died from the poison of mercury.
Mr. Osborne then asked the witness if he
I,np
bacilli were found was of any Importance.
He said he considered 1t of the greatest
importance as no true case of diphtheria
could exist without their presence. They
could be found even after death, he said.
in an active state.
When Mr.. Weeks took the witness he
mentioned to him that Mr.. Osborne's ques-
ton had included the quantity of cyanide
of mercury taken by Barnet. DR.. LOOMS
replied that he had noticed that but that
it had not influenced his answer.
What is it that causes you to state that
the death of Barnet due to mercuriai
poisoning" asked Mr.. Weeks.
The fact there was some mercurial sto-
matitis
How about the vomiting in such cases?"
1T begins early and generally disappears
at the end of a day or So.
Had Confidence in Himself.
do you think you are better able to
judge from the condition of the throat the
cause of death than the attending physi-
cian?"
NO: not any better or able to judge"
do you think you are as capable?'
Yes. 1 think so.''
as it not fact that the first culture
| may not show the Klebs-Loeffler bacilli
and the subsequent ones may?"
Yes; though if the culture be removed
by a competent man the bacilli ought to
show in the first one
Are the Klebs-Loeftier baclli always
present in the first stages of diphtheria?
Yes
cit would produce a membrane similar
to that in cases of diphtheria.
Mr.. Weeks then asked the witness if he
knew Dr. Douglass. if he regarded his rep
utaton as good. and if he thought he were
careful man. which the witness answered
in the affirmative.
Mr.. Weeks asked whether. when he made
the autopsy, the witness had found any
evidence of disease poisoning. Witness
replied that he had not found that there
had been any poisoning nor had he found
that there had not been. He had found no
evidence of disease; had there been such
| evidence of disease, he would have found
it.
Mr. Weeks asked if. had the membrane
disappeared three days before the patients
death. the witness would have expected to
find it two months after death, to which
| the witness replied Yes, because there
would have been loss OF mucous mem
brane There was no such loss, the wit
| ness said. the mucous membrane being still
in good condition.
Did Not Die of Diphtheria.
This concluded Mr.. Weeks examination,
and Mr.. Osborne asked:
I'm your opinion. did Barnet die of diph-
theria?''
He did not
Foreman Martin asked the witness:
Doctor, do you think that the fact that
Dr. Douglass was a member of the knicker-
booker Athletic Club prompted him to make
that death certificate as he did. stating
diphtheria caused Barnet'S death?"
The court would not permit the witness
to answer stating that DR.. Loomis could
not testify as to what may have been the
promptings of DR.. Douglass.