Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1905-03-17
HONOLULU PHYSICIANS
MAKE THEIR
STANFORD DECLARATION

The official statement of David Starr
Jordan and Timothy Hopkins publish
cd in the Honolulu evening papers OF
March Is, and the morning paper Of
March 16, 1905, makes 1t incumbent
upon the undersigned to issue the fol.
lowing statement and give It the same
publicity.
1t is our opinion that Mrs. Jane l..
Stanford died of strychnine poisoning.
Our reasons for coming to this conclu-
sion are the following:
/. She died after a brief illness of
half an hour, following the ingestion
OF a dose of bicarbonate Of soda, con-
tanning an unknown quantity of strych.
nine, in a CONFUSION having the char.
acteristics of the strychnine convul-
sion and which was seen by Drs. +. II.
Humphris and II. V. Murray.
2. The post.mortem rigidity was
Identical with that found in known
cases of strychnine poisoning.
3. The postmortem examination re.
vealed no other cause Of death. The
vital organs of the body, the brain.
heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and spleen
being normal for a woman of her age
and habits of life.
4. There was no undigested food In
the stomach or intestines which pre-
sented healthy normal appearance.
8. The post.mortem appearances
conformed in every respect with the
post-mortem appearances In authenti.
Gated cases Of strychnine poisoning.
Add to these facts, of which we have
personal knowledge, the sworn state
ments to the coroner's jury, Of two au-
thorized chemists that they found
strychnine in the contents of the in
testines, and in the contents of the
bottle marked "bicarbonate OF soda"
from which the dose that Mrs. Stan.
ford took was prepared and there is a
chain Of evidence that will hold fast
under the fiercest assault.
We affirm that she did not die OF
acute indigestion because the contents
OF the stomach and bowels were per.
tectly digested, and death was too sud
den to be caused by that complaint.
We affirm that she did not die of
ptomaine poisoning because that dis.
ease is not so rapidly fatal.
She did not die of angina pectoris
because neither the symptoms of the
attack nor the condition of the heart
confirms that diagnosis.
1t is imbecile to think that a woman
OF Mrs. Stanford's age and known mel.
tai characteristics might have died OF
an hysterical seizure in half an hour.
"Her advanced age, the unaccustom.
ed exertion, surfeit Of unsuitable food
and the unusual exposure" either
separately or combined. could not cause
death as Mrs. Stanford died.
No Board Of Health In existence
could allow certificate based on such
q cause Of death to go unchallenged.
Until the report Of the chemist In
San Francisco who found fatal
amount Of strychnine In the bottle OF
Poland water, and the presence of the
strychnine In the bicarbonate of soda
IL explained away and until convincing
proof has been offered to an unpreiu-
diced medical profession that she did
not die Of strychnine poisoning, our
diagnosis must stand.
Now, as to the astonishing statement
signed by David Starr Jordan and I'll.
notify Hopkins. It begins as follows:
"In our judgment after careful con.
sjderation of all the facts brought to
our knowledge, we are fully convinced
that Mrs. Stanford's death was not due
10 strychnine poisoning nor to inten.
tional wrong doing on the part of any