The San Francisco call., 1905-03-28
..The coroner-And passed away in

l Miss Hunt-4eS, IN the SpdSH-
| DIR. Murray stated: When 1 had
! hold of her wrist I noticed the position
! she was in distinctly. The hands were
firmly clenched in her lap, the thumbs
| in the palms, the knees were well apart,
the soles of the feet turned up and the
| feet were very much arched; the pupils
| were very much dilated and the eyes
| bulging.'
| DR., Humphris stated: 'Q) Mrs.
| Stanford then told me that she had
| been thrown out Of bed by spasm
BODY WAS RIGID.
"'(2) She had just got it (meaning
some medicine) to her lips, when she
said: My jaws are stiff" felt them.
| and they were. / took the glass from
her hand. She then said: 1T is hor-
| rible death to die" and Immediately
i became totally rigid. respiration stop
| ping. She never breathed again. The
! spasm lasted about three minutes.
| should add that her face was white,
| her lips livid.'
Then the following dialogue ensued:
"Coroner-When she ceased to
breathe and became rigid. just prior to
that, what was the position OF her
| body?
"Dr Humphris- feet, the soles
| were turned toward each other, in
ward-that is TO say. the instep was
very much arched and the toes point
/, ing strongly forward; the knees in the
position of mine now.
"Coroner-What do you say that po-
| sition was-separated?
! "Answer-As widely separated as
any ones would be sitting on chair.
Her head was thrown slightly back;
| her eyeballs were protruding-prom-
| inent, 1 would say, more than protrud-
! ing-her pupils dilated, her jaws fixed.
| her hands-the thumbs were dug into
| the palms and the fingers contracted.
| like that.
"Dr. Day, on arriving eight minutes
| after death, In his testimony says: I
/ was impressed with one conspicuous
| feature, and that was the rigidity and
| position of the feet The ankle was in
extreme extension-that is to say. the
| toes were thrown down, so that the
| gerated, and drawn inward toward the
median line-a condition / do not re-
| call having seen before on any body
DIED IN A SPASM.
1.-The Coroner-Was this indicative
Of any cause of death-that is, did 1t
| suggest to yoll-what?
| ''Dr. Day--It suggested. of course,
| that the patient in all probability died
in a spasnl.
The Coroner-In spasm2
| r"AnSwer--That is a strong contrac-
| tion Of the muscles.
| $50 much for the sworn statements
| of the only persons who were
with Mrs. Stanford in her last mo-
ments. And now we will see how they
] bear out the characteristics of strych-
nine poisoning.
In the Reference Handbook of
Medical Science. 1904 edition. volume
! I, page 543, in the article headed
| Poisoning by Strychnine and Nux
| Vomica.' the following statements are
made: During the spasns there is,
| in the majority of cases. marked opis
| thotonos, the head is thrown sharply
| back, the body bent backward, the
! abdominal and thoracic muscles firm
| ly contracted, the lower extremities
rigid. the soles of the feet bent in
ward and strongly arched. the lower
! jaw is fixed, the eyeballs are protrud-
/ ing, the pupils dilated, the expression
of the countenance distorted, the lips
/ cyanotic. the mouth marked with
| froth. The spasm gradually passes
off, the muscles relax. the eyes and
| pupils become normal. the respiration
is resumed. the patient speaks. usually
calls for air, desires to be held and is
| in dread of impending death.
QUOTE DIR. POTTER.
I'm Dr. Potter's book, 'Materia
| Medica. Pharmacy and Therapeutics
! 1901 edition. page 500 in an article on
| strychnia the following passages ap-
pear: After full dose (one-twelfth
of a grain) the pupils become dilated.
| the limbs take on jerking movements.
the respiration becomes spasmodic
and the lower jaw stiff :.
toxic dose (half to. two grains) pro-
| duces powerful and characteristic con-
/ vulsions. of .tetanic character
| after the paroxysm has lasted min
ute or two it usually relaxes for a
| time the convulsionS rapidly
| increase in severity, a breath of wind.
the slightest noise. or even a bright
| light being sufficient to bring them on.
and in one the patient may jerk himself
out of the bed. at last the respiration
stops in the middle of a fit and the
| heart soon ceases to beat.
Therefore we cannot agree with
the opinion of DR.. Jordan and Mr.
| Hopkins wherein they say, We find
in the statements of those who were
| with her in her last moments no evil
| dence that any of the characteristic
symptoms of strychnine poisoning
were present
"F. HOWARD HUMPHREYS. Md.
&C. B. WOOD. MD.
| OF W MURRAY Md.