El Nuevo mexicano., 1917-11-29
MRS. De SAU[LES
MAY HAVE BEEN
SUFFERING FROM
HYP0THYREOS|S
Medical Experts to Go
to Mat in Trial
at Mineola
THYROID GLAND
WASN'T HITTING
Dislocated Skull Of De-
PENDANT May Have
Helped Some
icy Leased Wire to New Mexicsn.l

10y Leased Wire to New Mexicsn.)
Mineola, N. Y, Nov. 2S.-What is
expected to be a lengthy battle be-
tween medical experts over Mrs.
Blanca De Saulles' claim that her
physical condition produced a lapse
of accountability when she shot her
divorced husband was initiated in
the young woman's trial ON a charge
OF murder, in supreme court here
today. DR.. j.. Sherman Wight, Mrs.
De Saulles' physician since the trag-
edy, testified that the patients con
dition following the shooting indi-
Gated she was suffering from an en-
feebled functioning of the thyroid
gland-from an inadequacy of the Sc
cretions of this gland. This brings
about an inactivity Of the vital pro
cesses, DR.. Wight testified.
Mrs. De Saulles' attorneys claim
the condition outlined by the physi-
clan produces a brain and nerve cen
ter condition which eventually ends
in "a hopeless mental infirmity.' ,
This disease, the defendants lawyer
terms "hypothyreosis.' This name,
however, was not used by DR.. Wight.
An X-Ray photograph of Mrs. De
Saulles head, which DR.. Wight claims
shows a depression of a portion OF
one of the skull bones just above the
forehead, was introduced in evidence.
This portion of bone was d~islodged,
the defense claims, when Mrs. De
Saulles sustained a fracture of the
skull some years ago. 1t presses
upon the brain, it is declared, ana
may have been a contributing factor
in bringing about the temporary loss
Of responsibility during which, she
asserts, she fired the revolver shots
in her husbands home on Long
island, the night of August 8.
LOOKED PALE AND PUFFY,
PHYSICIAN TESTiFlES
DR.. ]. Sherman Wight, who Mrs.
De Saulles has testified was the first
person she remembers having seen
when she recovered her senses in the
jail following the shooting of her for
mer husband, was placed on the
stand in her trial here today. Refer.
ring to an examination of Mrs. De
Saulles, which he made in the jail
on August 6--three days after the
tragedy-Dr. Wight said:
Il found her lying in bed. She
seemed to take little notice of her
surroundings. She looked pale-it
was a peculiar waxy pallor. There
was a puffy condition under the
eyes. The whites of the eyes had a
blush cast. The woman's tempera-
ture was below normal-at 81. Her
pulse was feeble, 5S-when 78 should
be normal. A blood pressure test
gave Is. 1t should have been 30 or
35 to be normal. The heart-sounds
were very feeble.
u made an examination of Mrs. De
Saulles' heart and when | pressed
on an area slightly to the left OF
the central skull line and just within
the hair line, she made an cutlery and
shrank away.
San examination Of her throat
showed the thyroid gland was with
cred. Subsequent examinations, the
witness said, served to convince him
that Mrs. De Saulles was suffering
from a deficiency of the thyroid
gland, a substance without which
the vital processes or the body be
came impaired.
The doctor said he began treatment
to relieve this condition and be-
lieved Mrs. De Saulles is in consid-
erably better health now as a result.
During one examination DR.. Wight
said he made an X-Ray photograph
of Mrs, De Saulles' skull. The photo
graph was introduced in evidence. II
was a profile view Of the skull. AT
the point near the forehead indi-
Gated by DR.. Wight an apprecia'
BILE lowering of the line marking the
top of the head could be seen.
The witness said this abnormal con
dition resulted from a skull fracture
sustained some years previously,
which had neve been relieved by a
t%rephining operation.