Treatise on Poisons: In relation to medical jurisprudence, physiology, and the practice of physicChristison, Robert, Sir
Science
Treatise on Poisons: In relation to medical jurisprudence, physiology, and the practice of physic
Christison, Robert, Sir
Medical jurisprudence; Toxicology
Cases of this nature are so instructive that no apology need be made for
mentioning one example more which lately came under my own notice. In
the case of Mary Anne Alcorn, convicted here in the summer of 1827, of
having administered poison to her master and mistress (a case already
referred to for another purpose, p. 75), it was proved that a white
powder was introduced in a suspicious manner into the gravy of baked
beef, which gravy was subsequently poured over the beef. Now the master
of the family dined heartily on beef, potatoes and rice-pudding, and
mixed the greater part of the beef gravy with his pudding; the mistress
ate moderately of the first slices of the beef, took very little gravy,
even to the beef, and none at all to the pudding; a little girl, their
niece, dined on pudding alone, without gravy; and the prisoner dined
after the family on the beef and potatoes. Accordingly the master
suffered so severely as for two or three days to be in danger of his
life, the mistress was also severely, but by no means so violently
affected, the little girl did not suffer at all, and the servant had
merely slight pain and sickness at stomach. The evidence thus procured
was exceedingly strong, more particularly when coupled with the fact,
that the beef used was half of a piece, the other half of which had been
used by the family two days before, without any ill consequences.
6. The next article of the moral evidence relates to suspicious conduct
on the part of the prisoner during the illness of the person poisoned.
Under this head it is necessary merely to state what I conceive to be,
with reference to the present branch of the proof, the duty of the
medical practitioner who happens to attend a case of poisoning.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account