Cook, John Parsons, -1855; Palmer, William, 1824-1856 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Murder) -- England -- London
By LORD CAMPBELL--Is it reconcilable with any known disease which you
have ever seen or heard of?--No, my lord.
[Sidenote: H. Letheby]
Re-examined by Mr. SERJEANT SHEE--Do you mean to say it could not be the
result of any variety of convulsions, however violent, though not
classed under a particular description of convulsion?--We are learning
new facts every day, and I do not conceive it to be impossible that some
peculiarity of the spinal cord, unrecognisable except the examination
be made immediately after death, may produce symptoms like these.
When you say it is irreconcilable with anything you have heard of, do
you include anything you have heard of strychnia poison as well as
anything else?--Certainly I do.
Is the vomiting of the pills just before death inconsistent with what
you have known and observed of strychnia poison?--It is not consistent
with anything I have observed.
Have you ascertained whether, if you touch an animal which is beginning
those minor premonitory symptoms, but which as yet has had no paroxysms,
this brings the paroxysms on?--Yes.
Was not the Romsey case exceptional from the manner in which the
strychnia was administered and the quantity of the dose?--Yes, it was.
It is quite consistent with all I am saying that the ringing of the bell
by the lady the moment she felt anything of uneasiness would produce the
paroxysm which ultimately was observed. In my judgment, it is not safe
to argue from the symptoms of a case in which the paroxysm took place
only a few moments after the ingestion of the poison, and it was in a
fluid state, to what may be the probabilities in another case.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: R. E. Gay]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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