Cook, John Parsons, -1855; Palmer, William, 1824-1856 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Murder) -- England -- London
If I rightly apprehend your history of the symptoms, the disease was
altogether progressive in its character, and, although there was an
occasional cessation of the more painful symptoms, there never was a
full cessation of the symptoms?--He was not suffering from tetanic
affection. There was a twitching of the muscles going on, but there was
not that violent convulsion. The lockjaw was the first of the more
aggravated symptoms that presented itself, the muscular spasms about the
trunk of the body progressing onwards to the extremities. He was
conscious till the tenth day, when insensibility supervened while the
convulsions were upon him. I consider the brain had been affected and
congestion had taken place, and that produced insensibility.
After that was there some diminution in the severity of the
convulsions?--Very great diminution, but they still continued.
Would that be likely to take place from the constant recurrence of the
convulsions?--From the constant recurrence of the convulsions the brain
would be congested.
You would expect to find a difference in that respect in a case where a
man died very early in such a disease, and where it was spread over a
longer period?--That would depend greatly on the violence of the
convulsions.
By LORD CAMPBELL--And the repetition?--And the repetition.
The Court then adjourned.
Ninth Day, Friday, 23rd May, 1856.
The Court met at ten o’clock.
[Sidenote: J. B. Ross]
Mr. JOHN BROWN ROSS, examined by Mr. GROVE--I am house surgeon to the
London Hospital. On 22nd March a labourer, aged thirty-seven, was
brought to the hospital about half-past seven in the evening. He had had
one paroxysm in the receiving room of our hospital before I saw him. He
had a rapid but feeble pulse, breathing quickly though not laboriously.
The jaws were closed and fixed, there was an expression of anxiety about
the countenance, and the features were sunken. He was unable to swallow,
the muscles of the abdomen and back were somewhat tense. After he had
been in the ward about ten minutes he had another paroxysm and
opisthotonos, which lasted about one minute. He was then quiet for a few
minutes; he had then another, and died. He had only been in the hospital
about half an hour. An inquest was held on the body, but no poison was
found. I attribute the cause of death to tetanus. There were three
wounds, two on the back of the right elbow, about the size of a shilling
each, and one on the left elbow, about the size of a sixpence. The man
told me he had had them about twelve or sixteen years. They were old,
chronic, indurated ulcers, circular in outline, the edges thickened
round, undermined, and covered with a dirty white coating without any
granulations. I am unable to say what produced those ulcers. I have seen
old, chronic syphilitic wounds in the legs similar to those in the
elbow, but I cannot say that these were so. These wounds were the only
things to account for tetanus. There was no other cause found.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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