Cook, John Parsons, -1855; Palmer, William, 1824-1856 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Murder) -- England -- London
The next witness is Dr. Robinson. Now, gentlemen, you have this
respectable physician, who gives an account from which you are called to
infer that Cook’s case was a case of epilepsy. He says he should only
take it to be epilepsy in the absence of evidence of strychnia being
administered. He says that all the symptoms described by Jones on the
Tuesday night are consistent with strychnia; and, with regard to
epilepsy, he says in no case where epilepsy had existed would it cause
death without a loss of consciousness. Cook, you will remember, remained
conscious to the last, and you will say whether, upon the evidence that
is laid before you, there was or was not a bending of the body, which is
characteristic of tetanus, and what the witnesses have described as
being inconsistent with epilepsy.
[Sidenote: Lord Campbell]
The next witness is Dr. Richardson, who now brings in for the first time
angina pectoris as a disease of which it may be presumed Cook died. Now,
gentlemen, you have to attend to this case; the witness, who seems most
highly respectable, says this case being detailed by him, the symptoms
were consistent with strychnia, and that, if he had known as much of
strychnia then as he does now, he would have made an analysis to see
whether strychnia was in the body. The great question that I propounded
for your consideration was whether Cook’s symptoms were consistent with
strychnia, and, if they were not, then the conclusion would be in favour
of the prisoner; but if they were consistent with strychnia, then you
are not upon that alone to find a verdict of guilty against him; but you
are to consider the other evidence and see whether the death arose from
strychnia or not. Dr. Wrightson is recalled, and he says that, in his
opinion, when strychnia is entirely absorbed in the system it is
diffused equally throughout the entire system. Dr. Wrightson is a
philosopher, and, as a man of science, he speaks with caution, and you
have heard his evidence. He says that if the minimum dose were taken to
destroy life, and then a long interval elapsed between the taking of the
poison and death, the more complete would be the absorption, and the
less chance there would be of finding it in the stomach.
Mr. SERJEANT SHEE--I think he said he would expect to find it in the
spleen, the liver, and the blood.
LORD CAMPBELL--Yes; “I should look for it elsewhere, in the spleen, the
liver, and the blood.”
Then comes Mr. Oliver Pemberton. The evidence of this witness only goes
to show that, in his opinion, an examination of the body at that time
was not of much value, and did not afford the means of coming to a
satisfactory opinion, differing in opinion, therefore, from others that
had been called.
His lordship then dealt with the witnesses as to facts, and pointed out
that, according to the trains, Palmer could not have arrived in Rugeley
on the Monday night before ten o’clock.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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