Cook, John Parsons, -1855; Palmer, William, 1824-1856 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Murder) -- England -- London
How would you express in ordinary English the general symptoms of what
you call tetanus in one word?--Violent spasmodic affection of all the
muscles of the body. That effects the immediate cause of death by
stopping the action of the heart, and also the breath, from its effect
on the diaphragm. It affects the respiratory muscles and stops
respiration. It is that spasm of the respiratory muscles which causes
the sense of suffocation. When death took place he was still upon his
side. He remained in that position after death. I did not turn the body
upon its back. The outward appearance of the body after death was very
dark. As there was only one candle in the room, I could not make the
observation I otherwise should have made. Both his hands, the left hand
particularly, which I had in my hand, were clenched. I observed the
clenching of the hands immediately the attack took place, when he threw
himself back immediately after taking the pills Palmer brought over.
When I was rubbing his neck I did not see the hands clenched.
Did you observe either before or at the time of death, or immediately
afterwards, anything in the position of the head and neck?--Yes; the
head was quite bent back.
When you say bent back, do you mean bent back into an unnatural
position?--Yes; by spasmodic action. The body was twisted back like a
bow; the backbone was twisted back.
[Sidenote: W. H. Jones]
By LORD CAMPBELL--When did you observe that appearance--immediately
after death, or all the time?--Indeed, after throwing himself back, he
was immediately drawn back.
Examination resumed--If I had placed the body at that time upon the
back, on a level surface, it would have rested upon the head and heels.
As his face was turned away from me, I did not observe anything
immediately after or at the time of death about the jaw. After death I
saw the jaw was not in its natural condition; it was all affected by
spasmodic action. I spoke to Palmer about the laying out of the body,
and left him alone in the room while I went downstairs to see Miss Bond.
I returned in a few minutes and found Palmer with Mr. Cook’s coat in his
hand. He remarked that I, being Cook’s nearest friend, should take
possession of his effects. I did so, and took possession of his watch
and his purse, containing five sovereigns and five shillings. That was
all I could find. I did not find any betting book or any papers. After
that, before Palmer left, he said something to me upon the subject of
affairs as between Cook and himself. He said, as near as I can
recollect, “It is a bad thing for me, as I was responsible for £3000 or
£4000, and I hope Mr. Cook’s friends will not let me lose it. If they do
not assist me, all my horses will be seized.” Nothing was said by him
about securities or paper.
By LORD CAMPBELL--In the consultation which we three medical men had on
Tuesday night nothing was said about the symptoms, the spasms, which had
occurred the night before.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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