Report of the case of John W. Webster, indicted for the murder of George Parkman, before the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts : including the hearing on the petition for a writ of error, the prisoner's confessional statements and application for a commutation of sentence, and an appendix containing several interesting matters never before published / by George Bemis.

  • Webster, John White, 1793-1850.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the case of John W. Webster, indicted for the murder of George Parkman, before the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts : including the hearing on the petition for a writ of error, the prisoner's confessional statements and application for a commutation of sentence, and an appendix containing several interesting matters never before published / by George Bemis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    The action of the nitrate of copper on the blood-discs, was not immediate ; they were, however, destroyed in a few hours. I should say, that the nitrate of copper will remove the evidence of blood-discs; and that these last, constitute the chief means by which recent blood can be detected by the microscope. I saw no spots of blood on other parts of the building. A pair of slippers, and a pair of pantaloons, were shown to me for examination. [A pair of slippers, and of pantaloons, were here produced to the witness, on which were spots, re- sembling blood. These spots were of considerable size, and distinctly visible, upon the left leg of the pantaloons.] The slippers are the same, from which I cut portions having spots upon them, similar to those now remaining. I have satisfied myself, that these spots, which I examined, were spots of blood. The right slipper had the blood on it; and, on the soles of both slippers, was a substance resembling Venetian-red. The pantaloons are marked with the name, Dr. Webster. I cut pieces from them, on which were spots ; and these were shown, by the microscope, to be blood.* There were * [By the kindness of Professor Wyman, we have been furnished with the following brief note on the microscopic test of the presence of blood, which we are glad to put in a permanent shape upon our pages.—Ed.] Note.—When blood exists, in large quantities, upon furniture, clothing, &c, a general inspection, with the aid of chemistry, will determine its presence, with sufficient accuracy. It is, however, not unfrequently found in too small quantities, for chemical analysis; and it has happened, that the statement of a police-officer, or other non-professional spectator, has been admitted, as evi- dence, that the stains, in question, were those of blood, when the bare announce- ment, by a physician, even, should be taken with the greatest caution. There are abundant instances, in the treatises on Medical Jurisprudence, of unfounded charges, and unjustifiable arrests having been made, in consequence of an error at the outset, as to the true nature of stains, assumed to be blood. It is, there- fore, in the highest degree important, that examinations should be conducted with the greatest care, and that another sign, than color, (which has been abun- dantly proved to be fallacious,) should be obtained. Recently-drawn blood, when placed under the microscope, is at once recog- nized by the presence of vast numbers of flattened discs, (commonly, though inaccurately, designated as blood-globules,) of a red color, with a single cen- tral spot; interspersed among which, may be seen, in far lesser numbers, com- pared with the discs themselves, rounded colorless globules, containing, each, three or four central granules. These last are known to physiologists as lymph-corpuscles,' or lymph-globules, proper. If a drop of blood be dried upon a piece of glass, painted wood, or other sur- face, and a small portion, (a thin scale, scraped oft' with a knife, is the most desirable form,) be placed under the microscope, and water added to it, it soon becomes softened, very slightly tinges the water around it with a pale reddish color, and becomes more or less transparent, according to its thickness. After a careful inspection, the observer will seldom be able to find any traces of blood- discs ; but transparent, colorless, spots will be seen scattered through the mass, which, with a high power, (say 800 diameters,) may be seen to have a globular form, and to contain granules, — usually three or four. These are the lymph- corpuscles.