An analysis of medical evidence : comprising directions for practitioners in the view of becoming witnesses in courts of justice, and an appendix of professional testimony / By John Gordon Smith, M.D.

  • John Gordon Smith
Date:
1825
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An analysis of medical evidence : comprising directions for practitioners in the view of becoming witnesses in courts of justice, and an appendix of professional testimony / By John Gordon Smith, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

    395/418 (page 371)
    ^pfjnnt. ;/.] AFFAJK OK CASTAING. ti'^l About eleven o'clock M. Castaiiig iriive him a spoonful of stutV tiiat had been onlered by the physician. I held the candle, and came close to ^1/. Atigiisle, at the moment when AT. C. pnt the spoon in his mouth. All at once, fonr or five minutes after he had drunk it, he was seized with frightful convulsions, and lost his speech. \^Here the witness endeavoured, by lux motions and cries, to imitate the horrihlc state in which he found his master, and his agont/.] This scene produced the greatest effect on the audience *!!! « i^ * i '; * * * * * * jlf. Orfila, professor of legal medicine, recognised the prisoner as having attended his course. Having examined the j)roces verbal, the witness declareil, that certain vegetable poisons might cause the symptoms described in the dissection report of Aitguste; but that smiilar symptoms might belong to diseases. Pernicious intermittent fever causes the symptoms of hydrophobia, the virus of which is a poison. F'rom these symptoms no positive conclusions can be drawn; conjectures only can be made, while, at the same time, it would be impossible to prove that there had been no poison in the case. In reply to the judge, M. 0. stated — That there were a few vegetable poisons that leave no traces in the parts to which they are applied. The prussic acid leaves none in the stomach when applied to it, but does in the lungs and brain. It might be affirmed that poisons generally did leave traces in some parts. The effects described in the report of the dissection, appeared to him attributable to acetate of morj)hine, as well as to other vegetable poisons, or to sudden disease. He added, that some poisons left no characteristic indications, and that those which followed them might be ascribed to other causes. Acetate of morphine, which is a bitter substance, ought to give a very acid taste to hot wine. He could not say whether this substance would acquire activity by being mixed with lime juice, the taste of which might, indeed, disguise it. He conceived that acetate of morphine might produce the three following effects; — 1. The person might die in a few moments, and the poison be carried * Who \v\\l deny the theatrical character of this people, when the pantomimic extravagances of a black menial are gravely recorded as forming part of his testimony, on a trial of life and death, and as hanng been performed to the satisfaction of the audience, (for such is implied,) including, of course, judge, jury, and (probably) the prisoner himself? The counsel for Ballet's family, (parfie civile,) in his address to the jury, seems to have done full justice to the excellence of the performance; for he introduces the following eloge; which, as I could hardly render in English without, perhaps, investing it with the cha- racter of a burlesque, I shall leave to take its chance with the French scholar:— Je n'essaierai pas, messieurs, de remettre sous vos veux cette scene de douleur, telle que vous I'a peinte le negro Jean, le seul temoin oculaire qu'elle ait eu. Son imitation expressive ne vous a-t-elle pas fait frissonner ? Ne vous semblait-il pas voir I'in- fortune Auguste aux prises avec la mort, sc debattant contre elle, et succombant enfin sous les nombreuses tentatives auxquellcs, dans la meme jonrnee, il avait etc constamment en butte.