Report of the trial of Madeleine Smith : before the High Court of Justiciary at Edinburgh, June 30th to July 9th, 1857, for the alleged poisoning of Pierre Émile l'Angelier / by Alexander Forbes Irvine, advocate.

Smith, Madeleine, 1835-1928.

Date:: 1857

Credit: Report of the trial of Madeleine Smith : before the High Court of Justiciary at Edinburgh, June 30th to July 9th, 1857, for the alleged poisoning of Pierre Émile l'Angelier / by Alexander Forbes Irvine, advocate. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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$Mr Young—Not at all. The Lord Justice-Clerk—Then that relieves us from gomg over that part of the case. It is proved by the clearest e^dclence that he died of arsenic; and there is no occasion for discussing the ques- tion as to the appearance of jaundice if it is proved and admitted that the death was caused by arsenic. He referred next to the evi- dence as to the colouring matter, noticing the statement made as to the extreme difficulty of taking out the colouring matter, although a professional chemist might take most of it out by dexterous mani- pulation. Noticing next the medical evidence as to the articles found in L'Angelier's lodgings, he directed attention to the fact that none of them could destroy life except the aconite, and the quantity of it was too small for that purpose. In regard to the evi- dence as to arsenic being used as a cosmetic by the prisoner, in con- sequence of having read of the Styrian peasants, who, by taking it, become rosy and plump in complexion, his Lordship remarked that any one using arsenic as a cosmetic must have known that it was to be taken inwardly, and that the desired result could only arise from its long-continued and persistent use in small quantities. He could not imagine that this girl, reading the journals and magazines on the subject, could suppose that by laying arsenic into a basin and using it all at once by washing in the water, she could possibly improve her complexion. And, as to his friend Dr Lawrie's experiment about the arsenic used in that way not having a bad or irritating effect if washed off immediately, and also the remarks of his friend the Lord Advocate, telling ]\ir Lawrie that he might expect his face wonderfully changed, he looked upon all that as absurd. It was quite evident that the prisoner could not expect that a single appli- cation of arsenic externally in the way mentioned could possibly im- prove the complexion. All that they might consider as an extreme idea in this case. As to the question of how large a quantity of ar- senic might be held in suspension, he directed attention to the fact that it was admitted that the thicker the stuff more would remain suspended, and less would be dissolved. Dr Penny thought that a large quantity might be kept in suspension in such a fluid as cocoa. Then the medical testimony showed—and this went again to the question how the arsenic could have been given, or how he could have been induced to take so much—that in all probability there would be as much thrown off in vomiting as would remain in the body, which would make a very large quantity indeed. Then there was some evidence as to the time betwixt the taldng of arsenic and the appearance of the symptoms of poisoning. They knew very well, however, that he went out of his lodgings well, without arsenic, about nine o'clock, and that he came home ill about half-past two o'clock. It was clear that the illness must have intervened, but whether it was half an hour or two hours after the arsenic was taken was really immaterial. It was quite clear that he did not take it before he left the Bridge of Allan, because exercise would have ac-$