A difficult case on which to form an opinion is one recorded by William P. Mason,[779] as follows:—
[779] Chem. News, Feb. 23, 1894.
The deceased, a farmer, bachelor, sixty-five years of age, and in good health, was taken violently sick shortly after breakfast, with vomiting and distress in the stomach. Although a physician was summoned, the symptoms increased in severity, and a little after midnight death ensued. The funeral took place three days later. Certain very damaging pieces of circumstantial evidence having been collected, the housekeeper was arrested on the charge of murder, it having been shown, among other things, that on the day preceding the death she had purchased an ounce of white arsenic.
Thirty-five days after death (from March 20 to April 25) the body was exhumed, and found in a state of remarkable preservation, and free from cadaveric smell. The stomach presented evidences of inflammation.
Portions sent for analysis were the stomach, portion of intestine, portion of liver, one kidney, and the heart. Arsenic was found in all these parts. White octahedral crystals were found in the contents of the stomach, which on separation gave arsenical reaction.
The arsenic found was:—
| Stomach and intestine, | 0·2376 | grm. |
| Liver and kidney, | 0·0032 | „ |
| Heart, | 0·0007 | „ |
| Total as metallic arsenic, | 0·2415 | „ |