21st.—Violence of symptoms increased. Pulse 125. Great prostration.
25th, 28th.—Very slight amelioration. Pulse 125. Wandering.
OCTOBER 1st, 4th, 8th.—Symptoms slightly less severe.
11th.—Aggravation of all symptoms. Pulse 132, low and fluttering. Face flushed and pale. Much convulsive twitching in limbs. Power of speech quite gone. Entire prostration. Can hardly live through night.
12th, 13th, 14th.—Special visits. No perceptible change.
15th.—Pulse a shade firmer, 136.
N.B.—From this date recovery slow but steady.
6.—Memorandum by Mr. Henderson.
From the very vague nature of the foregoing evidence, so far as dates are concerned, it was, as you will at once perceive, no very easy task to determine the precise day of Madame R**'s first attack. To the view of the case, however, which I was even then inclined to adopt this was a matter of the last importance, and I determined to spare no effort to elucidate it if possible from the very loose data furnished by the depositions. In this I have, I think, been successful; but, as the process has been somewhat complicated, I must ask you to follow me through it step by step.
The difficulty of tracing the truth seemed at first sight not a little augmented by the fact that no one had been in the house but Mrs. Brown herself, whose memory, even had it afforded any clue, could not have been relied on. On further consideration, however, I began to fancy myself mistaken in this respect, and finally conceived a hope that this very fact might, if properly handled, prove an assistance instead of an obstacle to my investigation. The following was the course of reasoning I pursued.