[219] Ernest Juch, of 1, New Broad Street, journalist, and formerly a medical practitioner, who met Lamson in New York, August, 1881, and saw him daily for two months.
[220] Mrs. McElroy, when, with Lamson’s consent, taking charge of his medicines, found among other things an unmarked box of “sugar pills,” which Lamson said were either morphia or quinine, he did not know which. On this evidence the following remark is made on the accused’s behalf:—“After he (Lamson) left, and when John was taken ill, several pills were discovered on the table, which were not noticed while Lamson was there. It is believed that as John was suffering from indigestion (he had dined at one, and portions of his dinner were vomited undigested at nine) he determined to take a pill, and try with it one of the capsules just given him. John’s symptoms of poisoning did not begin till about three-quarters of an hour (really twenty-five minutes, see p. 520) after Lamson left, and he lived for about four hours after, whereas if he had taken the poison in the capsule, while Lamson was there, it is almost certain that the symptoms would have set in much earlier, especially considering the enormous quantity of poison said to have been taken. He then, unhappily, selected one containing aconitia. From the foregoing evidence of the way in which Lamson used and prescribed aconitia, taken with what Mrs. McElroy says of his ignorance as to what his own medicaments contained, it might well be that he ignorantly or insanely mixed these pills, and sent them to Percy John without any murderous intent.”
[221] A sample of “English aconitine,” recently obtained from Morson’s, was amorphous, slightly coloured, and gave a red-brown colour, with all acids, even acetic; yet its physiological action was perfect.
[222] In “Unbeaten Tracks in Japan” (Isabella L. Bird, 1880), it is stated that the Ainos, an interesting race inhabiting a part of that country, poison their arrow-heads with a paste prepared from the root of a species of aconite, Aconitum Japonicum.
[223] A servant girl was recently poisoned in New York by repeatedly rubbing tincture of aconite on the gums to relieve pain. She died in three days. (British Medical Journal, Aug. 26, 1882.)
[224] Woodman and Tidy, p. 393, wrongly give this as “one ounce of the tincture.”
[225] The case of Reg. v. McConkey, already referred to (ante, p. 515), furnishes us with an instance of aconite root being administered with criminal intent, and with fatal result.
In Aug., 1882, four boys and a girl suffered severely from chewing dried aconite root, which they had found in the street. The symptoms, tingling and numbness, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, giddiness, muscular weakness, pains in the legs, and coldness of the feet, set in very rapidly, the greatest delay being a quarter of an hour. There was no dyspnœa, and the pupils in all were widely dilated. The treatment adopted was the administration of emetics (sulphate of zinc and vin. ipecac.), coffee and brandy, and castor oil. Recovery in two to seven days. Quantity taken, “a very small piece.” (Brit. Med. Journal, 1882, p. 1039.)
[226] An illustration of the dangerous character of these preparations, and of the serious results which may ensue from the mistake of a person ignorant of medicine, is afforded by the following case, reported in the Medical Times and Gazette, of January 22, 1853. An inquest was held on January 15th, 1853, to inquire into the death of Emma Forty, an inmate of the Roman Catholic Convent of the Good Shepherd at Arnosvale, near Bristol. The deceased suffered from tapeworm, for which the medical attendant of the convent had prescribed a decoction of pomegranate bark and quinine. According to the general custom at the convent, the medicine was prepared by Miss Ryder, the sister-attendant, who unfortunately took a wrong bottle from the dispensary, and gave, instead of the decoction, a drachm of Fleming’s Tincture of Aconite. This mixture was given to the deceased on the Monday preceding the inquest (Jan. 10th); and death occurred in about five hours after the draught had been swallowed. After some remarks by the Coroner as to the imminent danger of unskilled persons being allowed to dispense drugs, the jury returned a verdict that death was occasioned by the administration of aconite by Miss Ryder, and expressed the opinion that much blame was attributable to the authorities of the convent for allowing persons, without the necessary knowledge, to dispense medicines: they hoped that in future such a practice would be discontinued.
[227] A report of the inquest is to be found in the Pharmaceutical Journal, 1872, p. 618. The deceased was the Hon. Gowran Charles Vernon, Recorder of Lincoln, and second son of Lord Lyvedon. According to the evidence of a brother of Mr. Vernon, the latter had for some time past complained of pains in his head, and had been in the habit of using neuraline with the object of relieving these pains. On returning to his residence, after a walk with his wife, the deceased was seized with a fit, and shortly afterwards died. The doctors considered that he was suffering from neuralgia and epileptic fits. Mr. G. Harley, M.D., M.R.C.S., stated that he had analysed neuraline, and found it to be an extract of aconite, mixed with rose-water; it also contained chloroform. The Coroner (Dr. Lankester) said there was no doubt that the deceased had expired from natural causes, and that he had been seized with a fit of convulsions, from the effects of which he died.