“Have you formed any opinion as to the purpose for which this drug was administered in this manner?”
“I have no doubt that it was administered for the purpose of causing the death of deceased.”
“Might it not have been administered for medicinal purposes?”
“That is quite inconceivable. Leaving out of consideration the circumstances—the time and place where the administration occurred—the dose excludes the possibility of medicinal purposes. It was a lethal dose. From the tissues round the needle-puncture we recovered the twelfth of a grain of aconitine. That alone was more than enough to cause death. But a quantity of the poison had been absorbed, as was shown by the fact that we recovered a recognizable trace from the liver.”
“What is the medicinal dose of aconitine?”
“The maximum medicinal dose is about the four-hundredth of a grain, and even that is not very safe. As a matter of fact, aconitine is very seldom used in medical practice. It is a dangerous drug, and of no particular value.”
“How much aconitine do you suppose was injected?”
“Not less than the tenth of a grain—that is about forty times the maximum medicinal dose. Probably more.”
“There can, I suppose, be no doubt as to the accuracy of the facts that you have stated—as to the nature and quantity of the poison?”
“There can be no doubt whatever. The analysis was made in my presence by Professor Woodford, of St. Margaret’s Hospital, after I had removed the tissues from the body in his presence. He has not been called because, in accordance with the procedure under Coroner’s Law, I am responsible for the analysis and the conclusions drawn from it.”