"She probably took between three, and three and a half grains, as some was left in the syringe."
"Then that self-administered dose was sufficient to cause death?"
"Oh, no. I have known her to take twice that quantity." This statement was also received with much surprise.
"The experts told us, Doctor," said Mr. Bliss, "that a sixth of a grain has caused death."
"Has been known to cause death. Yes. But that does not prove that it will always do so. The habitué becomes wonderfully tolerant of it. The records are replete with histories of from twenty, to even a hundred grains of morphine without fatal result."
"Then you do not think that three, or three and a half grains of morphia would have caused the death of your wife?"
"Not of itself. But if a quantity of the drug was in her system, this added dose may have contributed to her death."
"In such a case where would the morphine be chiefly found after death, by chemical analysis?"
"In the intestines mainly, because there the stored quantity would have been. But also in the stomach, because of the recent administration." This view was entirely agreeable with the expert evidence.
"In your opinion then, your wife died from the accumulation of morphine, all of which was self-administered?"