Given that the poison is administered in both cases, to the rabbit and the human subject, in the shape of pills, should you expect a longer period before it began to act on the human subject than the rabbit?—I do not think we can fairly draw any inference; the circulation and absorption are very different. It is very probable that there would also be a difference between one human subject and another in the power of taking the thing up with more or less rapidity. The strength of the dose would make a difference; a large dose would be more rapid than a small dose. I have experimented upon the intestines of animals to reproduce the strychnia or to discover it. (Dr. Taylor described the chemical tests.) These colour tests, as they are called, are, I think, very fallacious. There are other vegetable matters to which, if these colour tests are applied, similar results as to colour would be obtained. A mixture of sugar and bile will produce the purple and red tint, for instance. Vegetable poisons are more difficult of detection by chemical processes than the mineral ones, and the tests are more fallacious. In four cases of animals destroyed by strychnia Dr. Rees and I endeavoured to reproduce the strychnia, and then applied to it those colouring tests which I mentioned just now. We also tried the effect of taste. In one case by the colour test we satisfied ourselves of the presence of strychnia; in another there was a bitter taste in the liquid, but no indication of strychnia by the colour test. In other two cases there was no indication at all of the presence of strychnia. In the first case we had given a dose of two grains at intervals; in the second case one grain; in the other two cases one grain and half a grain.
How did you account physiologically for the absence of any indication of strychnia where you know strychnia to have been given and to have caused death?—By absorption into the blood so that it is no longer in the stomach; it is in a great part too changed in the blood. In the case of the larger dose there would be a retention of some not absorbed. That would be in cases beyond what was required for the destruction of life. If the minimum of the quantity required to destroy life was given, I do not think I would find any. It would be removed by absorption, and no longer discoverable in the stomach.
Are there any chemical means you are acquainted with whereby the presence of this poison can be detected in the tissues?—There are not; there is no process I am acquainted with when it is in a small quantity; so far as I know it cannot be detected.
In addition to this distribution of the half grain, which you tell us is known to have destroyed human life, over the whole system, in your opinion does it undergo decomposition as it mixes itself with the animal tissues?—I believe it undergoes some change in the blood. That increases the difficulty in detecting it in the tissues. I have never heard of its being separated in a crystallised state from the tissues.
Alfred Taylor
After the post-mortem examination on the body of Mr. Cook some portion was sent up to me. I experimented to ascertain if there were any poison present. We sought for prussic acid, oxalic acid, morphia, strychnia, veratrea, a poison of white hellebore, the poison of tobacco, hemlock, arsenic, mercury, antimony, and other mineral poisons generally. We only found small traces of antimony. The part which we had to operate upon was in the most unfavourable condition for finding strychnia if it had been there. The stomach had been completely cut from end to end; all the contents were gone, and the fine mucous surface, on which any poison if present would be found, was lying in contact with the outside of the intestines, all thrown together. There was also succulent matter on the surface of the mucous membrane, derived from the intestines, the contents of which partly escaped. The inside of the stomach had been forced into this mass of intestinal succulent matter; at any rate, it was lying so. In journeying up to London it must have been shaken in every possible way. The contents of the intestines were there, but the contents of the stomach were gone. If there had been any of this poison present I should have expected to have found it in the contents of the stomach and on the mucous membrane. At my request other portions of the body were sent—the liver, the spleen, and the two kidneys; in addition, a small bottle of blood, unlabelled, giving us no idea whence it was taken. We analysed all those portions. We searched for mineral poison in the liver and kidneys, and discovered antimony in an eighth part of the liver; we analysed only the left kidney and the spleen, and there were traces of antimony in each. The quantity was less in proportion in the spleen than in the other parts. The blood contained antimony.
Would its being found in the blood enable you to form any opinion how shortly before death the antimony had been given?—It is impossible to say with any precision, but I should say shortly before death—within some days; the longest period known at which antimony has been found in the blood, after a person has ceased to take it, was eight days. I heard the account by the servant girls of the vomiting of Mr. Cook; I also heard the account given of his vomiting at Shrewsbury, and by the medical men, Gibson and Jones, and Dr. Bamford’s deposition as to the concomitant symptoms. In my opinion, the vomiting would be such as might be produced by antimony. Tartar emetic is soluble in fluids, and if mixed with broth or toast and water would not affect the colour.
From these traces of the antimony can you form any judgment as to the time when the antimony was taken?—It is impossible to say with any precision, but I should say within two or three weeks at the outside. We did not find any perceptible quantity dissolved in the fluids of the body and the washings of the stomach; therefore I should infer there was no evidence of any given within some hours of death. I think that which I found in the liver might have been administered within eighteen hours of death or within two days. I know by experience it takes a shorter time to get to the liver. Antimony does not affect the taste of anything if it is given in quantities which would cause vomiting. If a large quantity was taken at once it might leave a choking or constricting sensation, as if the throat was contracted. There was no trace of mercury. I should have expected to find mercury according to the quantity taken. If a few grains had been taken recently before death I should expect to find some trace in the liver. Supposing a man had been taking mercury for any syphilitic affection within anything like a recent period before death I should expect to find it. I heard the evidence which was given as to the deaths of Mrs. Smith, Agnes French, and the lady referred to, and also the case of the gentleman of whom Mr. Moore spoke. Judging by the results of my own experiments and studies, I agree that those deaths were occasioned by strychnia. Mr. Cook’s attacks appear to me to be of a similar character.
As a professor of medical science do you know any other cause in the nature of human diseases to which the symptoms of Mr. Cook’s death can be referred except to strychnia?—I do not.
Alfred Taylor