R. Christison
Is there, in your opinion, any marked difference between what I may call natural tetanus and the tetanus of strychnia?—I would not rest much upon the little difference of particular symptoms, but rather upon the course and the general circumstances attending them. First, that in all the natural forms of tetanus the symptoms begin and advance much more slowly; and, secondly, they prove fatal much more slowly. When once set up in natural forms of tetanus there is no intermission. Where the first paroxysm does not prove fatal there are short intermissions in tetanus from strychnia. I heard the evidence given by Elizabeth Mills of what took place on the Monday, and by Mr. Jones of what took place on the Tuesday night when Mr. Cook died.
Now, of the two classes of tetanus, to which should you refer the spasm and other symptoms spoken to by those two witnesses?—To strychnia, or one of the natural poisons containing it—nux vomica, St. Ignatius’s bean, snakewood, and a poison called exhetwick. They belong to different plants of the same genus, from all of which strychnia may be obtained. There is no natural disease that I have ever seen or that I otherwise know to which I can refer these symptoms which I have heard described.
When death takes place from tetanus or tetanic convulsions, does consciousness continue?—As long as one can make an observation upon it, it remains. When the animal is in a state of strong universal spasm it is impossible to make any observation on its consciousness. The heart of a human subject killed by strychnia has sometimes blood in it and sometimes not. Whether the heart contains blood or not depends upon the particular mode of death, or the dose varying. Spasms of the heart would expel the blood.
Where death has taken place from strychnia I should not expect to find it where the quantity taken is small, but where there is a considerable excess over the quantity necessary to destroy life by absorption I should expect to find it. Colouring tests are, I think, uncertain in some respects. Vegetable poisons are generally more difficult to detect. There is one I know for which there is no test I know of. The stomach that was sent to Dr. Taylor to operate upon, from the description that he gave of it to-day, was in a very unsatisfactory condition. If I had been called upon to analyse such a stomach, I should not have entertained any reasonable expectation of doing any good with it if I had not been informed that there was a considerable quantity of strychnia present. I have no doubt, from the evidence I have heard as to the Leeds case, the Glasgow case, and the Romsey case, that they were deaths from strychnia. The symptoms in these cases appear to me very similar to those of Mr. Cook.
R. Christison
Cross-examined by Mr. Grove—From my own observation, I should say that animals who die from strychnia die of suffocation—asphyxia; but in another part of my book which is referred to, I leave the question open. By asphyxia I mean stopping of the respiration.
Where is it in your book?—It is under the head of nux vomica, at the bottom of page 898.
I do not find that meets the case?—It leaves the question open; it takes place through an influence on the heart sometimes, and through an influence on the respiration; it is now more open, particularly from the cases which have occurred of death from strychnia.
In the animals poisoned by strychnia that you examined was there blood in the right cavity?—Yes, in both.