Without being able to refer to any cause whatever as producing the disease?—When I have told you before that deaths often take place in idiopathic tetanus without leaving any trace behind, I think I may say——
That is idiopathic tetanus?—They are all of the same class. I think all forms of convulsions arise from a decomposition of the blood, and, if a person has probably an incipient tendency to disease of the brain, that it always may be affected, and that the decomposition of the blood might set up the diseased action.
Do I understand you that mental excitement had anything to do with this?—I do not say it had. I said it might have caused it.
Do you find any excitement in this case?—I find at Shrewsbury he was excited, and wherever you have excitement you have a consequent depression.
Do you find he was depressed?—When you find a man in bed sick, he must be depressed.
I was speaking of the depression consequent on these symptoms. Where do you find any symptom of illness until he begins to vomit?—If I have much excitement, if I am up all night, it upsets me the next day, and I generally vomit the food I take. Cook was overjoyed at winning his race.
And you think he vomited in consequence?—He might.
Do you mean to swear that you think the excitement of the three minutes on the course on the Tuesday accounts for the vomiting?—I do not mean to say anything of the kind.
Do you find any excitement or depression from that time till the time he died?—There is nothing reported that I can recollect just now.
On the contrary, do you not recollect that the man, when he was not vomiting, on that very night, was joking and laughing; was that sufficient to make him vomit?—That may well be where a man is subject to bilious fits.