Read Ebook: Reports of Trials for Murder by Poisoning; by Prussic Acid Strychnia Antimony Arsenic and Aconita. Including the trials of Tawell W. Palmer Dove Madeline Smith Dr. Pritchard Smethurst and Dr. Lamson with chemical introduction and notes on the poisons used by Browne G Lathom George Lathom Stewart C G Charles G Active Th Century

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PAGE PREFACES v

ADDENDA: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN STRYCHNIA AND MORPHIA xv

" PROCESS FOR OBTAINING PURE CHLORINE xvi

CHEMICAL INTRODUCTION.

Summary of symptoms exhibited by various poisons: Sudden death-- Insensibility-- Vomiting-- Action on the eye-- Convulsions-- Chronic poisoning. Alkaloids, chemically and physiologically--Processes for their detection--Necessity for keeping the extracts separate--Dragendorff's process--Dr. Guy's sublimation process--Effects on animals--Doubtful value of this test--Preparation and effects of reagents: Mayer's-- Potassium tri-iodide-- Sonnenschein's test-- Bismuth-- Phosphotungstic acid-- Picric acid-- Animal charcoal-- Platinic chloride-- Tannin or Tannic acid-- Phospho-antimonic acid-- Silico-tungstic acid-- Auric, palladium and mercuric chlorides--Ptomaines or cadaveric alkaloids; difficulties raised by their discovery--Principles to be observed in analysing 1

TRIALS FOR POISONING BY PRUSSIC ACID 16

John Tawell , March, 1850.

George Ball , July, 1860.

Peter Walker , Dec., 1857.

HYDROCYANIC OR PRUSSIC ACID.

Nature of--Strength of different preparations of, English and foreign--Where found--Tests, preliminary: Odour-- Silver-- Prussian blue-- Sulphur-- Guaiacum-- Uranium-- Picric acid-- Cupric sulphate-- Cobalt chloride-- Mercuric oxide-- Peroxide of hydrogen-- Mercurous nitrate. Test apparatus--Salts of hydrocyanic acid: Potassium cyanide-- Mercuric cyanide-- Cyanides of the heavy metals-- Double cyanides-- Sulphocyanides--Oil of bitter almonds--Antidotes--Fatal dose--Symptoms--Post-mortem appearances--Drops and minims--Period after death at which hydrocyanic acid can be discovered--Formic acid to be tested for--Processes 55

TRIALS FOR POISONING BY STRYCHNIA 84

William Palmer , May, 1856. William Dove , July, 1856. Silas Barlow , November, 1876.

STRYCHNIA AND BRUCIA.

TRIALS FOR POISONING BY ARSENIC 294

Madeline Smith , June, 1857. Ann Merritt , March, 1850.

ARSENIC.

The element --The oxide --Arsenicum--Arsenicum trioxide. Forms of: Crystalline-- Amorphous--Solubility. Uses and occurrences: Steeping, wheat-- Preservation of skins-- Antiseptics-- Glass making-- Fur in boilers-- Candles-- Preservation of wood-- Sheep washes-- Scheele's green and emerald green as pigments in sweets , wall papers, toys, &c.-- Medicinal-- For horses-- Tooth-stopping-- Aniline dyes-- Fireworks-- Rat and fly poisons -- For cleansing metals-- Arsenic eaters-- Cosmetics-- For bronzing metals-- Beer brewed from glucose-- American paper collars-- Speculum metal-- Inhalation for asthma and bronchitis-- Mineral waters. Sulphides of Arsenic: Orpiment -- Realgar. Arsenic acid--The arsenates--Arsenic trichloride--Arseniuretted hydrogen--Methods of extraction--Tests--Modifications of old processes suggested--Marsh's test, distinction of results in arsenic and antimony--Reinsch's test--Doses--Antidotes--Physiological effects--Remarks--Did L'Angelier commit suicide? 373

TRIALS FOR POISONING BY ANTIMONY 397

Dr. Pritchard , July, 1865. Dr. Smethurst , August, 1859. Thos. Winslow , August, 1860.

ANTIMONY.

Properties of the metal--Alloys--Compounds--Chlorides, sulphides, oxides, hydride. Tartar emetic--solubility, composition, uses and occurrence--commercial, veterinary, medicinal. Doses and preparations--fatal dose, fatal period. Physiological effects--Antidotes--Separations and tests-- Reinsch's--Presence of antimony; purity of the copper employed, how to be secured; different stains resulting from presence of arsenic, antimony, mercury, bismuth, tin, silver, gold, platinum, palladium, sulphur compounds-- Dr. Maclagan's test in Pritchard's trial-- Marsh's test--Remarks on Pritchard's trial--On Smethurst's trial--Dr. Taylor and Mr. Herapath--Arsenic in bismuth--Antimony in grey powder 490

TRIALS FOR POISONING BY ACONITIA OR ACONITINE 514

McConkey--Dublin. G. H. Lamson , December, 1881.

ACONITE, AND ACONITIA, OR ACONITINE.

Plants: Aconitum napellus--A. ferox. Alkaloids: aconitia--Pseudaconitia--other bases--Decompositions--Proportions in the plants. Commercial aconitia--German aconitia--English aconitia. Separation--Tests, chemical and physiological. History--Preparations, official and non-official. Physiological effects--Causes of death--Post-mortem appearances--Treatment and antidotes--Remarks 568

INDEX 583

ADDENDA.

THE following is my own experience of the differences between strychnia and morphia.--C. G. S.

ERRATUM.

TRIALS FOR POISONING.

CHEMICAL INTRODUCTION.

Summary of symptoms exhibited by various poisons: Sudden death-- Insensibility-- Vomiting-- Action on the eye-- Convulsions-- Chronic poisoning. Alkaloids, chemically and physiologically--Processes for their detection--Necessity for keeping the extracts separate--Dragendorff's process--Dr. Guy's sublimation process--Effects on animals--Doubtful value of this test--Preparation and effects of reagents: Mayer's-- Potassium tri-iodide-- Sonnenschein's test-- Bismuth-- Phosphotungstic acid-- Picric acid-- Animal charcoal-- Platinic chloride-- Tannin or tannic acid-- Phospho-antimonic acid-- Silico-tungstic acid-- Auric, palladium and mercuric chlorides--Ptomaines or cadaveric alkaloids; difficulties raised by their discovery--Principles to be observed in analysing.

BEFORE proceeding to a separate examination of the poisons used in the following trials, it will be advisable to take a general view of poisons, specially noticing those that we have selected as the most important legally. They do not admit, perhaps, of accurate classification, but inasmuch as the manner of death and symptoms are usually the most available indication as to the nature of the poison that has acted, the following arrangement will be serviceable. The heads indicate the most prominent symptom:

The above summary is by no means perfect, since there are minor differences in each class, which may sometimes rise into such prominence as to confuse the classification. But in medical evidence on the individual poisons of which we treat, those physiologically resembling them in action are always most heard of at the trial, and questions are asked whether this or that may not produce the same symptoms; and hence it is well to direct attention to the analogues of our types.

Chemically, the alkaloids are derived from ammonia by substituting various organic groups or "compound radicles" , for the hydrogen of the ammonia. They are therefore "compound ammonias," or "amines." Nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen, are always present in natural alkaloids, the non-volatile ones, including the greater number, also contain oxygen.

Physiologically, alkaloids as a class have a powerful action on the human and animal frame. The medicinal properties of plants are generally due to these substances, though many are still undiscovered or imperfectly known. They exist in the plant combined with vegetal acids, some of which are characteristic, as aconitic acid in aconite, meconic in opium, igasuric in nux vomica, &c. The very small quantity which may sometimes be fatal , the indefiniteness of many of their chemical reactions, and the facility with which they decompose if too high a heat, or too strong reagents, be employed in their extraction, render the detection often a difficult, and sometimes an impossible matter. Fortunately, however, fresh tests and better processes develop from every case, and other indications, from symptoms and collateral circumstances, rarely fail to bring home the guilt even to the most ingenious and scientific of poisoners.

If sufficient material be at hand, of course both processes may be used.

Selmi has given a process for alkaloidal extraction of which I have no experience.

When the alkaloid is obtained in a sufficiently pure form and in sufficient quantity, the sublimation process of Dr. Guy, as improved by Blyth, may be used. For the entire original method, see Blyth's Practical Chemistry, page 285.

Dr. Guy's "subliming cell" is a ring of glass tubing about 1/8 -inch long and 1/3 to 1/2 -inch diameter, ground true and smooth at top and bottom, resting on a circle of thin microscope glass, and covered with another similar circle. The alkaloid, thoroughly dry, is placed on the lower disc , the whole fitted together, and floated on mercury, or better, fusible metal, contained in a small glass beaker nearly full, supported on wire gauze over a small flame. A thermometer held by a clamp dips in the liquid metal. With a hand lens of as high power as possible, the melting point, and also the point when the first sublimate occurs on the upper glass, may be observed. As soon as the sublimate has become sufficiently distinct, the upper disc is removed, replaced by another, and examined under 1/4 -inch power of the microscope. The heat is slowly raised till charring occurs, and anything characteristic noted.

The reactions of the other alkaloids will be found in Blyth's Practical Chemistry.

In order to avoid repetition, the mode of preparing the general reagents for alkaloids will be given here.

PTOMAINES OR CADAVERIC ALKALOIDS.--Much attention has been attracted lately by the possible interference to toxicological detections owing to the undoubted existence of natural alkaloids in the dead body unpoisoned. Some of these, called by Selmi "Ptomaines" , somewhat simulate strychnia, &c., in their chemical and physiological characters. The observation is not new, as years ago, in the Privy Council's reports, Thudichum called attention to alkaloids separated by Sonnenschein's process from the brain, urine, and from decomposed bodies. Various substances of the kind have also been found by other investigators. To these "cadaveric alkaloids" have been attributed the "sausage poisoning," so frequent in Germany , poisoning by various foods, such as tinned meats, cheese, &c. Some are irritants, others narcotics: different periods and circumstances of putrefaction producing different compounds.

In an Italian criminal prosecution, F. Ciotto, who made the investigation of the corpse, gave it as his opinion that strychnia was probably present. Selmi, for the defence, pointed out differences from strychnia, and considered the compound to be a ptomaine. This will show the importance of the subject.

Brouardel and Bouting propose the reducing action of ptomaines as a distinction between them and vegetal alkaloids. The solution in weak acid is added to a dilute mixture of ferric chloride and potassium ferricyanide: the latter, if a ptomaine be present, is reduced to ferrocyanide, and Prussian blue is thereby precipitated. But Spica has shown that strychnia, brucia, morphia, and some others produce this reaction readily, and Beckurts adds aconitine and others as producing it slowly. Hence the distinction is delusive. See also Husemann , Tauret .

In conclusion, the following principles should be noted:--

TRIALS FOR POISONING BY HYDROCYANIC OR PRUSSIC ACID.

Two cases are reported under this head. The first that of John Tawell, for the murder of his mistress, Sarah Hart, at Salthill, near Windsor, tried at the Spring Assizes at Aylesbury, 1845, before the late Baron Parke . The second--a case of misadventure--the trial of George Ball, a surgeon, at Lewes, for the murder of his mother by the negligent administration of an overdose of this poison, medicinally, before the Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas Summer Assizes, Lewes, 1860.

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