Page:Treatise on poisons in relation to medical jurisprudence, physiology, and the practice of physic (IA treatiseonpoison00chriuoft).pdf/595

 section was next resorted to; after which the spasms were confined to the jaw and eyes. Delirium succeeded, but was removed by a repetition of the bloodletting. At four in the afternoon he was tolerably sensible; during the night delirium returned; at ten next morning he recovered his sight; and on the subsequent morning he had no complaint but headache and pain in the eyes. This case differs so much from every other in the collateral circumstances, as well as in duration, that, although the symptoms themselves correspond with those of poisoning with hydrocyanic acid, we may justly suspect either some other cause, or the accidental administration of too large a dose. It ought, however, to turn the attention of practitioners to the possibility of this poison acting by the accumulation of the effects of small doses frequently repeated for a great length of time.

The period within which hydrocyanic acid usually proves fatal is fixed with considerable accuracy, not only by the cases observed in the human subject, but likewise by the experiments of many physiologists, and more especially those of Schubarth (p. 583). It is probable that very large doses occasion death in a few seconds; and at all events a few minutes will suffice to extinguish life when the dose is considerable; but if the individual survive forty minutes, he will generally recover. In the course of a dreadful accident which happened a few years ago in one of the Parisian hospitals, when seven epileptic patients were killed at one time by too large doses of the medicinal acid, it was found that several did not die for forty-five minutes. But the researches of Schubarth would certainly justify the expectation that recovery will take place under active treatment when the patient survives so long.—These facts may be highly important in the practice of medical jurisprudence.

The period within which it begins to operate ought also to be accurately ascertained for the same reason. Indeed in a very interesting trial, which took place a few years ago in this country, the fate of the prisoner depended in a great measure on the question, within how short a time the effects of this poison must show themselves? The nature of the case was as follows: An apothecary's maid-servant at Leicester who was pregnant by her master's apprentice, was found one morning dead in bed; and she had obviously been poisoned with hydrocyanic acid. Circumstances led to the suspicion that the apprentice was accessary to the administration of the poison. On the other hand, it was distinctly proved that the deceased had made arrangements for a miscarriage by artificial means on the night of her death; and it was therefore represented, on the part of the prisoner, that she had taken the poison of her own accord. But the body was found stretched out in bed in a composed posture, with the arms crossed over the trunk, and the bed-clothes pulled smoothly up to the chin; and at her right side lay a small narrow-necked phial,