DOCTORS' DOUBT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 103, 24 January 1908, Page 9

DOCTORS' DOUBT.

EPILEPSY AND STRYCHNINE. NOT SUICIDE ', (DY IKL-ECKAI'H—SI'ECIAr. COItIIESrONDENI.) . • ~- . Auckland, January. 23.. Tlio evidence at . tlio adjourned inquest-on tlio' body 'of Tlionifis H. L; Gnffen,, formerly, a Duncdin pressman, exploded the theory of- smcido . that had been hinted: at., ; The keeper of tho'boarding-house.where deceased : •took suddenly llli deposed.that ho found hun. . 'in a fit and had medical 'assistance called. Deceased was removed to the hospital* where [lie.;died.r^ t William Lvsaght said ho had known doj I ceased for some timo.. Deceased had told ' him recently 111 Auckland that he. was about i-.ljo bo Qiigagcjd in ft law suit in connection i with .his paper at Whangarei. j Witness : know,'that deceased was; ah epileptic: subject, , and. had had- a ".succession of • fits _at m--.tervt\ls.Ho bad-, conic ?froni Duriedin, and • •,vaS" married.. - Deceasedtold him . iiidigesition'ha'd,bccomo.,chronic, with him.. : .. .Dr.. Sharman, who; conducted the .postmortem! exauuuatio'n, deposed . that ho had handed certain sealed exhibits to Dr. Bertram, if the hospital staff., The attention Of .-the,; police was ''.called-.-.to two exhibits. Wit'iiess- said. to Detectiyo M'Malion at the ,boarding-house where deceased took ill, in, ■reply'"to i a question, tliat deceased apparently,, had. had. a doso of strychnine. The; indications at that time, pointed to it. appearance of tljo brain indicated- that ha had been subject to epilepsy. After deceased: arrived .at the .hospital ho. jjrew woakcr, and witness believed he died from syncope. There was riot eviclonco of, suicide. Dr., Goldstein deposed, that, when';witness was- called to' seci the, deceased ho was told he liafl had, a fit. Witness saw him in a fit, but- it- was' not an -epileptic fit,: but rather resembled the, 'symptoms of strychnine poisoning.".; A : bottle of niedicino iound on deceased's .tablo had a bitter taste. . . - ■ Dr. H. Noill was also called. He had come to the saino opinion, viz.,, that; deceased was suffering frova strychnine poisoning. In his opinion, death, resulted from hciirt failure following upon convulsions.' To Mr. .Sharpies:.- Witness knew that Strychnine--poisoning symptoms had been caufoimdcd with epileptic symptoms. Dr. Bertram, of the Auckland Hospital •staff, said lie believed deceased was suffcrm" from strychnine''poisoning when ho wns admitted to the hospital: : Death was duetto heart' failure caused by the convulsions. The seizure witness saw did not resemble epilepsy. ' . The evidence of tlio Government Analyst .(Mr. J. A. : Pond I was to the effect that 110 trace had been found of strychnine-or other. alkaloids or mineral poisons. The phials ~of medicine' found in tlio "deceasod's bedroom, and handed to liinr for examination, showed no trace of strychnine either. He had mado n special test for strychnine. . ; - Tlio jury returned n vcrdict that dccensed died from heart failure, following couvulsions. ___ ' ' ■