Letters of Condolence on death of Jane Stanford, 1905

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instance, Paulsen found that a frog dipped into cocaine solution underwent no convulsion after injecting strychnine, the cocaine used being sufficient to paralize [sic] the sensory terminations but not to have any direct effect upon the cord. Claud Bernard showed this, even more conclusively, by dividing all the posterior (sensory) roots of the spinal nerves of the frog, and then injecting strychnine, when no convulsions occurred except when the proximal ends of the divided nerves were stimulated. Now in Mrs. Stanford's case external stimulation seemed to have just the opposite effect prior to the last, and probably only true spasm, and the whole picture in this spasm looks very much more as though it originated from something other than an external stimulation, as is the case in strychnine poisoning.

As to the Autopsy. Dr Wood remarks, in beginning his statement of the autopsy, "there was a most marked rigidity of the muscles such as accompanies strychnine poisoning." Now this autopsy was performed at the time when the rigor mortis was most apt to occur in any

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case. The characteristic points about the regidity [sic], following strychnine poisoning, are, first, that it often comes on very early; second, that it often persists for an unusual length of time, (cases have been reported where the regidity [sic] lasted two or three weeks or even two months.(Taylor on "poisons") For this reason this statement has very little weight when the body was examined at a time when rigidity is most common any-way.)

This very first statement shows what the doctors at the autopsy expected and were looking for stet;

2nd Question. Was there any possibility of the death of Mrs. Stanford being due to angina pectoris or anything other than strychnine poisoning?

Answer. Yes.

We have the case of a woman seventy six years of age. She has over-eaten the afternoon prior to her death and before and after this has taken a long ride which was undue exertion for her. That this gave rise to digestive disturbances is shown first by the fact that she ate no supper that night,

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and secondly from the very fact that she wished to take bicarbonate of soda. There was evidently considerable gas in the stomach pressing against the heart and interfering with its action and leading to considerable distress.

All the symptoms enumerated by those witnessing them, up to the spasm at the time of death, read from the evidence like those of hysteria.

We have the story from Miss Berner, before Dr. Humphries arrived, that Mrs. Stanford took a few steps into the hall, and said, "I am so sick" and again, "I have no control of my body" again thinking of her former experience in San Francisco, "I think I am poisoned again." She also said she had been thrown out of bed by a convulsion (spasm BB) which woke her up. If this had been a typical strychnine poisoning convulsion she would have known she was poisoned - nothing is more frightful. These are not the remarks one would expect from one who had had or was having typical convulsions from strychnine poisoning. Miss Berner takes the theory of poisoning from Mrs. Stanford and by so doing adds to the effect on Mrs.

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Stanford. She immediately gets water for Mrs. Stanford to drink to cause vomiting. The fact that Miss. Berner also believed she has been poisoned (though as a matter of fact it was Mrs. Stanford herself who had put the idea into Miss. Berner's head), might make Mrs. Stanford still more apprehensive and when Miss. Berner brings her the water Mrs. Stanford is hysterical, saying, "I can not drink it, my jaws are so set." Now, as already stated, this symptom comes on late for Mrs Stanford spoke of this as a real regidity [sic] of the muscles, though Miss. Berner states there was none in reality. The very fact that Mrs. Stanford draws attention to it suggests hysteria. Thereupon Miss Berner proceeds to rub her cheeks vigorously, the very thing which would have set Mrs. Stanford off into another convulsion, but, on the contrary, after this when Miss Berner says, "Try it now," Mrs. Stanford takes two glasses of warm water while Miss. Hunt, the maid, and Miss. Berner rub her limbs which would also be very likely to set her off into another convulsion much more than mere fanning or a bright light or a mere touch which usually

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does so. Then on Dr. Humphries arrival he is told the story of Mrs. Stanford's former experience and told that she thinks she has been poisoned and wishes a stomach-pump to wash out her stomach and he, naturally, until he should find out differently, goes on that supposition. Mrs. Stanford then becomes very apprehensive of death and the fear that she has been poisoned, and is about to die, together with the pressure of the gas in the stomach and possibly the large amount of water, (7 glasses), swallowed hastily and overloading the stomach, might readily cause a fatal result from fatty heart or myocarditis or angina pectoris (in the fatal cases there is sometimes no very marked pain).

As to finding no pathological lesion as stated in the autopsy report, Dr. Delafield, one of the leading pathologists of the United States, says, "While in some of the fatal cases of angina pectoris no lesion of the heart or arteries are found, yet in a still larger number such lesions exist." Thus we see that there are some fatal cases of angina pectoris where no pathological