the  administratioD  of  strychnine  when  given  in  solution — and  I  be-
lieve that  poisons  of  that  nature  act  more  rapidly  in  a  state  of  solution
than  in  any  other  form — ^would  develope  themselves  in  ten  minutes
i^r  it  was  taken,  if  the  dose  were  a  large  one ;  if  not  so  large,  they
might  be  half  an  hour  or  an  hour  before  they  appeared. Those  symp-
toms would  be  tetanic  convulsions  of  the  muscles,  more  especially
those  of  the  spine  and  neck  ;  the  head  and  back  would  be  bent  back,
and  the  trunk  would  be  bowed  in  a  marked  manner ;  the  extremities
also  would  be  stiffened  and  jerked  out. The  stiffness,  once  set  in,
would  never  entirely  disappear ;  but  fresh  paroxysms  would  set  in,  and
the  jerking  rigidity  would  reappear ;  and  death  would  probably  ensue
in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  or  so. The  difference  between  tetanus  pro-
duced by  strychnine  and  other  tetanus  is  very  marked. In  the  former
case,  the  duration  of  the  symptoms  is  very  short,  and  instead  of  being
continuous  in  their  development,  they  will  subside  if  the  dose  has  not
been  strong  enough  to  produce  death,  and  will  be  renewed  in  fresh
paroxysms  ;  whereas  in  other  descriptions  of  tetanus  the  symptoms
commence  in  a  mild  form,  and  become  stronger  and  more  violent  as
the  disease  progresses. The  difficulty  experienced  in  breathing  is
common  alike  to  tetanus,  properly  so  called,  and  to  tetanic  convul-
sions occasioned  by  strychnine,  arising  from  the  pressure  upon  the  res-
piratory muscles. I  think  it  is  remarkable  that  the  deceased  was  able  to
swallow,  and  that  there  was  no  fixing  of  the  jaw,  which  would  have  been
the  case  with  tetanus  proper,  resulting  either  from  a  wound  or  from
disease. From  all  the  evidence  I  have  heard,  I  think  that  the  symp-
toms which  presented  themselves  in  the  case  of  Mr. Cook  arose  from
tetanus  produced  by  strychnine."

Cross-examined  by  Mr,  Grove,  Q.C, — *'  There  are  cases  sloping  into
each  other,  as  it  were,  of  every  grade  and  degree,  from  mild  convul-
sions to  violent  tetanic  spasms. I  have  published  some  lectures  upon
diseases  of  the  brain,  and  I  adhere  to  the  opinion  there  expressed,
that  the  state  of  a  person  suffering  from  tetanus,  is  identical  with  that
which  strychnine  is  capable  of  producing. 