_Mr. Serjeant Shee_ read the letter written by Dr. Taylor to Mr. Gardner:
“CHEMICAL LABORATORY, GUY’S HOSPITAL, “_Dec. 4, 1855_.
“DEAR SIR,—Dr. Rees and I have completed the analysis to-day. We have sketched a report, which will be ready to-morrow or next day.
“As I am going to Durham Assizes on the part of the Crown, in the case of _Reg._ v. _Wooler_, the report will be in the hands of Dr. Rees, No. 26, Albemarle-street. It will be most desirable that Mr. Stevens should call on Dr. Rees, read the report with him, and put such questions as may occur.
“In reply to your letter received here this morning I beg to say that we wish a statement of all the medicines prescribed for deceased (until his death) to be drawn up and sent to Dr. Rees.
“We do not find strychnine, prussic acid, or any trace of opium. From the contents having been drained away it is now impossible to say whether any strychnine had or had not been given just before death, but it is quite possible for tartar emetic to destroy life if given in repeated doses; and, so far as we can at present form an opinion, in the absence of any natural cause of death, the deceased may have died from the effects of antimony in this or some other form.
_Question._—“Was that your opinion at the time?”
_Answer._—“It was. We could infer nothing else.”
_Question._—“Have you not said that the quantity of antimony you found was not sufficient to account for death?”
_Answer._—“Certainly. If a man takes antimony he first vomits, and then a part of the antimony goes out of the body; some may escape from the bowels. A great deal passes at once into the blood by absorption, and is carried out by the urine.”
_Question._—“Can you say upon your oath that from the traces in Cook’s body you were justified in stating your opinion that death was caused by antimony?”
_Answer._—“Yes; perfectly and distinctly. _That which is found in a dead body is not the slightest criterion as to what the man took when alive._”
_Question._—“When you gave your opinion that Cook died from the effects of antimony, had you any reason to think that an undue quantity had been administered?”
_Answer._—“I could not tell. People may die from large or small quantities; the quantity found in the body was no criterion as to how much he had taken.”