CASE FOR DEFENCE CLOSED

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 980, 24 May 1930, Page 1

CASE FOR DEFENCE CLOSED

Munn Trial Nearing The End doctor who took strychnine Demonstration Of Convulsions HIS feet rattling a tattoo on the floor, arms and body jerking' spasmodically and his head thrown back over the back of the chair, Dr. William Henry Parkes gave a dramatic - demonstration, in the Supreme Court this morning, of a strychnine convulsion he once underwent himself. The doctor, who was called by the defence, at the trial of Arthur Thomas Munn on a charge of wife-murder, took a patient’s medicine, into which strychnine had been mixed by mistake. The evidence for the defence was concluded this morning and counsel’s addresses to the jury will commence on Monday. Arrangements were made today for the jury to inspect the Munn home at the conclusion of the sitting this - morning. The trial may end on Tuesday.

Mr. Justice Herdman was on the Bench. The Crown Prosecutor, Mr. V. R. Meredith, and Mr. McCarthy conducted the case for the Crown, and Mr. E. H. Northcroft, with him Mr. Munro, represented the accused. The Crown Prosecutor continued his cross-examination of Mr. Kenneth Mackenzie this morning. Mr. Meredith: Have you read any more authorities on the subject?—Only Taylor. Do you say that on that morning Mrs. Munn did not have strychnine?— I have not said that at any time. You would not say Mrs. Munn had not had strychnine on February 4?— No. There can be doubt she did have strychnine the morning she died?— None whatever. So there could be no suggestion of blood-pressure that day?—No. Do you remember witnesses saying Mrs. Munn complained of cramp and loss of power in her legs?—Yes. Do you suggest that It could not be consistent with pains from violent tetanic convulsions?—Any undue exertion of the muscles Is liable to cause cramp. And a strychnine convulsion causes violent muscular movement? —Yes. KNOTTING OF MUSCLES The general definition of cramp was knotting of the muscles, causing temporary rigidity, witness said. Mr. Meredith: I glanced at an authority and could not find reference to cramps.—lt is a painful uneasiness. The Crown Prosecutor pointed out that the doctor gave evidence yesterday that cramp had nothing to do with strychnine poisoning and had said it was the result of a condition of change of life. Mr. Meredith: Not one of the six cases quoted in the authority conform to your definition of cramp?—No. The doctor agreed that taste was not infallible in detecting the bitterness of strychnine. Mr. Meredith: You have read the history of many poison cases? —Yes. And as a result you will know that strychnine has been administered m various things?—Yes. In beer and coffee? —I have not read of things in which strychnine has been given. You are uot in a position to discuss the means In which It could be administered?—l am wWUig to believe it can he mixed in D»»y things. The doctor was questioned concerning an abortion case he had mentioned. He agreed that an instrument skilfully used would cause no pain. The woman, however, told him she had undergone much pain. Mr. Meredith: You were surprised that Mrs. Munn did not give a further manifestation of convulsion when Dr. Dudding bled her? —There was no response to what I considered a large stimulus. You don't suggest that Mrs. Munn had no strychnine then? —No. You draw the inference that she had reached a stage of exhaustion? —Yes. “EFFECT HAD PASSED”

of the discussion of the symptoms, ho had offered to detail his experience. The dose he swallowed, he said, arose from a chemist’s mistake in a medicine he had prescribed. The patient remarked on the effect of the medicie upon her, which witness doubted. Mr. Northcroft: What Quantity of strychnine was in the dose you took? —One grain. That is often fatal?—Yes; I took twice the quantity the patient did. Dr. Parkes said he soon realised he was in danger of strychnine poisoning. His groom, noticing witness’s distress, came to his assistance. Witness told the groom to drive him home and to call the first doctor. “I was assisted with difficulty into the trap,” the doctor said, ‘‘and almost immediately I had a convulsion which went to extreme rigidity. I had many of these spasms, which lasted about three minutes. At the end I passed into a state of relaxation.” Mr. Northcroft: It is important to know if the conditions of rigidity and relaxation can be mistaken.—They can’t be mistaken. “During the periods of rigidity I could not draw my legs violently, but I could do so during periods of relaxation.” DEMONSTRATION IN COURT A demonstration of his attitude during a paroxysm was given by Dr. Parkes, sitting on a chair on the floor of the Court. “The first indication,” he said, “was that my toes were numbed, and the stiffness of the limbs followed and increased.” Mr. Northcroft: What was the period of relaxation between the seiz ures?—From half a minute to two minutes. Fortunately he met a doctor on the way, and was taken to his home, where chloroform was administered. “During the whole time,” said the doctor, “my mind was extraordinarily alert, so much so, that I gave instructions what should be done at the house of the patient to prevent her taking the medicine. “I was carried into my house in an arched condition,” he said. After my last attack all my muscles were sore. His Honour: How long was it from 'the first to the last convulsion?—Two hours. “1 was sore all over and strangely emotional after it was over,” the. doctor said.. "This was a common condition -verging on collapse.” Mr. Northcroft: How long were you affected by soreness ?—For 34- hours. TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE Mr. Meredith: It was a terrifying experience ?—Yes. It was a case of a doctor taking his own medicine? —Yes. f Laughter.) To show the patient it was quite all right?—Yes. You do not suggest that the duration of the paroxysms and the interval between them is the same in every case? —I regard mine as a typical case.

"There is a terrible cramping of the chest, which feels as though you can’t expand it.” said the witness. He agreed that the administration of chloroform would ease the attacks and would allay the nervousness. Mr. Meredith: Could you persuade yourself it was fancy?—Once you’ve taken strychnine you don’t fancy it. Alter the attack you cried very easily?—Y’es; the slightest provocation caused tears. When did that condition disappear? —ln 24 hours. The spasms threw the head back each time, the doctor stated. TASTE UNMISTAKABLE The bitterness of strychnine was unmistakable and once taken it could always be recognised, he said, under re-examination. It could not be confused with the taste of epsom salts. . . If a spasm lasted lo minutes, would you expect a patient to be suffocated? —lt depends on the severity of the spasm. . _ - . If you had experienced a spasm lasting 15 minutes* would have expected to be suffocated?—Y’es. Y'ou feel your chest is screwed up in a large vice and you can t breathe. Mr Meredith: How long after }ou took the strychnine did the attack occur? —Five minutes later I started to feel the numbness Ynd how long after did the com ulsion start?—ln another six minutes. SURVEYOR’S EVIDENCE Charles K. Griersou. surveyor, said that the models of furniture were made to scale and the pieces of furniture-re-,.resented by the defence were m the correct positions. It could be seen front the marks of a broken easier that the bed was in its normal posiliou, and there were also imprints from the buttons on the toot of the wardrobe. which marked its usual position. He had tested the practicability of a person iu bed opening top drawer of the chest of-draw-ers and found it required 101 b. presss* «; aS’SSStfStf'SS’SS {SffiI’SSSOT. ,id. .« ... hand.

His Honour: Y’ou do uot infer that because Mrs. Munn did not have a convulsion when Dr. Dudding was handling her she did not have strychnine’—No; the effect had passed. Mr. Meredith: Would you not expect to find, after death, a considerable quantity of strychnine still uuabsorbed in the stomach? —Y'es. Do you think it likely that Mrs. Munn could have been in a state of rigidity for half an hour on February 11?—It is extremely unlikely in view of the fact that the dose -was smaller. The doctor said that the nervous twitchings experienced by Mrs. Munn were not a characteristic of bloodpressure. His Honour: Are twitchings characteristic of strychnine?- —Y’es: immediately after. Mr. Northcroft: Are twitchings characteristic of any other condition? Yes, extreme nervousness. Cramps occurred in cases of bloodPressure, the doctor said, and at the change of life blood-pressure was marked by general symptoms. Mr. Northcroft: Is It common or abnormal to find a person who could n °t distinguish the bitterness of strychnipe?— Not common: 1 have haver encountered it. Can you conceive a person to whom strychnine had been given taking another?—No normal person. H a person was given a glass of ale with poison in it and gulped it °tf, the bitterness might not be noticed?— -That is so. la case of murder, if a person had °°c dose do you think the person could be persuaded to take another’ —No. Mis Honour: Is Mrs. Gill’s stateme nt of Mrs. M uim’s condition conpatent only with blood-pressure?— i think it strongiv suggests a dose of ftrychnine. But there are complicates features. DOCTOR WHO TOOK STRYCHNINE . William Henry Parkes said that e had the misfortune at one time take a substantial quantity of •trychnine by accident. On reading