57^ POISONS I THEIR EFFECTS AND DETECTION. [§ 757 . 
two years before his death in May 1889 they had occupied separate rooms. 
Seven weeks before the husband’s death, Mrs Maybrick went to London on a false 
pretext, and lived for some days at an hotel, ostensibly the wife of another man. 
Two days after her return, Mr and Mrs Maybrick attended the Grand National race 
meeting, and there a serious quarrel arose between them respecting the man with 
whom she had cohabited in London ; they returned from the races, each separately, 
and she slept apart. Next day an apparent reconciliation took place through the 
intervention of Dr Fuller, the family medical attendant. 
On or about April 12-19, 1889, Mrs Maybrick purchased arsenical fly-papers. 
On April 13-20 Mr Maybrick visited London, and consulted Dr Fuller for dyspepsia, 
who prescribed nux vomica, acids, and mild remedies (but no arsenic) ; in one bottle 
of medicine, ostensibly made according to Dr Fuller’s prescription, arsenic was sub¬ 
sequently found. 
Up to Saturday, April 27, Mr Maybrick was in his usual health ; he was then 
sick, numbed, and in pain, and had cramps ; he told his clerk he had been an hour 
in the water-closet, but whether for diarrhoea or constipation does not appear ; he 
ascribed the symptoms to an overdose of Fuller’s medicine. About this date fly¬ 
papers were found by the servants soaking in Mrs Maybrick’s bedroom in a sponge- 
basin, carefully covered up. On the 29th she again purchased two dozen fly-papers 
from another chemist. On April 28 Mr Maybrick was sick and ill; at 11 a.m. 
Dr R. Humphreys was called in. Mr Maybrick complained of a peculiar sensation 
about his heart, and said he was in dread of paralysis. He attributed his illness to 
a strong cup of tea taken before breakfast. On the following day he was better, and 
on the 30th still improving. On May 1 and 2 Mr Maybrick went to his office, 
and lunched, both days, off revalenta food, prepared at home and warmed at his office 
in a new saucepan purchased for the occasion ; on one of these days the lunch was 
forgotten, and was sent to Mr Maybrick by his wife ; and on one of the two days, 
it is not clear which, Mr Maybrick complained that his lunch did not agree with him, 
and he attributed it to inferior sherry put into his food. 
In a jug found at the office, and in which food had been taken there, a trace of 
the food still remained after Mr Maybrick’s death, and arsenic was found therein. 
On May 3 the last, fatal illness set in. It is uncertain what food he had after 
breakfast; he went to the office, and returned home between 5 and 6 p.m. He had 
been seen by Dr Humphreys in the morning, and appeared then not quite so well; 
he found him at midnight suffering from what he thought was severe sciatica ; the 
patient said he had been sick from revalenta. On May 4 he was continually sick, 
nothing could be retained on the stomach, but* the sciatica pain was gone ; on May 5 
the vomiting continued, the patient complained of the sensation of a hair sticking in 
the throat, and of a filthy taste in the mouth. The throat and fauces were only 
slightly reddened, the tongue was furred. 
On May 6 there was less vomiting, but otherwise the condition was the same, 
and Fowler’s solution ordered, but only a quantity equal to grain was actually 
taken. 
May 7 the condition was improved, but there was no increase of power. Dr 
W. Carter was called in consultation. The vomiting was passing away, and diarrhoea 
commencing. The throat was red, dry, and glazed ; there were incessant attempts 
to cough up an imaginary hair. No cramps, no pain in the stomach or intestines, 
nor conjunctivitis. On this day the first direct evidence of diarrhoea is recorded, the 
medical men actually seeing a loose motion. The opinion of the consultants was that 
Mr Maybrick must have taken some irritant in his food or drink. 
On the 8th a professional nurse took charge. During the 8th and 9th severe 
tenesmus set in, with diarrhoea, and blood was observed in the faeces. Now arsenic 
was suspected, the urine was examined by Dr Humphreys, and a rough analysis was 
made of some Neaves’ food which the patient had been taking. 
The patient died on the 10th, at 8.30 p.m. 
The post-mortem appearances were as follows :— 
The tongue was dark, the top of the gullet slightly red; at the lower end the 
mucous membrane was gelatinous, and was dotted over with black dots, like frogs* 
spawn. 
