Part 16 (1/2)
”Not that precisely. But he has made a special study of the disease, and I knew that he could give us valuable advice.”
”After Dr. Meredith came into the case the patient began to improve, did she not?”
”Yes, sir.”
”On the last day of her life, you met Dr. Meredith at the house, and you decided that it would be safe to leave the patient until the following day, I believe. You found her much improved?”
”Yes, sir.”
”The membrane had all disappeared, had it not?”
”Very nearly.”
”So much so that she could swallow without difficulty?”
”She swallowed very well.”
”In fact you concluded that she would recover?”
”I thought that she had pa.s.sed the crisis, but I did not deem her to be entirely out of danger.”
”Did you, at any time during this illness, prescribe or administer opium in any form?”
”No, sir.”
”Did you see any evidence of that drug exhibited by her condition, lethargic sleep, contracted pupils, or any other diagnostic symptom?”
”No, sir.”
”Now, then, you left this girl in the afternoon, recovering from her attack of diphtheria and able to swallow, and you were hurriedly called back in the evening, and found her dying. Did not that surprise you?”
”Yes. I had not expected the disease to take a fatal turn, at least not so rapidly.”
”Yet she was in such a condition that she could not even swallow coffee?”
”No, but that----”
”Never mind the reasons, Doctor. The fact is all that we want. Shortly after your entrance into her room she died, did she not?”
”Yes, sir, at eleven thirty. About five minutes after.”
”Now, Doctor, notwithstanding the fact that in the afternoon you thought this girl practically out of danger, and notwithstanding the sudden and alarming change which you saw in her that night, and in spite of the fact that the specialist whom you yourself had called into the case, reported to you that he suspected morphine poisoning, you signed a death certificate a.s.signing diphtheria as the cause of death. Now why did you do that?”
”Because it was my opinion!”
”Oh, I see. It was your opinion. Then you did not actually know it.”
”Not actually of course. We never----”
”That is all!” exclaimed Mr. Munson, cutting off the witness at the point in his reply most advantageous to his side, and the Doctor remained silent, but appeared much annoyed.