Report of the jury trial, the North British Insurance Company against the executors of the late Mrs Ralston of Warwickhill, in Ayrshire. Tried at Edinburgh, on Friday, 21st July 1837.

Date:
1837
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the jury trial, the North British Insurance Company against the executors of the late Mrs Ralston of Warwickhill, in Ayrshire. Tried at Edinburgh, on Friday, 21st July 1837. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    10 a-day ; and on that day, Gth February, he appears to have made out a draft of her will, the entry being, “ Made a draft of a will for Mrs Ralston of Warwickhill.” On the 7th he paid her a visit, and on the 8th there is the following entry : “ Saw Mrs Ralston, Warwickhill, in the Fleshmarket, purchasing a leg of mutton and some bee/. Paid twentypence for the mutton, but do not know how much for the beef. Signed her will this forenoon, as I was informed by her man of business.” There are regular visits, almost daily, down to the 21st of January; and on that day she “ had a fit of falling sic/mess.” On the 22d he paid her two visits, when there is this entry, “ Talks incoherently.” On the 23d, he again visits her twice ; and the entry is, “ incoherent.” On the 24th he also pays her two vi- sits, when she is in much the same state, “ still incoherent.” He continues to visit her daily, down to the 17th of March, when there is a visit at “ midnight;” and so on it goes, down to the month of September, when this lady was carried off by death. On the 3d of September 1834, Dr Hood made a post mortem examination of her body, on which occasion he certifies the fact on soul and conscience, by a formal certificate, dated the 4th of September, as follows: “ 1 hereby certify, on soul and conscience, That on the 3d instant I went to Troon, where Mrs Agnes Ralston of Warwickhill had been residing for a few weeks with a friend; and on inspecting her body about thirty hours after death, two or three ounces of effused, coagulated blood was dis- covered in the lower and posterior parts of the right hemisphere of the brain, extending even to the centre of the right lobe of the cerebellum. I can therefore have no hesitation in stating, that her death was occasioned by the rupture of a blood-vessel in the head. Alex* Hood, Surgeon.” Gentlemen, this is the general statement of the medical evi- dence, and you shall have the medical gentlemen themselves examined; and I believe his Lordship will bear me out in the remark, that this case will very much depend on the statement of the medical gentlemen. Now, without going back on the questions and answers prior to the policy being completed, if the case I have thus stated to you be made out in evidence, can you believe, gentlemen, that Mrs Ralston was in perfect health on the 15th of September 1833 ? when she was blooded, had sinapism applied to her breast, nine leeches applied to her temples, and when Dr Sloan was detained in attendance upon her for no less a period than seven hours 9 when, in a few days afterwards, she had her head shaved and blistered, was frequently blooded, and had strong doses
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