The child was born by the Cæsarian operation in August, 1934, and died after about 11 days.
"Miss Ruddle was terribly distressed at the death of the child, and she was awfully difficult to deal with for some time afterwards" said Dr. Gordon. "The morphia addict is never a very easy patient, but during these few months after the death of her child it was all one could do to exercise any sort of control over her at all Mr. Thesiger: May I take it that she was obliged to continue to have morphia thereafter?—Yes, Dr. Gerald Roche Lynch, Senior Official Analyst for the Home Office. said that he had made a full chemical examination of fluids taken from various parts of Miss Ruddle's body He had found definite traces of morphine in them all, The traces of morphia he had found, while they would have been fatal to a person unaccustomed to the drug, were in the changed form which suggested that they had been taken by an addict and in that case there was nothing to suggest that they would be primarily fatal.
"This finding only goes to confirm that she was a morphine addict and has no connection with the death," he aid. "A very thorough search for other poisons was made but nothing was deducted. Therefore I am of the opinion that she did not die directly from the effects of any poison or an: other noxious substance.
The Coroner: Does your examina-lion show that chronic morphine poisoning may have been a secondary cause?—It may have been.
Sir Bernard Spilsbury then gave evidence of the post mortem examination he conducted on Oct. 26 after Miss Ruddle's body had been exhumed.
No injury or serious disease was present in the body, he said, and there was nothing which threw any light on the cause of death. It was clear also that Miss Ruddle had not been pregnant shortly before death and had had no miscarriage recently.
Asked by Mr. Ruston what he con-lered now to be the cause of death Sir Bernard said:
"Since I have seen Dr. Lynch's report given to-day, I am able to exclude conditions brought about by poisoning as the cause of death, and the other evidence I have heard today, together with previous evidence: clearly establishes that the deceased as a morphia addict. I am of the opinion that her death was due to exhaustion following upon mental deterioration which itself was due, in my opinion, to morphia addiction, Mr, Maloney: The cause of death was exhaustion caused by chronic morphine poisoning? Sir Bernard Yes, arising out of it.
Mr. Maloney: If a person could properly be described as a morphine addict, could they do without it for seven months without dying or losing their sanity?—My own knowledge is rather limited, but I think ill-effects would manifest themselves shortly after the morphine had been stopped. They would require them to be treated again with morphia or they would be recovered.
Sir Bernard added: "In my view deprivation of morphine for seven months would result in a cure."
Mr. Maloney said that he did not propose to call any further evidence unless the coroner wished it. The jury intimated that they had heard sufficient, They returned their verdict after a retirement of three minutes.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.