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It was concluded that death had been occasioned by poison. The autopsy on the exhumed body of Perrotte Mace was inconclusive, owing to the condition of adipocere. Dr Guyot spoke of the case of Francoise Huriaux, and was now sure she had been given poison in small doses. Dr Boudin described the progress of Rosalie's illness. He was in no doubt, like his colleagues, that she had been poisoned.
And all these bones were almost entirely free from marks or scratches such as would naturally occur in an ordinary dismemberment and all were quite free from adipocere. And now as to the conclusions which I drew from these facts. First, there was the peculiar grouping of the bones. What was the meaning of that? Well, the idea of a punctilious anatomist was obviously absurd, and I put it aside.
He did so, and this is what he found: "Both arms had been detached in the same peculiar manner; both were complete, and all the bones were from the same body. The bones were quite clean of soft structures, I mean. There were no cuts, scratches or marks on them. There was not a trace of adipocere the peculiar waxy soap that forms in bodies that decay in water or in a damp situation.
The peculiar grouping therefore suggested that the body had been partly reduced to a skeleton before it was dismembered; that it had then been merely pulled apart and not divided with a knife. "This suggestion was remarkably confirmed by the total absence of knife-cuts or scratches. "Then there was the fact that all the bones were quite free from adipocere.
He is the first to observe and describe that curious product of the decomposition of flesh known to modern chemists as adipocere. He is full of eager anticipation of the future.
Now, if an arm or a thigh should be deposited in water and left undisturbed to decay, it is certain that large masses of adipocere would be formed. Probably more than half of the flesh would be converted into this substance. The absence of adipocere therefore proved that the bulk of the flesh had disappeared or been removed from the bones before they were deposited in the pond.
The peculiar grouping therefore suggested that the body had been partly reduced to a skeleton before it was dismembered; that it had then been merely pulled apart and not divided with a knife. "This suggestion was remarkably confirmed by the total absence of knife-cuts or scratches. "Then there was the fact that all the bones were quite free from adipocere.
Now, if an arm or a thigh should be deposited in water and left undisturbed to decay, it is certain that large masses of adipocere would be formed. Probably more than half of the flesh would be converted into this substance. The absence of adipocere therefore proved that the bulk of the flesh had disappeared or been removed from the bones before they were deposited in the pond.
In one of the old churchyards of Norwich he makes the first discovery of adipocere, of which grim substance "a portion still remains with him." For his multifarious experiments he must have had his laboratory. The old window-stanchions had become magnetic, proving, as he thinks, that iron "acquires verticity" from long lying in one position. Once we find him re-tiling the place.
Ascertain if all the bones belonging to each region are present, and if not, which are missing. Measure the extreme length of the principal bones and compare those of opposite sides. Examine the bones with reference to the age, sex, and muscular development of the deceased. Observe the presence or absence of adipocere and its position, if present.
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