But for legal purposes you must entertain both possibilities; for the hypothesis of poisoning involves serious legal issues, whereas the hypothesis of disease involves no legal issues at all." "That doesn't sound very helpful," I remarked.
"It indicates the necessity for caution," he retorted.
"Yes, I see that.

But what is your own opinion of the case ?" "Well," he said, "let us consider the facts in order.

Here is a man who, we assume, is under the influence of a poisonous dose of morphine.

The question is, did he take that dose himself or was it administered to him by some other person?
If he took it himself, with what object did he take it?
The history that was given to you seems completely to exclude the idea of suicide.

But the patient's condition seems equally to exclude the idea of morphinomania.