Lizzie Borden Society Forum

I found myself wondering why Dr. Bowen would prescribe morphine for Lizzie throughout the inquest and the trial. I don't remember reading anything about Lizzie being hysterical or even acting inappropriately nervous. She was able to answer questions coherently - although sometimes not convincingly - from the time of the murders onward.

What was the doctor's intent in prescribing morphine for Lizzie?

In an interview Lizzie gave to a reporter (can't remember which one; maybe Joe Howard?) during the time she was being held at the jail in Taunton, she spoke of suffering from insomnia: "The nights here are the worst; I can't sleep and nothing they give me can help." This seems to me the most likely reason for Bowen to prescribe a sedative for her. Today, of course, we understand what a powerful and dangerously addictive substance morphine is and it's only prescribed for patients in extreme pain, like terminal cancer patients. But in 1892, I think it was handed out by doctors much more freely and I doubt if anyone thought there was anything unusual about Bowen prescribing it for Lizzie.

I would, however, take Lizzie's insomnia claims with a grain of salt. She may have been exaggerating to the reporter in a bid for sympathy. In the same interview, she claimed that her jailers would not allow her to have a candle at night, forcing her to toss and turn in total darkness. This does not jive with all the other reports of Sheriff Wright and his wife treating her with great leniency and making her stay at Taunton as comfortable as possible.

You've provided a possible explanation for Lizzie wanting a narcotic, but a significant dosage of morphine was apparently prescribed on an around-the-clock basis. I have read Dr. Bowen's testimony, and the reason for the prescription is still not clear to me.

Lizzie seems to have been anything but overly emotional. Some reviewers of the case say Lizzie was described as being "too calm" after the murders. I don't believe this points to any psychopathy, as people behave unpredictably in response to grief and stress, but it certainly doesn't indicate any need to calm her down.

Yes, this is true.

We do not know the exact reason why Dr. Bowen was giving Lizzie Morphine. After all, patient and doctor privilege would be upheld by Bowen. So we may never know the real reason.

But, this being said— in Victorian times there was very little in the way of medically administered drugs to calm or impede anxiety. Morphine was the drug of necessity and since 1874 the opioid of choice by the medical field. Thus, severe apprehension and anxiety must have been expressed by Lizzie to her doctor. And this was the reason for the morphine, which was no big deal back then.

Today, Bowen would have prescribed Lizzie some Xanax or Valium.


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Up until recently, I was always under the impression that Lizzie was under the care of morphine for a long period of time. In this respect, I could not see how she did not become addicted. Addiction to morphine usually takes several months, but in some cases a couple of weeks.

So how did Lizzie escape this.

Probably because her doctor knew better and stopped administering it.

If we follow the testimony of Dr. Bowen, Lizzie was on morphine up until her stay at the station house.

After her arrest, Lizzie was transported from the station house, (presumably the fall river police station) to the Taunton prison on the 12th of August. Thus, according to Dr. Seabury Bowen, Lizzie was on morphine for just a little over a week.

But, this is not what 90%+ of the population which have read about the case, and familiar with the morphine episode, believe.

Think about all the people which watched the movie "THE LEGEND OF LIZZIE BORDEN." According to the testimony Bowen gave in that movie, Lizzie was on morphine for almost a year.

And that is what most people believe, or in the very least it caused confusion on the matter. After all, it was the dramatic court episode in the movie, with Seabury Bowen on the stand being drilled about the dress and evidence of blood he may have witnessed, which everyone remembers.

Below is a YOUTUBE version of the entire movie THE LEGEND OF LIZZIE BORDEN.

Once you click on it, scroll to 54 minutes; that is to the middle of the movie at 54 minutes. When you do so, you will come to Bowen's morphine testimony.

He is asked when he stopped giving Lizzie morphine. To that question, his response is that he has never stopped and that she was receiving it up to that moment.

MIS-INFORMATION AT ITS BEST.............

a movie.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLH6SAwXq10

mbhenty wrote:After her arrest, Lizzie was transported from the station house, (presumably the fall river police station) to the Taunton prison on the 12th of August. Thus, according to Dr. Seabury Bowen, Lizzie was on morphine for just a little over a week.

Oops, yes, I now see that I misundertood the doctor's testimony. Thanks for clearing that up.

Dr. Bowen prescribed bromo caffeine as a sedative originally, and subsequently switched to sulfate of morphine for the same purpose. Lizzie was prescribed 1/8 grain of morphine, which is the minimum dose for a 125 pound person. This was later increased to 1/4 grain, which is the maximum dose for a 125 pound person. There was some misleading testimony elicited by the defense while questioning Dr. Bowen which suggested that Lizzie was given enough morphine to cause irrational behavior. The maximum dose for sulfate of morphine is double the minimum dose for any given body mass, so to go from minimum to maximum one must double the minimum dose. The defense created the impression that Lizzie was prescribed a double dose of morphine which implies 1/2 grain, or double the maximum dose, which might result in hallucinations and erratic and uncontrolled behavior. The testimony must be read very carefully to see the legal slight-of-hand demonstrated, but at no time was Lizzie prescribed a double dose of morphine. Bowen was asked if he had subsequently doubled the original 1/8 grain prescribed, and he correctly answered "yes". He was then asked if double doses of morphine (meaning 1/2 grain) could cause hallucinations and uncontrolled behavior, to which he again correctly answered "yes". If Bowen had been a bit more diligent, he might have realized the implication and clarified the matter, but he may well have been tired of the badgering he was being subjected to on the stand by then.

Yooper wrote:Dr. Bowen prescribed bromo caffeine as a sedative originally, and subsequently switched to sulfate of morphine for the same purpose. Lizzie was prescribed 1/8 grain of morphine, which is the minimum dose for a 125 pound person. This was later increased to 1/4 grain, which is the maximum dose for a 125 pound person. There was some misleading testimony elicited by the defense while questioning Dr. Bowen which suggested that Lizzie was given enough morphine to cause irrational behavior. The maximum dose for sulfate of morphine is double the minimum dose for any given body mass, so to go from minimum to maximum one must double the minimum dose. The defense created the impression that Lizzie was prescribed a double dose of morphine which implies 1/2 grain, or double the maximum dose, which might result in hallucinations and erratic and uncontrolled behavior. The testimony must be read very carefully to see the legal slight-of-hand demonstrated, but at no time was Lizzie prescribed a double dose of morphine. Bowen was asked if he had subsequently doubled the original 1/8 grain prescribed, and he correctly answered "yes". He was then asked if double doses of morphine (meaning 1/2 grain) could cause hallucinations and uncontrolled behavior, to which he again correctly answered "yes". If Bowen had been a bit more diligent, he might have realized the implication and clarified the matter, but he may well have been tired of the badgering he was being subjected to on the stand by then.

I need a little explanation because I'm an idiot. I was looking at what you said Bowen prescribed, bromo caffeine as a sedative. I always thought that caffeine was an upper, you know sake you up kind of thing. So why would it prescribed as a sedative. Didn't have something along the lines of sleeping pills?

If I remember correctly, bromides are used as sedatives, but caffeine is a stimulant. The caffeine may have been used as a remedy for headaches at the time. I'm just guessing, but it seems that one may offset the other. You could cure a headache with the caffeine and the bromide would offset any over-stimulation. You could use the bromide sedative, and the caffeine would prevent over-sedation. Either way, it would have been a relatively mild cure for the ailment.

Bromo Caffeine is apparently a trade name, and not an actual description of contents. I will attempt to post this link that I found online, and although I find the material interesting others may find it tedious.

http://books.google.com/books?id=CS4TAA ... ne&f=false