From - Tue Dec 23 13:14:45 2003 From: garyn2000@yahoo.com (Gary Buell) Newsgroups: alt.assassination.jfk Subject: Judyth and Sodium Morphate Date: 18 Dec 2003 17:04:53 -0500 Organization: http://groups.google.com Lines: 97 Approved: jmcadams@shell.core.com Message-ID: <56f0defe.0312181233.2b686102@posting.google.com> Return-Path: X-Original-To: jmcadams@panix.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit NNTP-Posting-Host: 166.84.1.3 X-Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: 166.84.1.3 X-Trace: 18 Dec 2003 16:16:25 -0600, 166.84.1.3 Path: mcadams.posc.mu.edu!panix3.panix.com!not-for-mail Xref: mcadams.posc.mu.edu alt.assassination.jfk:203657 Judyth and Sodium Morphate Last week Dave Reitzes pointed out to me that sodium morphate has been mentioned in an email of Judyth Bakers that someone had posted on this news group. The relevant passage was: "I would like to see a list of people involved in this case who die of lung cancer, especially if they did not smoke, such as Jack Ruby. And how many heart attacks (sodium morphate.)" Sodium morphate, for those unfamiliar with the Skeleton Key to the Gemstone File, is described by that document as "a favorite Mafia poison for centuries. Smells like apple pie, and is sometimes served up in one, as to J. Edgar Hoover. Sometimes in a pill or capsule. Symptoms: Lethargy, sleep, sometimes vomiting. Once ingested, there is a heart attack – and no trace is left in the body." It is further described as a common ingredient in rat poison. Since I undertook a study of the Gemstone File I decided to ask Judyth about this. Her reply: " Here are some references for you … varied… but yes I learned about it in New Orleans… There are a lot of things I wish I did not know." The references were to the Gemstone File. I asked her for more information. Her reply: "Gary, David Ferrie told me about it. I actually believed at that time that there was nothing Dave did not know. In medical matters like this he described this as a method he could use to commit suicide and people would think it was a heart attack. There would be no way to discern it wasn't a natural death." I expressed my skepticism as my own research has found no references to sodium morphate before the release of the Skeleton Key May of 1975, and no evidence for the actual existence of this substance. Her reply (email of 12 Dec 2003): "Sodium morphate does exist, not just in those gemstone files… here is info for you. Sodium monofluoroacetate , or ‘1080' is tasteless and odorless, but to make it an attractive bait for opossums and other fruit-eating varmints, such as rabbits, it is often mixed with malic acid … this gives it the apple taste … but with malic acid or alone, sodium monofluoroacetate (often slurred to sound like ‘sodium morphate' after its common use as a pesticide) in small amounts, a few milligrams per kilo of body weight, can cause a sudden heart attack. Nobody likes to say a mouthful and in the case of non-scientists, endings can get lost … and a corruption of the chemical name can become popular." So is sodium monofluoroacetate the elusive sodium morphate? At first glance it has several factors in its favor. It is highly toxic and a google search by Judyth found this: "Symptoms of 1080 poisoning in humans would be easily clinically diagnosed as a heart attack." Sodium monofluoroacetate is known by several names (compound 1080, sodium fluoroacetate, ratbane, and others) but sodium morphate is not one of them, in either scientific or popular use. Neither have I found any references to it being mixed with malic acid. Judyth proposed a second explanation: "A morphate is simply something that can quickly take the place of something in a reaction and can change it quickly to another form." A bit later the same day: "I can only say that the material apparently is called a morphate because it interferes with metabolism." On Dec 16 Judyth emailed me: "I still believe the ‘morphate' is a corruption of the longer term" although she allowed, "yes it could have ‘morphed' through time in my memory." She also suggested another candidate for sodium morphate: "sodium arsenate" and noted: "It seems the famous poisoned apple of Snow White was probably laced with sodium arsenate." Judyth was firm that she had heard of sodium morphate in 1963: "I may have mangled memories about a lot of things but on my chemistry I was strong. THIS IS IMPORTANT. I am not going to take this lying down. Apparently it is up to me to find proof, right, that sodium morphate was something from the past and not from this gemstone material. I do get your point now, and yet, even if I find this in a chemical handbook somewhere, apparently this handbook must be printed by1963, since I am certain I heard it in New Orleans." For more on sodiumonofluoracetate see: http://members.tripod.com/~Prof_Anil_Aggrawal/POISO013.HTML It certainly seems to be a nasty substance and no doubt it would be lethal mixed up in an apple pie. It is a rodenticide, is odorless and tasteless, and lethal in small amounts. The author cites a case of poisoning which was at first diagnosed as a heart attack. Judyth also wrote: "Calcium gluconate helps provide some antidote so sodium monofluoracetate poisoning … I noticed on the internet that an antidote based on calcium is mentioned along with sodium morphate … I now believe that this is the chemical." A thorough google search on "sodium morphate" and "calcium" shows no hits except for sites mentioning a substance know as VTX, described as "calcium-based" and as an antidote for sodium morphate. However, these sites relate to the TV series "Alias" which features the fictional VTX and sodium morphate. As Judyth pointed out she did not mention VTX, although I have found no other references to a calcium based antidote. Conclusions: What conclusions can be drawn from all this? Certainly the sodium morphate matter does not strengthen Judyth's case. To what degree it weakens it I leave to others. Equally certainly her case does not stand or fall on a single point and she deserves to be judged on the totality of her evidence, hopefully soon to be presented.