James Littledale

In the novel Sad Cypress, James Arthur Littledale is a chemist and an expert witness for the defence in the trial against Elinor Carlisle.

Mr Littledale testified that the label found at the crime scene was for "apomorphine hydrochloride". It could not be "morphine hydrochloride" because on a label of such a tube, the "morphine" would be spelt with a capital "M". Sir Edwin Bulmer, defence counsel asked Mr Littledale what would happen if two people were to share the food or drink containing morphine and then one of them injected a dose of apomorhine hypodermically. Littledale said that then the food or drink would be vomited and the person would suffer no ill results. This testimony caused a stir during the trial as it undermined the prosecution case.