The Queen v. Beaney : extraordinary charge of murder against a medical man, in consequence of a diseased womb being ruptured after death : with medical notes and observations / by C.E. Reeves.

  • Reeves, C. E. (Charles Evans), 1828-1880
Date:
1866
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Queen v. Beaney : extraordinary charge of murder against a medical man, in consequence of a diseased womb being ruptured after death : with medical notes and observations / by C.E. Reeves. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    At the second trial, when cross-examined by Mr. Aspinall on the probability of the existence of a membrane in the vagina sometimes, and of which he seemed to doubt, he observed, “ I may say that there has been a great deal of malignity shown to me in these trials, and I have no other wish than to express my opinion.” No doubt but there has been a great deal of malignity shown, but by whom ? Who prompted the Crown law officers and Messrs. Rudall and Pugh to go on 1 Who had interviews with the Crown Prosecutor at his private residence 1 Who brought Dr. Martin forward to say that he had introduced his hand and removed the placenta at the fifth month ] Of course Mr. Beaney and his friends, to get an oportunity of showing “ malignity” to the doctor. Let any man read his direct examination by the Crown Prosecutor, and he will see that all the questions evidently emanated from this gentle- man’s own brain, suggested by the information he gained during the first trial, and the examination of Messrs. Rudall and Pugh, as to where the weak points in the Crown’s case existed. No one who knows the Doctor could for a moment suspect him of doing what Mr. Rudall did, namely—furnish the Crown Prosecutor with the questions he was to ask. What, therefore, could tempt the doctor to brag that he had done nothing of the kind] Modesty is always rewarded, and so no doubt will his be when these pages reach the hands of those who know how to appreciate it. Sir James Palmer, who is only a surgeon, has been raised to the dignity of knighthood. Why should we not have a M.D. knight in Australia ] Why should all the loaves and fishes be given to the great men in England and Scotland, while the great men here—as, for instance, Drs. Barker and Tracy—are allowed to bloom untitled. Cuncti adsint, meritseque expectent prsemia palrase. It is very difficult to cull all the beauties which are so plentifully interspersed throughout the doctor’s direct examination and cross- examination, but both have been most carefully transcribed, and, for fear of being tedious—for even the sweetest sweets will pall—the reader is referred to them. 1. With respect to Mary Lewis’s pregnancy, he said :—“ If a membrane like the decidua were found—if the womb corresponded