An account of the late murder and suicide in Leicester : with the reasons why one of the medical men at the coroner's inquest gave his opinion that she was insane ... / by a surgeon.

  • Anderson, James, -1863.
Date:
[1849]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An account of the late murder and suicide in Leicester : with the reasons why one of the medical men at the coroner's inquest gave his opinion that she was insane ... / by a surgeon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    3/10
    st The dark deformities of man appear /” On the 5th inst. about one o'clock, p. m, I was requested to visit Mary Groce, wife of John Groce, aged 24, and her son George, three months old, at No. 1, Simpson street, in this town. On entering the bed room, I found the woman lying on the floor, was living and breathing’ through a wound in her neck. I ordered her immediately to be put upon the bed, and on examining the wound, found the trachea or wind¬ pipe cut completely through, at the thyroid and cricoid cartilages ; the internal jugular veins cut. I stitched up the wound, and with adhesive plaster stopped the external effusion of blood; the blood, however des¬ cended into the lungs, which no doubt produced suf¬ focation, which, with exhaustion from loss of blood, was the cause of death ; she expired in little more than an hour alter. The child was lying on the floor at the foot of the bed, dead; no doubt in consequence of a deep wound inflicted on the left side of the neck ; the carotid artery was divided ;—a razor covered with blood was lying between them. Mr. Buck, surgeon, arrived in about half-an-hour after me. We both attended the coroner’s inquest on the 6th. Our medical evidence agreed, although that gentleman was enabled to give a more detailed account, having examined the wounds alter death. After the examination of the witnesses was finished, the coroner stated, that, the judges say that medical opinion might be taken, in the case of suicide, in reference to insanity, although not previously acquaint¬ ed with the party that committed the act. [1] The jury having expressd a wish to hear our opinion as to the sanity of the deceased : [1] This surely means—after a post-mortem examination of the brain.—J. A.