Medico-legal observations upon infantile leucorrhoea / William Robert Wills Wilde.

  • William Wilde
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medico-legal observations upon infantile leucorrhoea / William Robert Wills Wilde. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    ]0 anxiously investigated the whole matter, not merely for the purpose of defending him, but of showing, that the crimes were never committed ; and thus wiping out the foul national stam of having it alleged, that four children were violated in our city within the space of two or three months. A man may bear a previously good moral character, yet, we know, be guilty of the most heinous offence; I have, there- fore, only to say for this person, that he had lived with myself and others many years, and bore a most unblemished character. He and his wife and family lived in the lane running at the rear of the street in which I reside; and, being remarkably fond of children, he was in the habit, as I already mentioned, of allowing those residing in the lane to get upon the car or carriage for a drive, when passing in or out to the stables, which he usually does at stated hours, and also of permitting them to go into the yard, and to occasionally get on the hay-loft (to look at some kittens, as the child acknowledged on her cross-examin- tion). I allude to these circumstances here, because, as in the former case, they afforded materials for the Crown to get up corroborative evidence. i now come to the medical portion of the testimony, as well as to the details of the part which I myself, and so many of the Profession here, took in the subsequent history of these two cases. Having heard, early in the morning, of the man's arrest, and the crime of which he was accused, I wrote to Mr. Fitzgerald, the eminent solicitor, to request his attendance, and, proceeding to the police-office with a county magistrate who happened to breakfast with me, I learned the particulars of the charge, and that Dr. Ireland, the medical officer of the police, and the authority always consulted in such instances, was sent for to examine the children, and had appointed twelve o'clock for that pur- pose. I then made an application to Mr. Boutke, the pre- siding magistrate, to be present at that examination, a request to which he at once politely acceded, at the same time remarking, that he believed prisoners had a right to the benefit of a medical man upon such occasions. I next proceeded to that portion of the office where the children were in charge, and delivered the nuigistrate's order to the Superintendent of Police, who, through the medium of a Sergeant Fitzpatrick, subsequently delivered it to the medical officer. I did not hold any communication with the prisoner, nor see him, until he was brought to the bar during the subsequent investigation ; but I returned at the appointed time, and remained with the magistrate until the medical officer had arrived, about an hour afterwards. He informed me, that he had received the message, but could not tliink of letting me be present, as he was a public
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