Truth : a libel by law : the evidence of Sir J.Y. Simpson, bart., M.D., and others, in the case of Sharp versus Wilson, with diagrams and correspondence / by James Wilson.
- Wilson, James, L.F.P.S.
- Date:
- 1869
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Truth : a libel by law : the evidence of Sir J.Y. Simpson, bart., M.D., and others, in the case of Sharp versus Wilson, with diagrams and correspondence / by James Wilson. 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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![A did not seo that copy taken away. I road tho letter. It could not produce any im- pression on my mind, for I had nothing to do with it. Dr Wilson once attended a daughter of mine ; I do not recollect how many years it is ago. Wo never employed him after that. Dr HUGH SHARP. B I am the pursuer of this action. I ohiained the degree of M.A. at MariscJial College, Aberdeen, in 1830. I went through the full curriculum of academic study. I have a diploma from the Royal College of Surgeons, England ; it was the Royal College of Surgeons of London when I passed, but the name has since been changed. It was in 1832 that I passed. After obtaining my diploma, I began to practise in New Pitsligo, Aberdeenshire, along with my brother, who was also a medical man, but who is now dead. I practised there from 1882 tiU 1837. I then went to China 0 as surgeon of an East Indiaman. I retm-ned from China in 1838 ; and, after spend- ing a few months at home, I commenced to practise at CuUen, where I have con- tinued ever since. I have had a considerable practice at Cullen, including the principal inhabitants of the district, with Lord Seaiield at their head. / have been employed by Lord Seafield's establishment since 1840. I knew Mrs Longmore, Bauds of Cullen, intimately. I was her medical attendant for a number of years previous to her death. I attended her family. She died in D childbed in November, 1863. I was called in to see her about four o'clock in the afternoon of the day in wliich she died. I think it was about eight o'clock when she died. I had not seen her before that with reference to that confinement. She had been attended by a midwife called Flett or Simpson. When I came in at four o'clock I found Mrs Longmore very much collapsed. I could not understand the case at first. She had had no uterine pains—[see pages 37 G, 44 H, 45 G, 56 D, E]—that is, pains of labour—-for a great many hours before I was called. She was not delivered then. She E had a severe pain in the bottom of her beUy, but no uterine pains. The abdomen was quite flaccid, and there being no laboui- pains, I conjeotui-ed at first that it was the death of the child that caused it. The midwife, I'was told, had urged the hus- band, as early as five o'clock in the morning, to send for some medical man, not naming any one particularly, as she did not understand the case, and she continued to do so repeatedly after that. I sat down and waited to see if there would be any alteration, but there was none. I then attempted to apply the long forcq)s in order p to extract the child ; but, on making the attempt, the head receded into the uterus altogether out of reach. There was no presentation to be got. She was slightly under chloroform at the time. [36 H, 56 F, G.] After that I turned the child and extracted one of the feet, and made one of the loomen ivho icere present attach a piece of tape, as I uniformly do, round the foot. The object of doing this is, if the foot should happen to recede, it can be easily got by it; and another thing is, that when the tape is round the foot one can get a better hold of it, using proper traction. / could not G understand what loas retaining the child in utero ; and I introduced my hand to examine it, and found that the head ivas through a ruptwe of the uterus. When I ascertained that the head had gone thi-ough that rent I desisted, and ordered them to send to Buckie, which is about fom-miles from the place, for some of the medical men there. Dr Carmichael, of Buckie, came, and ho and I sat down in the house, not far from the patient, while I explained to him the nature of the case. I told him that there was a rupture of the uterus, and that I was afraid the woman would soon be dead. H She died in a very short time, probably a few minutes after Dr Carmichael came. Immediately after death, he proposed that there should be a post nwrtem examination. I said that such a thing was very repugnant to the feehngs of ignorant country people ; but that, if he wished it, he should go and try to get them to submit to it, for I did not hke to rouse them. Ho went and ti-ied to got them to submit to it, but came back to me and said thoy would not allow him to do it. He then wished mo to try and seo if they would not allow mo to do it. I did so, and the husband imme- T diatoly said Oh do as you like. 1 camo and told Dr Carmichael immediately that I had got permission at onco ; and ho said, You wiU operate—you will perform the examination. I said I would not do it, but that I would stand by hmi while he](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b2146635x_0046.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
