The case of Luigi Buranelli : medico-legally considered / by Forbes Winslow.

Forbes Benignus Winslow

Date:: 1855

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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The case of Luigi Buranelli : medico-legally considered / by Forbes Winslow. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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thought he was suffering from fistula—I understood from him that the operation was for fistula—he complained of pain in his leftside—he always appeared changed when it was wet weather—he said he still suffered some inconvenience or pain from the fistula—I went with him to see the Corsican Brothers ; there is a representation there of one man shooting another ; he does it to protect some woman whom he is in love with ■ it is Charles Kean who plays the character—-the man whom he shoots, is the man who is represented to have killed his brother; the death is caused by- stabbing, not shooting; I am so confused I did not recollect—the ghost of the one brother appears to the other simultaneously—the prisoner then said that after his death he should like his ghost to come and visit me—that was the observation he made, in a jocular tone—that was after we had been intimate ; it was when we were in Foley-place that I went to see the Corsican Brothers—he always spoke to me in terms of strong attachment—he did not talk about shooting himself before we got to Foley-place, it was when he was at Foley-place—he was jealous of me— he was not jealous of anybody in the house, or of anybody who came ; he was not jealous of any particular person, but generally jealous—I do not think any foreigners came to see him in Foley-place—sometimes a friend came to Newman-street—I do not remember any Poles coming, they were Italians and Hungarians—he did not talk very often of shooting himself, he said it once or twice—that was not when he was a little jealous—I never heard him say that he would shoot himself from any jealousy—he appeared jealous at times, by his talk, not by his manner—he expressed an apprehension that I might like somebody else as well as him—none of the visitors I have spoken of went to the theatre with me at any time, neither with him, nor without him—-I know he had a daughter who was down in Kent, where he had for- merly lived—after he became acquainted with me he was very attentive to me—I never saw his daughter—I could not hear the conversation which took place between the prisoner and Mr. Lambert—they did not talk particularly loud. The remaining witnesses for the prosecution were Edward Dugan, another policeman, and John Vincent, the pawnbroker from whom the prisoner bought the pistols, and who confirmed the account previously given of that transaction in the prisoner's own statement. The medical witnesses called on this side were Mr. M'Murdo, Dr. Mayo, and Dr. Sutherland, who deposed as follows:— Gilbert McMurdo, Esq., sworn, and examined by Mr. Bodkin. Q. Are you the surgeon of Newgate 1 A. Yes. Q. Has the prisoner been under your notice during his confinement in the prison? A. He has. Q. Trom what time ? A. From the day of his admission. Q. When was that? A. I do not at this moment recollect the date. I saw him on the day he was brought in. Q. It was about six weeks ago, I believe? A. About that time. Q. Did you find him suffering under any bodily ailment? A. I found him suf- fering chiefly in consequence of the wound which he was said to have inflicted on himself. (I. But I mean independent of that? A. He complained after a few days of a bleeding, which I attributed to the existence of piles, and which he allowed existed. Q. Did you examine him? A. I did. Q. Did you find the presence of piles? A. I found a small pile, which I considered indicative of the existence of internal piles, from which the blood proceeded. Q. Did you examine that part of his body so as to ascertain whether there were internal piles? A. There was a small external one, which is indicative of internal piles : generally speaking, when external piles are found, and bleeding has oc- ourred, we presume, without putting the patient to further pain, that internal piles exist. Q. Did you see any appearance of an operation having been performed on that part of the body? A. 1 did.