[Correspondence between Dr J.Y. Simpson, Dr Robert Christison, Professor James Miller, and others].

  • Miller James, 1812-1864.
Date:
[1852]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Correspondence between Dr J.Y. Simpson, Dr Robert Christison, Professor James Miller, and others]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    As to your allegation, that I acted as a scribe to Mr Hardie when giving me the letter, I need scarcely remark to you, that the same must necessarily, directly or indirectly, have been the case also in re- lation to the letter given by Mr Hardie to Dr Duncan ; as Mr Hardie, as you well know, is not scholar enough to compose that letter, and, indeed, can scarcely use a pen so as to write his name easily. Lastly,—The two first of your accusations,—that my patient died of hemorrhage, and that, notwithstanding, I denied that she died of hemorrhage, both to the physician in consultation and to others,— may be readily enough classed together. For if I can prove to you, as I now can by other evidence than my own simple word, that she did not die of hemorrhage, I was of course justified in maintaining that that had not been the cause of her very sad death. To prove, then, that hemorrhage was not the cause of her death, and that the evidence which you had supposed that you had obtained from Mr Hardie must have been in some way (I know not how) erroneous, let me adduce to you the following facts.—[See next letter, p. 34.] Mr Hardie sent the feather bed on which my patient lay to an es- tablishment in town belonging to IVIr G , to which the beds of most people who die, whatever may be the cause of death, are sent, that they may be steamed and cleaned before they are again used. The per- son, JVIr Harrower, who has charge of this establishment, has given me a declaration which I enclose, regarding the state of the bed sent him by Mr Hardie, and which IMr Hardie informed Mr G was Mrs 's bed. Edinburgh, 24th April, 1852. BEOABDiNa the bed sent to me by Mr Hardie to be cleaned,—as to the state of the interior of it>hen I opened it up, I can declare that little or nothing of it was spoiled, and that it was only on the top or surface that it was a very ■ little red stained with blood. No clotting of any kind. Most beds sent to me are in a thousand times worse state. BRUCE HARROWER. If this is insufiBcient, be so good as peruse the document which I enclose, as No. 3, viz., a declaration before witnesses from the intel- ligent nurse who attended Mrs , showing, explicitly, as it must to you, or to any one professionally acquainted with such matters, that my poor patient did not die of hemorrhage, as I have always stated, but of peritonitis.