An enquiry into the circumstances of the death of King Charles the Second, of England / by Norman Chevers.

  • Chevers, Norman, 1818-1886.
Date:
1861
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An enquiry into the circumstances of the death of King Charles the Second, of England / by Norman Chevers. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    “ In Caroli Secundi augustissimi Britanniarum Regis cor- pore aperto post mortem reperiebantur. 1. ° In cerebri cortice venae et arteriae super modum re- pletae. 2. ° Cerebri turn ventriculi omnes serosa quadam materia inundati, turn ipsa substantia consimili bumore haud leviter imbuta. 3. ° Thoraci dextri lateris Pulmones Plurae tenaciter ad- liaerentes* * * § sinistra vero plane liberi, quemadmodum ex naturae instituto in sanis esse solet. 4. ° Pulmonum substantia neutiquam culpanda quidem sed sanguine referta. 5. ® Cor amplum firmumque, et in omnibus rectissime formatum. 6. ° In infimof ventre nihil praeter naturale, nisi quod hepatis color ad lividitatem inclinaret, forte a sanguinis inibi restitantis pleonasmo, quo renes et lien cernebantur suffar- cinati.” Sir Henry Ellis says, that the total of the “medicorum chorus,”—as appears from the signatures to the different pre- scriptions,—included also the Doctors Gu. Charleton, J Edm. King, C. Frazier, Fr. Mendes and M. Lister.§ In all sixteen. < The results of this post mortem examination were looked for by many inquisitive and suspicious enquirers. The most popular sovereign in Europe had died, almost suddenly, at a time when it was generally supposed that he enjoyed a full * It is not quite clear whether this adhesion was a trace of old or of recent pleurisy. If the latter existed, it would, of course, account for the pain in the side and the difficulty in breathing of which the King com- plained ; but, from the manner in which the lesion is spoken of, I am in- clined to believe that the adhesion was of old date. f Wadd has this word “ intimo,”—which appears to he the correct reading, t Granger describes Dr. Walter Charleton as “ A man of great natural endowments, and one of the most universal scholars of his time.” He was Physician in Ordinary to Charles I. and was continued in that station by his son whom he attended when in exile. Granger doubts whether lie was re- tained by Charles the Second after the Restoration. He was, in the reign of William III., elected President of the College of Physicians. § Dr. Martin Lister was the son of Dr Matthew Lister,—Physician to Anne of Denmark and, afterwards, to Charles the First,—by the beautiful Susanna Temple Lady Thornhurst. lie was one of the most distinguished fellows of the Royal Society in the reign of Charles II., and was author of several works on Medicine and Natural Philosophy,—vide Granger.