The coroner's court, its uses and abuses : with suggestions for reform / by J.J. Dempsy.

  • Dempsy, J. J.
Date:
1858
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The coroner's court, its uses and abuses : with suggestions for reform / by J.J. Dempsy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    examination in cases of sudden death, or in cases of death from supposed drowning, hanging, and the like, such investigations are perfectly useless. Had a few inquests been held at Rugeley in cases of natural death, Palmer, coward as his atrocious system of murder proved him to be, would never have had the hardihood to carry out his poisonings, because he would have had before his eyes the 'possibility of an investigation taking place on his first victim. Surely it is better and more humane to prevent than to punish crime, and one inquiry at the period this wretched man premeditated his awful crimes might have appalled him, and his murderous intentions at once failed him. The duties of the Coroner require to be enlarged, and they should be permitted to be carried out with greater freedom, dignity, and respect. In the first place, by all means let the Coroner be as heretofore, in those districts where such a proceeding as in the county of Middlesex has always been adopted, elected by the people, rather extending than restricting this representative system. This could be done by the election taking place at the hands of the Parliamentary voters, instead of leaving it, as at present, with the freeholders and landed proprietors. The Coroner should have his authority recognised as that of a magistrate appointed by the Crown, and he should most certainly have a seat on the County Bench. The office should not be degraded by in one point of view the duties being paid for by the work