An essay on the signs of murder in new born children / translated from the French, of Dr. P.A.O. Mahon, ... by Christopher Johnson, surgeon, Lancaster: ... with a preface and notes by the translator.

  • Johnson Christopher.
Date:
1813
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on the signs of murder in new born children / translated from the French, of Dr. P.A.O. Mahon, ... by Christopher Johnson, surgeon, Lancaster: ... with a preface and notes by the translator. 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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    many circumstances may diminish its atrocity^ espe- cially in the latter case^ which we are particularly to consider. V. The lamentable influence of popular preju- dice, which misleads our judgment of crimes, aggra- vates all those which cannot be cloaked in the garb of virtue. Infamy is reserved for the weak- ness of a moment, and we rigorously punish the sad consequence which the dread of this infamy produces upon minds generally weak, and only criminal in feeling too sensibly the loss of their honour. The voice of nature is not stifled in these criminal and unhappy mothers all at once, but is enfeebled by the fear of that opprobrium which awaits them; are we then to be surprized that this fear of disgrace, which so few can support ^ should prevail over the sentiment of pity excited by an infant, incapable of feeling the loss of its life ? VI. The eye of justice is every where directed in search of crimes and criminals. We put our minds as it were to the rack, in order to dispel every cloud which might conceal them; Physici- ans are consulted, experiments instituted, statutes multiplied, punishments increased; nothing is omitted but the means of prevention. I would have spared myself details so oflensive to every man of sensibility, so degrading to human nature, and painful to my own feelings, if attention had