The Sun.
London, England, 1830-08-26 00:00:00

CORONER FOR MIDDLESEX.

On Tuesday evening a meeting of the friends of Mr.
Wakley (editor of the Lancet), one of the candidates for
the office of Coroner, vacant by the death of Mr. Unwin,
took place at the Crown and Anchor Tavern. The meet-
ing waft called for the purpose of adopting such measures
as appeared best calculated to secure that gentleman's
election.
At right o'clock the Committee entered the room, which
was tolerably well filled, and Mr. King, of Aldersgate
street, was called to the Chair, having been proposed by
Dr. A. Thompson.
The CHAIRMAN was averse to forcing himself upon the
notice of the freeholders of Middlesex ; but abler and more
influential persona having hesitated, he was bound to obey
the voice of the meeting. They were met then for the
purpose of weighing the qualifications of Mr. Wakley for
the office of Coroner. From the peculiar duties of that
station he felt that they could only be properly discharged
by one wko Was conversant with medical jurisprudence.
Of Mr. Wakley'a medical talent and knowledge it was su-
perfluous to expatiate. It was just as absurd in electing a
Coroner, ignorant of the details of medicine (as an in-
quest was of the nature of a medical inquiry) us to send
for a butcher to shave, or to consult a lawyer on the brain
fever. The evil of not having a medical man for such an
office, was exemplified in France. Ile would be glad if
any lawyer would come forward and tell him by what sign
a person had ceased to exist. It was therefore possible
that a non-medical Coroner might hold an inquest upon a
man who was actually alive. The Chairman then cited a
number °leases, which he affirmed could in no possibility
have been determined by an ordinary Coroner. Infanti-
cide he considered indispensable to be investigated by amen
thoroughly acquainted with the whole of the phenomena of
accouchement, and the natural development of the fetus.
He concluded by soliciting the support of the meeting for
Mr. Wakley, and also to preserve, if needful, the harmony
of the discussion.

Dr. A. THOaU'SON asked the freeholders to come forward
to support Mr. Wakley upon a principle not yet recog-
nised, but whidi, he trusted, would obtain. lie consi-
dered that a Coroner should possess a portion of legal in-
formation, in order to check a disposition in a lawyer who
might be disposed to shield a murderer for the sake of
emolument. Ile considered that the unfortunate Eliza
Fenning bad been sacrificed from a want of medical expe-
rience in the Coroner. The speaker then stated a possible
ease, in which he considered a father losing a daughter
through the ignorance of the medical practitioner—but as
the points of the case were so exceedingly parallel to an
inquiry now pending, iu which Dr. Thompson is engaged,
we omit it, from motives of delicacy.
An individual having been supposed to call out that Dr.
A. Thompson was intoxicated, was about to be summarily
ejected, when

Mr. fluwr begged that the gentleman might be allowed
to remain, in order to be convinced of his mistake, and at
this moment it was ascertained that the greater part of
the assemblage in the room had been in the mistake, inas-
much as it was another individual that had called out; the
person alluded to was intoxicated front his demeanour.
Dr. A. THOMPSON, after powerfully urging by appro-
priate data the necessity of the freeholders of Middlesex to
come forward heart and hand to support Mr. Wakley,
concluded by moving, " That it is the opinion of this
meeting, that the duties of a Coroner render it highly de-
sirable that the parties holding the office should be con-
versant with medical science and legal knowledge."
Mr. Evarss seconded the resolution. lie had been
frequently shocked, as a medical man, on finding, in
eases of infanticide, that destroying the fauna at the
period called quickening only was held to be murder;
and that the foetus was supposed not to have life till '
that period, although only at that time a change in po-
sition simply took place, and the (fetus indubitably pos-
se•sed vitality from the moment of impregnation. Mr.
SVakley, under all circumstances, was a gentleman highly
qualified for the office of Coroner, both in regard to his
very minute knowledge of every branch of medical science,
and also from his competent legal information; as to the
latter, no man could doubt, for he had beaten Sir James
Scarlett even in his own Court.—(Laughter.)
The resolution was carried unanimously.

Mr. Score, of Regent-street, was practically convinced
of the necessity of a medical man being Coroner; and,
fully satisfied of the pre-eminent qualifications of Mr.
Wakley to fill the office, he moved a resolution to that area.
Mr. Ilurr rose to second the resolution, whicli he did
more conscientiously, and with greater satisftction, than
he had ever appeared to In a public act. Ile concurred in
the opinion that Eliza Feinting owed her death to the ig-
norance of the medical man ; but he would go further and
say that her final doom was sealed by her having been tried
by a never-forgiving Judge. He would call their Wen-
Om to the Coroner's verdict on a man murdered at Old-

barn by a drunken yeoman. In consequence of the Co'