The Sun.
London, England, 1830-08-23 00:00:00

No. 11,839.

EDINITURGIL-NOTICE.

PARTIES baying Claims against JAMES
CRUIKSHANK, Esq., of Langley Park, who have
not hitherto lodged same with Mr. Robertson, accountant,
11, Gloucester-plaae, Edinburgh, are requested now to do
so within one month from this date.
Edinburgh, 10th August, 1820.

EXTRAORDINARY INVESTIGATION

On Saturday morning, at eleven o'clock, an in-
quisition was commenced before Mr. STIRLING, Co-
roner, and a highly respectable jury, at the Gate-
house in the Hampstead-road, on view of the body
'of Miss Catherine Cashin, who, it was alleged, had
died in consequence of the treatment which she' rt.-
ceived at the hands of Mr. St. John Long, a person
residing in Harley-street, Cavendish-square, profess-
ing to be a medical practitioner. The investigation
excited the deepest interest in the neighlkurbood ;
and the feeling of anxiety that existed was by no
means lessened by the circumstance of the sister of
the above-named young lady, who was also a pa-
tient of the same person, having died on Saturday
morning, a few hours only before the Coroner arid
Jury assembled. A solicitor took his seat at the
Cnrener's table, and stated, in answer to a question
from the Court, that he' attended for a party very
deeply interested in the inquiry.
Mrs. Mary. Ann Roddis, a lady-like and extremely
intelligent woman, was called in and sworn, and
gave the following statement, which was interrupted
at intervals by the agitation of the witness :—I re-
side at No. 32, Mornington-place, Hampstead-road,
and am a married woman. My husband is a wine-
merchant. I knew the deceased about two months.
She and her mother and sister lodged in my house.
When I first knew the deceased she was in perfect
health, and she continued so until about 10 or 11
days ago. Yesterday (Friday) week I was re-
quested by the deceased's mother to accompany her
daughter to Mr. Long's, in Harley-street, and to
state the fears she had respecting the wound in the
deceased's back. I complied with Mrs. Cashin's
request, and accompanied the deceased, and. saw
Mr. Long, and drew his attention to the state of her
back. He looked at it, and said it was precisely as
he wished it to be. The next thing I can state is,
that on Saturday morning I was called up to the
apartment of the deceased, and found her in the
greatest agony. I then looked at the back. Need
I state, Sir, the appearance of the back, and the
opinion I formed ?
The CORONER—You may state any fact, but I
will not ask you to give any opinion.
Witness—lt is impossible for me to describe here
the state of her back minutely. It was in a very
violent state of inflammation, and she was troubled
with unceasing sickness. In the afternoon of the
same day I wrote, in Mrs. Cashin's name, to Mr.
Long, requesting his immediate attendance. He
came between five and six o'clock in the evening,
then looked at Miss Cashin'a back, and said he
thought it was in a very good state, and that he
would give 100 guineas if he could produce a similar
wound upon the person of some of his patients. I
pointed out one particular spot upon her back, and
asked him what could cause its appearance ; and he
said it was in consequence of inhaling, which was
a part of his system, and unless those appearances
were produced, he could expect no beneficial result.
He thee inquired what I had done, and I told him I
had applied a poultice, and given a saline draught to
allay the irritation of her stomach. He said I could
not have done better, and that he should make no
alteration. I then begged him to order something
that would allay the irritation of the stomach and
bowels. He said it was of no consequence, as that
irritation was the effect produced by his system,
and it would be of ultimate benefit to her. I then
begged that he would at least give her a composing
draught, to which he replied that a tumbler of
mulled port wine was a better composing draught
than all the doctors in the world could make, for
that he hated the very name of physic. I objected
to this, but he insisted on it being given. I gave
her a wine glass full, which was immediately re-
jected by the stomach. By Mr. Long's permission
I continued the poultices, but she gradually got
worse. On Sunday morning last he came again, and
said that doubtless I knew better the state of the
wound than he did, because I constantly applied the
poultices. On removing the poultice on this occa-
sion, I again pointed to the dark spot in the wound,
and he said that probably there would be a number
of boils come out, and that it was what he wished
to produce ; and that she was going on as well as
he could possibly wish. I then named the ex-
hausted stale of the patient, and again pressed his at-
tention to the sickness, as well as did the deceased's
mother. He said be had a remedy with him, but
that he would not apply it then, because he rather
liked the sickness than otherwise. He then ordered
her to have a little rhubarb and magnesia, which was
immediately given. Between eleven and twelve
o'clock on Sunday night he came again, and gave
her sonic medicine which he had brought with him,
but which was immediately thrown off the stomach.
On my saying that I thought her in a dangerous
state, he said my fears were perfectly groundless,
and because of my ignorance of his system it was
that I was alarmed—and that she would be per-
fectly well in a few days. She passed a very restless
night, and on the following morning I was still
more alarmed at the increased inflammation of the
wound. The deceased's mother and brother-in-law
expressed a great desire to have further advice, and
Mr. Brodie was sent for, who saw her about six o'clock
in the evening, and ordered a poultice to be applied
immediately, and some saline draughts. The sick-
ness was stayed by Mr. Brodie's prescription. Her
night was very bad. On the following morning, at
seven o'clock, I gave her a saline draught, and in
half an hour afterwards she took a small cup of
coffee with dry toast. I left her with the nurse,
under the impression that she was drowsy. During
the time I was at breakfast a bell rang violently,
and I immediately run up stairs and saw the deceased
in the agony of death. Mr. Foulkes, a neighbour-
ing surgeon, was sent for immediately. I tried to
get a tea-spoonful of brandy into her mouth, but
her jaws were quite set, and she immediately
breathed her last.—(Here the witness was deeply
affected, and it was with difficulty that her husband,
who sat by her side, could with his utmost attention
keep her from fainting.)-1 did not state in its pro-
per place, that after Mr. Brodie bail seen her on
Monday evening, Mr. Long called. On hearing that
Mr. Brodie had been called in, he said it was per-
fectly unnecessary, for that no person could be doing
better than Miss Cashin was. Mr. Long did not
come or send after that;

The solicitor (understood to be attending for Mr.
Long) said he wished to ask the witness whether
the diet which Miss Cashin took was in accordance
with the directions of Mr. Long on that head.
Witness—Mr. Long said he wished his patients
to cat and drink whatever they liked; so that there
WAS no restriction.

The Coroner—What did she eat or drink ?
Witness—She had no appetite for any thing. We
tried a variety of things which we thought likely to
stay upon her stomach, all of which I told Mr. Long
of, and he approved.
[From the commencement of the inquiry the pro-
ceedings had been repeatedly interrupted by a Jury.
man, who was evidently in a disgraceful state of in-
toxication, and at this period his interruptions were
so frequent, and his conduct so boisterous, as to
distress the witness exceedingly, and to put a stop