The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-19 00:00:00

DEATH FROM ALLEGED ILL-

TREATMENT BY A QUACK DOCTOR.
An inquiry of a highly important nature took place
on Saturday last, at the Town-hall, Hertford, before Mr.
T. Sworder and a very respectable and intelligent jury,
touching the death of Mrs. Chymist, wife of Samuel
Chythist, baker, of Cheshunt. The inquiry lasted up-
wards of five hours, and a mass of evidence was pro-
duced, the chief facts of which are as follow :—The de-
ceased was afflicted with a cancer in her breast, for
which she had been under the care of several medical
men, amongst others, Dr. Kerrison, of London, and W.
Saunders, of Wormley, and her husband was in-
duced to bring her to Hertford about six weeks ago
to consult a man named Isaac Chamberlain, who
has for some time past set up as a medical prac-
titioner, and as such has obtained considerable noto-
riety. Chamberlain, according to the evidence, at once
undertook to cure Mrs. Chymist, and lodgings were ac-
cordingly taken for her at a person's, named John Nichol-
son, upon Bull-plain. From the statement of the wit-
nesses it appeared that when deceased came to Hertford
six weeks ago, the cancer presented the outward appear-
ance of two small wounds, eaeh no bigger than the
point of a pin, from which there was a slight discharge.
Chamberlain proceeded to rub the breast with oint-
ment, and a powder every day, and to cut and scrape
away the flesh with a knife until a wound was produced
eight inches and a half long by four inches and a half wide,
and about one inch and a half deep, extending from the
middle of the chest to the armpit. Mr. Woodhouse sur-
geon, Hertford, was applied to by Chambeilain himself
to attend the woman on Thursday morning last,
as she had exhibited symptoms of labour. Mr. Wood-
house, however, was not at home,-and the woman was
the same day delivered of a seven months' child. A
message was sent to Mr. Woodhouse that he need not
attend; Mr. Woodhouse, however, went to see the de-
ceased on Thursday evening, and found her in a highly
dangeroas state, her pulse beating at 150, and the wound
in the dreadful state described. Mr. Woodhouse imme-
diately procured the attendance of Mr. Davis, another
surgeon of Hertford, and an anodyne was adminis-
tered, and a poultice put to the wound. They both
felt, however, she could not live. Mr. Woodhouse
called on Friday morning, and found the deCeased
much worse, and he then told her she could not
live. She, however, strange to say, expressed unabated
confidence in her " doctor' (Chamberlain); 'and thought
she should get well: She died in two hours afterwards.
It was the opinion of the three medical men examined
(Mr. Woodhouse, Mr. Davies, and Mr. Shillitoe) that
she died from irritation produced by improper treatment,
which had also brought on premature labour. The Jury
found a verdict of manslaughter against Isaac Chamber-
lain, and on Sunday morning he was taken into custody
while attending service in a dissenting, chapel in Hert-
ford. The person placed in this serious situation has
positively obtained considerable practice as a doctor,
although he is a butcher by trade, and worked in Hert-
ford as a journeyman butcher.