Star.
London, England, 1830-10-18 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

I At two o'clock on Saturday afternoon, before Mr. GELL, an inqui.
sition was taken at the Shakepeare Tavel n, Eaton. street, Pimlico, Cr
' the bodies of Elizabeth Carter, aged 8, tuJames, her brother, aged 4•
whose deaths, it was currently rumoured in the neighbourhood, lk.•
been occasioned by improper medical trey tment, similar in flitter,.
that which has acquired so painful a notoriety in the case of Mk.
John Long.
The case excited very great interest, and a number of medical t.
of eminence were in attendant*.
Mr. Adolphus was in attendance, and, at his request, the
were called in and examined separately.
Mr. William Neville, of No. 1, Upper .Eaton.street, being sv
deposed, that he was a surgeon, a Member of Dublin College, and
Licentiate of Apothecaries' Hall. He wan called on to attend the de
ceased children on the 9th inst. He found them labouring under ins.
lignant scarlet fever, the elder more slightly than the other. He pr...
scribed bleeding, saline aperient medicines, with calomel ; also an oint.
ment composed of tartarized antimony to biz applied to the chest ; th.t:
is the usual mode of treating such a disease, with the exception of the
ointment. He had his reasons for adding the ointment: the case indi-
cating its propriety. He continued to anend the children daily til;
their deaths, sometimes two or three times it day. The parents of th•
' children are poor, and his attendance upon them was perfectly gra-
tuitous. He believes James died on the night of the 11th, and the
girl on the following night. When the younger child was sucking,
he gave him a little stimulant. 'Both a ied trom the scarlet fesee ;
in tact, when they died, they were a mass of disease. They certainly
died a natural death. He never expressed, nor did he entertain a hope o;
their recovery. There were two other chi ldren in the house labourit.,
under the same attack, whom he hsd molded, and who had recovered,
Since their deaths, the bodies have been opened by Dr. Thompson, i
the presence of himself and several other medical gentlemen. Th...
was nothing observable in the post morten examination to induce hike
to change his opinion, as to the CiIUISC of their death. He cannot say
by whose directionsthe bodies wens opened. He applied a little of th.
ointment to one of the two children that recovered. it was younger than
either of the deceased. The ointment was applied to the chest. The
bodies were opened on the 14th instant.
Wm. Chandler, the father of the deceased children, deposed to bay.
ing called in the attendance of the preceding witness. One of the
children was taken ill, and died within 24 hours. No one attended
deceased but Mr. Neville. It was by witness's desire that the bodies
were opened. Mr. Neville had previously expressed a wish to open
them. Witness spoke to Mr. Griffiths, who, subsequently to the dead:
of Elizabeth and James, attended his other children, upon the subject,
and told him he might procure whom he pleased to open the bet:LA.ok .
bodies were opened by Dr. Thompson. Mr. Neville had attended some
of the family before, and he had I.lways reasen to be satisfied with ht
attentions. He has no reason to think or believe, but that the decerte.:
died natural deaths. _ _ _

The Coroner here remarked, that he was a stra;lur to 6:
from what he had heard, it appeared to hint to It: a coatm r a 1:,
did not know what evidence was in reserve.

Mr. Adolphus said he had no more evidence to oar.
The Beadle remarked, that Dr. Thompson was in aucadat.cv.
The Coroner accordingly sent down stairs for him.
Dr. Thompson, on entering, stated, in answer to a question tl.lir.
the Coroner, that he had no desire to give evidence, unlcu called
to do so. He had optaed the bodies but he was at a loss to kno.: v.I
he was sent for.

Having been sworn by desire of the Coroner' be stated that ha p.
the bodies of the deceased children by desire of Mr. Dobson, of
row, Pimlico, in the presence of abont a dozen medical got:Omuta, all
them strangers to him. On examining the.body of the boy extezo..::l,
it was well formed and not etuaeated. There were anu abx
swellings under the jaw down to the tip of the shoulder. The larjaq
tumour was under the ear, and was very red, and bore distinct marks o.
ese bite of six leeches. There were also marks of leeches on th
right and left temple. Every part of the body was covered with
pimples, all of which wens gorged with blood. They were so crowded
on the groin as to appear one bright continuous red colour. Th.
posterior parts were of a bright florid colour, mottled with purpk,
and covered with pimples. (Dr. Thompson here prou-ded
read a voluminous report which he had drawn up of the
temal appearance of the:tbody. The substance of di.: wboi:
was, that there were considerable deviations frcm the natural structur.
of the body.) He bad never before observed such appearances with s
little disease.

Coroner.—Have you any reason to suppose the deceased died
than a natural dmth f
Dr. Thompson.—l can't answer that question. It was impossiti-
, from the appearances to say what they died from.—He had never
any patients who died from fever, whose bodies exhibited
.so
symptoms of the puma of that disease as these did. Witness pre.
served the fluids he found in the stomach, at the request of Me.
Neville, who said a report had been spread in the neighbourhood
that he had poisoned them with his medicines. Witness was told
by the Mends that Mr. Neville had applied an ointment, which h:
said was an invention of his own—that Its compositiea was a sm.:,
which he would not divulge fee OWL—that he bad applied this Dint.
meat to the surviving .then, who became worse afterwards. They
further told him, that Mr. Neville applied it himself, and refused to
leave any of it with them ; and that it was the singularity of this
practice, on the part of a medical man, coupled with the increased
illness of the surviving children, which made them anxious to have
the bodies disinttrred.
By a Juror—Was the appearance of the bodies such as would hill.
Cate death from scarlet fever?

Dr. Thumps n—ln general the spots do not remain after death .n
those eases. Ile begged to add, that there was no excoriation or pax•
toles on the deceased, but there were pustules where the ointment w.:
said to have been applied to the surviving children. Mr. Net tile toh•
him that Mr. Griffiths was at the bottom of the inquiry, and that he wa
an enemy of his. In consequence of being so told, witness interrogate
the friends of the children, and they declared that Mr. Griffiths, on
contrary, had endeavoured to dissuade them from an investigation. 111-.
Griffiths also told him on his honour he had done nothing to provoke it.
Mr. Griffiths was not present when the bodies were opened by requi-t
of witness, but Mr. Neville was. Mr. Neville told him the ointini:.i
he used was composed of tartar of animony one drachm, and unguentur.
cene seven drachms. He also describid the treatment he had odor 0, I
generally.
By a Juror—Do you think the treatment described proper ?
Dr. Thompson—l don't know what the disease was; till m •
and I shall be able to answer you.
The Coroner observed, that he saw nothing in the evideece but w:
was satisfactory and creditable to Mr. Neville, and he ihouz;ht the
without pinning the inquiry further, might safely pror.ouncc
of natural death.

Mr. Adolphus said, if it was necessary, he had fifty witnesses I.
to bear tesdmony to the skill of 31r. Neville.
The Jury thought it unnecessary, and returned a verdict, findin.; Cr.;
both the deceased died natural deaths.
As soon as the verdict was returned, Mr. Gall quitted, lcavinc his
deputy, Mr. Higgs, to collect to signatures of the Jury. While Mr.
Higgs was thus employed, Dr. Thompson and Dr. Gordon Smith c. a.'.
Into the room,and the former,on behalf of the friends, declared they were
highly dissatisfied with the abrupt manner in which the inquest !lad
been closed, without hearing all the evidence they had to offer. Dr.
Thompson also declared his own opinion to be decidedly that the ver.
diet was an improper one, and he added, that he was determinid he
would have a iresh Inquest ; and would publish the case, so that the
medical world might judge of its meths.
Mr. Higgs declined interfering, as he had not presided, and there the
matter rests.

HE DOMdVe►Rl~.s
Tars DAY, OcT. 18.—St. Luke—not now a holiday at the Bank.
Five hundred houses in London blown down, 1021. This Is the tint
day of Marchesvan in the Hebrew Calendar.
To-moanow—The sun rises 47 minutes past G. Mercury rises 35
minutes past 6 morning.
Wzowitsbav—Venus rises 67 minutes past 4.
Tstriasnaw—Mars sets 24 minutes past 3 morning. Glorious battle
of Trafalgar, 1855.
FAIDAT—Coqu_ action of the Moon and Jupiter at 211 it.
SaTunnarr—The Moon will pass the meridian of the Royal Observe.
toey at 16 minutes past 6 evening.

BIRTHS.

The 13th inst. at Behs.blll,nearii•Jhampton, the lady of It. Clut.
terbuck, jun. Esq. of a daughter.—On the 16th inst. Mrs. J. T. Bat.
low, of Great Sufolk.street, Southwark, of a daughter.—. The 14th inst.
Mrs. J. R. Hooper, of Queenhithe, of a daughter.—Tha loth inst. at
Winchmore.hill, Mrs. John Radford, of a son, adll.born.—The 16th
inst. Alto R. Alanineau, of Chiswell.sueet, of a daughter.

ARRIED.
Saturday, the Ifith inst. at St. Peter's, Walwrath, T. 0. Phillips,
Eq. of Bayswater-terrace, to Miss Elisabeth F. Firth, of Burma,
Sussex. .

The 16th hut. in Great RurseU-street, Bloomsbury. in the 91st year
of her age, the Dowager Lady Young, relict of the late Admiral Sir
O. Young, of Formosa-place, Bucks—The sth inst. at her house at
Windlesham, Surrey, at the advanced age (491, Elizabeth, relict of the
late Bev. E. Cooper, rector of Windleaham.—Tbe 14th inst. after a long
and painful Illness, Mary Ann, the wife of Nell Malcolm, Esq. of
Lantbabbay, Kent, and Poltalloch, North Britain.—The 13th inst. R.
Stratford, am. many years collector of the Excise for the port of Lon-
don. Ho lived respected, and died deeply lamented.—At Hareheld, on
the Bth inst. in the 23d year of his age, Franciapfifth son of W. Flower,
lop anisaeleld•grove, Itlddlesex.—The 14th inst. at Both, in the
10111 year of her age, Maria Charlotte, the youngostdaughto of H.J.lfirepWd, Esq. .—The 16th inst. at Theron Dittos; after a
patraeted 11arfa, the wife of Mr. Thomas Style, in din Oa year
ber as&

Loam; Printed mad rablishad by.J,Qux 31ntxs, at I
Osnas, Nw 1, Pickeetaibm,driaiple Bar.

Pia•