couple of questions re. MJK's health

[claire]

Sorry if this has been covered before...still trying to catch up with what's on here, but have done a forum search and can't find matches...

MJK's post mortem report notes that old pleural adhesions were found, indicating some previous lung infection (eg. TB/pleurisy). Were there any reports about her health at the time of her death? Does anyone know what MJK claimed was wrong with her when she was in the infirmary in Cardiff? Is there any way this could be discovered/verified?

Many thanks for any info folks might have

[Sam Flynn]

Hi Claire,

Unfortunately, none of the patient records of the Glamorgan & Monmouthshire Infirmary (later "The Cardiff [Royal] Infirmary") the relevant period have survived from the relevant period (early 1880s) in which Kelly might have been there.

There's a fine photograph of the old Infirmary, which could feasibly have been taken around the time Mary Kelly might have been there, via this link.

[claire]

Thanks Sam...mind you, given the likelihood that MJK wasn't her real name, who knows what anyone could have searched under

Presumably, the rebuilt infirmary (as per the photo caption that dates it to 1883) is the one whose building still stands on that corner?

[Sam Flynn]

Hi Claire,

The "new" Infirmary building, established 1883, still stands in the area of Glossop and Newport Roads. Details and picture here.

[j.r-ahde]

Hello you all!

I presume - unfortunately - that even if we would find some records by pure luck, we wouldn't know, where to look for for the following reasons:

1. Since Mary Kelly was one of the most common Irish names at the time, finding the real one in general has been a needle in a haystack. So, the infirmary records would only be a smaller haystack.

2. If Mary Jane Kelly really was just a pseudonyme, then...

All the best
Jukka

[claire]

Yes...I was wondering whether there were any contemporary reports (verbal accounts) of MJK saying she'd had an illness of this sort.

I guess I imagined that it might be possible to narrow down possible IDs if the infirmary records were available, eg. on the basis of age, reason for admission, et cetera.

And, if we could be relatively certain that she had had a lung infection sufficiently serious to cause adhesions at some point in her past, then it at least narrows any of the suspicions of the identity of the body in No. 13.

[j.r-ahde]

Hello Claire!

Based on that thinking, there is at least one possibility:

Since MJK was 5'7" (that is about 170 centimeters), she was practically as tall as the men of the time!

So, if height was included to the records and the age could also fit to the frame of 25 by 1888, it could be possible. But only possible!

All the best
Jukka

[claire]

lol, Jukka Reckon they'd have popped in a photo and a contact telephone number? Maybe we could send them a text...

Anyhow, it was just an idle thought...known infection = lung adhesions = lung adhesions on corpse found in No 13 = narrower field of ID.

Anyone got the measurements of the corpse? Couldn't find em in PM report.