The broken window

[Simon Wood]

Hi David,

A mere typo becomes a capital crime to you.

You haven't said anything yet. All you've done is stamp your foot, have a bit of a tantrum and insist you're right.

I'll leave you to dig them out.

Regards,

Simon

[David Orsam]

I would suggest a reading of "The Science of Woman: Gynaecology and Gender in England 1800-1929", by Ornelia Moscucci, 1991.

Hi Simon,

I assume you mean Ornella Mosucci. How does she contradict anything I have said?

And wouldn't it be easier to dig out some examples of nineteenth century gynaecologists from that directory of yours to show us what their entries should look like?

[Simon Wood]

Hi David,

I love it when you boys circle the wagons and huddle around the camp fire for mutual comfort and safety.

I would suggest a reading of "The Science of Woman: Gynaecology and Gender in England 1800-1929", by Ornelia Moscucci, 1991.

Keep safe and warm.

Regards,

Simon

[David Orsam]

I was under the impression that even medical professionals specializing in a certain field were still designated (professionally) as simply MD and/or surgeon until the mid 20th century?

Absolutely Hunter. If one looks in the medical directories for the period, one simply won't find a group of doctors labelled "gynaecologists". And one would not expect a doctor with gynaecological expertise to be labelled a "gynaecologist" in the directories. So there is nothing inconsistent with Gabe's directory entry of 'M.D. Surgeon' with him having been a gynaecologist. As a fellow of the British Gynaecological Society he obviously was a gynaecologist as we would understand the term.

[David Orsam]

The reason I said Gabe wasn't a gynaecologist was because he never hung out this qualification on his shingle.

But he was a founding fellow of the British Gynaecological Society. However, most members of this society were general practitioners.

In 1888 he was listed as an M.D. and surgeon, as is shown by this entry in the Post Office Directory for his practice at 76 Farringdon Street.

Hi Simon,

Have you been aware all along that Dr Gabe was a fellow of the British Gynaecological Society? But you didn't think this was relevant information to mention when you told packers stem that Gabe was 'not a gynaecologist' in response to his suggestion that Gabe might have been checking Kelly for signs of pregnancy?

And are you seriously trying to claim that, despite being a fellow of the British Gynaecological Society, Gabe was not a gynaecologist?

Of course he was a gynaecologist, Simon!

[Hunter]

I was under the impression that even medical professionals specializing in a certain field were still designated (professionally) as simply MD and/or surgeon until the mid 20th century?

[Simon Wood]

Hi David,

My dear chap, I've been positively champing at the bit.

The reason I said Gabe wasn't a gynaecologist was because he never hung out this qualification on his shingle.

But he was a founding fellow of the British Gynaecological Society. However, most members of this society were general practitioners.

In 1888 he was listed as an M.D. and surgeon, as is shown by this entry in the Post Office Directory for his practice at 76 Farringdon Street.



But I have no doubt you'll put me right.

Regards,

Simon

[David Orsam]

Hi Simon,

I hope you won't mind me asking you a question re. the above.

Why do you say that Dr Gabe was not a gynaecologist?

In case Simon Wood missed this question originally. I'm sure he must be eager to explain his reasoning to us.

[Rosella]

Perhaps Kate wanted to track Conway down!

I always found the fact that gangs of navvies were digging up Commercial St until mid November quite intriguing.
Halfway down the North Met Tramways section.

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/rip-spratling.html

[DJA]

Prolly why he quit and became a private detective

[Rosella]

Weren't navvies tearing up part of Commercial Street during the whole of the Ripper period laying tacks for trams? Navvies have broad shoulders with all that digging and they might want the services of local women? I'm sure I read somewhere that they were disrupting trade during the day and then Jack's activities were the final straw as far as night trading was concerned.

Whatever Aussie soldiers do now most soldiers in the British army in the Victorian period were confined to barracks when they weren't on duty or given brief leave. I can't see permission being given for private tunnelling activities or moonlighting of any kind actually.

[RockySullivan]

Might have moonlighted as a bouncer or private investigator on weekends.
Police and servicemen are often found as the former.
Took a lot to stamp it out in Victoria. Still happens. Good pay,no tax.

Building tunnels and bridges will result in those broad shoulders.

Honestly,how many people with really broad shoulders do you know and how did they get them?

Rowers and weight lifters top my list.
A railway builder in NQ is right up there. One.
Some swimmers.
Some builders/brickies.

Cheesemongers....zilch.

Maybe the cheesemonger rowed the Thames in his spare time

All the Best!

But there's no link between Cater and BS man either way. It is Carter, and he was a tunneler you might be on to something

[DJA]

In the press the lock is described as a spring-lock. You need a key to unlock it from outside when it is left on the latch, or reach through the window to lift the latch, supposedly.

On exiting,Jack only needed a strip of metal to prevent the bolt from springing out fully.

Just pull the strip out as the door closes.

A knife would do the job.

[Wickerman]

Returning to the window and the claim that MJK reached through the window to open the door:-

You could undo a latch or bolt by reaching through the window but (before the invention of the Yale type lock) you would still need a key to undo a lock surely? Does that mean that MJK used to secure the door by a latch or bolt only as the lock was effectively unuseable? If so, who locked the door when the key was missing - or was it only ever latched/bolted? Perhaps the key was never missing at all and found in the keyhole on the inside - in which case there might be a need to invent a lost key to cover the embarrassment of using a pick-axe unnecessarily.

Sorry. That's a bit of a ramble but it's late evening and that's the way my mind runs.

In the press the lock is described as a spring-lock. You need a key to unlock it from outside when it is left on the latch, or reach through the window to lift the latch, supposedly.

[Robert]

As far as I have been able to determine, there was no Frank Carter at #305 - just a gas fitter called James Steadman.

The newspaper accounts give Frank Cater as being at #405, but it was #400 in the census.