Career of Dr. William Druitt

[aspallek]

The "Dr. Druitt" cited in this excerpt would be William Druitt. Reynolds Newspaper 17 December 1871 from letter "The Landlord's Sin of Overcrowding":



This does show William's professional concern for overcrowding conditions, even if not specifically in the East End. It is not too hard to imagine Montague picking up such a concern and being drown while at Oxford to the efforts in the East End such as Toynbee Hall and the People's Palace.

[aspallek]

Monty would not have been' exposed' to anything.As a baby he would have been with his nurse or mother, then prep school and public school. Victorian professional men stayed out of the nursery, and had little contact with their children Bringing up children was women's work. Druitt's professional life was separate. What are you suggesting? That he dragged poor Monty round hospitals to watch women being operated on? William being a member of the obstetrics society is irrelevant. The typical upbringing of an upperclass boy involved a distancing from his parents.
Miss Marple

Cool your jets, Miss Marple. I'm not "suggesting" anything sinister. But it is an interesting twist that Montie's father appears to have practiced obstetric surgery and that the WC murders included some obstetric butchery. Surely, Dr. D would have had books, notes, and papers about the house, the very house in which Montie grew up and even "entertained" and tutored his lady cousins.

It doesn't prove or even suggest anything. It is merely of interest.

[aspallek]

Again, if I had to guess I would say this is a refernce to Robert Druitt since the writer is London-based. Same source as above. Author is Alfred Wiltshire, M.D.

"I am indebted for the patient to Dr. Druitt, who kindly
sent her to me before he left town for his trip to the Continent
in the spring of the present year (1870). Dr. Druitt
also kindly gave me an account of the case, and I had the
advantage of his great experience and skill up to the time
he left for the Continent.
Dr. Druitt' s account was substantially as follows : — A
Mrs. G — , aet. 35, whom he had from time to time attended,
consulted him about a tumour which was growing in her
abdomen. Dr. Druitt ascertained that there was a tumour
apparently springing from the right ilium, which projected
into the abdominal cavity. It was so hard that he regarded it as enchondromatous. Mrs. G — was also pregnant,
and she believed herself to be nearly seven months
gone.
Dr. Druitt suggested that probably it would be well to
induce labour at the seventh month, so as to avoid any
interference on the part of the tumour with the descent of
the child, which he thought might at full term be so large
as to increase the difficulty and danger of delivery ; but with
characteristic kindness and consideration he was so good as
to say he would leave the decision as to the course to be
adopted entirely to myself. Dr. Druitt mentioned that he had
found a somewhat curious condition of the cervix uteri when
he examined his patient : it was elongated, of small
diameter, flexible, like that of an empty uterus, not in the
condition therefore to be expected for a woman so far
advanced in pregnancy as Mrs. G — was supposed to be, viz.,
about seven months. There appeared in fact to be a little
doubt as to whether or no the patient was actually pregnant
at the time of his first examination. Having learnt the
foregoing facts, I visited Mrs. G — on the 19th of February,
and noted the following condition. Mrs. G — is an
unusually healthy and vigorous-looking woman ; her general
health is as it has always been, very good. She is ruddy
and well nourished. She looks about seven months gone
with child."

[miss marple]

It appears that there is not a lot of research into the career of Montague's father, Dr. William Druitt.

While it is known that he was a prominent surgeon, I did not realize that he was a member of the Obstetrical Society of London, as was his brother Robert, Montie's uncle, both elected in 1859. If William specialized in obstetrics, what are in the implications of young Montague, who would have been aged 2 in 1859, being constantly exposed to such an environment, especially in light of the nature of the Whitechapel slayings?

Lest we think they were mere "honorary members," both are listed as "Referees of Papers" in 1866, implying that they must have been practicing in that field.

Monty would not have been' exposed' to anything.As a baby he would have been with his nurse or mother, then prep school and public school. Victorian professional men stayed out of the nursery, and had little contact with their children Bringing up children was women's work. Druitt's professional life was separate. What are you suggesting? That he dragged poor Monty round hospitals to watch women being operated on? William being a member of the obstetrics society is irrelevant. The typical upbringing of an upperclass boy involved a distancing from his parents.
Miss Marple

[aspallek]

I am not sure which "Dr. Druitt" is referred to here. If I had to guess, I'd say Robert since the writers apprear to be London-based. From a paper entitled (forgive me), "Air in the Vagina" by Adolph Rasch, M.D. in Transactions of the Obstetrical Society of London (1871):

"Dr. Druitt related on the same occasion a similar case and
attributed the want of sexual feeling and discharge of air to
relaxation. " Air would readily enter a relaxed vagina in
large quantities, for example, when a woman was placed on
her hands and knees for examination." Dr. Druitt does not
explain what causes the air to enter."

Obviously, this Dr. Druitt was practicing obstetrics. A rather curious posture for examination.

[aspallek]

It appears that there is not a lot of research into the career of Montague's father, Dr. William Druitt.

While it is known that he was a prominent surgeon, I did not realize that he was a member of the Obstetrical Society of London, as was his brother Robert, Montie's uncle, both elected in 1859. If William specialized in obstetrics, what are in the implications of young Montague, who would have been aged 2 in 1859, being constantly exposed to such an environment, especially in light of the nature of the Whitechapel slayings?

Lest we think they were mere "honorary members," both are listed as "Referees of Papers" in 1866 & 1871, implying that they must have been practicing in that field.