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For anyone who might be interested in the debate over the alleged alcoholism of PC Thomas Cross, I posted information about Cross's brother and sister-in-law's alcoholism over on JTR Forums:
Interesting Lechmere Trivia - Jack The Ripper Forums - Ripperology For The 21st Century
Jame Cross did die of alcoholism at the age of 47, as reported in the London Daily Chronicle of 14 August 1878.
INTEMPERANCE.—Last night Mr. Humphreys held an inquest at the Hope Tavern, Holly-street, Dalston, on the body of James Cross, aged 47, a cab driver, of 16A, Temple-street, Kingsland-road. Deceased, since the loss of his wife 18 months ago, had, according to the evidence of his housekeeper, hardly ever been sober. Deceased was found dead in bed on Friday morning. Dr. Cockle said death was due to effusion on the brain, caused by drink. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.
His wife had died from drink the previous year.
While some might wish to use this as indirect evidence that Thomas Cross was also an alcoholic, I don't see it that way.
It takes many years to destroy one's internal organs through alcohol abuse--even with constant drinking, James Cross lived to 47 and his wife, also a drunkard, lived into her late 50s. Modern statistics back up this trend.
PC Thomas Cross, by contrast, died of apparent kidney disease at the age of only 34.
Using statistics from modern United States (I've failed to find any from Victorian England), only about 4 people per 100,000 in PC Cross's age bracket die from alcohol-related organ failure per year. And when they do die, the organs that go first are the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and heart.
As such, death from alcohol-induced kidney failure at the young age of 34 must be very rare indeed and I find it an unlikely explanation for Cross's demise. There are more likely explanations.
Further, I doubt a raging alcoholic of that magnitude could have maintained a job as a beat constable for a decade.
Interesting Lechmere Trivia - Jack The Ripper Forums - Ripperology For The 21st Century
Jame Cross did die of alcoholism at the age of 47, as reported in the London Daily Chronicle of 14 August 1878.
INTEMPERANCE.—Last night Mr. Humphreys held an inquest at the Hope Tavern, Holly-street, Dalston, on the body of James Cross, aged 47, a cab driver, of 16A, Temple-street, Kingsland-road. Deceased, since the loss of his wife 18 months ago, had, according to the evidence of his housekeeper, hardly ever been sober. Deceased was found dead in bed on Friday morning. Dr. Cockle said death was due to effusion on the brain, caused by drink. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.
His wife had died from drink the previous year.
While some might wish to use this as indirect evidence that Thomas Cross was also an alcoholic, I don't see it that way.
It takes many years to destroy one's internal organs through alcohol abuse--even with constant drinking, James Cross lived to 47 and his wife, also a drunkard, lived into her late 50s. Modern statistics back up this trend.
PC Thomas Cross, by contrast, died of apparent kidney disease at the age of only 34.
Using statistics from modern United States (I've failed to find any from Victorian England), only about 4 people per 100,000 in PC Cross's age bracket die from alcohol-related organ failure per year. And when they do die, the organs that go first are the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and heart.
As such, death from alcohol-induced kidney failure at the young age of 34 must be very rare indeed and I find it an unlikely explanation for Cross's demise. There are more likely explanations.
Further, I doubt a raging alcoholic of that magnitude could have maintained a job as a beat constable for a decade.
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