Originally posted by Trevor Marriott
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Again Trevor you are using phrases which I have not used. I’ve not said preliminary post mortem. I have just used the phrase preliminary examination which is the phrase used in the quotes. This doesn’t mean the there was anything official called a preliminary examination. It just meant that there was an examination of the body at the mortuary before the actual PM. Dr Phillips was clearly asked to attend this by Brown and as the quote said, Phillips arrived just as this examination had begun. Why would anyone invent this?
“Phillips assist in the preliminary examination of the body (later determined to be that of Catherine Eddowes) which was underway when he arrived.
London Times, Oct. 1, 1888”
London Times, Oct. 1, 1888”
it would have been more of a viewing of the wounds and on that basis they would not have found the organs missing for that to have happened the abdomen would have to have been opened up surgically as it was for the full post mortem
So, we have Dr. Brown requesting Dr. Phillips to join him in examining the body before th PM due to the fact that Phillips performed the PM on Annie Chapman. We don’t know why he wanted to do this before the PM but that doesn’t alter the fact that this appears to have been what happened. Brown didn’t need Phillips assistance in a PM as he was just as capable as Phillips to do a PM. Therefore he wanted to note any comparisons to Annie Chapman and Phillips was vital to that end. So what would they have been looking at? The wounds, yes. But why only the wounds? Why not check if any organs were missing? How long would that check have taken? A few seconds.
Now I know that you don’t believe that the killer used the apron to remove body parts and I don’t particularly disagree with you on that but it might certainly have been the case that the police believed or suspected this at that time. So if the Doctor could have told the police that there were no organs missing then that particular theory could have been eliminated straight away.
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