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I'm just back from Lyon where I went through the Alexandre Lacassagne collection at the Lyon Municipal Library, which resulted in my locating (among else) a letter by American criminal psychologist Arthur Mac Donald which proves that it was HIM who obtained access to the MJK scene photo from London (from the HO or elsewhere). I hope to go back to Lyon in November, to go through a second Lacassagne collection, at the medical Museum of the University of Lyon, which was closed during the summer.
Below is the transcription of Arthur Mac Donald's letter, sent to Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne via Dr. Henri Coutagne. Dr. Henri Coutagne was head of the faculty of medicine at the University of Lyon, a colleague and friend of Professor Alexandre Lacassagne, with whom he apparently worked on many cases. After Coutagne and Lacassagne were promised the MJK photo from Mac Donald (see the letter transcript below), they agreed to publish Mac Donald's book Le criminel type dans quelques formes graves de la criminalité in 1893 by their own publisher Adrien Storck, translated from English to French by Coutagne himself. I suspect that they made a deal to withhold publication of the MJK photo until André Lamoureux’s (a doctoral candidate's) thesis De l’Éventration au point de vue médico-légal came out in 1894. Then Lacassagne published his own book, Vacher l’Eventreur et les crimes sadiques in 1899, not just with the MJK photo, but with an Eddowes photo as well. Now all we need to do ;-) is find Mac Donald's source for the photos in London in 1892 and later (around 1899) Lacassagne's source for Eddowes, who I'm willing to bet was the same person. It won't be an easy search, but Robert Mc Laughlin is researching Arthur Mac Donald's papers in the US, hoping to locate some correspondence. I'll be trying to locate more correspondence for Alexandre Lacassagne and, if possible, correspondence for Henry Coutagne in Lyon, as well as (extremely improbable to have survived) a depository for publisher Adrien Storck and photographer B. Delaye, who apparently handled the MJK photo.
As to why Arthur Mac Donald decided to publish his book in Europe, in French, I assume that he was unable to find an American publisher for his manuscript, particularly since he refused a fellowship at John Hopkins to go study in Italy with Cesare Lombroso and in Vienna with Krafft-Ebing, who were the top of the game at the time. Also at the time Mac Donald was employed at the US Bureau of Education in Washington DC and would have presumably needed clearance from the Bureau to publish anything in the US. There was also a long Mac Donald article on the failed assailant of president Roosevelt which Mac Donald also sent to Lacassagne for publication (in French), but a few years later. The deal was done over Mac Donald's book.
A transcription of Mac Donald's letter:
Per Doctor Coutagne
médécin {unreadable: “emerit“?}
Lyon
France
I send a patho-sexual manuscript on special criminology, which has been read and approved of by Prof. Dr. von Krafft-Ebing of Vienna, from whom I have just received it. I desire to submit it for publication in the “Archives de l'Anthropologie criminelle“ in such a way that it could have 100 copies to be first in the form of a book.
The cases are peculiar and worked up for the first time. I have also a photograph of one of the worst victims of Jack the Ripper, which was very difficult to obtain, as was the case with the other photographs. This I will send in after I hear from you. The preface explains the nature of the book.
I shall be in London September 12 or 13 and desire a decision from you by that time, as I expect to return to Amiens.
My address will be:
Care J. S. Morgan & Co
22, Old Broad Street,
London E.C
England
I am,
Very Truly,
Dr Arthur Mac Donald
I have taken the liberty of writing in English, as you know English well.
{The envelope of the letter is addressed to Lacassagne.}
Endless thanks to Rob Clack for helping me deciphering the London address, and I'll probably won't post photos of the original source, so that they are published first in Mr. McLaughlin's upcoming second edition of his book.
I'd be very grateful for any input about who from the HO might have been able to provide Arthur Mac Donald with a MJK scene photo “behind the scenes“, since officially it was denied to him in 1892.
Below is the transcription of Arthur Mac Donald's letter, sent to Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne via Dr. Henri Coutagne. Dr. Henri Coutagne was head of the faculty of medicine at the University of Lyon, a colleague and friend of Professor Alexandre Lacassagne, with whom he apparently worked on many cases. After Coutagne and Lacassagne were promised the MJK photo from Mac Donald (see the letter transcript below), they agreed to publish Mac Donald's book Le criminel type dans quelques formes graves de la criminalité in 1893 by their own publisher Adrien Storck, translated from English to French by Coutagne himself. I suspect that they made a deal to withhold publication of the MJK photo until André Lamoureux’s (a doctoral candidate's) thesis De l’Éventration au point de vue médico-légal came out in 1894. Then Lacassagne published his own book, Vacher l’Eventreur et les crimes sadiques in 1899, not just with the MJK photo, but with an Eddowes photo as well. Now all we need to do ;-) is find Mac Donald's source for the photos in London in 1892 and later (around 1899) Lacassagne's source for Eddowes, who I'm willing to bet was the same person. It won't be an easy search, but Robert Mc Laughlin is researching Arthur Mac Donald's papers in the US, hoping to locate some correspondence. I'll be trying to locate more correspondence for Alexandre Lacassagne and, if possible, correspondence for Henry Coutagne in Lyon, as well as (extremely improbable to have survived) a depository for publisher Adrien Storck and photographer B. Delaye, who apparently handled the MJK photo.
As to why Arthur Mac Donald decided to publish his book in Europe, in French, I assume that he was unable to find an American publisher for his manuscript, particularly since he refused a fellowship at John Hopkins to go study in Italy with Cesare Lombroso and in Vienna with Krafft-Ebing, who were the top of the game at the time. Also at the time Mac Donald was employed at the US Bureau of Education in Washington DC and would have presumably needed clearance from the Bureau to publish anything in the US. There was also a long Mac Donald article on the failed assailant of president Roosevelt which Mac Donald also sent to Lacassagne for publication (in French), but a few years later. The deal was done over Mac Donald's book.
A transcription of Mac Donald's letter:
Per Doctor Coutagne
médécin {unreadable: “emerit“?}
Lyon
France
Torino, September 8, 1892.
My dear Sirs,I send a patho-sexual manuscript on special criminology, which has been read and approved of by Prof. Dr. von Krafft-Ebing of Vienna, from whom I have just received it. I desire to submit it for publication in the “Archives de l'Anthropologie criminelle“ in such a way that it could have 100 copies to be first in the form of a book.
The cases are peculiar and worked up for the first time. I have also a photograph of one of the worst victims of Jack the Ripper, which was very difficult to obtain, as was the case with the other photographs. This I will send in after I hear from you. The preface explains the nature of the book.
I shall be in London September 12 or 13 and desire a decision from you by that time, as I expect to return to Amiens.
My address will be:
Care J. S. Morgan & Co
22, Old Broad Street,
London E.C
England
I am,
Very Truly,
Dr Arthur Mac Donald
I have taken the liberty of writing in English, as you know English well.
{The envelope of the letter is addressed to Lacassagne.}
Endless thanks to Rob Clack for helping me deciphering the London address, and I'll probably won't post photos of the original source, so that they are published first in Mr. McLaughlin's upcoming second edition of his book.
I'd be very grateful for any input about who from the HO might have been able to provide Arthur Mac Donald with a MJK scene photo “behind the scenes“, since officially it was denied to him in 1892.
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