Page images
PDF
EPUB

under "spermatorrhoea." Now, your Honor, this young man in a weak moment went to Dr. Kahn, and the first thing Dr. Kahn said to him was, "You have spermatorrhoea; what money have you? You see this is a very dangerous disease, and I am the only one who can cure it; but if I cure you, it must be for a good amount. However, as you are a poor man, I'll do it for 201." And nothing more was said then, but a panacea was given-supposed to contain antimony, the effect of which is to depress the patient to such an extent, that a person laboring under its influence for any period would believe anything. Then by a microscope the doctor discovered some animalculæ. This is one of the microscopic dodges, which frighten nervous people. He produces this before the man, who said, “What am I to do?" He answered, "I shall want 501." Then when he finds this poor young man is acted on in this way, who could not give 50l., as he said, the doctor exclaimed, "Your brains are passing out into your water, and you will die." (Laughter.) And thus the young man was reduced to that state of melancholy that he would believe anything that was told him, and when he came again, he found that he was worse instead of better. No man goes to these quacks unless his mind has been acted upon previously, and then nothing is too gross for him to be made to believe. Now, it is a singular fact, that directly the plaintiff left off the medicine, he got better. He went to a regular practitioner, and in about three weeks he was well. Sir, I will show to you that this is a common occurrence with Dr. Kahn. I shall show you a case where he got a heavy sum of money from a person under precisely similar circumstances.

The DEPUTY-JUDGE.-No, no; that will be quite unnecessary, because we are trying this case upon its merits.

Mr. MAY.-But, your Honor, I shall show complicity, not only that this case is a fraud, but that it comes forth with a fraudulent intent. I shall satisfy you that this defendant lives upon the vitals of young men by the money that he obtains in this identical way. I shall examine Mr. Hancock, a gentlemen of great repute as surgeon to the Charing Cross Hospital—

The DEPUTY-JUDGE.-Your case is, that he really obtained money by fraudulent pretences.

Mr. MAY.—If I bring an action against an unqualified man, I must show that he professes that for which he is not legally qualified.

The DEPUTY-JUDGE.—But you have no right to go into other cases where he obtained money; that has nothing to do with the present case; and if you prove what you have opened, I do not see that it is necessary to prove anything more. You surely have opened quite enough.

Mr. MAY. This is a matter of public importance. It is not merely a question of 201., which only forms a little ingredient. The sum obtained was 51l.; the first sum was 17., and he gradually gets money until he obtains that amount in the aggregate, which is the customary practice of these charlatans. If he were a qualified man, then he would not be entitled to what he has charged. I shall show that the most he can charge is a guinea; whereas we pay 50l. for not being cured, but, on the contrary, actually being made infinitely The fact is, he is one of these advertising quacks, and it is not for

worse.

the trifling sum that we come here to-day; but we wish, by the judgment of your Honor, which I have no doubt will be in favor of the plaintiff, to suppress this monstrous system of traffic and trading upon young men. I shall prove to the Court that he is in the habit of getting thousands of pounds from clergymen and other young men who are ashamed to state what their cases of disease are. I shall also prove that the plaintiff had scarcely any malady upon him at all; but that he was reduced to this state merely for Dr. Kahn's purpose, that of putting money into his pocket. First, I shall call the plaintiff, to show your Honor that he was to be cured for 201.; that there was a compact; and medical evidence to prove that the patient's symptoms could only be produced by the medicines administered to him by the defendant; and I shall satisfy you that when persons labor under disease produced by such treatment, they fall into a state which occasionally leads to insanity. Perhaps the most atrocious part of this case is, when the young man said, "You've not cured me; give me back my money!" and the doctor replied, "If you dare ask for that, I shall accuse you of masturbation" (sensation), which was utterly false, and a piece of rascally conduct on the part of the defendant.

The DEPUTY-JUDGE.-Oh! even if it were true, it would be a monstrous thing for a medical man to assert. (A burst of applause for a moment followed this remark from the Bench, but was immediately repressed.) I say, whether it be true or not, it is a breach of confidence, and a monstrous assertion to make.

The plaintiff was then sworn and examined by Mr. May.

I believe you went to consult Dr. Kahn ?—I went in the month of August, 1856.

Did you believe he was a regular practitioner?

Mr. BARNARD.-I object to that question.

Mr. MAY.-In what capacity did you go to him?-I went to consult him about my health.

But for that you would not have gone to him?—No; and I waited an hour before I could see him. He asked me what was the matter; and I told him that I had had the "clap," and that I did not think that I was cured of it.

Was there any thing important the matter with you at that time?—Nothing at all, except when I went to the water-closet there was a little secretion came from me, and I told him that, and he said,-"Let me look at it "—"Let me look at you." So I let my trousers down, and he put his hand there, and said, “You have been committing self-abuse; you have got spermatorrhoea.” And I said, "I have not."

Now, I ask you if you ever did so ?—I never did it in my life; and the doctor then said, "My fee is a guinea ;" and he said, "my charge to cure you of spermatorrhoea is 207.," after having received the guinea. I called again, and he gave me a little case with six small bottles in it. I had not spermatorrhoea at that time. I took him 107., and afterwards 91. Altogether I gave him 217.

18.; and he said, "I have got your medicine prepared for you. You go home now, get into a room, and never stir out for eight-and-twenty weeks; and take

three times a day a teaspoonful of the medicine that is in the box." I said, "I cannot do that, because I have to work for my living-I have to work for my livelihood." He then said, "You will lose your life if you do not do it; therefore you had better give up your situation than lose your life." He entered in a book that if I paid 157., and different sums until I had given him 501., he would cure me. I told him that I could not stop in the house eightand-twenty weeks.

The DEPUTY-JUDGE.-In whose employment are you?-The witness.—I will write it down, but I object to say.

Well, what salary do you get?—A hundred a year.

Mr. BARNARD. Where is your employment? I shall want it.

Mr. MAY (interposing).-Was any thing said about a microscope ?—Yes; he gave me a glass, and said, "Just step inside and make water." I brought it out and gave it to him. He then took the glass up. There were several of the same glasses in the window, and he took up a glass similar, and with a camel-hair brush just put a drop on a glass; and he then said, "Oh! my God! you are in an awful state! you are wasting away; and it is a lucky job you have come to me, for if you had gone to some ignorant man you would be dead!" He then rang the bell, and ordered "No. 9," which was a case that contained twelve small bottles. I had to take a table-spoonful three times a day, and to come to him when it was finished.

Did you get any better?—No; my eyesight got quite dim. He said, “The medicine has been acting upon you, but you will soon be better I had not had a day's illness for fourteen years of my life. My spirits were very much depressed, and in October I went. I had a little sore come underneath the skin of my penis, but he said, "That is nothing; you had better go home and get some yellow soap, and keep washing it." He then ordered me to put some powdered alum on it, and that made me ten times worse. He told me I had a constitution like a horse, and added that I had the pox; but I had not, because I had not touched a woman. At Christmas he said, "Your case has been very expensive to me, and I shall want some more money." He had then had the sum of 517. 18. He went on to say that my case was a very difficult one, and he should want some more money. I gave him a 107. note and a 57. note on Christmas-eve, the 24th of December, and that made up the 517. 18. He gave me some more medicine, of a different sort, and said, "When it is done, come to me in three or four months' time." About the middle of March I found myself very ill indeed, and I went to Mr. Acton, who said, "What is the matter?" I said, "I have come in consequence of this gross charge against me?"

Cross-examined by Mr. BARNARD.-How often did you go to Dr. Kahn's establishment?—I did not go more than seventeen or eighteen times. On the 24th of August I gave one guinea and 107., and in about twelve days after that I paid him 97.,—making up 217. ; I also paid 157., for which Mr. May holds the receipt, and I paid him the rest at another time.

Will you swear that you ever saw Dr. Kahn?—I went to inquire for Dr. Kahn, and I was shown somebody that represented himself as Dr. Kahn; but

I heard about two months afterwards that it was not Dr. Kahn, but his brother. Kahn did also attend me, though.

Were you a married man at this time?—No, a widower, and had a child. What have you been doing since ?-Well, I do as a good many men do; I run astray sometimes. It was the first time. All I told Dr. Kahn was, that when I went to the water-closet there was some secretion come from me, and that I had the clap. I felt it in June, and I should think it was on for more than six weeks.

How came you to go to Dr. Kahn ?—A friend of mine had gone to one of his lectures, and he brought one of his books with him.

Now, what are you?—I am a clerk.

In whose employ?

Mr. MAY.-Don't tell him.

The DEPUTY-JUDGE.-Surely that is unnecessary. It is a needless exposure.

I object to say; but I will write it down. so openly in court. I am employed by the the and I have been there eleven years. You married again?—Yes.

When did you marry?-Last week.

However, if I must say, I will do

[ocr errors]

the railway contractors in

Had you consulted any other man at all before you went to Dr. Kahn ?— No, I had not.

By the COURT.-Altogether I saw him about eighteen times, and I paid three times the amount.

Re-examined by Mr. MAY.-Where did you see this second man who called himself Dr. Kahn? Was it at defendant's house, at 17, Harley Street?—Yes. And when you saw the real "Simon Pure" had you any conversation with him ?-No.

The DEPUTY-JUDGE.—When you saw the real Dr. Kahn, was any thing said about his brother's treatment ?-He said his brother was ill, and he would prescribe for him.

Did you know Dr. Kahn was a lecturer ?—No.

Dr. M'CANN Sworn, and examined by Mr. MAY.-I have heard the history of this plaintiff, and in my opinion the depression, lassitude, and state of the patient would be produced by

Mr. BARNARD (Counsel)—I object to the question and answer being given in this way.

Mr. MAY.-What effect has antimony, Dr. M'Cann, upon a patient under such circumstances?

Question objected to.

Would the proper medicine for spermatorrhoea produce the effect that was produced upon the plaintiff?

The DEPUTY-JUDGE.-What is the proper medicine ?-That would depend upon the causes from which it arose, but tonics and chalybeates generally ought to be given.

Would it be proper to confine the patient for twenty-eight weeks to one room?—I should say highly improper.

From what you have heard of the description of the plaintiff's complaint, would that be spermatorrhoea ?—I can't answer that question. I had a precisely similar case put before me a very short time ago, in which the same defendant obtained a very large sum of money, but which we compelled him

to return.

The DEPUTY-JUDGE.-You must not tell us about that, as it is not evidence.

Mr. Wм. ACTON, surgeon, sworn, and examined by Mr. MAY.-You have seen the plaintiff, have you not ?—Yes, I attended the plaintiff on the 21st of April, and I put questions to him in my medical capacity as to his general health, and from the conclusions I came to, I imagined him to be suffering under some of the assumed forms of spermatorrhoea. He was laboring under great debility, and the result of my examination was the opinion that he was not suffering under spermatorrhoea; he was in an excessively languid state, and there were no signs of his ever having had syphilis, nor any symptoms of his having recently had it.

Is it possible that the infinitesimal portion of urine that would remain on a camel-hair brush, just touched on a glass, even in spermatorrhoea, could deposit a sufficient amount of animal life to be disclosed to frighten any man? -No; I should say not.

If a man were suffering under spermatorrhoea, and a paint brush were dipped in a glass, would living animalculæ be visible?—No ; it is not possible. When a person presents himself to me, I make him pass urine, and it gradually settles down in a vessel or glass. It is just at the very bottom that when there is semen you can discover it. That takes several hours; and if there be any animalculæ, you can detect them in the deposit.

Mr. MAY.-Then it is perfectly impossible that the camel-hair brush dipped into it could show any animalcula to frighten the plaintiff? Could a man have spermatorrhea without being aware of it?—A large number of persons frequently suffer in such a way that on going to stool they find a certain quantity of such matter is pressed out, and it arises from that action, and not from disease.

Do you think the treatment that was adopted was prudent ?—No; I should say decidedly not, and especially keeping him eight-and-twenty weeks in a room. It would have the opposite effect. He would require tonics, and things to amuse rather than depress him-fresh air, plenty of food and tonic medicine.

The plaintiff re-called.-What did Dr. Kahn say with reference to your food?-He said, do no eat anything like pork, but otherwise you can live as usual. (Laughter.)

Mr. MAY to Dr. M'CANN.-Now, doctor, would pork have any peculiar effect upon a man suffering from spermatorrhoea? (Renewed laughter.)—No; not that I am aware of.

Was the patient, from what you could judge—

« PreviousContinue »