“I agree,” Hawthorn said. And: “Dr. Savard, on what point exactly do you disagree with Dr. Manderston’s findings?”
“I believe Dr. Manderston was incorrect when he wrote ‘person or persons unknown.’”
Mayo widened his eyes in mock distress. “You know who operated on Mrs. Campbell? If you had said so to start with, we wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Anna looked at Manderston for a long moment, then spoke to him directly. “In my opinion, Mrs. Campbell’s injuries were self-inflicted.”
Heath gave a startled laugh. “That is utterly ridiculous.”
“I would say patently impossible,” Manderston volunteered.
The coroner raised a brow in Manderston’s direction. “As I understand it, many women perform such operations on themselves, and often with success.”
“Not in this case,” said Manderston. “This was no simple scraping gone bad. The damage was considerable and the pain would have stopped her.”
The coroner looked at Anna. “Dr. Savard?”
“The pain might well stop a man,” Anna agreed.
Sophie said, “Desperate women are capable of even worse.”
Heath snorted openly. “In your extensive experience, I suppose you’ve seen worse?”
“I have,” Sophie said. “But then I work mostly with the poorest women, and desperation is the rule rather than the exception.” She looked from Manderston to Heath and back again. “You would have less experience of this kind at your hospital.”
“I was practicing medicine before you were born,” Heath said, his lip curling.
“Of course,” Sophie said. “But in the homes of the rich or in your own clinic.”
“Mrs. Campbell was my patient, if I may remind you.”
“And she left your care.”
“Because she knew I wouldn’t perform the operation she wanted.”
“Because she was terrified, and knew you didn’t care.”
“Coroner Hawthorn,” Heath barked. “I will not be spoken to this way by a—by a—” He coughed and sputtered as he pushed himself out of his chair.
“Sit down, Dr. Heath,” Hawthorn said. “We are almost finished here. I see no option but to convene a coroner’s jury to decide if this was an accidental suicide or a death following from malpractice.”
“Or both,” Manderston muttered loud enough to be heard throughout the room.
“We’ll meet on Monday,” Hawthorn went on, ignoring him.
Sophie rose immediately and leaned over to Anna, putting a hand on Jack’s shoulder to draw him into the conversation. “I must go down to Cap,” she said. “And get him home and into bed. Will you call later?”
“Not this evening,” Anna said. “You are in desperate need of rest, too, Sophie. Let’s let Conrad do his work, and we can talk over the weekend. We have until Monday to work out a strategy.”
They turned to look to the front of the room, where the attorneys and clerks and coroner were deep in conversation.
“What is that about, do you think?” Anna asked.
Jack said, “Belmont will be insisting on a second autopsy, and no doubt he’s arguing about the jurors. In other cases like these he would want as many doctors as he could get—”
He broke off, and Anna took up what he had been reluctant to say. “But not in our case. Not male physicians, at any rate, to sit in judgment of us.”
“Then who?” Sophie asked. “May we suggest names?”
“I think that you should,” Jack said. “Give them to Conrad as soon as possible, and let him steer things in that direction.”
“I’ll do that,” Anna said to Sophie. “You go on to Cap, and give him my love. Tell him Conrad has things well in hand.”
“I will,” Sophie said. “Though I don’t quite believe it myself.”
24
NEW YORK TIMES
Friday, May 25, 1883
EVENING EDITION
CORONER’S JURY TO EXAMINE TWO WOMEN PHYSICIANS IN CONNECTION WITH THE DEATH OF JANINE CAMPBELL
Just one day ago, while the rest of the city enjoyed the fireworks display that closed the ceremonies for the new East River Bridge, an autopsy was performed at the New Amsterdam Charity Hospital. The deceased, Mrs. Janine Campbell, a married lady of respectable family and mother of four small boys, died earlier yesterday. The postmortem examination revealed evidence of malpractice.
The physicians subpoenaed for questioning in connection with this case were Dr. Sophie Verhoeven, who attended Mrs. Campbell at the birth of her fourth son in March, and Dr. Anna Savard, the surgeon on duty when Mrs. Campbell arrived at the New Amsterdam yesterday.