I'm continuing my review of historic abortion deaths from the Library of Congress online archives.
The snippets from news roundups: Anna Gold, age 18, Russian immigrant, death being investigated as possible abortion death. Mrs. Alma Roos, age 39, died just before January 14, 1914; Mrs. Johanna Gratz held. Mrs. Mary Alton, age 22, reported to coroner as blood poisoning death due to illegal abortion. Ethel Garrity, age 19, police investigating suspected abortion death. Also Mary Boers, age 28. Mrs. Josephine Sutter, suspected fatal abortion at the hands of midwife Matthilde Minhke. Mrs. Marie Lucas, Dr. E. A. Ludwig acquitted in her apparent abortion death. Mrs. Mary Plewa, suspected abortion death being investigated. Mrs. Stella Cams, three of four indicted physicians were still in jail. Mrs. Christina Ortag, self-induced (?) in somebody else's home. Mrs. Stella Sams, coroner's finding of abortion, not pneumonia, will investigate. Mrs. Regina Nelson, suspected abortion death being investigated. Mrs. Lillie Groveneo, suspected illegal abortion death.
And a very interesting discovery. I already had some sketchy information on Mary Stefen, Mary Pichman, and Anna Hunt, who all died in Chicago's Rhodes Avenue Hospital. Evidently Rhodes Avenue wasn't just someplace they took women who were already dying. This little snippet in The Day Book (Chicago, IL) from April 1, 1914, reads, "Judge Gemmell insists that conditions at Rhodes Avenue Hospital are bad. Say it is the third case of an illegal operation against institution." So I started an archive search on Rhodes Avenue Hospital. We have two unlicensed nurses caught practicing there, and a doctor there sued for collecting $100 abortion fee then reneging. It's starting to sound like a modern abortion facility.
A melodramatic account of an unnamed girl's shame is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment