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Jane Toppan's Death: The Killing Fields Of Harold Shipman

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DOCTORS CAUSING HARM: HISTORY OF MEDICAL MURDERERS, FROM SWEENEY TODD TO HAROLD SHIPMAN

INTRODUCTION

“The killing fields of Harold Shipman1,” “Jane Toppan, an extraordinary case of moral insanity2,” are 2 of several chilling headlines of articles in newspapers between the 19th – 21st century. Many doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, who patients and the public trust with their lives, have been charged with multiple murders. Many/all of these medical professionals would have pledged to cure and save lives, but have however engaged in gruesome murder. Many doctors have been stuck off the GMC register and nurses off the NMC register having breaking their pledges. This essay gives an insight into the lives of some of the most …show more content…

Jane was born Honora Kelley in 1957. Her mother Bridget Kelly died when she was young, leaving her and her 2 sisters with their alcoholic father. Due to neglect by her father, Honora was fostered by the Toppan family in Boston and she became Jane Toppan. She began poisoning patients during her training at Boston’s Cambridge hospital10. Reports from Boston’s press said that large sums of money and expensive jewellery would go missing among Jane Toppan’s patients after they died9. In 1900 Jane killed her friend Myra Conners with strychnine and took over her job as a matron at The Theological School. Amelia Phinney is one of Jane’s victims who lived to tell the tale. She claimed that Jane drugged her then climbed in bed with her and kissed her all over her face as she slipped out of consciousness. Luckily Jane was interrupted and left the room. Amelia regained consciousness in the morning and she thought that it was all a dream but she checked out of the hospital anyway. In 1901 Toppan killed her landlord Alden Davis and his wife and then moved into their home to look after their children who in a period of 6 months all ended up dead. Jane was arrested in July 1901 for killing the last of the Davis family: their eldest daughter Minnie Gibbs. Jane pleaded guilty but due to the history of insanity in her family she was held in a mental institution until her death

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