Dr
Edward William Pritchard (6 December 1825 – 28 July 1865) was an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
doctor who was convicted of murdering his wife and mother-in-law by poisoning. He was also suspected of a third murder, of a servant, but was never tried for it. He was the last person to be publicly executed in
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Early years
Pritchard was born in
SouthseaSouthsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
,
HampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, into a naval family. His father was John White Pritchard, a captain. He claimed to have studied at
King's College HospitalKing's College Hospital is an acute care facility in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH"...
in
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and to have graduated from there in 1846. He then served in the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as an assistant surgeon with
HMS VictoryHMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
. For another four years he served on various other ships travelling around the world, before coming back on
HMS HecateHMS Hecate was a 4-gun paddle sloop launched on 30 March 1839 from the Chatham Dockyard.She was assigned to the Mediterranean Station between 1840 and 1843, she participated during the Syrian War of 1840. After a period of be laid in reserve she served as part of the West Africa Squadron off Africa...
to
PortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
where he met his future wife Mary Jane Taylor, the daughter of a prosperous retired silk merchant from
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
The couple married in 1851, but after a period apart, Dr Pritchard resigned from the Navy. He first took a job as a general practitioner in
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, living for a time in
HunmanbyHunmanby is a large village , which was classified as a town until the 1960s, and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England...
. There he became a prominent freemason in the lodge in nearby Scarborough, where he was Master of the Royal Lodge in 1857 and Master of Old Globe Lodge in 1858 and 1859. He was also the author of several books on his travels and on the water cure at Hunmanby, as well as articles in
The LancetThe Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
. In 1859, however, he left under a cloud and in debt, moving to Glasgow.
Murders
On the 5th May 1863 there was a fire in the Pritchards' house at 11 Berkeley Street, Glasgow, which killed a servant girl. Her name was Elizabeth McGrain, she was 25 years old. The fire started in her room but she made no attempt to escape, suggesting that she may have been unconscious, drugged or already dead. The
procurator fiscalA procurator fiscal is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland , conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries and handle criminal complaints against the police A procurator fiscal (pl. procurators fiscal) is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They...
looked into the case, but no charges were brought.
In 1865 Pritchard poisoned his mother-in-law, Jane Taylor, 70, who died on 28 February. His wife, whom he was treating for an illness (with the help of a Dr Paterson), died a month later on 18 March at the age of 38. Both were living at the family's new home in
Sauchiehall StreetSauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping/business streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, it forms the main shopping area of Glasgow, containing the majority of Glasgow's high street and chain stores.Although commonly associated with the...
, Glasgow. Dr. Paterson was actually highly suspicious of the "illnesses" of both women, and when the time came would not sign the death certificates. However, he did not go out of his way to contact the medical or legal authorities of his suspicions. He was caught after an anonymous letter was sent to the authorities. When the bodies were exhumed, the poison
antimonyAntimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
was found.
Trial
The trial was actually not too difficult (for a change in medical murder trials) to follow. The only major points of interest were Pritchard's motive (possibly he was having an affair with another maid in the household, although he would blame her for the poisonings as his defense), and the strange reticence of Dr. Paterson in not informing anyone in authority of his suspicions. Pritchard was convicted after a five-day hearing in
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in July 1865 presided over by the
Lord Justice ClerkThe Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.The holder has the title in both the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary and is in charge of the Second Division of Judges in the Court of Session...
,
Lord GlencorseJohn Inglis, Lord Glencorse FRSE was a Scottish politician and judge. He was Lord President of the Court of Session ....
. He was hanged in front of thousands at the Saltmarket end of
Glasgow GreenGlasgow Green is a park situated in the east end of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde. It is the oldest park in the city dating back to the 15th century.In 1450, King James II granted the land to Bishop William Turnbull and the people of Glasgow...
at 8am on 28 July.
In popular culture
In 1947 Scottish playwright
James BridieJames Bridie was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and surgeon whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor....
wrote
Dr Angelus, based on the case. It originally starred
Alastair SimAlastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is best remembered in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge, and for his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two St. Trinian's films...
.
Pritchard was played by
Joseph CottenJoseph Cheshire Cotten was an American actor of stage and film. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair...
in an episode of the television series "On Trial" (episode name:
The Trial of Edward Pritchard) in 1956.
In the "Sherlock Holmes" short story,
The Adventure of the Speckled Band"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is the eighth of the twelve stories collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It is one of four Sherlock Holmes stories that can be classified as a locked...
, while commenting on the apparent villain, Dr Grimesby Roylott, Holmes tells Dr Watson that when a doctor goes bad he is the first of criminals. He then illustrates this with the comment that Drs
PalmerWilliam Palmer was an English doctor who was convicted of murder in one of the most notorious cases of the 19th century.-Early life:...
and Pritchard were at the "head of their profession". Since neither was considered a good doctor, and Pritchard was considered something of a quack by the medical fraternity in Glasgow, the "profession" involved was that of murder.
External links
Dr
Edward William Pritchard (6 December 1825 – 28 July 1865) was an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
doctor who was convicted of murdering his wife and mother-in-law by poisoning. He was also suspected of a third murder, of a servant, but was never tried for it. He was the last person to be publicly executed in
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Early years
Pritchard was born in
SouthseaSouthsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
,
HampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, into a naval family. His father was John White Pritchard, a captain. He claimed to have studied at
King's College HospitalKing's College Hospital is an acute care facility in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH"...
in
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and to have graduated from there in 1846. He then served in the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as an assistant surgeon with
HMS VictoryHMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
. For another four years he served on various other ships travelling around the world, before coming back on
HMS HecateHMS Hecate was a 4-gun paddle sloop launched on 30 March 1839 from the Chatham Dockyard.She was assigned to the Mediterranean Station between 1840 and 1843, she participated during the Syrian War of 1840. After a period of be laid in reserve she served as part of the West Africa Squadron off Africa...
to
PortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
where he met his future wife Mary Jane Taylor, the daughter of a prosperous retired silk merchant from
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
The couple married in 1851, but after a period apart, Dr Pritchard resigned from the Navy. He first took a job as a general practitioner in
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, living for a time in
HunmanbyHunmanby is a large village , which was classified as a town until the 1960s, and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England...
. There he became a prominent freemason in the lodge in nearby Scarborough, where he was Master of the Royal Lodge in 1857 and Master of Old Globe Lodge in 1858 and 1859. He was also the author of several books on his travels and on the water cure at Hunmanby, as well as articles in
The LancetThe Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
. In 1859, however, he left under a cloud and in debt, moving to Glasgow.
Murders
On the 5th May 1863 there was a fire in the Pritchards' house at 11 Berkeley Street, Glasgow, which killed a servant girl. Her name was Elizabeth McGrain, she was 25 years old. The fire started in her room but she made no attempt to escape, suggesting that she may have been unconscious, drugged or already dead. The
procurator fiscalA procurator fiscal is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland , conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries and handle criminal complaints against the police A procurator fiscal (pl. procurators fiscal) is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They...
looked into the case, but no charges were brought.
In 1865 Pritchard poisoned his mother-in-law, Jane Taylor, 70, who died on 28 February. His wife, whom he was treating for an illness (with the help of a Dr Paterson), died a month later on 18 March at the age of 38. Both were living at the family's new home in
Sauchiehall StreetSauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping/business streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, it forms the main shopping area of Glasgow, containing the majority of Glasgow's high street and chain stores.Although commonly associated with the...
, Glasgow. Dr. Paterson was actually highly suspicious of the "illnesses" of both women, and when the time came would not sign the death certificates. However, he did not go out of his way to contact the medical or legal authorities of his suspicions. He was caught after an anonymous letter was sent to the authorities. When the bodies were exhumed, the poison
antimonyAntimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
was found.
Trial
The trial was actually not too difficult (for a change in medical murder trials) to follow. The only major points of interest were Pritchard's motive (possibly he was having an affair with another maid in the household, although he would blame her for the poisonings as his defense), and the strange reticence of Dr. Paterson in not informing anyone in authority of his suspicions. Pritchard was convicted after a five-day hearing in
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in July 1865 presided over by the
Lord Justice ClerkThe Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.The holder has the title in both the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary and is in charge of the Second Division of Judges in the Court of Session...
,
Lord GlencorseJohn Inglis, Lord Glencorse FRSE was a Scottish politician and judge. He was Lord President of the Court of Session ....
. He was hanged in front of thousands at the Saltmarket end of
Glasgow GreenGlasgow Green is a park situated in the east end of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde. It is the oldest park in the city dating back to the 15th century.In 1450, King James II granted the land to Bishop William Turnbull and the people of Glasgow...
at 8am on 28 July.
In popular culture
In 1947 Scottish playwright
James BridieJames Bridie was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and surgeon whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor....
wrote
Dr Angelus, based on the case. It originally starred
Alastair SimAlastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is best remembered in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge, and for his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two St. Trinian's films...
.
Pritchard was played by
Joseph CottenJoseph Cheshire Cotten was an American actor of stage and film. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair...
in an episode of the television series "On Trial" (episode name:
The Trial of Edward Pritchard) in 1956.
In the "Sherlock Holmes" short story,
The Adventure of the Speckled Band"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is the eighth of the twelve stories collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It is one of four Sherlock Holmes stories that can be classified as a locked...
, while commenting on the apparent villain, Dr Grimesby Roylott, Holmes tells Dr Watson that when a doctor goes bad he is the first of criminals. He then illustrates this with the comment that Drs
PalmerWilliam Palmer was an English doctor who was convicted of murder in one of the most notorious cases of the 19th century.-Early life:...
and Pritchard were at the "head of their profession". Since neither was considered a good doctor, and Pritchard was considered something of a quack by the medical fraternity in Glasgow, the "profession" involved was that of murder.
External links
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}}
{{Persondata
| NAME =Pritchard, Edward William
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Doctor, murderer
| DATE OF BIRTH = 6 December 1825
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
SouthseaSouthsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
| DATE OF DEATH = 28 July 1865
| PLACE OF DEATH =
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
}}
Dr
Edward William Pritchard (6 December 1825 – 28 July 1865) was an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
doctor who was convicted of murdering his wife and mother-in-law by poisoning. He was also suspected of a third murder, of a servant, but was never tried for it. He was the last person to be publicly executed in
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Early years
Pritchard was born in
SouthseaSouthsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
,
HampshireHampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, into a naval family. His father was John White Pritchard, a captain. He claimed to have studied at
King's College HospitalKing's College Hospital is an acute care facility in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH"...
in
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and to have graduated from there in 1846. He then served in the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as an assistant surgeon with
HMS VictoryHMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
. For another four years he served on various other ships travelling around the world, before coming back on
HMS HecateHMS Hecate was a 4-gun paddle sloop launched on 30 March 1839 from the Chatham Dockyard.She was assigned to the Mediterranean Station between 1840 and 1843, she participated during the Syrian War of 1840. After a period of be laid in reserve she served as part of the West Africa Squadron off Africa...
to
PortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
where he met his future wife Mary Jane Taylor, the daughter of a prosperous retired silk merchant from
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
The couple married in 1851, but after a period apart, Dr Pritchard resigned from the Navy. He first took a job as a general practitioner in
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, living for a time in
HunmanbyHunmanby is a large village , which was classified as a town until the 1960s, and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England...
. There he became a prominent freemason in the lodge in nearby Scarborough, where he was Master of the Royal Lodge in 1857 and Master of Old Globe Lodge in 1858 and 1859. He was also the author of several books on his travels and on the water cure at Hunmanby, as well as articles in
The LancetThe Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
. In 1859, however, he left under a cloud and in debt, moving to Glasgow.
Murders
On the 5th May 1863 there was a fire in the Pritchards' house at 11 Berkeley Street, Glasgow, which killed a servant girl. Her name was Elizabeth McGrain, she was 25 years old. The fire started in her room but she made no attempt to escape, suggesting that she may have been unconscious, drugged or already dead. The
procurator fiscalA procurator fiscal is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland , conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries and handle criminal complaints against the police A procurator fiscal (pl. procurators fiscal) is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They...
looked into the case, but no charges were brought.
In 1865 Pritchard poisoned his mother-in-law, Jane Taylor, 70, who died on 28 February. His wife, whom he was treating for an illness (with the help of a Dr Paterson), died a month later on 18 March at the age of 38. Both were living at the family's new home in
Sauchiehall StreetSauchiehall Street is one of the main shopping/business streets in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Along with Buchanan Street and Argyle Street, it forms the main shopping area of Glasgow, containing the majority of Glasgow's high street and chain stores.Although commonly associated with the...
, Glasgow. Dr. Paterson was actually highly suspicious of the "illnesses" of both women, and when the time came would not sign the death certificates. However, he did not go out of his way to contact the medical or legal authorities of his suspicions. He was caught after an anonymous letter was sent to the authorities. When the bodies were exhumed, the poison
antimonyAntimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
was found.
Trial
The trial was actually not too difficult (for a change in medical murder trials) to follow. The only major points of interest were Pritchard's motive (possibly he was having an affair with another maid in the household, although he would blame her for the poisonings as his defense), and the strange reticence of Dr. Paterson in not informing anyone in authority of his suspicions. Pritchard was convicted after a five-day hearing in
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in July 1865 presided over by the
Lord Justice ClerkThe Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session.The holder has the title in both the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary and is in charge of the Second Division of Judges in the Court of Session...
,
Lord GlencorseJohn Inglis, Lord Glencorse FRSE was a Scottish politician and judge. He was Lord President of the Court of Session ....
. He was hanged in front of thousands at the Saltmarket end of
Glasgow GreenGlasgow Green is a park situated in the east end of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde. It is the oldest park in the city dating back to the 15th century.In 1450, King James II granted the land to Bishop William Turnbull and the people of Glasgow...
at 8am on 28 July.
In popular culture
In 1947 Scottish playwright
James BridieJames Bridie was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and surgeon whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor....
wrote
Dr Angelus, based on the case. It originally starred
Alastair SimAlastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is best remembered in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge, and for his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two St. Trinian's films...
.
Pritchard was played by
Joseph CottenJoseph Cheshire Cotten was an American actor of stage and film. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair...
in an episode of the television series "On Trial" (episode name:
The Trial of Edward Pritchard) in 1956.
In the "Sherlock Holmes" short story,
The Adventure of the Speckled Band"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is the eighth of the twelve stories collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It is one of four Sherlock Holmes stories that can be classified as a locked...
, while commenting on the apparent villain, Dr Grimesby Roylott, Holmes tells Dr Watson that when a doctor goes bad he is the first of criminals. He then illustrates this with the comment that Drs
PalmerWilliam Palmer was an English doctor who was convicted of murder in one of the most notorious cases of the 19th century.-Early life:...
and Pritchard were at the "head of their profession". Since neither was considered a good doctor, and Pritchard was considered something of a quack by the medical fraternity in Glasgow, the "profession" involved was that of murder.
External links
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}}
{{Persondata
| NAME =Pritchard, Edward William
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Doctor, murderer
| DATE OF BIRTH = 6 December 1825
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
SouthseaSouthsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
| DATE OF DEATH = 28 July 1865
| PLACE OF DEATH =
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pritch