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Post Mortem Examinations and Case Books Fenton, William James
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Alfred Danielli, [No age stated], [No occupation stated]

Occupation or role: [No occupation stated]
Gender: Male
Age: [No age stated]
Date of admission: 19 Dec 1899
Date of death: 19 Dec 1899
Disease (transcribed): Cardiac hypertrophy. Pulmonary oedema. Slight aortic stenosis. Slight mitral stenosis
Disease (standardised): Hypertrophy (Heart); Oedema (Lung); Aortic valve stenosis (Heart); Mitral valve stenosis (Heart);
Admitted under the care of: Ewart, William
Medical examination performed by: n/a
Post mortem examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Medical notes: 'Brought in dead'
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Thorax, abdomen
Type of incident: n/a

Alfred King, 66, Carpenter

Occupation or role: Carpenter
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 21 Jul 1900
Date of death: 27 Jul 1900
Disease (transcribed): Biliary obstruction. Carcinoma of ampulla of vater
Disease (standardised): Obstruction (Bile ducts); Cancer (Bile ducts)
Admitted under the care of: Rolleston, Humphry Davy
Medical examination performed by: Whipham, Thomas Tillyer
Post mortem examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Medical notes: Ten weeks before admission the patient had pain in the abdomen after dinner. A week later he became jaundiced and the urine was a dark colour.
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Pleurae, lungs, heart, abdomen, liver, spleen, pancreas and duodenum, urinary tract, alimentary canal and kidneys. The post mortem contains a report by humphry davy rolleston ‘primary carcinoma of the ampulla of vater with report of a case presenting some features of interest’
Type of incident: n/a

Ambrose Pople, 45, General dealer

Occupation or role: General dealer
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 26 Sep 1901
Date of death: 20 Oct 1901
Disease (transcribed): Phthisis. Hydropneumothorax. Intestinal ulceration
Disease (standardised): Tuberculosis (Lung); Hydropneumothorax (Lung); Ulcer (Intestines)
Admitted under the care of: Owen, Herbert Isambard
Medical examination performed by: Whipham, Thomas Roland Charles
Post mortem examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Medical notes: About a year ago a cough commenced which after a month was followed by haemoptysis, at one time profuse.
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Lungs, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, suprarenals, testes, urinary tract and alimentary canal
Illustrations: Yes
Type of incident: n/a

Arthur Ashdown, 25, Labourer

Occupation or role: Labourer
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 9 May 1900
Date of death: 24 May 1900
Disease (transcribed): Obliterative endarteritis of cerebral vessels. Cerebral softening
Disease (standardised): Endarteritis (Arteries); Softening (Brain)
Admitted under the care of: Penrose, Francis George
Medical examination performed by: Whipham, Thomas Tillyer
Post mortem examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Medical notes: In September last the patient was treated for severe secondary syphilis. On admission he was a fairly healthy looking man with paralysis of the right arm and leg and right side of the face.
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Pleurae, lungs, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, alimentary and urinary tracts, testes, and cranial cavity
Type of incident: n/a

Caroline Finch, 30, [Occupation not stated]

Occupation or role: [Occupation not stated]
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Date of admission: 24 Feb 1897
Date of death: 24 May 1897
Disease (transcribed): Large white kidneys: peritonitis
Disease (standardised): Nephritis (Kidney); Peritonitis (Abdomen) ()
Admitted under the care of: Owen, Herbert Isambard
Medical examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Post mortem examination performed by: Latham, Arthur Carlyle
Medical notes: 'Patient was subject to oedema[?] as long as she could remember – Three months before admission she began to get short of breath, 8 weeks before she noticed swelling of the legs and belly, and passed bloody water since'
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Thorax, abdomen
Illustrations: Yes
Type of incident: n/a

Charles Bourne, 50, Printer

Occupation or role: Printer
Age: 50
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 28 Apr 1897
Date of death: 8 Aug 1897
Disease (transcribed): Aneurism of abdominal aorta
Disease (standardised): Aneurysm (Aorta)
Admitted under the care of: Penrose, Francis George
Medical examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Post mortem examination performed by: n/a
Medical notes: 'This patient, who was a printer by trade, was admitted on the 28th April complaining of severe pain in the Right hip [..] Both legs were swollen at the time of admission, the right having been so since the pain in the hip began, the swelling of the latter being more recent'
Body parts examined in the post mortem: 'See page 244 for notes of this case[…] Abdomen'
Illustrations: Yes
Type of incident: n/a

Edward Kiff, 25, Painter

Occupation or role: Painter
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 4 Apr 1900
Date of death: 4 Apr 1900
Disease (transcribed): Fracture of skull. Depression of fragments, rupture of Dura Mater
Disease (standardised): Fracture (Skull); Rupture (Meninges)
Admitted under the care of: Turner, George Robertson
Medical examination performed by: Pendlebury, Herbert Stringfellow
Post mortem examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Medical notes: Not seen by Surgical Registrar.
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Lungs, larynx and trachea, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, urinary and alimentary tracts, and cranium
Type of incident: n/a

Eleanor Groves, 49, [Wife of] Waiter

Occupation or role: [Wife of] Waiter
Age: 49
Gender: Female
Date of admission: 7 Dec 1899
Date of death: 11 Feb 1900
Disease (transcribed): Hepatic Cirrhosis
Disease (standardised): Cirrhosis (Liver)
Admitted under the care of: Rolleston, Humphry Davy
Medical examination performed by: Whipham, Thomas Tillyer
Post mortem examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Medical notes: The patient had been short of breath for two or three years, with a slight cough and occasional spitting of clots of blood. She had recently been subject to epistaxis, swollen abdomen, retching and vomiting, piles and passing blood.
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Pleurae, lungs, heart, abdomen, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, urinary tract, alimentary canal and cranium
Type of incident: n/a

Emily Sawyer, 25, Cook

Occupation or role: Cook
Gender: Female
Age: 25
Date of admission: 10 Jan 1899
Date of death: 13 Jan 1899
Disease (transcribed): Syphilitic stenosis of bronchi. Hepatic syphilis
Disease (standardised): Syphilis (Lung, liver); Constriction, pathologic (Lung);
Admitted under the care of: Rolleston, Humphry Davy
Medical examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Post mortem examination performed by: Lazarus-Barlow, Walter Sydney
Medical notes: 'This patient was too ill on admission for elaborate history or very detailed examination, the following however are the salient features of the case in so far as it was possible to obtain them, she was quite well up to 3 months before admission here when dyspnoea with paroxysms of coughing came on and became steadily worse. The sputum, at first scanty, became gradually profuse. No pain was complained of and no haemoptysis occurred. She had lost flesh. There was no definite 'specific' history. She had been I.P. [In-patient] here in '96 and '97 [1896 and 1897] for a 'bad leg'. There was nothing of importance in his family history'
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Thorax
Illustrations: Yes
Type of incident: n/a

Frederick Boreham, 19, Handy boy

Occupation or role: Handy boy
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 24 Oct 1900
Date of death: 24 Nov 1900
Disease (transcribed): Double hydronephrosis (? congenital)
Disease (standardised): Hydronephrosis (Kidney)
Admitted under the care of: Dent, Clinton Thomas
Medical examination performed by: Keyser, Charles Ralph
Post mortem examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Medical notes: The patient was re-admitted from Atkinson Morley Convalescent Hospital for haematuria which he had had occasionally for about twelve months.
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Lungs, heart, abdomen, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, urethra and alimentary canal
Type of incident: n/a

George Heming, 60, Carpenter

Occupation or role: Carpenter
Age: 60
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 16 Jul 1896
Date of death: 20 Jul 1896
Disease (transcribed): Carcinoma of stomach. Endocarditis. Multiple embolism of cerebral arteries
Disease (standardised): Cancer (Stomach); Endocarditis (Heart); Embolism (Arteries)
Admitted under the care of: Ewart, William
Medical examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Post mortem examination performed by: Ogle, Cyril
Medical notes: The patient had been a very heavy drinker and in July 1896 was admitted for rheumatic pains.
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Lungs, heart, stomach, liver, spleen, kidneys, adrenals, bladder, joints and cranium
Illustrations: Yes
Type of incident: n/a

George Lewis, 65, Chair attendant

Occupation or role: Chair attendant
Age: 65
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 20 Mar 1897
Date of death: 7 May 1897
Disease (transcribed): Aortic aneurysm
Disease (standardised): Aneurysm (Aorta)
Admitted under the care of: Ewart, William
Medical examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Post mortem examination performed by: Rolleston, Humphry Davy
Medical notes: 'No previous illness. Doubtful history of gout. A brother gouty. While at work on Jan [January] 11th he noticed his breath suddenly 'go', taking some time to recover. Had noticed slight shortness of breath a few days before and complained of a certain 'dull aching of the heart' but never took any notice of it'
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Thorax, abdomen
Illustrations: Yes
Type of incident: n/a

Harry Hodgkin, 17, [No occupation stated]

Occupation or role: [No occupation stated]
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Date of admission: 14 Jan 1899
Date of death: 11 Mar 1899
Disease (transcribed): Congenital syphilis. Obstruction of bile duct. Great enlargement of spleen
Disease (standardised): Syphilis, congenital (Systemic); Obstruction (Bile ducts); Disease (Spleen);
Admitted under the care of: Ewart, William
Medical examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Post mortem examination performed by: Lazarus-Barlow, Walter Sydney
Medical notes: '1st admission. This boy was an I.P. [In-patient] here in '98 [1898] with well marked syphilitic lesions of the joints and bones which cleared up under Pot: Iod: [Potassium Iodide] – Whilst in the Hospital he appeared peculiarly susceptible to Erysipelas, suffering from several attacks. His condition otherwise precisely as on his second admission this year - 2nd admission. He complained of nothing in particular beyond dull yellow colour, and of weakness and 'want of spring' in his legs'
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Thorax, abdomen
Illustrations: Yes
Type of incident: n/a

Henry Hands, 36, Waiter

Occupation or role: Waiter
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 14 Feb 1902
Date of death: 24 Feb 1902
Disease (transcribed): Phthisis. Vomicae
Disease (standardised): Tuberculosis (Lung)
Admitted under the care of: Ewart, William
Medical examination performed by: Whipham, Thomas Roland Charles
Post mortem examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Medical notes: In August 1900 a cough came on without any expectoration followed by shooting pains in the legs.
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Lungs, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, urinary tract, suprarenals, alimentary canal and stomach
Illustrations: Yes
Type of incident: n/a

John Driscoll, 46, Commissionaire

Occupation or role: Commissionaire
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 14 Dec 1899
Date of death: 7 Mar 1900
Disease (transcribed): Aortic disease and its sequels. Anaemic infarction of lungs.
Disease (standardised): Disease (Aorta); Anaemia (Blood); Infarction (Lung)
Admitted under the care of: Ewart, William
Medical examination performed by: Whipham, Thomas Tillyer
Post mortem examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Medical notes: This man was an inpatient the previous October with shortness of breath, swelling of the legs and orthopnoea, and signs or aortic regurgitation and bronchitis. He improved and went to Wimbledon, but returned three weeks later with the same symptoms.
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Pleurae, lungs, heart, aorta, abdomen and kidney
Type of incident: n/a

Owen Evans, 33, Dairyman

Occupation or role: Dairyman
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 11 Nov 1901
Date of death: 6 Dec 1901
Disease (transcribed): Hepatic cirrhosis
Disease (standardised): Cirrhosis (Liver)
Admitted under the care of: Penrose, Francis George
Medical examination performed by: Stokes, Whitley Bland
Post mortem examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Medical notes: Swelling in the abdomen was noticed two months before admission, and he had been dyspeptic for some years.
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Abdomen only examined
Illustrations: Yes
Type of incident: n/a

Post Mortem Examinations and Case Books

  • 406 PM
  • Collection
  • 1840-1946

The post mortem records contain manuscript case notes, with medical notes both pre and post mortem. These include details on patients’ admission to the hospital, treatments and medication administered to patients and the medical history of patients; the medical histories were copied into the volumes from hospital registers, which are no longer extant. The post mortem cases include detailed pathological findings made during the detailed examination of the body after death. From the 1880s onwards the case books contain original anatomical drawings and photographs.

For more information and updates about the project, see our project page

The following information is recorded for each case. The information is transcribed from the case notes and/or the relevant index and, where relevant, additionally standardised using MeSH (Medical Subject Headings)

• Name of the patient. If a name is not entered in the volume, it is noted in the catalogue as ‘[No name stated]’

• Gender of the patient (female / male / unknown)

• Age of the patient. Usually in numbers, following the original, with the following exceptions: 4/12 = 4 months, 4/52 = 4 weeks, 4/365 = 4 days. If no age is entered, it is noted in the catalogue as ‘[No age stated]’

• Occupation of the patient. Where no occupation is entered, it is noted in the catalogue as ‘[No occupation stated]’. Children are often designated according to their father’s or mother’s occupation and women by their husband’s occupation (e.g. ‘F / Horsekeeper’, ‘M. Charwoman’, ‘Hd Grocer’); these have been rendered in the catalogue as ‘[Child of] Horsekeeper’, ‘[Wife of] Grocer’

• Date of admission and date of death

• The names of the doctors treating or examining the patient. ‘Admitted under the care of’ denotes the senior doctor in charge of the case (usually entered at the top of the page and in the index); ‘Post mortem performed by’ denotes the doctor responsible for the post mortem examination (usually signed at the bottom of the page) and ‘Medical examination performed by’ denotes the doctor responsible for the medical examination prior to death (usually signed at the bottom of the page). The earliest records usually contain only one name, and some of the later ones may contain multiple names in each category. An authority record (name access point) with basic biographical details has been created for each doctor mentioned in the records; these can be used to explore all the cases related to a particular individual

• Disease(s) or cause of death of the patient. Transcribed from the medical case and/or the index and standardised, e.g. ‘Disease (transcribed): Phthisis. Fractured base. Disease (standardised): Tuberculosis (lungs). Fracture (skull)’

• Medical and post mortem notes. Brief summary description or transcription of the case notes relating to previous medical history (not a full transcription of the case notes)

• Note on whether the case includes illustrations or photographs; these can also be browsed via genre access points

• Note on whether the death was caused by trauma, accident or suicide

• Subject access points, using standardised terms from MeSH, with disease type (e.g. respiratory tract diseases, cardiovascular diseases) and anatomy type (e.g. cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system), which can be used for browsing all relevant cases

Note on transcriptions and abbreviations

Names have been silently expanded, e.g. Jas = James, Wm = William

Some common abbreviations and acronyms

AMCH = Atkinson Morley Convalescent Hospital, Wimbledon
BID = Brought in dead
COA = Condition on admission
F = Father
H or Hd = Husband
HP = House physician
HS = House surgeon
IP = In-patient
L = Left
M = Mother
MR or Med reg or Med r = Medical register or Medical registrar
MS = Museum specimen
OP = Out-patient
OPD = Out-patient department
OR = Obstetric register
PMH = Previous medical history
PH = Previous history
Pt or Pat = Patient
PM = Post mortem
R = Right
RF = Rheumatic fever
Ry = Railway
SR or Surg reg = Surgical register or Surgical registrar
TB = Tuberculosis
VD = Venereal disease

St George's Hospital, London

Rose Wright, 40, [Wife of] Messenger

Occupation or role: [Wife of] Messenger
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Date of admission: 10 Nov 1900
Date of death: 14 Nov 1900
Disease (transcribed): Enormous dilatation of left auricle. Hydrosalpinx
Disease (standardised): Disease (Heart); Hydrosalpinx (Fallopian tubes)
Admitted under the care of: Owen, Herbert Isambard
Medical examination performed by: Dickson, T.W.
Post mortem examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Medical notes: This patient was admitted suffering from difficulty in breathing and cough. Expectoration was yellow and she complained of acute pain in the right side.
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Pleurae, lungs, heart, abdomen, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, urinary tract, alimentary canal and fallopian tubes
Type of incident: n/a

Thomas Dendridge, 28, Laundryman

Occupation or role: Laundryman
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Date of admission: 14 Sep 1897
Date of death: 23 Nov 1897
Disease (transcribed): Abdominal aneurism which had burst into peritoneal cavity
Disease (standardised): Aneurysm (Abdomen)
Admitted under the care of: Ewart, William
Medical examination performed by: Fenton, William James
Post mortem examination performed by: Latham, Arthur Carlyle
Medical notes: 'For the clinical history of this case the reader is referred to the medical notes'
Body parts examined in the post mortem: Thorax, abdomen
Illustrations: Yes
Type of incident: n/a