Syphilis Among The Suspects

[Howard Brown]

Thread right up Bob Anderson's alley.

Who among the suspects do we know for sure had syphilis and who among them displayed behavior which hints at them having that terrible malady ?

Did Thomas Cutbush have it ? I read a webpage this evening in which it was stated he did...and I know Cutbush thought he did....but did he ?

Please list as many as you can. Thanks.

[Anna Morris]

Jacob Levy is a weak suspect but he was a butcher living in the right area at the right time. He was known to have syphilis and died insane from that disease.

[Anna Morris]

I always thought James Kelly had symptoms of syphilis when he was married to his wife. He had also obtained some kind of incriminating medical treatment which added to his marital strife. It could have been for a social disease other than syphilis but overall I suspect syphilis.

Arguing against this are the facts that James lived to a very old age and that he spent a number of years in Broadmoor and as I recall, syphilis was not a diagnosis at that time.

William Henry Bury was certainly peculiar but his insanity could have been from chronic over consumption of alcohol. Or he could have had syphilis.

(It could be argued that some of the main suspects were not syphilitic. Druitt's family seems to have had a genetic form of depression. Kosminski seemed to be paranoid schizophrenic.)

[Tracy Ianson]

Jacob Levy is a weak suspect but he was a butcher living in the right area at the right time. He was known to have syphilis and died insane from that disease.