Cedric Keith Simpson (20 July 1907 – 21 July 1985) was an English forensic
pathologist
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...
. He was Professor of Forensic Medicine in the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
at
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...
, Lecturer in Forensic Medicine at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
and a founding member and President of the Association of Forensic Medicine. Simpson became renowned for his post-mortems on high-profile murder cases, including the 1949 Acid Bath Murders committed by
John George Haigh
John George Haigh (; 24 July 1909 – 10 August 1949), commonly known as the Acid Bath Murderer, was an English serial killer convicted for the murder of six people, although he claimed to have killed nine. Haigh battered to death or shot his ...
and the murder of gangster
George Cornell
George Cornell (13 November 1927 – 10 March 1966) was an English criminal and member of The Richardsons, who were scrap metal dealers and criminals from South London.
Cornell was shot and killed by Ronnie Kray at The Blind Beggar public hou ...
, who was shot dead by
Ronnie Kray in 1966.
He pioneered forensic dentistry, and was prominent in alerting physicians and others to the reality of the battered baby syndrome. Simpson wrote a standard textbook on his subject and edited ''Taylor's Medical Jurisprudence'', a basic work of reference of the British medical profession. ''Forty Years of Murder'' was Simpson's autobiography and became an international best-seller in the late 1970s. He was London's first forensic pathologist to be recognised by the
Home Office, and in 1975 his long public service was recognised with the award of a
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
. Simpson had by then gained the reputation of having performed more post-mortems than any other pathologist in the world.
Career
Keith Simpson was born in 1907 in
Brighton,
Sussex where his father was a
general practitioner. In August 1924, aged 17, Simpson enrolled at
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...
Medical School. By the age of 25 he was a teacher in the
Pathology
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
Department. In 1934 Simpson was made Supervisor of Medico-legal Post-Mortems and had his first case with
Scotland Yard. In 1937 he was appointed Medico-legal advisor to
Surrey Constabulary.
In 1947 the student textbook ''Forensic Medicine'', which Simpson wrote during the war, was published. Following the death of
Bernard Spilsbury
Sir Bernard Henry Spilsbury (16 May 1877 – 17 December 1947) was a British pathologist. His cases include Hawley Crippen, the Seddon case, the Major Armstrong poisoning, the "Brides in the Bath" murders by George Joseph Smith, the Crumbles ...
in the same year, Simpson became one of the leading forensic pathologists in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, with a string of important cases. In 1950, along with
Francis Camps,
Donald Teare and Professor
Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric.
Early life and education
Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith (1739–1827) and Maria Olier (1750–1801) ...
, Simpson formed the Association of Forensic Medicine.
In 1963 he was elected to the
Royal College of Pathologists
The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is a professional membership organisation.
Its main function is the overseeing of postgraduate training, and its Fellowship Examination (FRCPath) is recognised as the standard assessment of fitness to pr ...
. Two years later, Simpson addressed the annual meeting of the
NSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity.
History
Victorian era
On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New Yor ...
and spoke on the topic of '
battered babies'.
In addition to his scientific publications, popular works such as his 1978 autobiography ''Forty Years of Murder'' made his name familiar to the public.
He practised medicine from 146
Harley Street and
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...
.
Famous cases
* 1942 Rachel Dobkin, murdered by her husband Harry. His blunder was to pour
slaked lime on the body, which helped preserve it, rather than
quicklime which would have corroded it.
[Keith Simpson (1978), Forty Years of Murder, Grafton Books, London, ]
* 1942 Joan Pearl Wolfe, victim of
August Sangret
August Sangret (28 August 1913 – 29 April 1943) was a French-Canadian soldier, convicted and subsequently hanged for the September 1942 murder of 19-year-old Joan Pearl Wolfe in Surrey, England. This murder case is also known as the "Wigwam ...
in the "Wigwam murder".
* 1943 The
Bethnal Green tube station disaster.
* 1946 Margery Gardner, murdered by
Neville Heath
Neville George Clevely Heath (6 June 1917 – 16 October 1946) was an English murderer who killed two young women in the summer of 1946. He was executed in Pentonville Prison, London, in October 1946.
Early life and career
Neville Heath was bor ...
.
* 1946 Consultant for the Surrey Police on the "
Chalk-pit Murder".
* 1948 The death of
Ananda Mahidol
Ananda Mahidol ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาà¸à¸²à¸™à¸±à¸™à¸—มหิดล; ; 20 September 1925 – 9 June 1946), posthumous reigning title Phra Athamaramathibodin ( th, พระà¸à¸±à ...
, King Ananda of
Siam
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, Simpson's first case outside Britain, when a Major-General of the Police of Siam asked his help interpreting what had happened.
* 1948 The "Gorringe case", in which Simpson used
forensic odontology (the identification of an individual from their teeth and bite marks) to seal a murder conviction against Robert Gorringe for the murder of his wife Phyllis, one of the first recorded instances of such evidence being used in an English court. The crucial factor was that Phyllis died quickly, before bruising could distort the bite-marks. The death sentence on Gorringe was
commuted and he was released on licence in 1957.
* 1949 After searching through fatty sludge, Simpson found
gallstones
A gallstone is a stone formed within the gallbladder from precipitated bile components. The term cholelithiasis may refer to the presence of gallstones or to any disease caused by gallstones, and choledocholithiasis refers to the presence of mi ...
, bones and dentures that identified Olive Durand Deacon as a victim of the "Acid Bath Murderer",
John George Haigh
John George Haigh (; 24 July 1909 – 10 August 1949), commonly known as the Acid Bath Murderer, was an English serial killer convicted for the murder of six people, although he claimed to have killed nine. Haigh battered to death or shot his ...
.
* 1953 Exhumation of Beryl Evans after
John Christie confessed to her murder. Simpson acted for Christie, observing the exhumation and post-mortem, which was performed by
Francis Camps.
* 1956 Instructed by the
Medical Defence Union
The Medical Defence Union (MDU) is the largest medical defence organisation (MDO) in the United Kingdom, offering professional medical indemnity for clinical negligence claims and advice provided by medico-legal experts for its members. A mutual n ...
in the defence of
John Bodkin Adams, acquitted of murdering one of his patients.
* 1961 Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie, victims of
James Hanratty
James Hanratty (4 October 1936 – 4 April 1962), also known as the A6 Murderer, was a British criminal who was one of the final eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was effectively abolished. He was hanged at Bedfo ...
, the "
A6 murderer".
* 1964 The Lydney Murder, a body later identified as Peter Thomas found near
Lydney
Lydney is a town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is on the west bank of the River Severn in the Forest of Dean District, and is 16 miles (25 km) southwest of Gloucester. The town has been bypassed by the A48 road since 199 ...
, and a significant case in the development of
entomology for criminal investigation.
* 1965 The conviction of Laurence Dean for the murder of his son Michael was the first in England for
"battered baby syndrome" and greatly raised awareness of the condition in Britain.
* 1966
George Cornell
George Cornell (13 November 1927 – 10 March 1966) was an English criminal and member of The Richardsons, who were scrap metal dealers and criminals from South London.
Cornell was shot and killed by Ronnie Kray at The Blind Beggar public hou ...
, victim of the
Kray twins.
* 1967 Invited by the
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
government to review the case of
Steven Truscott after publication of the book ''
The Trial of Steven Truscott'' on the case by
Isabel LeBourdais.
* 1972 After
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday may refer to:
Historical events Canada
* Bloody Sunday (1923), a day of police violence during a steelworkers' strike for union recognition in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
* Bloody Sunday (1938), police violence aga ...
, invited to re-examine the post mortem findings. Simpson agreed that the victims had been picked off by single shots, from distance, some from behind. He also agreed that six might themselves have fired guns; the later
Saville Enquiry did not substantiate this.
* 1974 Sandra Rivett, victim of
Lord Lucan
Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (born 18 December 1934 – disappeared 8 November 1974, declared death in absentia, declared dead 3 February 2016), commonly known as Lord Lucan, was a British Peerages in the United Kingdom, peer who di ...
.
* 1974
Mama Cass.
* 1975 Leslie Newson, driver in the
Moorgate tube crash
The Moorgate tube crash occurred on 28 February 1975 at 8:46 am on the London Underground's Northern City Line; 43 people died and 74 were injured after a train failed to stop at the line's southern terminus, Moorgate station, and crashed ...
.
* 1982
Roberto Calvi
Roberto Calvi (13 April 1920 – 17 June 1982) was an Italian banker, dubbed "God's Banker" () by the press because of his close association with the Holy See. He was a native of Milan and was chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in ...
, Vatican banker. The cause of death was asphyxia by hanging from
Blackfriars Bridge
Blackfriars Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge, carrying the A201 road. The north end is in the City of London near the Inns of Court and Temple Ch ...
.
Awards and affiliations
![WCC Keith Simpson CBE Green Plaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/WCC_Keith_Simpson_CBE_Green_Plaque.JPG)
Simpson was a member of many medical organisations, one of the founders of the British Association in Forensic Medicine, a former president of the Medico-Legal Society, and a member of the council of the
Royal College of Pathologists
The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is a professional membership organisation.
Its main function is the overseeing of postgraduate training, and its Fellowship Examination (FRCPath) is recognised as the standard assessment of fitness to pr ...
and the
Medical Protection Society
The Medical Protection Society (MPS) is one of the three UK mutual protection organisations for medical, dental and healthcare professionals. (Dentists are covered through its subsidiary company Dental Protection).
It protects and supports th ...
. He was the only London forensic pathologist to be recognised as a
Home Office pathologist and was a member of the Home Office Scientific Advisory Committee. A fellow of the
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...
and the
Royal College of Pathologists
The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is a professional membership organisation.
Its main function is the overseeing of postgraduate training, and its Fellowship Examination (FRCPath) is recognised as the standard assessment of fitness to pr ...
, Simpson received honorary degrees from the universities of Oxford, Edinburgh and Ghent. His long public service was recognised with the award of a
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1975. In June 2012, Simpson was honoured with the installation of a
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors. The council is currently composed of 31 Labour Party members and 23 Cons ...
Green Plaque at his former residence at 1 Weymouth Street,
Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary.
An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...
.
Family life
Cedric Keith Simpson was born in 1907 near
Brighton,
Sussex, where his father was a
GP. He attended
Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School and at 17 he enrolled at
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...
Medical School where he became a top student. In 1932 Keith Simpson married Mary Buchanan, with whom he had three children (their only son later became a doctor). They were together until Mary's death from
multiple sclerosis in 1955. Simpson married his secretary, Jean Scott-Dunn, in March 1956 and they lived in
Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary.
An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...
. His second wife died of cancer in 1976. Janet Thurston, widow of fellow coroner Gavin Thurston, became his third wife in 1982.
Teaching
He was a talented teacher, through both the spoken and the printed word. The first edition of his book ''Simpson's Forensic Medicine'' was published in 1947, and in 1959 was awarded the
Swiney Prize of the
Royal Society of Arts as the best work on
medical jurisprudence
Medical jurisprudence or legal medicine is the branch of science and medicine involving the study and application of scientific and medical knowledge to legal problems, such as inquests, and in the field of law. As modern medicine is a legal ...
of the preceding ten years.
Social attitudes
His views on homosexuality reflected the times in which he had been brought up. In the 1979 edition of his textbook ''Forensic Medicine'' he stated (at p 214): " "Homos" and "queer" have become almost playful epithets, and the psychiatrist has done little but excuse or condone such practices. They are rotting the fabric of the arts as well as the more solid principles of family life, and the law properly regards such unnatural sex practices with a stern eye."
To one of his nurses, at a postmortem of a woman who had died as a result of a botched illegal
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...
, he had said that "he saw at least two young girls a week who died as a result of
septic abortion
Septic abortion describes any type of abortion (intentional termination or miscarriage), due to an upper genital tract bacterial infection including the inflammation of the endometrium during or after 20 weeks of gestation. The genital tract durin ...
s", and that he was adamant that abortion should be legalised.
Death
He died 21 July 1985, the day after his 78th birthday.
Image files
File:NevilleHeath.jpg, Neville Heath
Neville George Clevely Heath (6 June 1917 – 16 October 1946) was an English murderer who killed two young women in the summer of 1946. He was executed in Pentonville Prison, London, in October 1946.
Early life and career
Neville Heath was bor ...
who was convicted of murdering Margery Gardner
File:King Ananda Mahidol portrait photograph.jpg, The death of King Ananda was Simpson's first case outside Britain
File:Roberto Calvi.jpg, Roberto Calvi
Roberto Calvi (13 April 1920 – 17 June 1982) was an Italian banker, dubbed "God's Banker" () by the press because of his close association with the Holy See. He was a native of Milan and was chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in ...
"God's Banker" found hanging from Blackfriars Bridge
References
Bibliography
*
* Shepherd, R. (2003
''Simpson’s Forensic Medicine'' Twelfth Edition, Arnold, 31 July 2003
* C K Simpson CBE, MD, FRCP, FRCPATH, DMJ, Obituary, ''British Medical Journal'', Vol 291, 10 August 1985
* A. Keith Mant, M.D., 'Cedric Keith Simpson An Appreciation' Obituary, ''The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology'', 7(3) 258–259, 1986, Ravens Press, New York.
* Eckert, William
"The Development of Forensic Medicine in the United Kingdom From the 18th Century" ''The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology'' 13:2 (June 1992) 124-131
* Lane, B. (2004). ''The encyclopedia of forensic science'' London: Magpie Books.
* Simpson, K., As Guy Bailey. (1969). ''The fatal chance: 12 cases from the notebook of a crime pathologist''. London: Peter Davies.
* Thorwald, J. (1964). ''The century of the detective'' New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
* Wilson, C., & Wilson, D. (2003). ''Written in blood: A History of forensic detection''. New York: Carroll and Graf Publishers.
* Harry Haynes, MEDICAL CLASSICS: Forty Years of Murder, VIEWS & REVIEWS, BMJ,Published 8 October 2012, BMJ 2012;345:e6737
* Ramsland, Katherine
''The Forensic Examiner'', American College of Forensic Examiners, Spring, 2007, Volume: 16 Issue: 1
External links
* Dickens, Bernard, Review of Forty Years of Murder, by Keith Simpson (14 August 2008). Criminal Law Quarterly, Vol. 23, p. 125, 1980. Available at
*
* Dr Robert N Mole
Pathology References and Autopsy Standards* Pathology in the Capital – The Royal College of Pathologists, a tour of related sites of interes
PDF50th anniversaryimages
(includes reference to Prof Simpson Plaque location)
* Westminster City Council
PDF
Cabinet Member Report, Commemorative Green Plaque for Professor Keith Simpson (1907–1985) at 1 Weymouth Street
Weymouth Street lies in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster and connects Marylebone High Street with Great Portland Street. The area was developed in the late 18th century by Henrietta Cavendish Holles and her husband Edward Ha ...
, London W1W, February 2012.
* Keith Simpson M.D., THE PATHOLOGY OF SUDDEN DEATH, Lecture delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, on 29 July 1947
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Keith
1907 births
1985 deaths
English pathologists
British forensic scientists
People from Brighton
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians
20th-century British medical doctors
Physicians of Guy's Hospital