Richard Starkie was a British doctor who was charged with distributing illegal

narcotic The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "to make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

s while providing abortions in 1921. Starkie, a former police

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

, began illegally performing abortions on women during the early 1900s. He continued providing abortions until his arrest on 17 July 1921, and was charged with administering narcotics for the purpose of providing an abortion for a married woman as well as prior abortions for four unmarried patients. Although acquitted on abortion charges, he was found guilty for administering drugs and sentenced to nine months imprisonment at Wormwood Scrubs Prison. He was reportedly met by about 600 of his former patients following his release.

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