Thomas Bond
FRCS
Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal C ...
,
MB BS (London), (7 October 1841 – 6 June 1901) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
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 ...
considered by some to be the first
offender profiler,
[Serial Crime: Theoretical and Practical Issues in Behavioral Profiling By Wayne Petherick Published by Academic Press (2005) pg 1 ] and best known for his association with the notorious
Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer wa ...
murders of 1888.
Early life
Born at Durston Lodge at
Durston
Durston is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the A361 road north east of Taunton and south of Bridgwater in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The parish lies on undulating ground between the lowest slopes of th ...
in
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
in 1841, he was the son of Thomas Bond (1806-), a gentleman farmer, and Mary ''née'' Hearne (1810–1878). Bond was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School at
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
.
[Obituary - Thomas Bond, M.B., B.S. LOND., F.R.C.S. ENG.,Consulting Surgeon to Westminster Hospital; Surgeon to the A Division Metropolitan Police]
- ''The British Medical Journal
''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origina ...
'', June 15, 1901, page 1523 Bond was a student to his maternal uncle, Dr McCann of
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, before training at
King's College and
King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is a major teaching hospital and major trauma centre in Denmark Hill, Camberwell in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH". It is managed b ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
where he won the Gold Medal of 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 ...
for his
Bachelor of Surgery
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
examination.
['The Lancet' obituary 1901 Vol. I, pg 1721] In 1864 Bond was appointed
MRCS, graduated
MB BS
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
in 1865, and in 1866
FRCS
Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal C ...
. In 1866 he joined the
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
n Military Service in which he attended the sick during a
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
epidemic. During the
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War, also by many variant names such as Seven Weeks' War, German Civil War, Brothers War or Fraternal War, known in Germany as ("German War"), (; "German war of brothers") and by a variety of other names, was fought in 186 ...
he carried a despatch from the
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.
The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...
through the
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
lines to the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
lines.
[
]
Medical career
Returning to London, Bond set up practice in Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
, and was appointed 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 ...
to the Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
's A Division (Westminster) in 1867.[Paul Begg, Martin Fido and Keith Skinner, 'The Jack the Ripper A to Z' Headline Book Publishing Ltd (1991)] He won a post at the Westminster Hospital
Westminster Hospital was a hospital in London, England, founded in 1719. In 1834 a medical school attached to the hospital was formally founded.
In 1939 a newly built hospital and medical school opened in Horseferry Road, Westminster. In 1994 the ...
in 1873 after several failed elections, and he spent his entire career at that hospital, firstly as an assistant surgeon and, from 1895, as a Full Surgeon.[
As surgeon to the Metropolitan Police's 'A Division' he dealt with many important cases, including those of the Battersea Mystery, ]Mary Jane Kelly
Mary Jane Kelly ( – 9 November 1888), also known as Marie Jeanette Kelly, Fair Emma, Ginger, Dark Mary and Black Mary, is widely believed to have been the final victim of the notorious unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper, who murdered ...
, Kate Webster, Percy Lefroy Mapleton
Percy Lefroy Mapleton (also known as Percy Mapleton Lefroy; 23 February 1860 – 29 November 1881) was a British journalist and murderer. He was the British "railway murderer" of 1881. He is important in the history of forensics and policing a ...
and the "Thames Torso Murders
The Thames Torso Murders, often called the Thames Mysteries or the Embankment Murders, were a sequence of unsolved murders of women occurring in London, England from 1887 to 1889. The series included four incidents which were filed as belonging t ...
" investigations of 1887–1889. Bond also examined the bodies of Rose Mylett and Alice Mackenzie and submitted reports on both.[Bond_in_ Bond_in_Casebook:_Jack_the_Ripper]
">Casebook:_Jack_the_Ripper">Bond_in_Casebook:_Jack_the_Ripper
/ref>_Bond_was_described_as_being_among_the_best_of_medical_witnesses_as_his_evidence_was_always_clear._Bond_was_an_early_Offender_profiling#Thomas_Bond.html" ;"title="Casebook:_Jack_the_Ripper
.html" ;"title="Casebook: Jack the Ripper">Bond in Casebook:_Jack_the_Ripper">Bond_in_Casebook:_Jack_the_Ripper
/ref>_Bond_was_described_as_being_among_the_best_of_medical_witnesses_as_his_evidence_was_always_clear._Bond_was_an_early_Offender_profiling#Thomas_Bond">offender_profiler,_and_attempted_to_profile_the_personality_of_Jack_the_Ripper_
Jack_the_Ripper_was_an_unidentified_serial_killer_active_in_and_around_the_impoverished_Whitechapel_district_of_London,_England,_in_the_autumn_of_1888._In_both_criminal_case_files_and_the_contemporaneous_journalistic_accounts,_the_killer_wa_...
/ref> Bond was described as being among the best of medical witnesses as his evidence was always clear.