Thread of the day (with an unexpected twist in its telling)
Thread of the day from medical historian Lindsey Fitzharris, with an unexpected twist in the pictures she used to illustrate it (and see if you can spot it).
https://twitter.com/DrLindseyFitz/status/1115721688929439744
(2/7) It was a cold, blustery morning in 1651 when Anne Greene was led to her place of execution at Cattle Yard in Oxford. Just days before, she had been found guilty of murdering her bastard child and hiding its corpse in her employer’s house. pic.twitter.com/YwC4vy4E8K
— Lindsey Fitzharris (@DrLindseyFitz) April 9, 2019
(3/7) As she approached the gallows, she declared her innocence, blaming instead "the lewdness of the Family wherein she lately lived." Afterwards, the executioner secured the noose around her neck & turned the ladder, leaving her to hang before the crowd. pic.twitter.com/2X4Q2d4Pxq
— Lindsey Fitzharris (@DrLindseyFitz) April 9, 2019
(4/7) Thirty minutes passed, during which time her friends yanked on her legs to hasten death. Eventually, Anne’s body was cut down, placed in a coffin, and taken to Thomas Willis and William Petty to be dissected – as the bodies of many murderers were at this time. pic.twitter.com/B6aOotZ5g3
— Lindsey Fitzharris (@DrLindseyFitz) April 9, 2019
(5/7) But just as they were about to make an incision which would split the body open from the sternum to the pubic bone, a strange sound emanated from the “corpse.” ANNE WAS ALIVE! pic.twitter.com/Co9NVH4BCF
— Lindsey Fitzharris (@DrLindseyFitz) April 9, 2019
(6/7) Willis & Petty quickly came to her aid, pouring hot cordials into her mouth, rubbing her arms and legs to warm her body, and bleeding her. Within twelve hours, Anne was able to speak. pic.twitter.com/1KOf9CJlAo
— Lindsey Fitzharris (@DrLindseyFitz) April 9, 2019
(7/7) Given her miraculous revival, Anne was granted a reprieve and declared innocent, the new conclusion being that the baby had been born stillborn. She later married and bore three more children. A chilling tale with a happy ending! pic.twitter.com/bLtDqEhBhu
— Lindsey Fitzharris (@DrLindseyFitz) April 9, 2019
And there was also a twist that she hadn’t spotted …
Forgive me, but the illustration in figure 6/7 would seem to have either Willis or Petty rubbing more than her arms and legs. Or possibly he was administering one of those miraculous cool lemonade clysters?
— Ioannes Victor (@IoannesVictor) April 9, 2019
Omg 😂😂 You’re right! I was trying to find a generic image of a doctor attending a female patient and didnt look closely enough when posting that!
— Lindsey Fitzharris (@DrLindseyFitz) April 9, 2019
I'd have woken up too…………
— JCACharles (@JCACharles) April 9, 2019
After all that, they bled her!! And she survived!!! Amazing story 👍🏻❤️
— Jules (@Juliealderson2) April 9, 2019
There is nothing more 1651 than this story.
— Ryan Hay (@Rynohay) April 10, 2019