Trial and Conviction of Dr Stephen T Beale; With the Letters.

Philadelphia: T.K. Collins, Jr., 1855. Raped Under Anesthesia by Her Dentist [Trial]. Beale, Stephen T., Defendant. Trial and Conviction of Dr. Stephen T. Beale; With the Letters of Chief Justice Lewis, And Judges Black and Woodward, On His Case. Interesting Ether Cases, And the Letters of Prof. Gibson, Prof. Wiltbank, Wm. Badger, Esq., W.L. Hirst, Esq., Rev. Albert Barnes, Dr. Henry Boardman, &c. Philadelphia: T.K. Collins, Jr., 1855. 30 pp. Octavo (9" x 5-3/4"). Disbound stab-stitched pamphlet removed from a volume, rear wrapper lacking, spine reinforced with archival tape. Light soiling to exterior, light toning to text, chip to fore-edge of title page at foot with no loss to text. $400. * Only edition. This trial account reflects contemporary anxiety about ether, which was used for the first time in 1846. Narcissa Mudge claimed she was raped by her dentist, Dr. Beale while unconscious from ether during a procedure. Beale was convicted. This account of the trial is written by someone who characterizes the dentist as an innocent victim. He argues that Mudge's accusation was based on false memory, a side-effect induced by ether. His case is supported by the testimony concerning the effects of ether by a group of dentists and other authorities. Cohen, Bibliography of Early American Law 13774.…