Was Jack the Ripper a Slaughterman? Human-Animal Violence and the World’s Most Infamous Serial Killer
Hundreds of theories exist concerning the identity of “Jack the Ripper”. His propensity for anatomical dissection with a knife—and in particular the rapid location and removal of specific organs—led some to speculate that he must have been surgically trained. However, re-examination of a mortuary sk...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2017-04-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/7/4/30 |
| _version_ | 1811259133147480064 |
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| author | Andrew Knight Katherine D. Watson |
| author_facet | Andrew Knight Katherine D. Watson |
| author_sort | Andrew Knight |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hundreds of theories exist concerning the identity of “Jack the Ripper”. His propensity for anatomical dissection with a knife—and in particular the rapid location and removal of specific organs—led some to speculate that he must have been surgically trained. However, re-examination of a mortuary sketch of one of his victims has revealed several aspects of incisional technique highly inconsistent with professional surgical training. Related discrepancies are also apparent in the language used within the only letter from Jack considered to be probably authentic. The techniques he used to dispatch his victims and retrieve their organs were, however, highly consistent with techniques used within the slaughterhouses of the day. East London in the 1880s had a large number of small-scale slaughterhouses, within which conditions for both animals and workers were exceedingly harsh. Modern sociological research has highlighted the clear links between the infliction of violence on animals and that inflicted on humans, as well as increased risks of violent crimes in communities surrounding slaughterhouses. Conditions within modern slaughterhouses are more humane in some ways but more desensitising in others. The implications for modern animal slaughtering, and our social reliance on slaughterhouses, are explored. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:25:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f390c9a772cc42e0a8f00a16cc3ed5f6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T18:25:53Z |
| publishDate | 2017-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-f390c9a772cc42e0a8f00a16cc3ed5f62022-12-22T03:21:16ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152017-04-01743010.3390/ani7040030ani7040030Was Jack the Ripper a Slaughterman? Human-Animal Violence and the World’s Most Infamous Serial KillerAndrew Knight0Katherine D. Watson1Centre for Animal Welfare, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Winchester, Sparkford Road, Winchester SO22 4NR, UKSchool of History, Philosophy and Culture, Oxford Brookes University, Tonge Building, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3 0BP, UKHundreds of theories exist concerning the identity of “Jack the Ripper”. His propensity for anatomical dissection with a knife—and in particular the rapid location and removal of specific organs—led some to speculate that he must have been surgically trained. However, re-examination of a mortuary sketch of one of his victims has revealed several aspects of incisional technique highly inconsistent with professional surgical training. Related discrepancies are also apparent in the language used within the only letter from Jack considered to be probably authentic. The techniques he used to dispatch his victims and retrieve their organs were, however, highly consistent with techniques used within the slaughterhouses of the day. East London in the 1880s had a large number of small-scale slaughterhouses, within which conditions for both animals and workers were exceedingly harsh. Modern sociological research has highlighted the clear links between the infliction of violence on animals and that inflicted on humans, as well as increased risks of violent crimes in communities surrounding slaughterhouses. Conditions within modern slaughterhouses are more humane in some ways but more desensitising in others. The implications for modern animal slaughtering, and our social reliance on slaughterhouses, are explored.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/7/4/30serial murderJack the Ripperslaughtermanslaughterhouseabattoirslaughterhuman–animal violencehistory of crimeforensic medicineanimal welfare |
| spellingShingle | Andrew Knight Katherine D. Watson Was Jack the Ripper a Slaughterman? Human-Animal Violence and the World’s Most Infamous Serial Killer Animals serial murder Jack the Ripper slaughterman slaughterhouse abattoir slaughter human–animal violence history of crime forensic medicine animal welfare |
| title | Was Jack the Ripper a Slaughterman? Human-Animal Violence and the World’s Most Infamous Serial Killer |
| title_full | Was Jack the Ripper a Slaughterman? Human-Animal Violence and the World’s Most Infamous Serial Killer |
| title_fullStr | Was Jack the Ripper a Slaughterman? Human-Animal Violence and the World’s Most Infamous Serial Killer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Was Jack the Ripper a Slaughterman? Human-Animal Violence and the World’s Most Infamous Serial Killer |
| title_short | Was Jack the Ripper a Slaughterman? Human-Animal Violence and the World’s Most Infamous Serial Killer |
| title_sort | was jack the ripper a slaughterman human animal violence and the world s most infamous serial killer |
| topic | serial murder Jack the Ripper slaughterman slaughterhouse abattoir slaughter human–animal violence history of crime forensic medicine animal welfare |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/7/4/30 |
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