Midwife Ann Loman - accomplice of debauchery, murderer and... savior
On April 1, 1878, in New York, in a mansion on Fifth Avenue, the body of a woman was found. The deceased was completely naked, but there was no talk of abuse. The deceased was over 60 and, most likely, she was killed for some other reason. By the way, there were enough of them, because the victim was none other than midwife Ann Lohman. Some considered her an accomplice to debauchery and the devil in the flesh, while others considered her a savior.
Ann Trow, who later became famous as Ann Lehman, was born in 1811 into a poor peasant family from the English county of Gloucestershire. The family was large - little Ann had 7 brothers. While still a teenager, the girl and her three brothers left to look for a better life in the United States.
Overseas, the company broke up. The two brothers began to arrange their own destinies, and only one remained with Ann - Joseph. The guy had one leg and walked on a wooden prosthesis. In 1829, the girl married a fellow migrant, Henry Summers from the British town of Wiltshire.
The couple had a daughter, but soon after Henry fell ill and died of a fever. Anne had a hard time. She worked as a seamstress and her earnings were barely enough to feed herself and her child. The disabled brother mastered sewing and worked with her. In 1833, the woman met Charles R. Lohman. He was also a migrant, a native of the Russian Empire.
Lohman worked in the printing house of the New York Herald newspaper and was distinguished by his freethinking. He was a champion of individual freedom and widely propagated his views. Together with Anne's brother Joseph, Charles published a book in 1847 with the intriguing title The Married Woman's Personal Medical Companion.
The book's abstract stated that the work was devoted to pressing topics:
Releasing such a book was a very brave thing to do. In the 19th century, everything that in one way or another related to women’s health was taboo and considered indecent. At the same time, the topic of abortion was very relevant. Contraception was still developing and terminating an unwanted pregnancy was the main method of birth control.
Abortion, despite the negative attitude of society, was very popular. The birth of an illegitimate child could ruin a woman’s life. Anne quickly became inspired by her husband’s ideas and realized that she could make good money from this. Subsequently, the woman said that she was taught obstetrics by the famous French doctor Restell. But this was not true. This was the name of Ann Loman's grandmother, and it seemed appropriate for a respectable but fictitious European physician.
It is known that Anne traveled to England several times. But it is impossible to say for sure whether she had at least some medical education. Ann Loman started her business small. Under the pseudonym "Madame Restell" she began selling "preventative powders." Simply put, she sold contraceptives and drugs that cause miscarriages.
Abortion was illegal in the United States at that time, but the ban did not apply to medicines. Trade was very brisk - Ann Loman sent her goods by mail, or handed them over to clients in person. The composition of all “preventative powders” of that time was approximately the same. It included plants: ergot, calomel, aloe, hellebore. Less commonly used were arsenic, lead, mercury or soap lye. Not all of these ingredients were safe for health.
Loman had no problems with advertising her products. She gave veiled advertisements to newspapers, which were well understood by her clients. Ann's business became so large that the term "restellism" was coined. The American Medical Association (AMA) was concerned about the rapid activity of the charlatan. “Restellism” was considered infanticide and aiding debauchery.
Soon other unpleasant stories began to be told about Ann Lohman in New York. She was accused of secretly delivering babies at home and dropping babies at the doors of shelters. In 1839, Madame Restell was already a true urban legend. She was hated and admired. Conservatives wanted her trial, and abandoned women prayed to her as a savior.
In 1840, Ann Loman first came to justice. One of the midwife's patients stated that during childbirth she infected her with tuberculosis. A year later, a claim was received from a certain Mary Applegate from Philadelphia. She consulted a midwife on her fiancé's advice to give birth in secret.
Shortly after this, Mary broke up with her boyfriend. The woman remembered the child and returned to New York. But by that time the baby was put up for adoption. At least that's what Ann Lohman said. This time the case fell apart, as Applegate renounced her claims. Most likely, Loman had to pay her for this.
In 1841, the body of Mary Rogers was fished out of the Hudson River. The newspapers wrote that she was a victim of “restellism.” This incident inspired the writer Edgar Allan Poe to write the detective story “The Mystery of Madame Roger.” In 1845, medical abortions were also banned. In this regard, all activities of Ann Lehman became illegal.
But by this time Loman had vast experience and managed to avoid punishment. In 1847, maid Maria Bodine became pregnant by her employer. He supplied her with money and sent her to Madame Restell. The pregnancy was late, and the abortion undermined the young woman’s health. The victim contacted doctors, who notified the police.
This time, Ann Lohman almost ended up in jail. She managed to get out of it by slandering the plaintiff. She stated that Bodine had slandered her, and the real cause of her illness was advanced syphilis acquired during prostitution. The midwife got off with a fine. After that, she became as careful as possible and no longer performed surgical operations. But in 1855 she was again summoned to court. This time the litigation concerned damage to health caused by Madame's wonderful powders. And again Ann Loman came out unscathed.
In 1873, moral activist Anthony Comstock secured a ban on the publication of any obscene information. This category included everything related to contraception and termination of pregnancy. Although Ann Lohman was extremely careful, she was soon caught. In 1878, Comstock personally conducted a control purchase of drugs from a midwife and caught her hand.
The charges were so serious that Loman was put behind bars. She managed to be released on bail. We were talking about an astronomical sum of 10 thousand dollars for that time. The woman was at home awaiting trial. It was there that she died. Madame Restell's throat was cut. The official police version is that she took her own life. But experienced people are sure that it is simply impossible to independently inflict such a wound on yourself as Loman’s.