Hallo zusammen!
Ich bin auf einen interessanten Text gestoßen, der sich mit der Frage über JTRs anatomische Kenntnisse und seinen Umgang mit dem Messer befasst:
Auf der Seite des MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) ist im April ein Artikel von Andrew Knight und Katherine D. Watson erschienen mit dem Titel:
"Was Jack the Ripper a Slaughterman?
Human-Animal Violence and the World’s Most Infamous Serial Killer"
http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/7/4/30/htmAndrew Knight arbeitet am Centre for Animal Welfare, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Winchester, Sparkford Road, Winchester SO22 4NR, UK
Katherine D. Watson an der School of History, Philosophy and Culture, Oxford Brookes University, Tonge Building, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
Die Autoren kommen zu dem Ergebnis, dass JTR höchstwahrscheinlich ein Schlachter war - und vermutlich sogar ein jüdischer.
Hier ein paar Zitate mit zentralen Aussagen daraus:
"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.
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.
(...)
5. Might Jack Have Been a Shochet?
Odell continued that, “If throat-cutting was Jack the Ripper’s hallmark, there was one particular kind of slaughterman whose calling required perfection in this special skill. That was the Jewish ritual slaughterman, or shochet” [21] (p. 103).
(...)
As described by Shechita UK, “Shechita is performed by a highly trained shochet. The procedure consists of a rapid and expert transverse incision with an instrument of surgical sharpness (a chalaf), which severs the major structures and vessels at the neck… The frontal structures including the trachea, oesophagus, the carotid arteries and jugular veins are severed in a rapid and uninterrupted action” [24] (pp. 3, 5). Velarde et al. provided further details: “During religious slaughter, animals are killed…by a transverse incision across the neck that is cutting the skin, muscles (brachiocephalic, sternocephalic, sternohyoid, and sternothyroid), trachea, esophagus, carotid arteries, jugular veins and the major, superficial and deep nerves of the cervical plexus” [25] (p. 278).
Such an incision is highly consistent with the neck incisions found on Jack’s victims.
(...)
Additionally, as reported by Shechita UK, the shochet’s duties do not end there: “He examines the organs and vessels immediately after severance by the shechita incision, to ascertain that the shechita was properly performed, this examination is visual and tactile (b’dikath ha’simanim). This integral part of the shechita process is required by Halacha (Y.D. 25:1). The shochet also examines the internal organs and lungs (b’dikath ha’reyah) of an animal in order to ascertain whether there are any abnormalities or defects disqualifying the animal from being kosher (Y.D. 29-60)” [24] (p. 7).
(...)
Hence, any experienced shochet is likely to be highly skilled at the type of neck incisions found on Jack’s victims. They are also likely to be highly skilled at visual and tactile examination of internal organs. This familiarity—and in particular, tactile familiarity—would have been extremely helpful to an assailant seeking to rapidly locate and remove specific organs from the bodies of his victims, in poor lighting.
(...)
But of course Jack was not necessarily a shochet. As Odell neatly surmised, “an ordinary slaughterman possessed all the skills demonstrated by the Ripper’s knife work”, although, “the Shochet had the edge when it came to throat-cutting” [21] (p. 106).
(...)
13. Conclusions
(...)
Jack’s ability to rapidly locate and remove specific organs from several of his victims, in conditions of haste and very poor light, led to theories that he must have been surgically trained. However, re-examination of a mortuary sketch of one of his victims has revealed key aspects of the incisional technique used that are highly inconsistent with professional surgical training.
(...)
Furthermore, the throat-cutting technique used to kill his victims, combined with Jack’s undoubted propensity for anatomical dissection with a knife, were highly consistent with the skillset of slaughterers of the times."
MfG, Arthur Dent
