Dr. Weiss is Robert L. Sadoff Clinical Professor of Forensic Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2020 Sep;48(3):384-392. doi: 10.29158/JAAPL.003927-20. Epub 2020 May 13.
Sarah Jane Whiteling was accused of fatally poisoning her husband and two children in Philadelphia in 1888. The case prompted public outrage over the appearance that Ms. Whiteling's motive was to collect life insurance. It was evident, however, that she was disturbed, raising a question of culpability. Dr. Alice Bennett, the first female physician in charge of an asylum, provided the defense with expert testimony on the defendant's mental state. Dr. Bennett, who had little forensic but much clinical experience, proposed a physiological theory of insanity among women with reproduction-related derangements. At that time, cultural ideas about "female poisoners" colored popular and journalistic perceptions of Ms. Whiteling. Familicide was considered unconscionable because a mother's duty was to nurture and protect her family. When Ms. Whiteling was convicted and sentenced to death, Dr. Bennett undertook a campaign for commutation. Her unsuccessful efforts to reduce culpability were followed by Ms. Whiteling's hanging in 1889, the first execution of a woman in Philadelphia since colonial times. This article recounts the Whiteling case, Dr. Bennett's involvement in it, and how it relates to what is known about familicide. It is argued here that Dr. Bennett was a pioneer in applying medical expert testimony to effect individualized mitigation.
莎拉·简·惠特林（Sarah Jane Whiteling）被指控于 1888 年在费城毒杀其丈夫和两个孩子。这起案件引发了公众的强烈愤慨，因为惠特林女士的动机似乎是为了获取人寿保险金。然而，显而易见的是，她精神失常，这引发了关于其罪责的问题。爱丽丝·贝内特（Alice Bennett）医生是负责一家收容所的第一位女医生，她为被告的精神状态提供了专家证词。贝内特医生虽然几乎没有法庭经验，但有丰富的临床经验，她提出了一个关于女性因生殖相关紊乱而导致精神错乱的生理学理论。当时，关于“女性毒杀者”的文化观念影响了公众和新闻界对惠特林女士的看法。杀亲行为被认为是不可原谅的，因为母亲的职责是养育和保护她的家人。当惠特林女士被判有罪并被判处死刑时，贝内特医生发起了减刑运动。她为减轻罪责所做的努力均未成功，随后惠特林女士于 1889 年被绞死，这是自殖民时代以来费城首位被处决的女性。本文讲述了惠特林案、贝内特医生的参与以及该案与人们已知的杀亲行为的关系。本文认为，贝内特医生是将医学专家证词应用于实现个人罪责减轻的先驱。
