Martha Lockdoyabortifacient, 1850s, newyork, 19thcenturySUMMARY: Martha Lockdoy, age 18, died in early September, 1857 from an abortifacient sold to her by “Indian Doctress” Mrs. Halm.

Mrs. Halm, “calling herself an Indian Doctress”, was arrested for administering fatal abortifacients to Miss Martha Lockdoy, age 18, in Albany, New York in September of 1857.

I am unable to determine if Mrs. Halm really was a doctor, and whether by “Indian” they mean she was Native American or she was from India. According to the 1861 City Directory of Albany, a Mrs. G. J. Halm of 43 Hudson was practicing as a physician. Thus, it is likely that Martha availed herself of a doctor.

I have no information on overall maternal mortality, or abortion mortality, in the 19th century. I imagine it can’t be too much different from maternal and abortion mortality at the very beginning of the 20th Century.

Note, please, that with issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good.

For more on this era, see Abortion Deaths in the 19th Century.

For more on pre-legalization abortion, see The Bad Old Days of Abortion

Source: “Arrest for Procuring Abortion”, Brooklyn Eagle, September 8, 1857

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