Framed photograph of a medicine chest and monaural stethoscope which both belonged to the notorious "Lambeth poisoner", Dr. Neill Cream (1850-1892), English, 1892-1920

Known as the ‘Lambeth Poisoner’, Dr Neill Cream (1850-92) was convicted and hung for the murders of four prostitutes on 15 November 1892. These are photographs of Cream’s medicine chest and stethoscope. Known as the ‘Lambeth Poisoner’, Dr Neill Cream (1850-92) was convicted and hung on 15 November 1892. Strychnine was his weapon of choice. At the time, the drug was used in small doses as a stimulant and a laxative and was commonly found in physicians’ medicine chests.

Cream is famously said to have claimed to be the infamous Jack the Ripper when he was executed in Billingsgate, London, supposedly uttering the words “I am Jack…” as the rope went taut. This was unlikely to have been true as he was imprisoned in Chicago, Illinois, for another murder at the time of the Ripper murders. Shown here with other photographs (A652022, A625048) and a letter written by Cream on blue paper (A652050).