The Trial Of Jenny Sykes

A romantic tale of a young doctor in seventeenth-century Dorset, and the woman he hopes to save from hanging. Fascinating medical lore, a landmark trial, and a passionate love story combine to make this book a compelling novel. The meticulously researched medical and legal facts also provide an alternately engaging and inspiring history lesson.(Back Cover Synopsis:)First in a courtroom, and then in the corner of a crowded, filthy jail, Doctor John Toller finds himself filled with compassion for pale, lovely Jenny Sykes. John Toller is a brilliant, young, country doctor whose own past is so filled with mystery and tragedy, he is often moved to give more than medical assistance to his needy patients. When he is called to the prison to examine Jenny, he discovers she is near death from a fever.Jenny is accused of concealing the birth and death of her illegitimate baby—a crime punishable by hanging.As John treats Jenny, who is the local minister's daughter, he learns that she is a complete innocent. She doesn't even know how she became pregnant. John falls in love with her and is desperate to save her.The doctor realizes that he must find a way to prove Jenny's claim that her baby was born dead. According to English law in 1680, the only acceptable proof is a witness. But John has heard of a legal, medical test—accepted by Continental courts—that determines if an infant's lungs were ever used. Somehow, some way, John must get the test and save Jenny's life—again. For though her health improves, time is running short as John searches for the test and for proof of her innocence.