Medical Opinion in the Parish Will Case, New York, 1857

1857. A Notable Nineteenth-Century Will Case Involving Codicils and Questions of Sanity [Trial]. [Parish Will Case]. Parish, Henry [1787-1856]. Earle, Pliny [1809-1892]. Medical Opinion in the Parish Will Case. New York: John F. Trow, 1857. 69 pp. Octavo (9-1/4" x 6"; 23.5 x 15.2 cm). Stab-stitched pamphlet in printed wrappers. Light soiling to exterior, spine abraded, wrappers partially detached at ends, light wear to corners, moderate toning to interior, lower corners lacking from final leaf and rear wrapper with no loss to text, "Hon: Charles Allen, Worcester, Mass." in contemporary hand to head of title page, small check-mark next to author name, which is underlined. $450. * Only edition. Henry Parish, a New York merchant, died in 1856 at age 69. He had made his will in 1842 but subsequently amended it with three codicils signed after he had suffered a paralyzing stroke in 1849. These codicils were contested by James and Daniel Parish, residuary devisees in the will, on the grounds of mental impairment. The New York Surrogate's Court (and subsequently, the state Court of Appeals) ultimately rejected their argument and upheld the codicils. This trial attracted a good deal of attention and it involved testimony by several leading medical and legal experts. At the time of this pamphlet's publication, Earle was visiting physician to the New York City Lunatic Asylum. He went on to a prestigious career in psychiatry, including as one of the founders of the American Medical Association, and is best known for his many visits to institutions, which included giving instructional and entertaining lectures to patients on a variety of subjects. Charles Allen [1797-1869], a former owner of this pamphlet, was a lawyer, Congressional representative from Massachusetts from 1849-1853, and chief justice of the Suffolk County Superior Court from 1858-1867. His ownership of this title reflects the level of attention the case received. OCLC locates 1 copy (at SUNY-Albany). Not in Cohen, which lists a composite volume by Trow that includes this title. See Bibliography of Early American Law 11386.