FACE PEELING PROCEDURE BELIEVED TO BE CAUSE OF DEATH OF HOLLYWOOD WOMAN
Los Angeles, California (JFK+50) On March 7, 1925, Associated Press reports the LAPD was investigating the death of Mrs. Jessie Gilchrist "during a 'face peeling' operation in Hollywood. This was her second such procedure done by Dr. Gertrude Steele*, "the beauty doctor."
Dr. Steele had fled to Germany after being charged with manslaughter "in connection with the death of a patient."
An autopsy on Mrs. Gilchrist showed traces of phenol poisoning in the brain. Phenol solution is commonly used in face peeling operations.
JFK+50 NOTE
Face peeling (chemical peel) according to the Mayo Clinic is a procedure in which a chemical solution is applied to the skin to remove the top layers. The skin that grows back is smoother. The procedure is used to treat wrinkles, discolored skin & scars.
*Gertrude Steel, according to Vintage Powder Room, was a registered naturopath, not a medical doctor. Her license had been temporarily revoked in 1919 for causing the death of her son-in-law in attempting to remove his freckles.
SOURCES
"Chemical Peel," Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/
"Vintage Powder Room," by Edna Wallace Hopper, www.vintagepowderroom.com/
"Woman Is Killed By 'Face Peeling' to Bring Beauty," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., March 7, 1925, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
