He came to prominence during the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888 when he examined the bodies of four of Jack the Ripper's victims, namely Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly.
He came to prominence during the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888. In the autumn of 1888 Phillips again was frequently mentioned in the national press when he examined the bodies of four of Jack the Ripper's victims, namely Elizabeth Stride, Annie Chapman, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly.