What was the deception involved in R v. Flattery (1877)?

In R v. Flattery (1877), the deception involved was indeed the claim of a medical procedure. The case revolved around the defendant, who falsely represented himself as a qualified medical professional and performed a surgical operation on a woman, leading her to believe he was providing legitimate medical treatment. This deception was pivotal as it directly tied to the nature of the criminal offense — the act was not just a breach of trust, but also constituted a serious form of fraud that endangered the woman's well-being. The court underscored the seriousness of pretending to have medical expertise, emphasizing that the victim's belief in the false claims led to her consent to the procedure, which she would not have agreed to if she had known the truth about the defendant's lack of qualifications. Thus, the core of the deception was the fraudulent assertion of medical authority, which ultimately defined the nature of the crime.