New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-01-21

Should the public mird be- not yet quite at ease
regard to the death of the late Mr.. Whitney, it
may be some consolation to it to know, as it has
doubtless learned from the discussion at the Acad
envy of Medicine on Wednesday evening, that, in
that respect, it is not iu a much worse condition
than the physicians themselves, who ought to know
most about it, The question whether that untor-
tuDate gentleman accidentally killed or not by
DR.. Green, is one which should h,ye positive
answer, as it is one, it would seem, which can be
easily decided. DR.. Beales, we must do him the
justice to say, meets that question fairly and
sauarely no,c, and answers it afrmatiyely. We
cannot forget, however that his return to the
City Inspector wss Of another character.
illusion of the lungs, even the most unpro-
ftssional Of persons know, is quite diff
ferent thing lesion in the pharynx. 10
loss Of life by treatment to which thousands sab
init yearly, seems to that the proper "delicicy"
TO be used H. not toward the physician committing
it. but toward the public, who may become it's vic
tms. If there be professional conscience which
ius,ifies such concealment Of the truth, it is we'll
that the public should be advised of it. Had DR..
Beales made TO the City Inspector the return that
bis patti. Mt had died Of q lesion Of the pharynx,
made by probspg in the hands OF DIR. Green, q
Cororer's Jury, perhaps, would have made such
an inauest into the facts of tie case, that we
should not be left a month after Mr. WhItney's
death. 10 doubt as TO what killed him.
But DR. Mott is not so certain as to the cause of
that death, or else st thinks it best to hold on to
that pro sional caution which DR.. Beaes has aban
doned. According to DR.. Mott, the patient died
from a variety Of csules. First he died OF an
abscess on the left side Of the srynx, and anterior
I" to the pharynx;" then be was also killed "by
great Inflammation of the left bronchias, and
20 lesser degree Of the hight bronchlas;" then
cause of death was "a cavity in the lungs; and
next the unhappy man came to his end OIL
vigorous Inflammation of half Of the left upper
"lobe;" and finally there we're some other causes
for the ame result TIA. death ensued uHder
,uch complication of diseases is not remarkable;
bot il is remarkable that Dr. Mott is careful Dot 10
enumerate among them the perioration oil the
pharynx by pr1bang. Either heis more CAUTIOUS
or more ignorant, or else be is more skilliui than
DIR. Besles-we are no. certain which. At any
rse so far as any expressed opinion Of this eminent
surgeon goe,, the publ,is still in the dark as to
tie only question in this matter with which II 10
interested. namely: Was Mr.. Whitney killed BY
malpractice
IL is important to remember that the first story
vas Of a psrtoration Of the laynI. We have u
,;,ht y, On, eiu5e now that this story came from
the attending physicians, for it is evident from the
poet ortem examination that their diagnosis pre-
.umed upon such perfOratiOn, and 10 making the
exam nation they sought for it. As they were
mistaken II the diagnosis, they were Of course
disappointed Of finding what they looked for. The
frst story then was false, and the public mind had
been imposed upon BY blunder. Unfortunately,
however, We Arc not all anasomists, and many
people may suppose that the difference between