Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1875-11-16
A CONTEMPTIBLE AND UN.
WARRANTED ASSAULT UP.
ON THE REPUTATION
OF A PHYSICIAN.
DR.. p. T. Kirhy's Life Put in
Jeopardy by the Balderdash
of q Qnack.
A Post Mortem Examination and
What Came Of it?

of the reporters, Gold Hill has exper-
fenced a sensation of the most inter-
esting character without the affair
getting into the newspapers in a
shape which its importance merited.
There may be happenings in com.
munity full record of which it
were better for the good OF that com.
munity to suppress; but we can see
no good reason, in the case in point,
tor suppressing any of the facts, and
are loss to know why the Gold
Hill NeWs, usually so thorough in
its ventilation of such matters, should
have passed the occurrence by with
a brief mention. To briefly tell the
story as it has Leen given to us by
undoubted authority, Nr. Irwin
Carson, a miner of Gold Hill, was
taken suddenly sick some days ago,
and DR.. p. L. Kirby, of that city and
we'll known to our citizens, was
called to attend him. This he
did, and pronounced the attack
as that of congestive chill.
The remedies usually prescribed In
such cases were applied, and after a
lengthy and determined effort, the
man was successfully relieved. The
physician, after being successful,
informed the friends of Mr.. Carson
that if another chill succeeded the
the patient would live through it, as
the case was one of the severest he
had ever been called upon to attend.
A few hours afterward, as it had
been feared, Carson was taken with
second chill, and the Doctor imme-
diately recalled. On his arrival an
examination was had and the Doctor
gave it as his opinion that Carson
could not live 80 minutes, and ad-
vised the prompt summOning OF
other physicians in order that the
friends Of the dying man might be
satisfied that all had been done in
human power TO save the man and
that the case was beyond the power
of medical aid. DR.. Hall was there
fore instantly summoned. He I'M
hesitatingly concurred with DIR.
Kirby in the diagnosis OF
the disease; the man shortly after
died, and the corpse was left
to the care of friends. Several hours
after this, and after the man had
been dressed for burial, it is said that
DR.. Miller, who is a late addition
to the medical fraternity of Storey
county, either came or was called in
to see the body, as by handling it
those who laid it out discovered that
the chest still held an unusual
warmth. 1t Is said that Miller made
IA C ose examination, and gave his
opinion substantially "that the man
was still alive, but that, if he was
dead, he died of apoplcxy instead of
IA congestive chilli" and went SO far
as to cause the corpse to be removed
to Miners Union Hall for the pur-
pose Of applying mustard bath, in
order to bring the dead man to life.
1t is also said that DR.. Miller told the
friends Of Carson that had he MILLER
been called twenty minutes before
the man died, he could have saved
him. Quite naturally this an
nouncement and the virtual accusa-
ton against Kirby, by Miller, of
malpractice in treating the man for
congestive chills instead Of the proper
disease, caused great excitement and
Indignation against DR.. Kirby among
the near friends of the dead man. So
great, indeed, was this feeling that
threats of lynching and shooting
were freely INDUCED in by the ex-
cited populace, and when DIR. Kirby,
who in the meantime had been called
professionally to American Flat, re-
turned, he was told that his life was
in danger, and advised to seclude
himself for fear of immediate vio-
lence. This the Doctor refused to
do, and insisted upon facing his ac-
cusers. Some thirty men, who had
at that moment gathered around the
building in which the Doctor was
being informed of the danger, were
invited in. The expression which
these men wore when gazing upon
the accused physician was like that
which animates an excited mob who
are facing victim prejudged to the
gallows. Fortunately, however, there
were enough cool-hooded ones
present to enable the Doctor to gain
hearing, and when this was granted,
the threatened physician informed
the crowd of the facts in the case;
told them all he wanted was fair
chance for his life; he believed his
diagnosis of the case to be the. cor
rect one, and asked that the body be
placed in charge of the Coroner, and
held for an inquest and autopsy, to
determine the cause Of death, stating
that if the man had really died of
apoplexy and not of congestion, he
should hold himself criminally re-
sponsible for malpractice. This
proposition met some objections
from several of the too hot-headei
crowd, but finally prevailed. The
Coroner was sent for, afterwards sum-
moned jury, took full evidence,
and then ordered an autopsy to be
made. This operation was allotted
to DR.. NJ. Schnabel, of this city, and
was made in the presence of eleven
physicians. 1t is useless to go
into further details of the case.
The result of the autopsy was
complete vindication of DIR.
Kirby, and as complete a condemn
ton of the theory of the mans death
set up by Miller. The cause OF the
undue warmth of the chest after
death. as stated by DR.. Kirby before