Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1881-08-18
MEDICAL TESTIMONY.
An Eminent Physician Criticises til,
Course of the Presidents Doctors.

An Eminent Physician Criticises the
Course of the Presidents Doctors.
Special to the Chicago Inter Ocean.
Washington, August 16--An eminent
physician, whose name is withheld by
request, on being questioned on the SUBJ
ject of the president, said:
"Io give an opinion at this stage Of
affairs on the Presidents condition is
certainly very delicate undertaking.
The bulletins which the attending ply
sicians have been sending out since the
beginning are anything but satisfactory,
as far as medical men are concerned. Ihe
data which they contain are entirely in
sufficient i'll number as well as character
for the founding of q specific medical
opinion of any value whatsoever. The
stereotyped scantiness of the reports is
only equalled by the astounding para.
dox which many of them have on their
very faces exhibited-an exhibition
which would be laughable were it not
for the gravity Of the OCCASIONS
Doctor" was asked, twhat do you
think of the patients condition as
shown by to.day's bulletins?"
"As before stated, these are exceed
ingly meager. have never seen the
president since he was wounded, and
personal inspection of patient is. as
you know, very important to correct
understanding of the case; but this l
will say: 1t becomes more and more
evident every day that the whole trou-
BILE arises from the faulty diagnosis
which took place at the very start. The
president, as has since then transpired,
had received but esh wound, and in.
stead OF treating him for this it was
affirmed that his liver was lacerated, his
peritoneum traversed, and what not.
The attending physicians settled down
to the treatment of chronic case, and
as result. the president still lies on his
back in an emaciated and terribly weak.
ened state in the seventh week since he
sustained his injury. In the face Of
these circumstances, you will probably
be surprised to hear that, according tc
established tenets, if the patient should
have arisen from his bed two weeks after
the assassins bullet entered his body
nature would have done what surgery
never can accomplish. The process OF
recupsration would have rapidly ensued
and the physicians might have fished
for the bullet at their leisure"
"To keep man." the doctor continu
ed. "0t the presidents acknowledged
vitality .for over forty days, is IN
itself serious undertaking. And at the
expiration of five weeks the patient be-
gins to be afflicted with what are known
as bed sores. l fear that the president
may become subject to them, If he
does, in his present weakened condition
it would largely increase the complica
tlons OF his case and make the outlook
for bis recovery, to say the least, exceed
ingly gloomy"
"ro return to the bulletin; how dc
you account for the frequency Of tn.
pulse as early as $50 this morning? Il
was given at 10S."
If this quick pulse is the result O
local troubles would say it is yer,
bad sign. We may, however, ascribe i
to psycologic origin. The president il
probably greatly impressed with care
which could not but come ON n man il
his responsible position, no matter how
carefully all business were kept from
him. l laye known patients, weighted
with the knowledge Of grent busines
affairs. who maintained on this account
surprisingly quick pulse even aftc
their danger is comparatively over. II
~ to be hoped that such is the case will
the president, although the physicians
as Tar as have seen, have not as We
availed themselves of this theory to &C
count for the guickness of pulse"