The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-07-28
AN UNEXPECTED RELAPSE.

The bulletins issued by the attending ply
sicians on the Presidents sick room, had indi-
Gated such favorable symptoms in the condi-
ton of the distinguished patient, that the pub
lie had settled down to the belief that he
would certainly recover. The bulletins, it is
true, have been very cautiously worded, and
nothing more than plain statement of the
condition and symptoms given, yet as there
were no manifestly unfavorable indications
the people gladly reached the conclusion that
the dangerous stages had been passed. A rude
shock on Saturday last awakened them from
this sense of security. The Geographic wires
were busy Saturday in sending of accounts OF
a serious relapse, and the great apprehension
entertained for the Presidents life. The ex-
element and alarm were only second to that
occasioned by the shooting itself. The same
feverlsh and impatient feeling prevailed, and at
every moment of the day inquiries were made
from all classes and conditions of people, as to
the condition Of the President.
While the wound was being dressed on 2Srd
the patient was taken with chill which
lasted nearly an hour and was followed by a
fever. This unfavorable change in the pa
TENTS condition was caused by the obs true
ton of the flow of pus from the wound, and
the formation of what is technically called a
"pus cavity" within the lacerated channel. DR..
Hamilton, of New York. and DR.. Agnew of
Philadelphia. were summoned by telegraph,
and arrived at Washington at 1880 p. m, bya
special train, which made the trip from New
York in hours and AZ minutes. After con
sultatlon with the attending physicians it was
decided not to disturb the President, as he
was resting quietly, and the fever had partial
was slight recurrence of the chill. On Sun
day morning the physicians, after consulta-
ton, determined to reach the "pus cavity" if
possible, by making an incision through the
muscles of the back. This was accordingly
done, and the channel of the wound was tap
ped some three inches from its outer opening.
The spot through which the incision was
made was partially frozen by the application
Of local an@sthetics, and the operation caused
but little pain. According to the official bull
letins issu ed at 7 p. m. Saturday, pus was dis
charged freely from the incision made, and
the fever of the President rapidly fell from the
almost fatal point to the now assuring
condition. At one time it was apprehended
pyemia, or blood -poisoning had set in, but
this was soon discovered not to be the case.
DR.. Woodward, one of the attending physi-
clans, gave the blood taken from the patient
by the incision to reach the pus-cavity mi
croscoplc examination and pronounced it
free from impurities and that there was not a
trace of poison to be seen.
The explanation given by attending sur
geons of the unfavorable Systems which mani
tested themselves Saturday are briefly as fol-
lows: Some time during the night or early
this morning the patients wound, which had
for several days been discharing freely, be-
come DISTRACTED at, or near the inner end of
the drainage tube, while the process of sup
puration in the deeper parts of the wound
continued. A partial or complex pus cavity
was thus formed, and the discharge from the
mouth of the wound nearly ceased. The nat
ural result of this state of things was a chill,
followed by higher fever, the patients pulse
rising to q maximum of about 100. and his
temperature to 104. As rigor followed by in
creased fever is symptom Of py@mia, Of the
formation of an abscess, and of other unfavora
BILE complications, it caused at first good
deal of anxiety. Careful examination, how
ever, of the pus discharged by the wound
showed that its character was perfectly nor
NAL and healthy, and so far as appeared from
the patients general condition, all indications
of py@mia were absent. These facts relieved
at once the fear of blood poisoning. An exter-
nal examination was then made of the abdom-
inal and hepatic regions, with view of ascer-
tanning whether there were any signs of alb
scesses at the supposed location of the bullet.
No unusual tenderness was found in that part
of the body, or any other indication OF a
changed condition. From these facts, taken
in connection with the scanty outflow of pus,
the conclusion was drawn that an obstruction
existed near the inner end Of the drainage
tube, which prevented free discharge. The
imprisonment of pus, technically known as
the formation of a ''pus cavity" is entirely
adequate to explain the chill and increased
fever since they are its natural and almost in
eyitable consequences. 1t was at first thought
the obstruction might be the result of the pro-
cess OF healing, which had wholly or in part
closed the wound between the end ofthe drain
age tube and deeper supperating surface.
Early in the afternoon, however, the obstruc-
ton wholly or partially gave way, the outflow
of pus became freer, the nausea from which
the patient had suffered subsidized, and he OBJ
tanned relief. This proved that the obstruction
had not not been of permanent character. At
the evening dressing of the wound the dis
charge of pus was quite copious as usual.
To know the feeling of anxiety and the
cause of it, which prevailed on Saturday and
Sunday, we give the following dispatch to the
Baltimore Sun, dated the Oath:
The city has been in state of feverish anx-
iety all day. None of the bulletins, official or
unofficial, have relieved this feeling in any
way indeed there has been 80 little given out
in comparison to what WAS wanted that the