Huntsville gazette., 1881-09-03
In THE PRESIDENTS sICK-ROOM.

Another Crisis in the Pres dent,s Com
dftion Safely Passed-After Hone Had
Been Almost Abandoned the Patient
Rallies, and Hope Once More Fakes
the Place of Dependency.
WASHINGTON, August 27.
In the earlier stages Of the Presidents
case, when his vitality was still strong, and
While changes in his condition from better
! to worse and from worse to better corre-
sponded with the ehb and flow OF the surgi.
cal fever, it was noticeable that the low tide
of physical condition came in the evening
and the high tide Of Improvement in the
early morning. The febrile rise was then
the most prominent feature OF the case,
and as this periodical increase OF fever was
largely due and caused by disturbances, ex-
element, the heat and the surgical manip-
ulations OF the day, it reached its culmina-
tlon IN the evening. During the night the
absence OF all exciting and disturbing influ-
ences, and the rest and refreshment of
sleep, caused gradual improvement in the
patients symptoms, and his condition
touched its most favorable point in the early
morning. Since, however, the manifesto
tlons of fever became secondary In
importance to the manifestations of
exhaustion, the high and low tides of con-
dition, if they may be so called, have so far
as time is considered been exactly reversed
The patient now seems to have his worst
hours in the early morning and his best
hours in the afternoon and evening. His
system sinks during the night and rallies in
the early part of the day. This tagging Of
all the Presidents vital energies in the
morning was especially noticeable to-day.
Between four and seven a. IN. his pulse
was high and feeble, his mental condition
rather respondent, and all his symptoms
dlscouraging. Most of the members of the
Cabinet were at the Executive Man.
sion at an early hour, and the fact
that they did not leave after the appearance
of the morning bulletin was one of the many
indications that both they and the surgeons
felt the gravest apprehensions. The bulle-
tin was OF meager and rather unsatisfac-
tory character, but it clearly indicated a
change for the worse, and all information
obtainable unofliciaily from the surgeons
was fully in correspondence with it. Soon
after the morning examination, however,
the patient rallied slightly, the range OF his
pulse became lower, faint improvement
| was apparent in its tone, and before noon
the urgent alarm Of the early morning began
TO subside. About noon most of the Cabinet
officers left the Executive Mansion, feeling
assured that even at the worst death was
not imminent. The Presidents condition
at noon, as desc .Ded by several of the at
tending surgeons, was substantially as
follows: In the first place, his exhaustion
had become q very threatening and danger
olls feature of the case. His stomach, en-
fecbled by the poisoned condition of the
blood, seemed unable to propeily and COM
pletely assimilate the food given it, and the
result was 4 steady and unmistakabIe fail
ure of all the vital powers, indicated by
higher, feebler and more tluctuating pulse.
less satisfactory condition of the wound,
and until to-day considerable degree OF
mental disturbance. The condition OF the
swoocn parotid gland had not changed in
any respect for the better. There had been
slight discharge Of pus both from the incis
ion made several days ago and from the
orice OF the ear, but its quantity was
not sufficient to relieve the Inflammation or
diminish the size of the swelling. The gland
/ continued, therefore, to exert depressing
and dangerous influence upon the patients
already weakened vitality, and there was no
| prospect of any immediate change for the
better in its character. The process of re-
pair along the track OF the ball had ceased,
and the granulations were becoming no.
tceably less perfect. The pus discharged
by the wound was also unnatural in ap-
pearance and consistency. All these unfa-
vorable symptoms were due directly
or indirectly to the yitiated condition
Of the blood. In the opinion of the
surgeons the danger Of death from exhaus-
ton might be avoided We're it not for the
| of GLAND N
doubtful whether the process Of repair could
begin or go on in the presence of that COM
plication. Such in brief were the unfayor-
able features of the Presidents case at noon.
The only favorable symptoms were the con-
| tinued ability of the stomach to take and
retain food, and clearer and more perfect
action Of the brain. Soon after noon the
| Presidents attendants reported slight i'm
provement in his condition. At two p. m.
Colonel Rockwell sent the following tele-
gram to w. N. Robertson, New York:
'At this hour 1.-TWO o'clock the President
is quite comfortable. His pulse is ia. He
voluntarily remarked that he felt stronger
than yesterday. Whatever the future may
| bring he has not yet given any signs OF dis
solution. He said years ago that 1t was
always the unexpected that was happening
with him. -
Later in the afternoon the surgeons adj
mitted that some Of the Presidents symp-
toms were more encouraging. His pulse
began to show greater steadiness and
slightly improved quality, and his mental
faculties were clearer and more active than
at any time during the past week. Both
these symptoms were taken as indications of
| improved nutrition. The President himself
voluntarily said several times in the course
of the afternoon to his attendants that he
! thought he felt better than he did yesterday
and remarked that for the first time in sew
erl days he found himself able to taste the
/ food which he swallowed. The G:30 official
bulletin showed slight amelioration OF the
patients symptoms, and. although the
change was too trifing to justify any great
amount of encouragement, it was eagerly
accepted by those who could not bring
themselves to believe that the President
would die, as ground for renewed hope.
Dr. Bliss, in conversation with the Rev. DIR.
| Powers, pastor of President Carfield's
church, said about seven O'Clock that the
| President had had thus far rather better
day than was anticipated this morning. He
! did not think there was enough change,
however, as yet to justify any anticipations
Of recovery or to modify the views enter
tanned by himself and the other surgeons as
to the extreme gravity Of the crisis. "If,".
he said, "the President gets through to-
morrow as well as he has to-day, t,link
7