The Evening critic., 1881-09-28
MORE EVIDENCE
That the Late Presidents Physicians
Were (rOpiug I'm the Dark.

Among the many diagnoses made of the
case of the late President the most interest
ing, perhaps, was that made by DR.. Frank
Baker, assistant demonstration of anatomy
at the National Medical College. DIR. Baker
says that on the I'd day of July, in common
with many others, his first impression was
that the wound of President Garfield would
prove mortal within few hours, and with
this feeling predominant he left the city on
July expecting to find the President dead
on his return. Upon again reaching Wash
ington he was much surprised to hear that
the patient was better. After spending
considerable thought in the case he con-
cluded to visit the scene Of the shooting at
the Baltimore & Potomac depot and as
certain as nearly as possible from cyowit-
nesses of the tragedy the relative positions
Of Guiteau and the President.
After obtaining this he made careful
review Of the symptoms us given in the
official utterinces of the attending physi-
clans, and came to the conclusion that they
had made grave mistake in their dag
nosis Of the patients condition. From the
fact that the President had fallen immedi-
ately ut the moment that the ball struck
he deduced that, rs no fatal result had fol-
lowed close on the heels of the shooting
there must have been some tremendous
shock to the spinal column, such as could
only have been produced by the ball strik
ing it. This supposition was further
strengthened by the patient complaining of
a peculiar pricking pain in the feet which
it was supposed proceeded from q laceration
of some portion of the lumbar plerus or
some of its filaments. After careful con-
sideration of the means by which the wound
was inflicted, DR.. Baker says he became
more and more convinced that the physi-
clans had moderated the force with which
the ball was projected by the assassin's
pistol. Then came the hypcrGsthcsia, or
exalted sensation in the region of the scro-
tum. which could only indicate further
nervous lesion.
Convinced that the spine had been struck,
Dr. Baker visited DIR. Townshend, who was
the first physician called in to the Presi-
dents assistance, for more definite informa-
ton as to the wound of entrance. From
such information as he gathered from him
DR.. Baker was convinced that the spine had
been struck beyond all doubt. Proceeding
on tho information he had obtained, and
carefully noting the symptoms in the case
DIR. Baker proceeded to make q sketch OF
the track of the ball. This sketch was first
submitted to DIR. Prentiss, subsequently to
several other medical gentlemen. In this
sketch DIR. Baker locates tho wound of en-
trance as nearly as possible Mt the point in
Dictated by the surgeons in charge. This
theory was that the ball struck the upper
mendous force. This suiiiced tC
give the missile slight DETECTION
upward. In its further progress it passed
through the rector spinal quadratus lumbarun
and psoas muscles, necessarily injuring the
nerves of the lumbar pierus, and pierced the
vertebre, passing in the rear of the abdom
inal aorta and the thoracic duct. TIL,
point at which the ball passed out of TIL,
lumbar vertebr1 was near enough to tn,
ganglion of nerves surrounding the aort,
to seriously disarrange the stomach ant
cause vomiting. Pursuing his hypothesis
DR.. Baker located the ball in the immcdi
ate vicinity of the mescntery and pancreas
Feeling some diffidcnce in the premises, DIR
submitted his sketch to his inspection. Thu
one point in which this gentleman differed
with DIR. Baker was in regard to the pcrfOra
ton of the liver, DIR. Lincoln claiming tina
the fact that DR.. Wales, when probing tn
wound with his finger, had asserted tina
the liver was wounded was regarded n
single fact sufficiently potent t,
upset any theory of an injury t,
the spinal column. This had the effect Il
prevent DR.. Baker from giving any furthe
publicity to his investigations on the sub
ject The publication of the result of thu
autopsy Of course again brought the matte
: prominently up in his mind, and by TIL,
; advice of his friends he determined to pub
lish the result of his labor in this direction
; DIR. Baker did not submit his diagrams O
his views to any of the physicians who at
tended Gen. Garfield, because he said tina
every man in the country who had theor,
was anxious to give it publicity, and he wa
satisfied that those gentlemen had all the.
wanted to do to properly attend to the cas-
without stopping to examine any ones pc
| theory of the wound or the direction Of tn,
ball. With the publication Of the result o
the autopsy, however, he found that hi
, original theory was thoroughly vindicated
and he naturally feels some degree of prid
that his diagnosis should have been correc
, when the skilled practitioners were all Il
0 fault.