Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-09-24
THAT Fatal BLoOD CLOT.
COnId IL Have Been Removed and
the President Saved.


WASHINGTON, September 19.-Dr
Beckwith, of this city, who was pres.
ent at the examination of the Presi'
dents wound on the day he was shot
now comes forward with new theory
regarding the source of blood-pOison'
ing in the Presidents case. He says
it came from a clot of blood in the
wound, and might have been pre-
vented had prompt measures been
taken to remove tina coagula Of blood
before it became putrid and had been
carried into the system.
The following is an interview with
DIR. Bsckwith:
Ibid you see the President after be
was shot?"
"Yes; l was with him much Of the
time during Saturday after II o'clock
until late in the evening"
"What was his condition, and how
would you have treated him?"
His strength was good for a few
hours, when it was evident that he
had internal hemorrhage, and his
strength declined until it appeared he
could not survive the night. 1t is
probable that his life was saved blythe
blood clothing, thereby plugging up
the mouths of the torn vessels, which
arrested the internal bleeding. There
was a large clot of blood in the right
side of the abdomen, just below the
liver. The presence of this clOt was
detected late in the afternoon"
"How do you know there was a
blood clot in bis slider
"By percussiOn-the same means
that are used to detect a solid lung"
Continuing, the doctor said: 1T
was evident to the sense of touch that
there was a eliot, and it would be we'll
defined. Late in the evening the
President inquired: How can / ever
live to getrid Of this mass of blood, if
the hemOrrbage has ceased2' That
inquiry was very pertinent to the
case, and one that admits Of but n
answer, viz: You probably cannot,
unless the clot is removed. | am of
the opinion that the ceagula of blood
should have been removed by the as
pirator; failing by this means, an in
cision to it and removal would have
been proper. 1t is especially well
known to surgeons who frequently
remove ovarian tumors that even if
the smallest amount of blood is left in
the cavity ofthe abdomen the patient
is liable to die from S~eptic@mia, and
so careful is the most careful operator
that even one or two hours are al
lowed to intervene before the wound
is closed, and the cavity Of the abdo-
men is carefully inspected, and even
the very least amount Of blood is
sponged out before the closing of the
wound"
Doctor, do you think the clot of
blood was the cause of blood poison in
the Presidents case2" asked your cor
respondent.
1T was most probably pymmia. 1t
is an acute disease, starting at a point.
where noxious or putrid substances
form. From this focus or point the
septic or putrid material is carried
through the system by circulation of
the blood. In the Presidents case |
presume a portion of the clot was dis
organized and carried of through the
opening in his back, but a portion Of
it purified and poisoned his blood
Septic poisons accumulate in the
system in a similar manner to trich.
inosis-hog poison. The putrefaction
develops or originates animal life. and
at every point where the septic pus
locates in the body colonies OF minute
mOnads form and migrate through the
tissues and expand, causing more
serious morbid symptoms. Thus
weeks and months at times intervene
before death eusues."
when do you think the President
began to suffer from blood poison?"
LESS than ten days alter he was
Injured. The symptoms at that time
indicated the presence ofpyamia."
is there no treatment to kill these
little destroyers of human life?"
But few recover after the disease
is fully developed. The only curative
treatment is what is known as anti
septic, meaning those remedies that
destroy the qualification and animal
eul@. The room should have been
constantly filed with a medicated
atmosphere Of thymal, one of the best
known antiseptics. If there had
been a free opening in the abdomen
from the first, a solution of the thymal
should have been constantly injected
at the point Of Infection"