The Worthington advance., 1881-09-01
GARFELD'S, ASSASSINATION.
HISTORY OF rIIE CASE.


Whom the attending physicians first di-
agnosed the case they claimed that tho
bali had penetrated tho kidney, then
amended their diagnosis by substituting tho
Gver,s less vital organ. Then tho case began TO
assume more hopeful aspect The public
seized upon the bulletins announcing those
successive discoveries "a drowning mon clutch
at strswa They wero assured that tho case
was hopeful and after tho patient had,
through his phenomenal physique and heroic
fortitade rallied from tho shock; Of thestot
they began to have faith .-in tho
ultimate recovery of their be-
loved president, who became endeared
to them from tho very fact
Of his fortitude in suffering and
his patient endurance Of q sore trial. This
ta,th n! grew stronger from day to day until the
S:}i Of July, about three weeks after tho fatal
Saturday morning III the Baltimore l. Potomac
depot, when he was stricken BY the assassin's
bullet Al! At once this faith suffered shock
from which the public mover rallied For
hours the pulse OF tho patient mouated up,
unit! the attending physicians, in thoir de-
spair, concluded it would be wiser to call DR.,
Agnew and DR.. Hamilton into consultation than
to allow the patient to dio Oh their hands. So
she great surgeons were summoned by special
trains. Tney soon located the trouble A rus
cavity had formed along the track OF the wound
and tho waste was disturbing tho circulation
and threatening the dreaded py:cmia, or blood
poisoning. The skillful hand Of Dr. Agnow
was applied to the patient, and the acc1mu-
latlng matter Was released, and the patient
soon rallied from the pus aid from tho shock
from the scalpel Then the public pulse be-
came normal for season, yet the more
thoughtful and skcptical still apprehended an
other cavity, which came in the course Of
time, and two incisions were found necessary
to relieve that. Then the hopeful aspect
OF tho case began to assume the
storcotyped bulletins wore issued from
day to day to deceive tho public and lull them
INTO fancied security for the patient Tho IT,
tending physicians pointed to the endorsement
81 their treatment made by Drs Agnew and
Hamilton when first called into consultation.
iut ;iio pnbic lost faith in their treatment and
' ,he,r pr"'csta:ions p" ths: tho patent was dong
VOL. Tho public argued that the consulting
surgeons had approved tho treatment of tho
case up to the time Of their call because too
late to remedy any evil it had wrought and
tecai'so il would hardly lie the proper thing to
shake 4 patients confidence in his physicians,
and further, it wonid not be ''othical"
This relapse of the patlent aud tho sudden
discovery that lie had been a chronic 1yspeptic
for years was too great strain, and confidence
departed to return 20 more. Dr. Hammond
and other eminent authorities said that this
theory OF tho case was absurd, and certainly
tho admirable physique Of the patient in health
would tend TO strongly support this view of
tho case The profession, however, has beon
at 4 loss for reliable data upon which to base
All opinion, Tho record Of pulse. tempera-
tnro aud respiration is about all they have
LA" ~ guide thcm to 4 conclusion.
THE RECORD.
The following table Shows the pulse, tomper-
aturc and respiration slncc the shooting, at tho
hour Of Issuing the evening bulletin: