Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-08-27

INDICTMENT OF THE PHYSICIANS.

INDICTMENT OF THE PHYSICIANS.
What Reads to Common People Like Com
mon Sense.
GLEN MILLS, Aug. 22, 1881.
Hon. ". Mac Vsagh:
MY DEAR SIR-Get the president out of
Washington Immediately if you would
have him live. He is now suffering from
malarial remittent. from which he cannot
recover while he remains at the White
House. That his medical attendants are
doing their best shall not deny, but it
seems to me that their course has been .
neglected probing for the bullet until too
late for success. Then they guessed at its
course and position, in which, perhaps
luckily, they were signally mistaken.
They then harped on danger from pytsmia,
Of which there has not been the first symp-
tom. The cooling process was a success
sion of blunders, the most favored appara-
tus furnishing an atmosphere calculated
to be about as sanative as a damp east
wind in March, or " the mistral." Then,
they do not appear to have recognized the
fact that the rarefaction of the air at 100
to 125 degrees furnishes (probably) less
than one-half the oxygen necessary to en-
able the blood to nourish the brain and
carry on the vital functions. In such case
the blood becomes poisoned, it is true, but
in consequence of excess of carbon, and
is not septicGmia. What is scpticemia :?
The bulletins afford no light On the sub
ject possibly because it is, comparatively,
a new word. The term septicemia has its
derivation in two Greek words, sEpO,
putrefac'o, and ALMA, Sanguis, which give.
the definition ".putrescence of the blood"
The terms septic and anti.septic are from
the same root. Wounds received in dis
secting dead bodies. as in post mortems,
and in skinning animals that have died
from disease, rs murrain, Or even from
being in a state of putrefaction alone, are
liable to produce gansrenOus sores, viz,
septic;emia. PygmiG is the effect of some
depraved condition of the patients own
system different from the mere absorption
of Mudable, otherwise. healthy pus, and is,
I believe, generally fatal. Septicpmia is
by no means necessarily SO.
Inflammation of the parotid gland is
frequent in various forms, especially scar
latina. and often results in suppuration.
l think may safely say l have seen at
least a hundred cases, but have never
known the suppuration to extend from tho
gland to the ear or to the brain. Un in
tiammation of the parotid gland tho secre-
ton of salioa is arrested and it never Sc
cretes mucus, therefore cannot incito
coughing.) In the case of tho president
the affection indicates defective nutri-
ton. The patient is virtually starved. Tho
farce of attempting to recuperate the ex-
hausted powers of a patient, who, for two
weeks, has been losing two pounds daily
in weight by the administration of a few
teaspoonsful of beef juice and two or three
cnemata of very doubtful nutritive value,
seems to me, the very height Of imbecility.
The eminent surgeons were palpably in
error when they declared that the track of
about four inches. They failed to discover
for some two weeks, if L am not misin-
formed, that there was a broken rib which
probably detected the course of the bullet
to point wide of their estimate. have
seen no intimation that the garments worn
ut the time tho wound was received have
ever been examined with view to ascer.
tain if any portion thereof and how much
had been carried away by the shot. 1t is
alleged that the missile was not spherical
bullet, but a cylindrical slug with square
end, in which case portion Of the cloth
ing would, almost necessarily, be carried
into the wound, and fully believe such to
be the case, and that it still remains there
and keeps up the suppuration, and the one
thing to do is to support the patients
strength by tonics and nutritious food
with pure air outside of Washington. Tho
learned medicos have not, as yet, commit
ted tho further mistake of getting him out
to sea on board the Tallapoosa. Complicate
his case with sea-sickness and they may
write " Finis cOronat opus"
The most sensible view of the case and
its management that l have seen is that
of DR.. Atlce, of Lancaster, whose advice
should be taken forthwith. The question
remains where to take him. 1t should be
to some location elevated at least 400 feet
above tide, with pure water ard free from
miasmatic influence. The medical attend
auce is of subordinate importance, and
any experienced hospital nurse can dress
his wound as we'll as could Sir Ashley
Cooper.
Should the president be suffered to die
for neglect of the only possible remedy,
there will be a terrific howl over the
breadth of the land.
Yours very truly,
JNO. T. HUDDLEsoN.
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