Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-07-16
DIR. REYBURN
Thinks the President rs Doing as wen as
He Could Expect.

WAsHrxcrox. July * The improvement
:, ,hs presidents condition which manifested
itself Tuesday last, has continued without
interruption and wholly without anything
vhich could be called relapse. Day by dav
the extremes of pulse and temperature nave
made closer, and closer approaches to the
normal standard: and evening after evening
the fever. when at its greatest helght, mas
shown an abatement of intensity. Tonight
,he Temperature, at o'clock. was only a
l;ttle above normal and it Is already
heoinning its daily ebb. The President mas
been comfortable throughout the DAY, al
though he has not slept quite so much as us
nal. As the fever abates his craving Ior
solid food increases and solid food Is given
him in larger and larger quantities. To-day
he asked for beefsteak and oatmeal gruei.
The beef.teak was of course inadmlssaoie
but the Juice of one was pressed out so as to
saturate a large slice of toast which the
President eat with great relish. He was
also given, this afternoon, sweet bread ana
another slice of toast soaked in the Jnice OF
roast beef small quantity of Nalen'
tines extract of meat and some old Tokav
wine and oatmeal he is to have tomorrow
Upon being asked to-nghl for medical ana
surgical details of the Presidents case, Dr.
r, vburn said. he could hardly
imagine more favorable progress
than the patient had made to-day;
this fever. upto P. NJ, had been barely
perceptable. and even after that hour the
time of its greatest intensity, 1t was much
lower than before the process of suppuration.
which is going on in perfectly natural and
normal manner. The drainage tube was in
trodced into the wound TO the depth of three.
or three and half inches. The discharge
-, cd Iay IN n,irrpSPpnIf.
examination, with view of ascertaining. if
possible from the fragments of tissue which
il NAV contain, whether it comes from the
depths or the wound or not, and If it does.
what indications it furnishes with regard to
| the parts of the body through which the ball
| has passed. Upon being asked whether the
| deeper parts of the wound may not already
have begun to heal, DIR. Reyburn said :"Such
NAV be the case. the sides of the wound in
the interior of the body might be pressed to-
ge,her so as to adhere. and thus heal without
any suppuration. The present discharge
comes. so far as we can judge, from that part
of the body lying between the mouth of the
wound and the ribs" Upon being asked what
! he thought had taken place in the interior of
the body at the point pierced by the bullet,
! DR.. Revburn said: I'VE cannot tell with
certainty the wound may perhaps have healed
up behind the bullet. leaving it imprisoned
| All we know is that the local inflammation
which was apparent in the hepatic region a
week ago, has almost entirely disappeared.
and this is favorable indication. Further
more, there must have been large etfusion
of blood in the interior of the body after the
ball entered, and this has all been re-ob-
served. These facts, together with the steady
decline of intensity of fever, go to show that
nature is carrying on her work of re-adjust-
ment and repair in the interior af the body
as successfully as in the more superficial
parts of the wound, which are accessible to
observation In conclusion, DR.. Reyburn
| said the President had not a single unfavora-
BILE symptom. We not only hope for his re-
cuvery but we are now beginning to be SAN
gnine of it.