The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-10-05
OFFICIAL REPORT.
Statement by the Surgeons Of the Re
suits OF the Post-Mortsm Examina-
tion OF the Body OF President Car
Purr.InrIpuIA October l.


journal of Medical Sciences contains the
following official report of the autopsy
of President Garfield, prepared by the
surgeons in charge:
OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE Posr-MoRrEN Kx-
ANIMATION Of the body OF President J. A
Garfield. made September 20, 1881. com
mencing at 30 p m, eighteen hours after
death, at Francklyn Cottage, Elberon, N. j.,
present and assisting. DIR. ID. W. Bliss, Sur
Eeon-General ]. K. Barnes, U. 3. A, Surgeon
]. J. woodward, o. s. A, DR.. Robert Rey-
burn. DR.. Frank q. Hamilton, DIR. ID. Hayes
Agnew, DIR. Andrew II. Smith, of Elberon
and New York, and Acting Assistant-Sur-
gson d. 8. Lamb, of the Army Medical Mu-
scum OF Washington, d. c.:
Before commencing the examination q con-
sultation was held By these physicians in Q
room adjoining that in which the body lay,
and IL was unanimously agreed that the dis
section should be made by DIR. Lamb, and that
Surgeon woodward should record the observa-
tons made. II was further unanimously
agreed that the Uranium should not be opened
Surgeon woodward then proposed that the
examination should be conducted as follows:
That the body should be viewed externally,
and any morbid appearances existing re-
corded.
That the catheter should then be passed In
to the wound, as was done during life, TO wash
It out for the purpose of assisting TO nnd the
position OF the bullet.
That q long incision should next be made
from the superior extremity of the sternum
to the pubs, and this crossed by q transverse
one just below the umbilicus-
That the abdominal fap thus made should
then be turned back and the abdominal WIS.,
sera examined
That, after the abdominal cavity was opened.
the position of the bullet should be ascer-
tanned. IL possible, before making any further
al, Via
should be examined.
This order of procedure was unanimously
agreed to.
The examination was then proceeded with,
and the following external appearances were
observed:
The body was considerably emacisted, but
the face was much less wasted than the limbs.
preservative fiuid had been injected by the
embalmer few hours before into the left
femoral artery. Tue pipes used for this pur-
pose were still In position. The Interior sur
face of the body presented no abnormal ap-
pearances, and there was no ecchymosis, or
other discoloration of any part OF the abdo-
men. Just below the right ear, and q little be-
hind II, there was an oval liberated opening,
about half an inch In diameter, from which
some sanious pus was escaping, but no tune
faction could be observed in the parotid re-
gion- A considerable number OF purpura-like
spots were scattered thickly over the left
scapula, and thence forward as far as the
axilla- They ranged from one-eighth to
one-fourth of an inch In diameter, were
slightly elevated and purpuraceous on
the surface, and many of them were
continent in groups Of two to four or more. A
similar but much less abundant eruption was
observed sparsely scattered over the CORES
ponding region on the right side. An oval,
excavated ulcer, about an inch long, the re-
suit OF q small carbuncle. was seated over the
spinous process OF the tenth dorsai vertebra-
Over the sacum there were four small bed
sores, the largest about half an inch in dame
ter. A few acne pustules and number OF
irregular spots of post-mortem hypostatic con-
gestion were scattered over the shoulders,
back, and buttocks. The interior part of tho
scrotum was much dIscolored by hypostatic
congestion. A group OF hemorrhoidal tu-
mors, rather larger than walnut, protruded
from the anus The depressed cica-
trix OF the wound mado by the
pistol bullet was recognized over the tenth
intercostal space, three and a half inches to
right of the vertebral spinc- deep linear
incislon (mado in part by the operation OF July
"a and extended by that OF August 81 occu-
pied position closely corresponding TO tho
upper border OF the right twelfth rib. II COM
meuced posterioriy about two inches from the
yertebrnI spine and extended forward n IittIo
more than three Inchos- At the interior ex-
tremity of this iucislon there WIS deep,
nearly square, abradod surface about an inch
across. A weIl-oiled, flexible catheter, four
teen inches long, was thon passed into this
wound, as had hecn done to wash IT out dur
ing life. More resistance was ut first encoun-
tered than had usually been the case, but
after several trials the cathcter entered with
out any violence to the full length II was
then left In position, and the body disposed
supinely for the examination OF the viscera-
The Uranium was not opened long inci-
a. IL wNv-ar - aNN
the sternum to the pubis, followed by trans
verso incision crossing the abdomen just be-
low the umbilicus- The four flaps thus formed
were turned back and the abdominal viscera
exposed. The subcutaueous adipose tissue
divided by the incisions was little more than
one-eighth of an inch thick over the thorax,
but was thicker over the abdomen, being
about q quarter of an inch along the Inca
alba and as much as half an inch thick toward
the outer extremity OF the transverse incision.
On inspection of the abdominal viscera
sftua the transverse colon was observed to lie
q little above the line of the umbiious- 1t
was firmly adherent to the anterior edge of
the liver. The greater omentum covered the
intestines pretty thoroughly, from the trans
verse colon almost to the pelvis. 1t was still
quite fat and very much blackened by venous
congestion. On both sides its lateral margins
were adherent to the abdominal parieties,
opposite the eleventh and twelfth ribs, on the
left side, the adhesions were numerous, firm,
yeIl-organized and, probably, o d.
IA foot-note here says: "These adhesions
and the firm ones on the right side, as well as
those of the spleen, possible date back to an
attack of chronic dysentery, from which the
patient il said to have suffered during the
Civil War. On the right side there were q few
similar adhesions and a number Of more
delicate and probably recent ones."1
A mass of black, ooagulated blood covered
49, u,laa and a laft
of the greater omentum- On raising this
omcntum 1t was found that this blood mass
extended through the left lumbar and ilalc
regions and dropped down into the pelvis. in
which there was some clotted blood and
rather more than a pint Of bloody fluid
IA foot-note here says: "A large part Of this
auid had probably transuded from the In
lection material of the embalmers.1
The blood coagula, having been turned out
and collected, measured very nearly q pint.
IL was now evident that secondary hemor-
rhare had been the immediate cause of death,
but the point from which the blood had es-
capped was not at once apparent
The omentum was not adherent to the tntes-
tines which were moderately distended with
pas. No intestinal adhesions were fond 9TH
ar than those between the transverse colon
and the liver already mentioned The abdom-
fnaI cavity being now washed out as thor
ouehly as possible, fr1itless attempt was
made to obtain some indication or the posi-
ton of the bullet before making any further
incisions-. BY pushing the tntestines aside
| the extremity of the cathcter, which had
passed into the wound, could be felt between
| the peritoneum and the right lilac fascla, but
| it had evidently doubled upon itself, and, al
though a prolonged search was made, nothing
could be seen or felt 70 indicate the pres
eucs OF the bullet, either in that region ol
| elsewhere
The abdominal viscera were then carefully
removed from the body. placed In suitable
| vessels. and examined seriatim, with the fol
lowing result:
The adhesions between the liver and trans
verse colon proved to bound an abscess cavity
betveeu the under surface of the liver and
the transverse meso-colon, which involved the
eall-bladder and extended 10 about the same
distance on each side Of it. measuring si1
inches transversely and four inches from be
fore, backward. This cavity was hneo py
/