, 1881-09-29

THE fitATE rHurrnil INTERVIEWED
thta9o ,tttrt RtrIrr tNee lnrk f'errfapontut,. IN
Hf FHhlishsd Htt.H.t
lour correspondent wns Unable to llnl(
1noro tflan DR.. Hammond ut 1Ini,c III time Il,
conpleto tho lntcmle.l Interviews 1t was
!tlslntuntionto to interview hrs. Sims uinl Sayrc.
but those gentlemen cnli!d not hc reached In
tttlc for tlle present lsslc. Tho following Is
tho result 0t tho Interview Of Dr. Hammond: !:
"Wtlnt lias been yo,tr experience with
Euns'lnt wnlttls lnjurlng the batEcs Of tlIo
lumbar yrrtebrr?"
II l'nso hot sccr. Mt lcnst to not rec
0Ilcct linrlng myself seen n cusc, resembling
tic Presidents In this respect llat IN other
Vital organ wns tnjnrC.l.''
= "W01lh yuu consider gunsllnt wnut,d
Involving yertcbral bndy, TINT being tie
chief Injury produced, a,tl with The retention
Ut the bullet in thu wountt, ll,,qlatEedly
fntnt""
''l]y no 1neans, here In tho second edition
li'. FRANK frAMrrToS's ExcELr.ESr TEXT
on military surgery. pAKe t0tt n case Is re-
lnrte.i, tint OF william SGttlell, private
Twentieth Volunteers, wounded by n rifir-
bnll March III, 1861, which trrycrscd Ills
lolls ilnl "krOOyntl tla seGu1ltl lumbar
vertcbra. Paralysis Immediately cnsllr.t, rs
III the Presidents cnse, md similarly tlfsap-
pcarcd. LII September OF tho Hall,e year
s1alatl picce OF honu with MI attached flug-
iieht nf leatl WIS discharged, antl by Sept. ~,
1871, only slight paralysis IF tho blut,lur re-
nia!nut. AMI tic wortlh hntt closed. Tllcra
WIS slight postcrlor curvature Of the splnu
iii tho rcgEon of tho first tllrce lumbar
vertcbne. Tho bn1l Wis tletectctl two
years nta Il llntf Inter In the
lumbar MUSCLES Of tlle opposit
side, tlattellcd ut one emu, nlld ct,crstctl Will,
sumo cnlcareous deposit. This EntIent mu.Io
Il good recovery Md WIS exhibited before tho
Now York Pathological Snclety, tho nciu-
bcrs:prescnt nil co,le,,rrng III tic belief tl,at
the second lumbar ,{vertebrn hatl bcei, ll,-
jlretl. so yo,l see such cascs-l,ftl tllis one
Is lis n!lciI llko tic Presidents as two cases
can well be-nre
NOT NECESSARILY FATAL"
"Do you tlsink TINT tho presence OF tia
bullet. or thnt Of splntcreG fragments Ut
bang. l,lny be considered to l,ayo been tllo
chief sources Of irritation In tho Presidents
Gasc9'
~ think there cni b0 no doubt tint tho
bullet per So had very litt!u To do with tho
serious reapscs that marked tho progruss Of
tho cnses'
'Wl,at in your opinion WIS tho cause Of
dcatll?n
- must sny that .l0 not sec my way s,,f-
fcient'y CLEARLY through tho Inherent colltra-
alcttons OF tho p0st-lnortvn, report to give Il
very pDslt[ve answer ns to tho Immediate
cause of death. Tho actual cuase III my
opinion WIS
ri-Est1A, DUE TO NoS-n1s1SrEc11oN OF
TIE TRACK OF THE nALt..'
F" So you do not consider tho post-1nortcm
rcport very satisfactory one?"
"Ccrtainly not tho ono titus fir given to
the profession, but shall reserve my upln-
ion OIL tIlat lMint at lcast III p9t, rs 1t Is In
timatctl that more complete history md
lost-tnOrtcm record will be published before
long"
"What is your opinion rs to tho relation
1etween tho secondary hetnorrlsnge. fouiltl
after denth, mud the lHlin experienced by tho
President Just beforu liz .lied?"
do not think there is my. am, rs |
fntfmatcd. not very well satisfied III my owl,
mind rs to tho character OF tint alleged ,c.t,-
orrhage, but tllero Is Ito doubt III MUD tllat
tho President
DIED WITH A HEART cr.or,
sucll rs Is formed III ANY prolonged agony,
antl particularly In exhausted Subjects"
" DO y0ll ngrce with Dr. Bliss In calling
such a condition neuralgia of tho llcurt?"
The term In ttMt association IL t]ousc,,sc.'
'' Do you not belieye tllnt If surgeon ell
lowed with the tnet1,s erutltus Ind care-
fully examined the track of the bull, lo
would hnyo found some irrcgularlty n0out
Tho yertebral body which might lave led him
10 further explorations. and to perhaps Il rf-
t50fiHI E11rnltS