New-York tribune., 1881-09-02
PRESIDENT GARFIELD.

1rss rrNHAsINEss CAUSED BY THE WORDING OF
THE MORNING BULLETIN THE PATIENT HOLD
rN,; THE GROUND RECENTLY GAINED
Come alarm was occasioned in Washington yes
,oraav morning by the wording of the morning
bulletin. which was explained later by the ply
scians satisfactorily. While there was no per-
centible progress, the President held the ground
gained ON Sunday and Monday. There was an
increase in the pulse and temperature, probably
due to the very hot weather. The President
took with relish bouillon, milk toast, broiled
chicken and milk cruel. The glanduar SWELL
ing has decreased greatly and become neon
siderable. car has been fitted up by the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company for the Presi-
dents use, in case it is decided to move him
to Long Branch
LESS PROGRESS THAN WAS HOPED FOR.
THE PUBLIC ALARMED BY A STATEMENT IN THE
FIRST BULLETIN-THE EXPLANATION OF THE
PHYsICIANs-PUIsE AND TEMPERATURES UNEx-
PECTEDLY HIGH-PR SPARATIoNs FOR MOVING
THE PATIENT TO LONG BRANCH.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUNE
WASHINGTON, Sept. 1.-This has been disap
pointing day. 1t cannot be learned that the Pres
dent is any worse than on day before yesterday,
but his pulse and perature do not maintain the
low figures of yesterday. which it was hoped would
prove the beginning of permanent gain. The doc
tors make light of everything in the bulletins which
give rise to alarm outside, and the President has,
without doubt, made little progress In respect to
the ameoration of his glandular swelling, and in
the Improvement of his wound. He has sim
ply, to state at its worst made less progress than
vas hoped.
The morning bulletin contained superfluous al
iusion to rigors. which the President had not had
Rigors were the precedents of his first alarming
lapse and the public took fright at the
ton of the term Its presence in the bulletin
believed at once to indicate fear on the part of
the physicians that rigors would occur. A verbal
explanation was soon made by the doctors and at
tendants but il did not reach many people the
original announcement, and did not materially
to allay the alarm. The explanation was, in effect,
that the physicians, having mentioned the fact that
fever symptoms had made their appearance,
feared the public mind would become demoralized
and so they said the fever was unaccompanied by
rgors. The best friends Of and staunchest beev-
ers in, the doctors criticize this unwise pro-
cedure.
The public has manifested of late an earnest
desire to know the exact facts, and anything which
gives to believe that the doctors dressing
up their statements fa- the purpose of quetng fears
or creating any impression not fully warranted by
the facts, is mischevous. In this connection it is
recalled that there have been some illusions
made to the necessity for better disci-
pline in the sick-room, and disposition
to make public information except that which
should come through tho authorized channels. So
long as this was thought to be designed merely to
prevent the retailing of the sick-room incidents,
which formed so large a part of the literature of
the subject in the first days of the Presidents i'll
ness, it was heartily approved. When, however, it
manfests itself in disposition to keep back i'm
pnrtant facts. because of fear that the American
people will know the exact condition of their
II. - L.
cism. More than once recently facts relating to
the condition and treatment of the President have
been told in confidence, but pledges have been
exacted that they should not be made public.
AT this time there is reason to believe that the
physicians concealing any facts of Importance
Last night before o'clock the President as dis
closed by the morning bulletin, had an access of
fever during which the pulse reached 116 beats to
the minute. Several careful correspondents were
with DR.. Bliss late o'clock for the purpose
well understood of learning from him all the inn
portant features of the day and this the most i'm
portant, was not alluded to, doubtless because 1T
might give rise to public apprehension that all was
not going well. No one will thank the physicians
for their solicitude for the public comfort. Fortu-
nately they to be treating the President skill
fully and successfully. Their lack of frankness
however gives rise to the very fears they have ap-
parently been so anxious to allay.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company has pre-
pared special train to take the President to Long
Branch, should 1t be decided remove him to that
place by raIl. The car designed for the President
was built for the late Colonel Thomas Scott fter
his health had begun to decline, and the springs of
it were specially constructed for bed placed
upon delicate springs is also to be put in the car
and the impression is that when the time for re-
moyal it viii be decided to take
him there by rail- He will probably be moved
at o'clock morning, after he has
had a good nights Sleep The train is in Philadel-
phia ready to start on telegraphic notice. Mean.
while the Tallapoosa would be sent around to Long
Branch, so that If the President should improve he
could take short rides at sea when the weather
permitted. The Talapoosa arrived here this morn
ing from New-York.
DR.. Bliss said tonight in explanation of the term
rigors," used in the morning bulletin that it crept
in without his knowledge. He had not written the
bulletin, and did not know what terms had been
used. He said, however, that the use of the word
was harmless. and came about, probably, because
there was no febre rise during the day; bat there
had been such an increase of temperature in the
evening, which did not last more than three and a
half hours. The general IMPRESSION be said which
had seized on the public TO interpret every rise OF
temperature TO that there was an attack OF
alarial fever may have led to the mpoyment of the
word rigors." 1t was, he added, perfect leQiti
mate and proper word The explanation in the
evening bulletin was designed to allaw any appre-
tensions on the part of those who may have Jumped
TO the conclusion that the President had malaria
lever.
" How is the parotid gland tonight, Doctor?n
" IL is doing about well can be. The swell
ing is constantly diminishing and the flow of pus is
very free and full. The size of the swelling is now