National Republican., 1881-08-19
WHAT DIR. ZONES SAYS.
We Relieves the President is MortaIIy
Wounded-MnIariA and Electricity.

To the Editor ofTHE REPUBLICAN,
The alarming symptoms in the Presi-
dents case within the past few days seem to have
taken the country by SURPRISE but for one was
not at all surprised, because have had consider.
able experience in gunshot wounds and when I
heard that he had been shot and how and where
at once considered him as mortally wounded.
There have not been any subsequent develop.
ments In his case to change my mind. The
only reason he was not Instantly killed
was on nccount of the ball striking the eleventh
rib, which DETECTED II, and made II a spent ball
before 1t reached the vital vlscera Although the
distinguished surgeons have been severely and
unjustly criticized believe they have conducted
the case with marked ability and deserve great
credit When they were called in to the Presi-
dent his case seemed to them, no doubt as It did
to me, as beyond the reach Of medical or surgical
skill. All they could do or did do
was to treat the case upon q palliative
basis and watch and hope. The pain In the pa
TENTS legs, often complained Of, was caused by
the ball having severed or irritated some plexas
or ganglia OF the great sympathetic nerve. II the
ball Is not extracted the patient will be In danger
OF paraplega OF paralysis Of the lower limbs II is
highly important that the President should be
removed to the Soldiers Home, and am sur.
prised that he has not been long ago. The ma.
laria from the Potomac flats has been COM
planned OF for the past twenty five years, and
several Of his attendants have been stricken down
with Intermittent fever. Defective sewerage OF
the White House renders II unfit, as Dr. Bliss truly
says, for decent horse stable. Then there are
other conditions consequent upon such lesion to
tax the patients vital powers without inhaling
the very fumes of death at every inspiration,
such as the inilammatory, sloughing, sup
purating, granulating, respiratory, and ossif-
cation processes, nll OF which have a ten.
dcncy to keep up high icbrile action which
has reduced him TO his present degree Of emnca-
tion. l was much Rratlfed when the surgeons
had only used local nn@sthcsla when they made
the first incison In his back, because his heart
and lungs had been so terribly overtaxed In the
great process of liberalization that / doubt
whether his system would have survived the shock
According to the bulletins the Presidents min
imum pulsatons of the heart were SS and the
maximum 1870 per minute but / will call II 100, as
think that will be fair average. Tie following
table will demonstrate why he has lost from flfly
to sixty pounds and been reduced TO mere skcle-
ton since the I'd utimo When he arrived at the
Baltimore and Potomac depot lie was In good
physical condition, and the pulsations of his heart
were normal. According to the bulletins his
minimum pulsatiOns were SS, maximum
l30; but 100 will be fair average
Abnormal pulsations OF the Presidents hear,
from I'd ultimo to date per hour, 6,00O per
day, $4,000; excessive pulsations of heart
to date, or forty eight days, 2,O73600. From
July to 10Th instant the Presidents heart
pulsated l,oii00O times more than natural, in spite
of the best medical and surgicalskill. look upon
the Introduction of electricity in his case with
favor, because 1 consider 1t a therapeuti.
cal agent almost indispensable In experienced
hands 1 suggest this: Let an operator
place the positive pole Of an electro. gal
vanic battery to the patients feet and the mega
tive pole at the os coccygis, with medium current
and get up nn electrical action for about five
minutes; then change and place the negative
pole at the lower ccrolcal vcrtebrm and hold the
positive pole In one hand, each pole to contain a
small sponge, saturated with water heated to 9S'
Fahrenheit; then pass the other hand over the alb.
domen carefully. When the operator comes near
or to the location of the ball there will be q
trcmulous muscular action and slight un-
easiness on the part OF the patient and
reddish dlscoloration of the skin will appear
directly over the ball. have used electricity In
my practice for flcen years, and l believe from
my experience that this Is u sure and positive
way to find the location oftho ball This treatmen,
cannot possibly inJure the patient, but the
trary, will act as powerful tonic and prophylactc
in warding off those other complications II resored
to daily. II. JONES, NJ. D.