New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-21
IMPROVING IN CONDITION.

ClcdnSeu.
IMPROVING IN CONDITION.
AN ENOouRAGING REPORT FROM DIR. BLIss-THE
WOUND COMPLETELY TRACED-NO TOKEN OF
11Na 1NaFfhMIA-PULsE r AND TEMPERATURE SOMEWHAT
HIGiER-A SLOW RECOVERY EXPECTED.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBuSei
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2O.-The President is no worse
Than he was last night, but it is diicut if not i'm
possible, to state in what respect he is better The
condition or affairs previous to the recent alarming
uyspeptlc troubles seems to have been partially re-
gained, but still the food is administered i'm great
part by enemata, and until this method of support
ing lfe shall have been discontinued it will not be
possible to say that the President is as well as he
was ono week ago.
The pulse and temperature are little biyber t,on
last nights figures and have been little higher all
DAY. This may be partially accounted for by the
iaco that the day has been very warm one while
yesterday was cool. Moreover, the tendency lat
teriy IN respect to the temperature has been too
| strongly downward. The fact that it Is a little
above normal, and has tonight manifested the Old
H'Iniiiar disposition which came to be known as
the evening fever" more markedly than for sev
erai days, is somewhat reassuring, as a familiar
evil is always less to be dreaded than n new
computation which il not fully understood
ms evenings fcver certainly no apprehen-
siohs III the minds of the doctors. They count the
day rs one of progress. More food has been
taken by the mouth and less by enemata than ves-
terdaY. Nothing of solid nature has been given
nor can be for some days probably. A contest he
tween the wasting processes Of the wound in its
healing and the rebuilding by the food in the
stomach and by enemata has begun and nav be n
long one. There Is very manifest feeling of de-
spondency abroad tonight, but il is justified bv no
fact made public through the bulletins or in pri-
vate conversation by the doctors. Ii is the result
of hope deferred" and is not in any sense an in
deX OF the patients condition.
As the day opened the situation though critical
gave some evidence of Improvement. and the conf
dence was greater than it bad been the dav before
The President seemed to have gained in the last
twcniy-four hours. His waning vitality had taken
To Itself a little new strength His sleep had been
TINT ot nature and his unfsyorabe symptoms were
less alarming, and the seventh day of the seventh
week began without giving any sign that the mys-
terious fears OF the supersttious were TO
be realized. The pulse aud temperature of
the morning showed the usual and expected
Improvement as compared with their condition ON
the evening before. The half-hours DELAY of the
noon bu lctin created fccling Of unreasoning
dread which its appearance did not Immediately
allay. he reference 10 the unexpected depth 30
which the drainage tube had penetrated into the
hitherto uneXplored portion Of the wound was sur
prise to everyone. Three or four inches had
been the expression almost uniformly used IN refer
ouce 10 the depth with which the doctors were IA
milfar, and this coupled with the statements OF
rapid healing, granuat on and general favorable
appearance of the wound aud the incisious had
bat poorly prepared the public mind FOR The new in
formation. Naturally reports wero started that
the doctors had either been deceived had wlfnlly
deceived the public. They found many believers.
but rs n matter OF fact they had not asserted that
thc wound closed TO within three or four inches
Of the surface and the well informed were pretty
well awore of the fact that the Presidents 'pkysi-
clans did not tell all they knew rather did not
express opinions freely upon matters which were
graycly doubtful in their own minds. The depth 10
which the wound was found to be open was a sur
prise to them, though they had known that in the
nature of things an unexplored avenue ex-
stcd From IL tho secretion was daily
forced by manipulation while from the moro open
portions Of the wound il had been drawn by the
frccr process of the drainage tube and the pcroli-
cal washngs with c1rboNlcd water. At almost
every dressing attempts had been made to get be-
yond the point reached ut the previous dressing
but valve Of hanging flesh seems To have inter-
v"neG happily not obstructiug the outflow of uue but
ehectually barring the ingress of the io<ible tube
The removal of his valve is undoubtcd advantage
as ail0rding easier and for the patient less
trying method of dressing his wound. This fact
was generally learned aud appreciated by those de-
'rou, Of knowing only the facts in the case; but by
hose who determined to place the worst inter-
pretation upon every Development it was insisted
that justification had been found for the pv;cmia
hypothesis Tus is disproved by the fact TINT no
acrid pus was found in tho newly opened channel,
aud that the whole discharge is not greater since It's
Opening than before. The swelling of tine right
parotd gland has subsidized somewhat from its maX-
imum. but the efforts to scatter it have MOI
been entirely successful, and its origin and
character are still mattcrs Of doubt. More import
ance attaches to it as source Of annoyance to the
patient than of direct danger indication Of direct
danger IN other and moro vital organs. Sun!nariiy
stated the s.dation is cheering or the reverse,
cording to the point of view of comparison Of the
observer. The President IS much, very much, bettor
than dead man, but - yet dangerously sick
man. lie is better than he was three days ago. and
considerably worse than he seemed week ago. The
week has been one Of alarms, the most serious
lapse Of the whole illness having taken place. and
the ground lost has not been fully recovered.
Dr. Bliss said Tonight " have little to add to
the bulletins; they tell the story very well. The
rise in the pulse and temperature Tonight not
considerable. They up because the afternoon
fever has returned. The President has taken more
nourishment to-day than yesterday, more through
the mouth mean, and he has retained and appar-
emily assimatcd il. We continue the cnemata still,
but administer tsem ut intervals of eight hours in
stead of five, as yesterday and heretofore. These
enemata have been assmiiated, and with
the nutrimcnt administered through the
mouth, give him all tho nourshment he
needs. He is Iegaining lost ground LOW.
For Jay and night he retained no nourshmcnt.
He is coming to The front again now. There was
then not only great drain upon the tissue but upon
the funds of his system. They are being .eplaeed
gradually, and rs result his general condition Is