The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-08-24
THE PRESIDENT /!
HIS CONDITION NOT ENCOURAGING,
He is Unable 20 Retain Food ON His
Stomach, Having yomitcd
Twice During Sum.
day Afternoon.
ALI DEPENDS IRON S3AgoaAELETuES
To-pAY-F GASTRIC DISTURB
ANcE CONTINUES TIE
PRESIDENT CAN
NoT LIVE.

day. To-day, however, seems 10 De
an exception to the rule. The
morning bulletin was a most gratify-
ing one and seemed to greatly re-
store confidence. The Presidents
pulse had gone down two beats
since yesterday. The morning bull
letin was as follows:
$50 A. M.-The President has
passed quiet night, and this morn
ing his condition does not differ ma
terially from what it was yesterday
at the same hour. The swelling OF
the parotid gland is unchanged and
is free from pain. This morning
his pulse is 9S, temperature 9S.4,
respiration Is.
FURTHER ABOUT THE PROBING.
In an interview with represent
ative of the press this afternoon, DR..
Bliss gave in substance the following
account of the recent exploration of
the Presidents wound by means of
a flexible rubber catheter, reference
to which was made for the first time
in the noon bulletin to-day:
Since the operation of the Sth of
August no drainage tube has been
used in the wound. At the morn
ing and evening dressing, however,
4 small flexible rubber tube about a
quarter of an inch in diameter was
introduced and a weak solution Of
carbolic acid and water forced
through it to cleanse the wound and
bring out accumulated pus. Up to
yesterday morning the surgeons had
been unable to pass the tube beyond
n yoint distant three and half or
four inches from the mouth of the
last incision. At that point ! al
ways met with an obstruction which
could not be overcome without the
exertion of force, and force the sur
geons did not think it prudent to
employ. The apparent prominence
Of this obstruction finally led the
surgeons to believe the depth of the
wound had healed, or at least the
track of the ball had healed at the
point where the rubber catheter was
stopped. A few days since, how
ever, it was noticed that the quantity
of pus discharged by the wound at
one of the regular dressings was
greater than the quantity of water
which the wound would hold after
the pus had been removed. This
clearly indicated one of two things,
viz: either that the pus whibh was
in excess of the apparent capacity
of the wound came from q conceal
ed and unsupported cavity, or that
the surgeons were mistaken in sup
posing that the depth of the wound
had healed. 1t also indicated that
the obstruction which prevented the
passage of the catheter did not in
4 terfere with the flow of pus outward
from the deep and unhealed interior.
The low temperature of the patient
negatived the theory of a pus cav
ity, and the surgeons therefore came
to the conclusion that the deeper
parts of the wound must still be
open, and that the excess of pus
which could not be otherwise ac-
counted for must have come from
there. Notwithstanding the apparent
obstruction encountered by the cath
eter. On Thursday DR.. Bliss made
a long and careful examination of
the wound. but was still unable to
get the tube deeper than about 81
inches. On Friday morning, how
ever, during the dressing of the
wound, slim piece OF cellular It's
sue, piece about as large as the
end of ones little finger, sloughed
off or detached, and was washed out
with the pus. This fragment of It's
sue had apparently been half de-
tached for some time and had acted
as sort of rude valve at the point
where the track of the ball seemed
to be obstructed, closing it against
the catheter and against water from
the outside, but opening to the press
ure from the inside and allowing the
/ subAow of pus from the deeper
parts of the wound. Upon the re-
moval of this fragment of tissue,
DR.. Bliss again introduced a flexible
rubber tube, and finding that it no
longer encountered resistance, pass
ed it in as already stated to the dis
tance Of 12s inches. Almost the en-
tire track of the bali was then thor
oughly washed out. The pus which
came from this deeper part of the
wound, although not great in guam
tity, was unusually white, and was
perfectly healthy in character. 1t
was in fact better pus than that Sc
creted by the more superficial parts
of the wound. If any septic taint
has passed into the patients blood
it originated not in the pus, WHICH
has been entirely projected from
acid.
Nothing new with regard to the
direction of the ball had been learn
ed, DR.. Bliss said, from the passsge
of the catheter to this unusual
depth. The tube was so soft and
flexible that one could only Judge
approximately the direction which
it had taken. 1t passed downward
and forward toward the point in
the anterior wall of the abdomen
where the ball had always been
supposed to lie, andss that was the
most that could be affirmed. In DIR.
Bliss opinion the distance from the
end of the tube to the ball was not
three inches.
ALI. DEPENDS UPON THE STOMACH.
In conclusion, Dr. Bliss said the
whole question of the future of the
Presidents case depends now upon
thestomach. Ifthat organ can receive
and assimilate food enough to make
good the present drain upon the
system and enable the patient to
regain his strength, he will stand a
fair chance of recovery. If on the !
contrary tbs stomach again becomes
intolerant of nourishment and en-
tirely refuse for any great length of
time to receive food, the consequen-
ces may be fatal. At present all |
the indications are that the stomach
is recovering its tone, and upon this
fa nf ha sold s.\Ta hooa o,,r ba,,oc,,l !