National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-09-20
AE PRESIDENT.
BRIEF HISTORY or HIS CASE
The Various Epoehs from the Day OF the Shooting
uentloned-The Days Of Gloom aud Sea.
sons Of Encopragemcnt-Denials
and Admission OF Doctors.


observations made or less frequently, accord.
ing to the gravity OF the symptoms, from the day
of the shooting down to the present. The main
points which have been given TO the public are
the pulse, temperature, and respiration, together
with such general facts ms the doctors saw 1T 10
embrace in the bulletins. with more or less frc-
qucncy every day from the date of the shooting,
which took place ut 900 a. m. on the I'd Of July,
the bullet which made the ugly wound being Of
"A calibre md striking the President about four
inches to the right Of the spinal column 1t struck
the tenth and shattered the eleventh rib very
badly, having turned downward and forward in a
direction which at that time It was impossible fof
the physicians 10 determine.
THE SHOCK PROM THE WOUND
was 10 great that the doctors In attendance have
said that they never saw n man come so near dy-
ing from this cause and live as did the President
the first day ho was wounded. II seems that the
first physician to reach him at the depot was DIR.
Smith Townshend, who made slight examina-
ton of the wound-slmply enough to determine
whore the President had been hit. The alarm was
given. an ambulance procured aud he was driven
hastily to the White House. The usual nervous
effects OF the severe shock followed the shooting,
and tho patient was affected with nausea, vomit-
ing, and extreme proatration during the first day.
He was weak. indeed, that II was not until five
o'clock In the evening OF that day that his clothes
were all removed and he could bal put in shape for
tho beginning Of the treatment. II seems that the
surprise and panic were so great at the time tina,
there was no one to direct the medical operations
and as the result various Government physicians
and leading surgeons who were In the city volun-
teored or were called in attendance, and brici
examination was made late In the afternoon OF
the shooting,
But NOTHING WAS DONE TO RELIEVE THE PATtssr.
The ball having entered over the liver, its-omsf
perfectly natural to the physicians thatit had con-
tinucd in direct course and passed through that
organ; hence for some days 1t was confidently be-
heved that the liver had been pierced, this proba-
bly, being one cause why the physicians despairod
OF the patients recovery and believed he would
die at once. The only examination TO determine
really what.course the ball had taken, when tis
theory of It's passing through the liver was COZ.
rect, was made by Surgeon General Wales, who
thrust his little finger in the wound
and discovered that the tenth and eleventh rib.
more or less were fractured. SO low was he thai
nignt that one Of the attendants reports wher
Geueral Swain proposed TO clear the room and
give the patient air one OF the attending physl
clans said: There is no use doing anything
There is the death rattle in his throat now" The
General insisted however, and the room wal
cleared The windows were raised, and the
patient did rally at 245 on the morning OF the Sd
Ho was then able to take and retain little nour-
isbment. Atthis timeitw was not known that the ball
had been detected downward by the rib and had
passed, as subsequently was shown, forward. and
around through the heavy muscular tissue, and
had
ENTERED THE PERIToSEAT CAVITY.
In short, subsequent investigations showed thai
the ball had touched no vital part, and the wound
was Of such character was not necessarily
mortal The large number Of physicians who were
In consultation the first day and the following
morning formed body of men TOO great for the
convenient treatment Of any patient, and Dr. Bills
was assigned, II is said, by the President himself
to charge Of the case, with authority to select his
own corps Of advisers. This he did by choosing
surgeon General Barnes. OF the army; DR.. J
d Woouwaru' also u meuici oncer OF the arm,
and poho., pa.,n,.. ..",a ', IVA
sayorahIe ,a"crd as = s,,r,aa,' a., no,arsant a.,
s,,,,,,,o, AZ ,h.a,,a,' a. a. ~ IN ~.
enc,no,ion. ~ nn,so te,,ra..,,,ss "a oa.,-.,,ar
were of snch Oh roo,er ~, ,,a oasa annpar,a :,
he ver, cr,,ica, AMI :, yas s,,,, sa.rad H., ~
that -
DEATH WAS IMMINENT
Al tbree o,cloct n, tho ,,orr,r0 NJ ,bo "a a,
rsriou. d,d tha ,no,,ar annoar ,hat ono 40 ,h,
Iovo,- b.adod or ,ha 'Cahi,a, oe,cor. ramsrla "a
Uuona a. daadD with az i,nnor,ort a ooeo no iris
,nvoiv,n ,ha ia. ~ daa, ~ re pr.s,dan, -, ,,,,
IJnited States n was not srorgo that Tho neon,e n
tha oonn,r ralt AZ, i,toras, a., a, "A raro nj ;,
he satisfied with any treatment that might ba r.
forded Inv Iocol nhvsicjons be thev meyer az Oh
full. and IL was deemed necessary, in order n
silence criticism and saijsry nnhIlc demand iho,
consulting SURGEONS of national ronutation be EN-.
poyed To assist the cornq In oonstan mt attendance
Who had more snec,aI cl,arge NJ The case unde,
the direotIop nj mr. nliss The ,es,lt yas tba, mrs
Franz II Hamilton of Na,v yorl ana N IIayo,
Aqneyy. nm eminent snrpeop of pbilnaelnbia ,yere
toiecronbed for on tho ,,orr,no Of ,ho t,h TN,
started al once nm sneciol train o,rnisbed hv ~
Pennsylyania Central Railroad. and arrived berf
on the afternoon of the same day Throughou
the day of the 4th of July, and for several day,
succeeding, the patient was troubled with
FxcRuuArIsa PAIN IN THE LOWER ,Mes ANT
FEET
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o" Was no' "nsi "i.e, .he cA"mihatio'
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VI heuoa, e'lies, howovor' VIII Explain III
measure wnu, ihlsh' appear surprising ciIcun'
noes y, 'ns oon"..vn' ~ DS VIZ" NJ,
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ing pnys'ciaiis' Iiies eoulu o,'ly auvso anu up
PROVE making susses.'ons when usKeu questions
uu' 'hey eouiu ni''Ae ior themselves no eAanh'ha'
uoh' ana
WERE NOT IN THE PosITlON TO DICTATE