Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-10-15
PHILADEIPnIA. October /

'''~' AJbttfp@tr
following official report of the autopsy
OF President Garfield, prepared by the
surgeons in charge:
OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE PosT-MORTEaf Ex-
ANIMATION Of the body of President J. A.
Garfield, made September 20, 1881, COM
mencing 1T 4;B) p. M, eighteen hours after
deathspt FRncklyn Cottnge, Elberon, N. j.
present and Assisting. DIR. ID. w. Bliss, Sur
geoniGeneralJ. X. Barnes, U. s. A., Surgeon
w. woodward U. S. A., Dr. Robert Rey-
burn. DIR. Frank ii. Hamilton, DR.. D. Hayes
Agnew, DR.. Andrew II. Smith, OF Elberon
and New York, and Acting Assstant-Sur-
geon ID. s. Lamb, of the Army Medical Mis
scum Of Washington, d. c.:
Before commencing the examination con-
sultation was held by these physicians in
roo n adjoining that in which the body lay,
and it was unanimously agreed that the dis
section should be made by DIR. Lamb, and that
Surgeon Woodward should record the observa-
tons made. 1t was further unanimously
agreed that the Uranium should notbe opened.
Surgeon Woodward then proposed that the
examination should be conducted as follows;
That the body should be viewed externally,
and any morbid appearances existing re-
|, corded.
That the catheter should then be passed in
to the wound, rs was done during life, TO wash
I 1t out Tor the purpose of assisting TO find the
position of the bullet.
That long incision should next be made
from the superior extremity of the sternum
to the pubs, and this crossed by a transverse
one just below the umbilicus.
That the abdominal flap thus made should
fhnn 40 tur haal nd no nh nj wi
cera examined.
That, after the abdominal cavity was opened,
the position of the bullet should be ascer-
| tanned, if possible, before making any further
incsion, and that, finally, the thoraolc viscera
should be examined.
This order of procedure was unanimously
agreed to. ....... I'D. .t.f .lr
The examination was then procee led with,
ana the following external appearances were
observed:
The body was considerably emacIated, but
the face was much less wasted than the limbs.
A preservatiye fluid had been injected by the
embamer few hours before into the left
femo oil artery. The pipes used for this pur.
pose were still in position. The interior sur
face of the body presented no abnormal APP
pearances, and there was no ecchymosis, or
! ONucI uleCDlOIullOI VI any part vi lut uDuu-
men. just below the right ear, and a little be-
hind it, there was an oval liberated opening,
about half an inch in diameter, from which
some sanious pus was escaping, but no tune
faction could be observed in the parotid re-
eion. A considerable number of purpu-a-like
\ spots were scattered thickly over tho left
scapula, and thence forward as far rs the
axiIu.' They ranged from one-eighth to
One'fourih of an inch in diameter, were
slightly elevated and purpuraceous on
the surface, and many of them were
.eQnlluept in Gronps- of twn TO four or mara
| similar but much less abundant eruption was
observed sparsely scattered over the CORES
ponding region on the right side. An oval,
excavated ulcer, about an inch long, the re-
suit of a small carbuncle, was seated over the
spinous process of the tenth dorsal vertebra.
over the sacum there were four small bed.
sores, the largest about half an inch in dame
ter. few acne pustules and number of
irregular spots of post-mortem hypostatic con-
gcst.On were scattered over the shoulders,
back, and buttocks. The interior part of tho
scrotum was much discolorcd by hypostatic
congestion. A group of hemorrhodal tu-
mor5, rather larger than Il walnut, protrudcd
from the anus. The depressed eica-
trix of the wound made by the
pistol bullet was recognized over the tenth
intcrcostal space, three and a half inches TO
right of the vertcbral spine. a deep linear
incision made in part by the operation of July
y, and extended by that OF August 81 occu-
pied position closely corresponding 10 tho
upper border of the rightiwclrthrib. II COM
menccd postcrorly about Two inches from the
vertcbrnl spine and extended forward n little
more than three inches. At the interior cx-
trcmity of this incision there WIS q deep,
nearly square, abradcd surface, about an inch
ntrcss well-oied, flexible cathcior, four
teen inches long, was then passed into this
wound, rs had been done to wash II out dur.
ing life. More resistance was ut first cncoun-
tered than had usually been the case, but
after several trials the cathctcr entered with
out any violence to the full length. II was
then left in D stion, and the body disposed
supincly for the examination of the viscera.
t. The Uranium was not opened. 4 long inc.-
sion was made from the superior extremity Of
the sternum TO the pubis followed by q trans
verse ncsion crossing the abdomen just be-
low the umbilicus. The four flaps thus formed
were turned back and the abdomin II viscera
exposed. The simultaneous adipose tissue
divided by the missions was little more than
one ghth of an inch thick over the thorax,
but was thicker over the abdomen, being
about quarter of an inch along the Inca
alba and as much as half an inch thick toward
the outer extremity of the transverse incision,
On inspection of the abdominal viscero
situa, the transverse colon was observed to lie
little above tho line of the umbilicus. II
was firmly adhereut to the anterior edge Of
the liver. The greater omentum covered the
intestnes pretty thoroughly, from the trans
verse colon almost to the pelvis. II was still
quite fat and very much blackened by venous
congestion. On both sides its lateral margins
were adherent to the abdominal parietles,
opposite the eleventh and twelfth ribs, on the
left side the adhesiODs were numerous, firm,
! well-organized and, probably, d. &
I ia foot.note here says: '"These adhesions
and the firm ones on the right side, as well as
those of the spleen, possible date back to an
attack of chronic dysentery, from which the
patient is said to have suffered during the
Civil War. On the right side there were few
similar adhesons and number of more
delicate AND probably recent ones"
A mass OF black, coagulated blood covered
and concealed the spleen and the left margin
of the greater omentum. On raising thiI
omontum it was found that this blood mass
extended through the left lumbar and ilalc
regions, and dropped down into the peivls, II
which there was some clothed blood ant
rather more than pint of bloody fluid.
"a footnote here says: "a large part of this
fluid had probably transuded from the in
lection material OF the embalmers."
The blood coagula having been turned Out
and collected, measured very nearly pint
II was now evident that secondary hemor
rhage had been the immediate cause of death
but the point from which the blood had es
capped was not at once apparent
The omentuni was not adherentto the intes
tines, which were moderately distended will
gas. no intestinal adhesions were found 9th
: | r. H., ,h,,o 1,otxvean tho Transferred coloI