Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-08-22
The Exploration of the Hound.

In an interview with the agents of the pres
this afternoon, DR.. Bliss gave IN substance tn
following account of the recent exploration o
the Presidents wound by means of tlexibl
rubber catheter, reference to which was mad
for the first time In the noon bulletin to-day
Since the 9Th of August, no drainage tub
has been used in the wound. AT the morn
ing and evening dressings, however, small
flexible rubber tube, about quarter of al
inch in diameter, was introduced
and weak solution of carbolic acit
and water forced through it, cleansing
the wound and bringing out the accumulated
pus. Up to yesterday morning the surgeons
have been una BILE to pass the tube beyond {
distance of three and half or four inches
from the mouth of the last incision. At thai
point 1t always met an obstruction which
could not be overcome without an exertion Of
| force and force the sur geons did not think II
precedent to use. The apparent tirmness OF
this obstacle finally led the surgeons to be
! iieve the depth of the wound had healed, or al
| least the track of the ball had healed at the
point where the rubber catheter was stopped
A few days siace, however, 1t was noticed thai
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 re-
moved This clearly indicated one of two
things, viz, either that of the pIs ~hich was
in excess of the apparent capacity OF the
wound had come from concealed and uhsus-
| pected cavity, or that the surgeons were mis-
taken in supposing the depths of The wound
to have healed. 1t also indicated that the OBJ
strucJion which prevented passage OF the
catheter did not interfere with the flow of pus
outward from the deeper and unhealed in
teriors. The low temperature of the patient
M theory 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 accounted for, must
come from there, Notwithstanding the APP
parent obstruction encountered by the cathe-
ter On Thursday DR.. Bliss made an eXami-
nation of the wound, but was unable to get
the tube deeper than about three and half
inches. Friday morning, however, during
the dressing of the wound, small piece OF
cellular tissue, piece about as large as the end
of his little finger, sloughed of, or became
detached, and washed out with
the pus This fragment of It's
>ue had apparently been half detached
for some time and acted as a sort of rude valve
where the track of the ball seemed to be
INSTRUCTED, closing it against the catheter and
against water from the outside, but giving to
pressure from the inside, allowing the outflow
On. removal of this fragment of tissue DR..
Bliss again introduced the flexible rubber tube,
and finding it no longer encountered resistance
passed it in, as already stated, to depth OF
twelve and one-half inches. Almost the entire
track of the ball was then thoroughly
washed out and cleansed. The pus
which came from this deeper part
of the wound, although not large, in quality
was unusual, while it was healthy in charac-
r l.1+& = l. .txl
by more superficial parts of the wound. If
any faint has passed into the patients blood
it originated, not in the pus, which has been
entirely projected from air, but in that Sc
creted in the suppuratlng surface between the
recent obstruction and the mouth of the in
cison. Nothing new with regard to the loca
ton of the ball has been learned, DR.. Bliss
said, from the passage of the catheier
to this depth. The tube was So
soft that one could judge approximately which
it had taken. 1t passed downward and for
ward toward the polut in the interior wall OF
the abdomen where it had always been sup
posed to lie, and that was the most that could
be affirmed. DR.. Hamilton thought, he said,
the end of the tube lacked about three inches
of reaching the ball and the interYen ming space
had healed. In his (Dr. Bliss's) opinion, how
ever, the distance from the end of the tube 10
the ball was not So great.
NO SORES.
In reply to question with regard to bed
sores, from which the President has been re
ported to be suffering, DR.. Bliss said emDhat-
ically that the President has not On
his body single sore, swelling or abrasion
OF any kind, with the exception of the SWEET
ting under his ear caused by the Inflammation
of the parotid gland, and the wounds in his
back, caused by the bullet and knife. The in
flammation of the parotid gland has not, ht
said, diminished much since yesterday The
swelling of the surrounding parts had sub
sided SO that the expression of the face il
again natural, but the gland itself is trouble
some. Scattering applications of collodoI
and chloroform have been made to it, but it is
impossible to say yet whether suppuratiou
CAN be prevented. In the meantime the patient
suffers to the same extent from the stiffness Of
the Joints and from accumulation of phelegiI
in his throat.
NO MALARIAL SYMPTOMS.
Upon being asked whether there were any
indications yet IN the Presidents case of ma
laria, DR.. Bliss replied in the negative. Quin
inc had been given, he said, in five grain doses
at intervals, but rather for its general tonic
effect than because any of the particular symp
toms seemed to call for it. The PresideDt'S
fever, in his opinion, is not of an intermittent
type, and is not Influenced by malaria.
THE sTONACH's OFFICE.
In conclusion, DR.. Bliss said the whole ques
ton of the future of the Presidents case turn:
now upon the stomach. If that organ can re
ceive and assimulate food enough to make
good the present drain upon the system, anC
enable the patient to regain strength
ne will stand fair chance
of recovery. If, on the contrary, the stomach
for any great length of time to retain food, thu
consequences may be fatal. At present all in
| dications are that the stomach is recovering
tone, and upon this fact he said they baset
their hopeful anticipatIons.