New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-10
NETWORK DAILY TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY AUGUST TO- 1881

The Herald, not only to give them daily dag
noses, but to be constantly on hand to set the
doctors right.
Our contemporaries columns were suffused
with visible blush when it admitted that it
was the function of good journalism not oply to
know all about everything, but to be willing to
tell it, and that it had considered it public
duty to exercise that function in this particular
case, as one might say, regardless. But there
was such evident sincerity, combined with
great modesty, in its utterances upon this point,
chat the public said at once if The Herald will
only devote column or two q day to disquisi-
tons on the "psoas magnus muscle the
"quadratus iumborum muscle,n and the lilac
fossa y; if in short it will consent to act as q
secretary of the Presidents personal interior.
and stenographic reporter of ms eloquent big
toe" it will be able to point out to the doctors
precisely what to do, and in the end save his
life. The public was not slow TO apprehend
that the training of the medical profession. be-
ing i'll Il measure special and narrow. was
hardly equal to the present emergency conse-
quently the intelligence that lit was to be rein
forced and, if we may so say supervised by
good journalism, which knows all about every
thing, and tells it, brought Il feeling of relief
This continued SO long as The Herald actively
directed the movements of the attending sur
geons. Its apparent withdrawal from the case
for several days has not been without its effect
upon the public mind and the occurrence of I'M
favorable symptoms within the past few days is
proof that the anxiety to which it gave rise was
not without foundation.
1t is with great satisfaction ACCORDINGLY. that
we announce the fact Of our contemporary's
resumption of its wholesome supervision. In
resuming it calls attention TO the fact that on
the 18th Of July it showed why neither the
liver nor pertoncum had probably been
touched" and on the 9th Of July that " the
bullet had passed down behind the psoas
magnus muscle and was lying imbedded in the
fibres of that muscle" points which have been
sustained by DR.. Agnew in a recent interview.
In this view Of the case it expresses the belief
that If these conclusions had been reached by
the attending surgeons at the time of its own
discovery, and the patient been treated accord
ingly, he would have been by this time conva-
lescing at his ease at his home in Ohio. And it
asks the question with great force, why he is not
further advanced toward recovery. To the
thoughtful mind the answer is easy, though our
contemporary proverbal modcsty omits it. 1t
is simply because he was handed over TO surgery
instead of journalism 1t is too late now to
remedy the mistake, but it ought never to be
permitted to happen again. Let it be UNDER
stood hereafter that whenever n public man re-
ceiyes hurt or needs medical care, he is to be
taken to the nearest newspaper Office to be
treated according to the rules of " good journal
ism" In the present case we can only hope that
from this time forward until the President is
entirely out OF danger oug contemporary will
keep constant eye on the doctors.