American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-10-15
OFFICIAL REPORT.
Stat ent by the Surgeons OF the II ..
suits Of the POST VI ortem EXamina.
tion OF the BODY OF President Gar.
field.


The October issue of tho american
journal Of MedieaL Sciences contains the
following official tebort of the autopsy
Of President Garfield, prepared by the
surgeons in charge:
OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE PosT-MORTEM Elk.
ANIMATION OF the body of President J. A.
Garfield. made September 70, 1881, COM
mencing at 1872 p. M, eighteen hours after
death, ut Francklyn Cottage Elberon, N. j.,
present and assisting. DIR. ID. w. Bliss, Sur
geon-Gencral j. X. Barnes, U. S. A, Surge on
J. J. Woodward. u. s. A., DR.. Robert Rey-
burn. DIR. Frank H. Hamilton, DIR. D. Hayes
Agnew, DR.. Andrew ii. Smith, of Elberon
AID New YORK, aud Acting Assstant-Sur-
geon ID. s. Lamb of the Army Medical Mu-
scum of Washington, ID. c.:
Before commencing the examination con-
sultatfon was held by these physicians in a
room adjoining that in which the body hay,
and it was unanimously agreed that the dis
section should be made by DIR. Lamb, and that
Surgeon Woodward should record the OBSERVE
tons made. 1t was further unanimously
agreed that the cranitim shotiid not be opened.
Surgeon Woodward then proposed that the
examination should be conduct d 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, as was done during life, to wash
it out for the purpose of assisting to find the
position of the bullet.
That n 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 thads should
then be turned back and thS abdominal Wis;
cera examined.
That, after the abdominal cavity was opened,
the position Of the bullet should be ascer-
tanned, If possible, before making any further
incision, and that, finally, the thoracic viscera
should be examined.
This order of procedure was unanimously
agreed to.
The examination was then procee led with,
md the following external appearances were
observed:
The body was considerably emaciated, but
the face was much less wasted than the limbs.
preventative fluid had BEEN injected by the
embalmer a few hours before into the left
femo al artery. The pipes used for this pur.
pose were still in position. The interior sur
face of the body presented no abnormal APP
pearanccs, and there was ecchymosis, or
other dscoloEation of any part OF the abdo-
men. Just below the right ear, and little be.
hind it. there was an oval liberated opening,
abJut half an inch in diameter, from which
some sanious pus was escaping, but no tune
faction could be o, served in the parotid re-
gion- A considerable number of purpura-like
spots were scattered thickly over the left
scapula, and thence forward as far as the
axila- They ranged from One-eighth to
one-fourth of an inch in diameter, were
slightly elevated and purpuraceous on
the surface, and many of them were
continent in groups Of two to four or more. A
similar but much less abundant eruption was
observed sparseiy scattered over the cores
pondin2 region on the right side. An oval,
excavated ulcer, about an inch long, the re-
suit of small carbunclc 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 pustulcs and n number OF
irregular srots of post-mortem hypostatic con-
gcstion were scattered over the shoulders,
hack, and buttocks. The interior part OF tho
scrotum was much dscoIorcd by hypostatie
congestion. A group OF hcmorrhoidal tu-
u,ors, rather larger than n walnut. protrudcd
from the anus. The depressed cica-
trix OF the wound made by the
pistol bullet was recognized over tho tenth
intercostai space. three and a half inches 20
right of the vertcbral spine. deep linear
incision (made in part By the operation OF July
"a. and extended by that OF August g. occu-
pied position closely corresponding 10 tho
upper border Of the right twelfth rib. II COM
mencc.i poStcrinriy about two inches from The
vertchral spine and extended forward a ittlo
more than three inches. At the interior cx-
trcmity OF this incsion there wis deep,
nearly square, abraded surface about an inch
across. A wcii-oicd, flexible cathctcr, four
teen inches long, was then passed into This
wound, as had bccn done to wash 1t out dur.
ing life. More resistance was at first encoun.
tered thnn had usually been the case. but
aftor several trials the cathctcr entered with
out any violence to the full length. 1t was
then left In position, and tho body disposed
supincfy for the examination of the viscera.
The Uranium was not opened. A hong inc:-
sion was made from the superior extremity of
the stcrnum to the pubs. followed by a trans
verse incsiou crossing the abdomen just be-
low the umbilicus. The four flaps thus formed
were turned back and the abdomin viscera
exposed The simultaneous adipose tissue
divided by the missions was little more than
one eighth of an inch thick over the thorax,
but was thicker over the abdomen, being
about a quarter of an inch along the Inca
alba and rs much as half an inch thick toward
the outer extremity OF the transverse incision.
On inspection OF the abdominal viscera
situa, the transverse colon was observed to lie
, little above the line of the umbilicus. 1t
was firmly adherent to the anterior edge of
the liver. The greater omentum covered the
Intestines pretty thoroughly, from the trans
verse colon almost to the pelvis. 1t was still
quite fat and very much blackened by venous
On both sides its lateral margins
we're adhereut to the abdominal parieties,
opposite the eleventh and twelfth ribs, on tho
eft side, the adhesions were numerous, firm.
Well-organized and, probably, o d.
IA foot-note here says: '.These adhesions
and the frm ones on the right side, as well as
those Of tho spleen, possible date back to an
attack of chronic dysentery, from which tho
patient is said to have suffered during the
Civil War. On the right side there were a few
similar adhesious and a number of more
delicate and probably recent ones."]
A mass Of black, coagulated blood covered
and concealed tho spleen and the left margin
Of the greater omentum. On raising this
1t was found that this blood mass
extended through the left lumbar and ilaio
regions, and dropped down into the peivis. in
which there was some clotted blood and
rather more than pint of bloody fluid
IA foot-note here says: " A large part of this
1uid had probably transuded from the in
lection material of the embalmers."
The blood coagula, having been turned out
md collected, measured very nearly a pint.
1t was now evident that secondary hemor-
.hage had been the immediate cause Of death,
but the point from which tho blood had es-
,aped was not at once apparent
The omentum was not adherent to the intes-
ines, which were moderately distended with
yas- No intestinal adhesions were found 9TH
,r than those between the transverse colon
md the liver already mentioned. Tho abdom-
nal cavity being now washed out as thor
,ughly as possible, fruitless attempt was
made to obtain some indication of the posi-
ion OF the bullet before making any further
ncisions. BY pushing the intestines aside
he extremity Of the catheter, which had
passed into the wound, could be felt between
he peritoneum and the right lilac fascia, but
t had evidently doubled upon itself, and, al
hough q prolonged search was made, nothing
,oud be seen or felt TO indicate the pres
nee of the bullet, either in that region or
elsewhere.
The abdominal viscera were then carefully
removed from the body, placed in suitable
vessels and examined seriatim with the fol-