Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-07-28
A Talk WIFI, Col. Rockwell.

A Talk with SOl. rockwell.
Special to the Cincinnati Commercial
WASHINGTON, July 25.-Col. Rock
well, who shares with Gen. Swain
and Col. Corbin the duties of nights
watch and nurse in the Presidents
chamber, gave your correspondent
to-day some particulars as to the real
condition of the patient that may
give better idea of his cond ition
than the more technical observations
of the physicians.
"How does the new orifice affect
the general character of the wound
and it's treatment was asked.
The Colonel replied: The dis
charges of pus are free, and the
wound is more easily cleansed now.
A flexible tube. with holes along it,
is inserted at the hole made by the
bullet, and run down the wound to
where the incision joins it, where it
enters the course of the latter and
comes out again, forming, as you can
see, kind of half circle, with both
ends protruding. Then, when it is
desired to cleanse the wound, an
other flexible tube is taken, and one
end of it is slipped inside the end of
the seton, or tube, that passes in and
out of the wounds. It is fastened
to the upper end, or that which pro-
trudes from the bullet hole,
which is about three inches
above the opening made by DIR.
Agnew with the knife. Then the
other end of this second tube is dip
ped into bucket of distilled water
warmed to about blood heat. The
bucket is then raised gently till the
force of gravity sends the water in
stream through the tubes. When it
first runs it comes out thick with
yellow pus, but gradually it becomes
clearer till finally, when the wound
is cleansed of all the accumulated
pus, it flows pure and it's absence of
color shows that there is nothing
more to be washed out
"Then there is no tube extending
into the wound beyond the junction
of the track of the bullet and the
course of the incision?'
"No, there is not. We trust the
interior or unexplored part of the
wound to drain itself this far and
settle into the cavity where the pus
sac was formed. This it will do un.
doubtedly, because the President
lies upon his back, and the flow of
purulent M tier will, of course, be
downward
"How much does the President
sleep, and what kind of sleep is it g"
I "He sleeps usually ten, fifteen Or
even fifty minutes at time. Then
he wakes up for few minutes, ana
falls off into another doze, His
sleep, of course, is not sound or
heavy like that of a we'll person, but
still, as a rule, it is peaceful and re-
freshing. At times, of course, he is
restless, but not often.
"Does he complain of soreness Of
the wounded parts 2
mo, he feels no pain to speak of. !"
"Does he wear better expression
since the operation g
Yes, I think his countenance is as
bright and healthful in appearance
as at any time since he was shot"
"What do you give him to eat,
and is his appetite unimpaired by
his relapse?''
g He is given liquid food entirely
now, chiefly essence Of beef. His
appetite perhaps is not quite SO good
as it was before he had the high fever
brought on by the stoppage in the
discharge of pus, but it is not much
different from what it was before.
He says he feels as well as he did
before the operation.
HAS he lost great amount of
flesh 2"
"Yes, considerable. His limbs
begin to look bony; still there is no
indication of bed soreness, and SO
long as this does not result, we no
not mind the reduction Of flesh"
"When do you change the bed
dings?" :" = = '97s'a.ts5 a'''r
Every morning when the wound
is dressed. Six of us take hold of
the sheet and raise the President
while another mattress is placed un-
| der hic. >
"How, then, do you consider the
relapse left him "
Practically as before, except that,
of course, he is very weak, and it left
him weaker. He seems now, how
ever, to be in fair way to regain
the lost ground.
The Presidents Physicians.
| Special to the Cincinnati Commercial
W.Su1NcroN JuIv 25-Dr Hami1>