Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-04-15
THE Ammo @. consr CASE


Your correspondent Of last week. from Jack willie
who signed himself "E.,n either because he was mis-
Informed OF through sinister motives entirely mis-
c. COrse Lest the false reports published might have
tendency to damage the reputation Of our two wor-
thy physicians In Wilmington, think II but Justice
to them to report the saw and heard while
present as eye witnesses at the autopsy.
In the first place. think It gentlemanly f?) act
for the young doctors who condu the autopsy in
first trying TO hold 1t unknown to the Wilminatop
doctors aud then finally copeluding NJ n nicact n
NJ Of the third day, to send them formal Invitation
to be present, when it was known that Immediately
after his death the doctors who treating him re-
quesed post mortem and time to send to BenninR-
ton or Brattleboro for some person eminent in the
profession to conduct II. We think that Drs Titus
and Hoon were thus misused by both the family and
the doctors who undertook the examination.
In the second place, after describing the malady he
says "and probably in few weeks would have termi-
mated fatally" Now, when the liver found to be
full of pus, its lower border already black from be-
ginning modification, aud also when thick pus was
found free in the abdominal cavity in considerable
quantity appeal to the Judgment of any person of
common sense to bear us out in saying that there was
no probability at all about ii that fnai dissolution
inevitably but short time distant.
In the third place 1t is stated that 'he physicians
who performed the unfortunate operation supposed
there was pus in the liver, and wished to explore [as
If the term were or ridculousl for the purpose
of ascertaining" We have learned that the doctors
told the family, before the exploration made that
from the history and present mptoms they were srs
there pus either in around the liver and aid
not as the correspondent says, suppose" anything
Again, he says: "By the post norton examination
was found that the instrument with which the ope-
ration was performed piercing the right side made
incison which was over three inches in length -
etc. We failed to incision, for none was made
but we saw the slight mark made by the puncture OF
the aspiratng needle, which, for the information of
the public, will describe, for we saw Il Afterwards
II is delicate hollow needle attached by rubber tub
ing to e1hausting pump, and invented for the
sole purpose of exploring and II present. eyacuatnp
pus any other fluid from any organ or part of the
body, without admitting air. This needle, which Is
by actual measurement but Ia inches long was in
troduced only twothrds Of its length, though far
safety is concerned could not be ia the
least to introduce it its full length
In order to prevent any clubbing with any other
doctor, who perchance might be ignorant of the cir
cumstances, and to dispense any doubts which might
arise in the minds of the friends and neghbors in re-
gard to the proprety of the procedure dor IL Is NOT
deemed Of sufficient importance to be called an opera
toni DR.. Hoon fortified himself by taking with him
to the autopsy thu leading and most recent American
textbook on operative surgery, and read the author
ty for the procedure, making three points, viz:
l. That aspiration offers the best and almost the
only means of cure.
H. That exploration should be instituted in every
case of suspected Rbcess Of the liver.
III. That it is perfectly harmless procedure.
Allow us to make one more quotation from this alb
surd prevarcation: ave have thus briefly stated the
facts according to the best information derived from
the most reliable sources, in regard TO
this unfortunate CASE Fortunately this does re-
quire an answer now.
To conclude this correction, let us add a thought:
The time and certainly the manner of Mr.. Corse's
death was very unexpected. Why he died no one can
This theory is rendered plausible by the fact that pa
TENTS prepared for an operation have died before
instrument touched tn IN. This was more frequently
observed before the days Of anRsthetics.
while cheerfully giving place to the above, justice
to our Jacksonville correspondent compels to say
that we are sure he had siDister" motive in his
statement Of the case and that his only intention
to make statement OF facts he understood them.
He is gentleman to willingly stand corrected in case
Of any error on his part.-ED. PHGSIX.l