Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-08-04
Btmpttafit Nattbmtst.
Severe Criticism on the Treatment Of
the President.

NEw YORK HERALD, July 20.-The
President has good constitutlon-indeed,
a remarkably good constitution-and
this fact has saved his life several times
within eighteen days. Yet it is possible
To exhaust the resources of any constitu-
tion, and therefore we should extremely
regret to see many repetitions OF the re-
lapse of Monday from whatever cause
they may arise. His death at any time
since he was hurt would have caused
universal mourning; but everybody inter-
ested in great case and great charac-
ter would especially grieve to see Mr..
Garfield 90 down on the home stretch.
MONDAYS bad symptoms were attribu-
ted by the doctors instantly to eXcesses
in diet. If there were excesses of that
sort who is to blame for them! Do not
the Presidents medical attendants con-
troll his case as to what he shall eat? Or
do they consider that the methods and
processes by which he is to be built up
again are no concern of theirs? Or is it
possible that they do do not know what
is an excess in diet until they have tried
it? We put these queries plainly because
with men who treat every criticism of
their conduct as due to ignorance it is
WOllu OOoSANS bhob NNAA
cacy which in professional relations per-
mits men to kill an easy victim without
offending their vanity. They have in
these few days passed certainly stuffed
the President as if he were another DIR.
Tanner. and to go in two or three days
from few ounces of milk and lime water
to meal made up of beef steak, bacon,
boiled eggs and oat meal might account
for much in the way of irritation. But
was the overlooking of an enfeebled stOm
ach the only cause of the trouble! The
surgeons report the fever in their bulletin
and say that sit was not due to any un
favorable change in the condition of the
wound" Yet within twelve hours Of
that report it was learned that coinci
dently with the Marked irritative fever
perhaps antecedently, there was tota
arrest of those discharges from the wound
which have been in progress for many
days. How could they, in view of that
fact, certify that there was no unfavora
BILE change in the condition of the
wound? How do they know the condi
lion of the wound except from the indi
cations at the orifice? 1t must be remem
bered that these surgeons hold-or pre-
tend to hold-that this is the most mar
yelous and remarkable wound in the his
tory of surgery. They say that the bal
entered the back opposite the pleura with
out touching the pleura, passed through
the liver witout hurting the liver, and il
happily lodged between the intestines anC
the abdominal wall, and that the whole
track of the wound is supperating alt
discharging. Yet when the discharge!
are stopped and fever rises there is no un
favorable change. They thump suf
ficiently on his abdomen, force out the
retained discharges as if he were a set O.
surgical bagpipes, and in few hours re
port him all right again.
But what stopped the discharges? AL
this is odd surgery. Yet certainly th'
discharges should not have stopped if ir
ritation could keep them up. They hav,
had plenty of that. for what is thi
drainage tube but a seton, and what i
their antiseptic treatment-the injection
or carbolic acid into the wound-but
still more virulent prevention of the rep
arative operations of nature? How cal
wound get well with such care taken t.
prevent the healing process? What
there to stop the continued Injection o
carbolic acid from infiltrating the cellu
lar tissue at the bottom of this woun
and increasing its depth? They boast no,
that they can pass in five and half in
ches of their tube. Let them keep O
and they will be able to pass in a grea
deal more-if the tube holds out.