Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1881-11-29
rHE susaIcAL TREATMENT or
PRESIDENT GARFIELD.


THE sUR0IcAL TREATMENT OF
PRESIDENT GARFIELD.
Tho North American Rerisu for De-
csmbsr devotss thirty.thrss pages to .
very interesting discussion or considsra-
ton Of the surgical treatment OF Prssi-
dent Garfield. comprising the probes
sionslly given opinions Of Drs. WIN. a.
Hammond, John Ashurst. Jr.. ]. Marion
Sims and John T. Hodgen. all eminent
and experienced surgical prseiiionsis'
The subject possesses none the less IN
t.rest from the fact that the Management
OF the case by DR.. Bliss and his hvs able
eosdju.ors has been freely discussed and
commented upon by the profession -
we'll as the press throughout the country
with structures more or less severe upon
their ~erievous lack Of success.
Indeed. during the progress Of the
case, a. we'll as since the death and au-
topsy. while numerous competent sur
eical authorities throughout the United
States. as we'll a. In other countries. have
declared the wound to have boon neces-
sarily mortal. others equally a. COM
pstent have declared and still maintain
that the wound was not necessarily NOR
tai, but that with proper and adequate
surgical knowledge and attention the
lilo Of the President could have been
saved. DR.. Bliss. who was chief in
command and control Of the case. 10
boldly charged with having conducted 1t
in the most laundering manner. cropping
along in Blissiul ignorance OF the real
character and direction Of the wound.
and keeping the public ignorant OF the
true condition Of the national patient BY
means Of ambiguous bulletins and mis-.
leading expressions Of opinion.
Even the assassin himself. now on
trial, claims in his defense that although
he shot the President the doctors killed
him. therefore he Is not really rsspensi-
BILE for his death and should not DO pun.
ished for IL. The revelations Of the
autopsy have been freely, fully and sI-
tsnsively published for the knowledge OF
all. and standard medical works and
competent surgical authorities are pro-
fessionally and scientifically discussing
the subject with greatly varied opinions
~ heretofore. The unproisssional, yet
deeply interested public. can only read
and form Independent conclusions &C.
cordingly. for when doctors disagree.
whs shall decids?"
Doctor Hammond, formerly United
States Surgeon General. gives the first Of
the four professional opinions on the
subject as published in the Reristr. We
summarize as follows
It has been asserted that the unfortu.
nate termination Of the President's Ill.
ness was due to one OF the following
causes
First The necessarily mortal Chsrac-
ter Of the wound.
Second The imperfect development
OF the science OF surgery.
Third-The disregard by the attending
and consulting surgeons Of wsll-recog.
nixed principles Of surgery. which. II
acted upon would have diminished OF
abolished the tendency to death.
First-was the wound necessarily
fatal?
It appears that the ball. after frsctur-
Ing the eleventh and twelfth ribs-the
former in two places-continued directly
on its course without marked detection.
and, striking the spine obliqusly, passed
through the ~intervertsbral substance be-
tween the twelfth dorsal and first lum'
bar vertebre, cutting Q groove In the
latter. and lodging in the left side OF the
spine, below the pancreas and outside
OF the peritoneal cavity.
The spinal cord received no injury
beyond q slight conclusion, which was
recovered from in q couple Of days.
No important blood vessel was in-
jured, and oil tho abdominal organs
escaped.
Now, where are the elements OF in
evitablo death as the result Of such q
wound
As to the injury TO the ribs, no civil
or military surgeon will venture to affirm
that Runshot fractures OF the ribs. un.
complicated with LESSONS Of the alb
dominal or thoracic v~iscera. are neces-
sarily fatal. II appears to me. there
fore. and ! think the great majority OF
civil and military surgeons will agree
with me, that, while the Presidents
wound was o serious one. there was not
q single feature. or combination OF
features, about IL which rendered death
inevitable.
Seoond-was death due 10 the in
choats condition Of the science Of sur
geryi
In gunshot wounds the science OF sur
gerry requires certain things to bs done.
In the first place the relative positions
Of the assailant and the patient should.
npessible. DO ascertained. As thorough
~ cAauuthutioh W a WSuhA oaoese w
made for the purpose Of determining the
course Of the ball aud its situation. ~
the case requires. There is no possible
condition which can stand In opposition
to this precspt. though there may be
such an existing state Of the patient as
to cause the examination to be deferred
for q few hours. Such cases.. however,
are exceedingly rare. Then all foreign
bodies. such as pieces Of clothing. spicu,
lie Of bone, etc.. should be removed
from the track Of the wound as soon q.
discovered, and the bullet itself should
be extracted II its removal can be effected
without the infection OF serious addi-
tional injury. All fractured bones should
b adjusted. and. u necessary. their
rough ends removed. AL these things
should be done. under antiseptic condi-
tons, and antiseptic dressings should be
applied. There Is more necessity for
such precautions during the first forty
sisbt hours thaa during all the rest Of