New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-15
STILL GAINING GROUND SLOWLY.

INCREASE OF PULSE, TEMPERATURE AND REsPIRA-
TIoN LAST EVENING, BUT YET BETTER, ALL
THINGS CONSIDERED, THAN ON THE PREVIOUS
MGHT-THE RECENT TROUBLES CAUSED BY
SEPTIC INFECTION OF THE BLOOD.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO TRIBUNE.i
LONG BRANCH, Sept 14.-The condition of affairs
tonight reminds of the familiar evening fever
of three four weeks ago Washington. The
Presidents respiration has risen to higher point
since noon than has been reported in any bulletin
since he reached Long Branch. While his pulse is
higher than if has been since he fully recovered from
the effects of his journey nevertheless is confident
and truly said that he is better tonight all things
considered, than he was last night The President
is suffering from septic infection of the blood. The
by which the infection shall be known, whether
py@ma, septicamla or surgical fever is matter of
choice-a choice which j. exercised by physicians
journalists and the public in common. All the
cent manifestations of the Presidents illness, in
Guiding the attack upon the parOtid gland aud the
affection of the right lung have had their origin in
this blood poison and the fluctuations in pulse and
respiration and measurably in temperature, the
natural and expected accompaniment of disorders of
this kind. They are, therefore. meaningless as dan
ger signals. There is excellent authority, though
the information is somewhat indirect, for saying
that all the physicians and attendants of the
President privately concurin the opinion that he
will get WELL Their expressions of this kind do not
any means have the confident tone of prophecy but
are the cautious opinions of professional men, and
are TO be interpreted meaning simply that every
individual branch of the disorder is now doing we'll
each having passed its elimination.
Among the possibilities, to present them at their
worst, directly growing out of the present known
condition Of affairs the formation of assesses
in other parts of the body, either in the
lungs liver or in any of the joints;
but these developments are not now con-
III HILL 6 IL.
necessarily dangerous. The blood p son, of what
ever name, from which the patient is now suffering
is of a mild type and while its eradication must be
slow and tedious process he may be gaining IN
other ways, and gathering mp store of strength
with which to Withstand future and new compIica-
tons. While the President is truly said to be better
tonight than last night, it would be difficult to de-
wise standard of measurement which could ex-
press correctly the small degree of Improvement His
wound and parotid affection have practically ceased
to be in themselves objects of soiciIude the
affection in the right lower lung neither increases
decreases in extent, does it change in char
aeter for better worse but the bronchial affection
which was of somewhat acute form, and which
complicated the matter, is subsidng 1t is to be ex-
pected that the AREA of dulness" in the lung will
remain for weeks, and perhaps for months.
Assesses in the lungs may occur, but they are not
necessary sequence of the present lung affection.
The best evidence of the Presidents substantial i'm
provement which has yet been mentioned is the en-
tire cessation of the perspiraton, which up to his
departure from Washington always accompanied
his sleep, even for a short nap of fifteen twenty
minutes The perspiratiOn would sometimes be ex-
cessive, and it was. of course, weakening in its
effect. Now he sleeps without this distressing ac-
compartment; his skin is moist, but it is a healthy
and agreeable moisture Notwithstanding that SO
much may tonight be said that is favorable in re-
gard to the President his total of progress from
his lowest point is exceedingly small, and while
bright hopes are warranted grave anxiety exists
More favorable surroundings and outward condi-
tions were never the attendants of so grave q dis
order, and upon these chiefly is based the belief
that the nations patient will yet recover to enjoy
the love and esteem his pluck and his suffering have
richly merited.
The day has been without extraordinary incident
The Secretary of War called upon the President and
remained iii conversation with him about sixty
seconds this morning. Mr Lincoln expected to find
the patient very sick man and was not disap-
pointed III his appearance.
The President ate half peach this morning in adj
dition to his other usual articles of diet and lie has
spent an hour and a-half in his reclining chair q
part OF the time sleeping soundly
Dr. Agnew returned here tonight. He saws he
finds the Presidents condition better than when he
last him.