Daily Republican., 1881-09-24
THEDEAD PRESIDENT.
A Talk with Dr. HamiltOn-Fullor
Details Ofthe Resnlts Of the Au.
tOpsy Than Any Hitherto Pub.
llshe0.

YORK city from ElDerOA, wednesday
afternoon, in copvarsation with &
Tribune reporter yesterday hesitated
to make any remarks on the subject
of the Presidents death unless with
a view of enlightening the non.profes.
sional part of the public as to how
much was established by the autopsy.
A full account of the autopsy, he said,
would hereafter be drawn up by one OF
the medical gentlemen officially con-
nected with the case, based upon care
full notes taken at the time. He was
willing, however, in anticipation of
this to state certain general facts con.
nected with the disclosures made at
the autopsy, but such statements would
be made without any reference to notes
but only from his uDaided memory.
He then dictated the following, whicn
was shown to him in proof, in order
that there might be no doubt of its en-
tire accuracy.
The ball entered the inter-vertebral
space on the right side between the last
dorsal and first lumbar vertebrH at a
point very near the transverse aud OBJ
lique processes-that is, obliquely from
behind. 1t passed a little downward
aud forward, penetrating the body of
the first lumbar vertebra, escaped from
the vertebra very near its middle in
front, and was found little to the left
Of the body of this vertebra, lying under
the lower margin of the pancreas aud
nearer its posterior, or dorsal, aspect
than its anterior, behind the peritoneum
and therefore outside the cavity Of the
belly. The ball was encysted, com
pletely surrounded by firm capsule,
which invested it entirely and closely,
tbs capsule containing but the ball, a
grain or two of white tenacious sub
stance attached to one point of its inner
surface, which was not easily removed
by the edge of the knife, and which
may be found under the microscope to
consist of a drop OF dessicated pus or it
may prove to be the leaden stain occa-
stoned by the oxidation Of the surface
of the ball 1t also contained a small
fragment of black material, perhaps
three Il quarlers Of an inch in length, and
an eighth of an inch in breadth, which
under the microscope may prove to be a
piece of cloth, but the exact character
Of which has not yet been determined.
A most critical examination Of the sac
inclosing the ball under a strong light
and with probe did not disclose any
connection between it and the track of
the bail.
Not far removed from the seat of the
ball was the bloody cavity, perhaps dis
tant one or two inches, and in this
neighborhood there could be felt dis
juctly under the finger innumerable
small substance like grains Of sand, OF
greater or less magnitude, which have
not yet been submitted to microscopic
al examination, but which were sup
posed TO be minute fragments of bone
torn away from the broken vertebra,
and thus widely disseminated in the
adjacent tissue The blood sac was be
hind the peritoneum, autopsy revealed
that 1t had raptured into the cavity
of the peritoneum probably just before
the occurrence of death, and at least q
pint of blood coagulated was found il
the peritoneal cavity. The absess spo.
ken of in he official report ofthe autop
sy was not in this region precisely, bu
the liver and transverse colon. No con
nection was discovered between thi
and the external wound made by th
bullet, and there are no means OF know
ing whether it communicated with tn
original track at some earlier period ii
the history of the case or not. 1T ma.
have dyne so and became subse
quently closed, or 1t may have beel
the result of the extension Of intiama
ton from the original track to tn
adjacent tissues. There was no lesiol
of the liver, recent or ancient, indica
ted by the autopsy.
at is evident from this account tina
the presence OF the ball in the situation
in which it was fouLd was not the i'm
mediate cause of death, as it was com
pletely encysted, and must have long
since ceased to cause irritation. Th
small fragments of bone, and the grea
lesion of the lumbar vertebra are thu
pathological facts which alone coul,
endanger the patient life. This Lesion
of the yertebra the surgeons had 1T
means of repairing, nor could it hav'
been repaired save by the process o
nature. The small fragments Of bOn'
(if they should prove to be such widel.
disseminated in the adjacent TISSUES
certainly could not have been remove,
by any sur ,ical operation. 1t was dc
termined by the autopsy that the neces
sity did not exist tor removing the ball
or, in other words, that had there beel
no other lesion it might have been car
a.; 70 xlif
even Inconvenience. Still 1t may Dt
proper to inquire whether by surgica
operation the bullet could have beel
safely removed. fit had been arrested
by the spine, or even lodged in the sub
stance of tho spinal column, possibly J
bold and very extensive dissection i
might have been safely reached and ex
tracted. 1t is questionable, however
whether the history ofsurgery furnishe,
any example OF success under the cir
cumstances now supposed. But the
tact is that the bullet traversed thu
spine and lodged at point of some dis
lance removed from it, passing miracu
lousy through various vital structures
which surround the anterior ana latera
walls of the vertebrn.
''The front of the spine in the regior
traversed and Doth of its sides present
ing toward the interior of the belly ar'
literally covered by important BLOOD
vessel-atreries and veins-'he mos
important nerves of the body-tLe sym
pathetic or gangllouic system of nerves
of common sensation and motion, and
lymphatics concluding the great thora
cic duct through which nutrition from
the alinentary canal is conveyed to thu
heart. The injury of almost any of thu
foregoing, excepting the nerves of com
mon sensation and IN )tion, would newt
aoly destroy life; and in the midst o
this plexus ofarteries, veins, nerves an'
lymphaties, the surgeon would hav'
had to carry his knife in search of
bail the situation Of which has onl.
been revealed by the autopsy. Their
were no way of finding tue situation o
the ball during life, Is it there wer'
no indication Of its presence, nor coult
it possibly have been reached and recog
nised by any form of surgical probe
That death would have been immediat