Morning journal and courier., 1881-07-25
News by Telegraph
 FROM ALL QUARTERS.
 SEVERE CHILLS. A Slight Relapse in the
 Presidents Case. AN OPERATION BY THE SURGEONS, The Doctors Pleased
 With the Result. IA FREE DISCHARGE OF PUs. The Consulting Surgeons at
 the Bedside.
The Consulting Surgeons at
 the Bedside.
THE PRESIDENT.

Takes an Unfavorab1e Turn-An Inci-
 sion Made by the Surgeons Followed by
 Good Resu1ts-His Condition as shown | by the Bulletins.
 l WASHINGTON, July 24.-The confidence of the Presidents ultimate recovery had | grown so strong in the public mind that the | news coming in the first bulletin issued yes
 terday morning was quite a shock, bringing,
 as it did, indications of serious danger to the | patient. The bulletin was not issued for two hours after the usual time, and when it came
 it did not reveal the actual state of facts The President had two ''rigors," or chi1ls The discharge from the wound had ceased The surrounding integument presented a dusky hue and the colliquative sweat was
 heavy. All these symptoms accompany py ! aemia and are unmistakable signs of blood poisoning. While these complications might ] be the result of an abscess forming in the l wound, or follow the discharge of the same
 after forming, still the leading physicians of | this city were inclined to the opinion that in 1 this instance it was pyemia. The opinion | of the attending surgeons in relation to the unfavorable change is given as fol
 lows: Sometime during Friday night or early yesterday morning the pa | tient's wound, which had for several | days been discharging freely, became ob- \ structed at or near the inner end of the ! drainage tube. While the process of suppur- ! ation in the deeper parts of the wound con- l tinued, 8 partial or complete puscavity was thus formed and the discharge from the | mouth of the wound nearly ceased. The nat 1 ural result of this state of things was chill, followed by high fever, the patients pulse \ rising to the maximum of about 13O and his temperature to 104., AS rigor, followed by increased fever, is symptom of py@mia, of ! the formation of abscess and of other unfa- vorable complications, 1t caused at first a ! good deal of anxiety. careful examination, however, of the pus discharged from the wound showed that it's character was perfect | ly normal and healthy, and SO far as appeared \ from the patients general condition all the \ indications of pyemia were absent. These | facts relieve at once the fear of blood poison | ing. An external examination was then made ! of the abdominal and hepatic regions with view to ascertaining whether there were any ! signs of abscess at the supposed location of | the bullet. No unusual tenderness was found ' in that part of the body, or any other indica- ! tions of 8 changed condition. From these facts taken in connection with the scanty ! outflow of pus, the conclusion was drawn that an obstruction existed near the inner end of ! the drainage tube, which prevented free dis | charge. This imprisonment of the pus, technically known as the formation of 'pus | cavity" is entirely adequate to explain the chill and the increased fever, since they are it's natural and almost inevitable conse- quences. It was at first thought that the ob- struction might be the result of the process of healing, which had wholly or in part closed
 the wound between the end of the drainage ! tube and the deeper suppurating surface. Early in the afternoon, however, the ob- | struction gave way, the outflow of pus be- | came free, ,and the nausea from which the pa- | tient suffered and he obtained relief. This proved that the obstruction had not been of | 8 permanent character. At the evening | dressing of the wound the discharge of pus was quite as copious as usual and since the symptoms have had the same favorable | character that attended them since the first \ few days.
 LOCAL SURGEONS VIEW.
 ! A prominent local surgeon stated tonight | that he was glad to learn that the cavity had 1 been found and remedied. When he first heard of the chill the President had he feared I that the Potomac flats had began their work l and that typhoid fever was threatening. Now he breathed easier. There was more truth | than poetry in the surgeons idea. for at this very time four members of the executive force of the White House are sick with chills, | and it would not be much to be wondered at \ if the President was affected that way but | fortunately he is not.
 l THE PATIENTS ATTENDANTS ALL HOPEFUL. General Swain, the Presidents nearest ! friend and constant attendant, states to night | that he is fully treasured that the President | will recover. "You can see 1t by his looks, 7" ! said Swain. 'tHe is much better tonight | and fully as well as three days ago." Secre- 1 tary Blaine remarked as he left the mansion | at ten o'clock, "The President is doing as l well as can be expected and we are feeling l bette," Secretary Windom said. "We are
 much more hopeful" Secretary Kirkwoos
 said, Better? Yes, indeed" Secretary Lin | coin smiled pleasantly and said he was satis- ! fed. This afternoon General James said he
 knew nothing more than the reporters, but
 that was enough to cheer him up. Attorney
 General McVeagh's countenance has
 experienced wonderful change during
 looks indicate that his intercourse
 with the consulting physicians has renewed ! his hope. Dr. Hamilton will pass tonight
 with Mir McVeagh. He had gone to his ! room when an agent of the National Associa- | ted Press called on him. He excused himself | on the plea of being worn out. but sent word down that the Presidents case was exceed ! ingly encouraging tonight, and that if he ! should talk all night he could say no more Dr. Bliss relieved Dr. Barnes and began the
 watch with Dr. Reyburn at II p. m. At that | hour the patient had been asleep for two I
 ment, but fell to sleep again. The mansion was deserted by all save the family and regu-
 lar attendants and general quiet reigns. Up
 to this hour there has been no indication | whatever of return of the chills and Dr. | Bliss said the patient was in a fair way to pass the most comfortable night he had ex- | perienced since Thursday last Dr. Agnew | adhered to his resolution not to be inter- l viewed until he was out of the city
 A reporter who went on his train |
 admission to his private car, and his delicately worded notes brought no satisfac- tory reply.
 | EXPERIMENTS wITH AN INDUCTION BALANCE. Prof. Graham Bell and his assistants ex- ! perimented at the White House to-day before
 the consulting surgeons with an induction 1 balance but under the present condition of | the patient it was useless to say anything
 about it's practical application.
 l THE VICE PRESIDENT STILL ArHoME.
 Vice President Arthur remained at his resi- dence all day to-day. His time was mainly | occupied in teleeraphic correspondence with Secretary Blaine and other members of the Cabinet in relation to the Presidents con-
 dition. General Arthur was kept minutely
 informed by the Secretary of every chauge and feature Ps Elrs case and the telegrams he
 received frqm Washington were as reassurine
 as those sent to tho general public
 | UNFAvoRABLE SYMPTOMS DURING THE DAY
 To-day's early morning reports from the
 Presidents sick room were unsatisfactory
 because meagre. Before nine o'clock it was impossible to learn more than that the pa
 tient had another chill during the night, but
 be appeared to be doing well after it. Drs Bliss and Woodward, who passed the night
 at the White House, were joined at a. m.
 by Surgeon General Barnes. Dr. Barnes was
 asked concerning the case, but said he had
 heard nothing since the night before Dr.
 Reyburn came before 8 o'clock, but it was
 fifteen minutes later when Drs Agnew and
 Hamilton arrived with the Attorney General
 An examination was begun at once and dur | ing it's progress some who had been in the
 sick room during the night and morning gave out an idea of how the time had been passed
 It seems that the sleep the President fell into