The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-10-04
GEOGRAPHIC NEWS
THE AUTOPSY.
Conclusion of the Doctors Re.
port,

IopOIb ny lit UOCIOIS,. Oh LIE du-
topSy on the body Of the late Presi-
dent Garfield. The report begins
where the dispatch broke on Sun
day mOrning.-EDs. HERALD.
The adhesion between the liver
and transverse colon proved to
bound an absceSs cavity between the
under surface of the liver and the
transverse mesenteric colon which
involved the gall bladder and ex-
tended to about the same distance
on each side Of it, measuring six
inches transversely and four inches
from before. The backward cavity
was lined by a thick pyogenic mem
brane which completely replaced
the capsule of that part of the under
surface Of the liver occupied by the
abScess. 1t contained about two
ounces of a greenish-yellow fluid,
mixture of pus and matter. This
abScesS did not involve any portion
Of the substance of the liver, except
the surface, with which it was In
contact, and no communication
could be detected between it and any
part of the wound. Some recent
peritoneal adheSionS existed be-
tween the upper surface of the right
lobe of the liver and the diaphragm.
The liver was larger than normal,
weighing eighty-four ounces. Its
substance was firm, but of a pale
yellowish color on its surface and
throughout the interior of the organ,
from fatty degeneration. No evil
dence that it had been penetrated
by the bullet could be found, nor
were there any assesses in any part
of its tissue. The spleen was con-
nected with the diaphragm. There
were several rather deep cOngenital
assures in its margin, giving it a
lobulated appearance. 1t was alb
normally large, weighing eighteen
ounces, of very dark red color, both
on the surface and on the sections.
Its parenehyma was soft and f1abby,
but contained no assesses or in
fractions. There were some recent
peritonal adhesions between the pos
terror wall of the stomach and the
posterior abdominal parieties. With
this exception, no abnOrmalities
were discovered in the stomach or
intestines; nor were any other evil
dences of general or local portion
ties found besides those already
specified. The right kidney weighed
six ounces; the left kidney seven.
Just beneath the capsule of the left
kidney, at about the middle of its
convex border, there was a little
abscess one-third Of an inch in di-
ameter. There were three small
Serious cysts on the convex border of
the right kidney, just beneath its
capsule. In other respects the It's
sue of both kidneys was normal
in appearance and in texture.
The urinal bladder was empty. Be
hind the right kidney, after the re-
moval of that organ from the body,
the dilated track of the bullet was
dissected into. 1t was found that
from the point at which it had frac-
tured the right eleventh rib three
inches and half to the right of the
vertebral spine), the missile had gone
to the left obliquely forward, pass
ing through the body of the first
lumbar vertebr8, and lodging in the
adipose connective tissue, immedi-
ately below the lower border of the
pancreaS, about two inches and a
half to the left of the spinal column
and behind the peritonium. 1t had
become completely encysted. The
track Of the bullet between the
point at which it had fractured the
eleventh rib and that at which it
entered the first lumbar v9rtebra,
was considerably dilated, and pus
had burrOwed downWardS through
the adipose tissue behind the right
kidney, and thence had found it's
way between the peritoneum and
the right lilac fascia, making a
descending channel, which extended
almost to the groin. The adipose
tissue behind the kidney, in the
vicinity of this descending channel.
was much thickened and condensed
by Inflammation. In this channel,
which was found almost free from
pus, lay the flexible catheter intro
duced into the wound at the COM
mencement Of the autopsy. It's ex-
tremity was doubled up on itself.
Immediately beneath the perito-
neum, repOSing upon the lilac fascia,
where the channel was dilated into
a pouch of considerable size. This
long descending channel,now clearly
seen to have been caused by the
burroWing of pus from the wound,
was supposed during life to have
been the track of the bullet. The
last dOrsal, together with the first
and second lumbar YertebrR, and
the twelfth rib, were then removed
from the body for more thorough
examination. When the examina-
ton was made, it was found that
the bullet had penetrated the first
lumbar vertebr@ in the upper part
of the right side of the body. The
aperture by which it entered in
VOlved the inter vertebra cartilage
next above, and was situated Just
below and anterior to the inter
vertebral fOramen, from which its
upper margin was about a quarter
OF an inch distant passing obliquely
to the left and forwards through the
upper part of the body of the first
lumbar vertebrR, the bullet emerged
by an aperture, the centre OF which
oh Io1 loft