St. Landry democrat., 1881-10-15
OFFICIAL REPORT.
statement by the Surgeons OF the Re.
suits Of the POst-Hlortem Examfna-
tion of the Body Of President Gar.
field.

ctalemen Dy the surgeons OF tho Ii O.
suits Of the Post-1lortem Examina'
tfon of the Body Of President Gar.
field.
PHILADELPHIA, October l.
The October issue OF the american
Journal OF Nedicnt Sciences contains the
following official report of the autopsy
of President Garfield, prepared by the
surgeons in charge:
OFFICIAL RECORD or THE Posr- MoRTEM Elk
ANIMATION of the body of President J. A.
Garfield, made September 90 1881. com
mencing at 80 p. M, eighteen hours after
death, at Francklyn Cottage, Elberon N. j.,
present and assisting. DIR. ID. W. Bliss Sur
geon-General J. X. Barnes, U. S. A., Surgeon
j. J. Woodward, U. S. A., DIR. Robert Rey-
burn. DIR. Frank II. Hamilton, DR.. D. Hayes
Agnew, DR.. Andrew H. Smith, of Elberon
and New York, and Acting Assistant-Sur-
geon D. S. Lamb. of the Army Medical Mu-
scum of Washington, d. c.:
Before commencing the examination con-
sultatiou was held by these physicians in
room adjoining that in which the body lay,
and it was unanimously agreed that the dis
section should be made by DR.. Lamb, and that
Surgeon Woodward should record the observa-
tons made. 1t was further unanimously
agreed that the Uranium should not be opened.
Surgeon Woodward then proposed that the
examination should be conducted as follows:
That the body should be viewed externally,
and any morbid appearances existing re-
corded.
That the catheter should then be passed in
to the wound, as was dope during life, to wash
it out for the purpose Of assisting to find the
position of the bullet.
That long incision should next be made
from the superior extremity of the sternum
to the pubs, and this crossed by q transverse
one just below the umbilicus.
That the abdominal flap thus made should
then be turned back and the abdominal Wis
cera examined. sz.ssa=-az iss7sss
That, after the abdominal cavity was opened.
the position Of the bullet should be ascer
tanned, if possible, before making any further
incision, and that, finally, the thoracic viscera
should be examined.
This order of procedure was unanimously
agreed to.
The examination was then procee led with
and the following external appearances were
observed:
The body was considerably emaciated, but
the face was much less wasted than the limbs.
A preservative fluid had been injected by the
embalmer few hours before into the left
femorai artery. The pipes used for this pur.
pose were still in position. The interior sur
face of the body presented no abnormal APP
pearances, and there was no ecchymosis, or
other discoloration >of any part of the ahdo-
men. Just below the right ear, and little be-
hind it. there was an oval liberated opening,
about half an inch in diameter, from which
some sanious pus was escaping. but no tune
faction could be observed in the parotid re
gion. A considerable number of purpura-like
spots were scattered thickly over the left
scapula, and thence forward as far as the
axila. They ranged from one-eighth to
Onefollrth of an inch In diameter, were
Slightly elevated and purpuraceous on
the surface, and many of them were
continent in groups of two to four or more. A
similar but much less abundant eruption was
observed sparsely scattered over the cores
ponding region on the right side. An oval,
excavated ulcer, about an inch long, the re.
suit of a small carbuncle. was seated over the
spinous process Of the tenth dorsal vertebra.
Over the sacum there were four small bed
sores, the largest about half an inch in dame
ter. few acne pustules and number of
irregular spots of post-mortem hypostatic con-
gestion were scattered over the shoulders,
back, and buttocks. The interior part of the
scrotum was much discoored by hypostatic
congestion. A group Of hemorrhoidaI tu-
mors, rather larger than walnut, protrudcd
from the anus. The depressed ccl-
trix of the wound made by the
pistol bullet was recognized over the tenth
intercostal space, three and half inches to
right OF the yertebrai spine. A deep linear
incsion (made in part by the operation Of July
"a, and extended by that OF August s, occu-
pied a position closely corresponding to the
upper border Of he rig bit twelfth rib. 1t COM
menced postcrioriy about two inches from The
spine and extended forward a little
more than three inches. At the interior cx-
treinity of this incision there was a deep,
nearly square, abraded surface about an inch
across. "A wclloi!ad.. flexible cathcter, four
Teen inches long, was then passed. into this
wound, as had been done to wash it out dur.
ing life More resistance was at first encoull-
tered than had usually been the case, but
after several trials the oathetcr entered with
out any violence to the full length. It was
then left in position, and the body disposed
supinely for the examinati ion Of the viseera.
: The Uranium was not opened. A long Incl
sion was made from the superior extremity of
the sternum to the pubs. followed by q trans
verse incision rrossing the abdomen isast be-
loW the ImbiHcss 20 four laps tknforme
KAfs tnTned back sipt hi, donainKt yiscera
exposed. The, suboTtane0us adipos9 tissue
divided by the missions was little mpfe than
one eighth Of an inch thick over the sthorax,
but was thicksr over sthe abdomen, being
abouta5 quarter Of an. inch along the Inca
alba and as much as half an inch thick toward
the,outer extremity of the TRANSVERSE incision.
! On inspection of the abdominals Fiscera
situa, the transverse colon wasobserved tolie
aIittle. above the line OF the umbih0us. 1t
was frmlyf adherent to the; anteriork edge of
the liver THE greater omentum COVETED the
pnetty sszeees9l,ig.s afr0m tie trans-
Fegs eDdlon ostst6 lis IN VI Z. Mas still
ytiits fat ana very much 45iaok ened 4S Renous
congestion. On both sides its lateral margins
we're ,adherent to the abdominal particles,
,pp6site the eleventh ana twefftk fih9, on the
sW SIDE the adhesions were numerous firm.
veil oroanized and, prObablg. O de e. &