The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-11-27
President Garf1eld's Case.

tanned what he says was suostAnushy
a criticism on the management OF
President gsr6eld's case, which he
has contemplated giving to the pub
lie ever since the death of the Presi.
dent, bat fer prudential reasons he
has withheld heretoiore. :'Do you
think the Presidents wouna was ne.
cessagily iasal2 be replied. in his
nuch-decisive way.
ST do not.
"You think that if he had had pro.
per surgical treatment fro a the drst
he might have gotten Well?'
"I most certsinly do. dOn't say,
hoseyer, that he might not have
died, even under such circumstances.
"You think, then, there was res
sonable ground for hope ct frstS"
81 do most assuredly.
"And you think the case Was not
properly handledf"
'sI have always been Of the opinion,
almost from the frat. that the trest-
ment " as bad at the start. After
Agnew and Hamilton came it could
not have been better"
''You say, then. Doctor, that the
President had 8 chance reason
able chancellor recovery at first
but that in your opinion these
chances were thrown away by the
wretehed treatment Of the case?"
"You express j. strongly" said the
Doctor ;;''but you reach a right con-
clusion."
"How long did that chance Tor
recovery exist, and when did you lose
hope?"
WHEN He LOST HOPE.
son the 23rd OF July. when he had
the first rigor. I think that was the
day;at any rate it was when he had the
first rigor. gave him up then. Up
to that time I had hoped that ne
might get we'll. but after that I felt
there was no ground for hope"
"Why did you reach that cenolu.
sion at that time? Was the chill
certain indication OF the approach of
death?"
"No, l did not expect immediate
The rigor Was evidence
of pyemia."
"What was the occasion of pyse-
mia2 I mean was it Unavoidable"
"Py@mia, yeu know, or blood poi.
soning. results from broken down pus
dead pus."
"Had p5@mia set IMP"
81 think so. I did know that the
wound was never cleaned
properly till three weeks after he was
shot. That is more than l have ever
said about this matter before, but
that is the gist OF the whole case, and
the ground for complaint against the
Presidents surgical treatment in the
early history Of the case. Suisse
quent developments fully cerrobor-
ated what / feared then-that is, that
pus had through ca-elessness and
neglect been allowed to be in the
wound till it rotted and py@mia had
done its perfect work"
"You think this could have been
avoided?"
'Yes; you know what DR.. AgneW
lid as soon ss be was called as a
consulting surgeon. The fret thing
was 10 suggest and make an incision
10 drain what was then supposed to
be the track OF the ball, but which
Was, as you know. only great pus
,avity which ought never to have
been formed. ! hold the attending
surgeons responsible for the condition
II the wound On the day Agnew and
Hamilton were called"
doctor, rememb Der that Otump,
he steward a. the White House, and
3ne OF the nurses, said the Presi-
lent suffered q great deal, and would
scream out that bis feet
felt like there we're a thousand need |
les in them. Did the President suffer |
nuch?"
she did, both from the wound and
heat, and ss Crump said, often com.
planned of that peculiar sensation in |
nis feet"
"Wsa net this prickiDg sensation
in the feet taken as an indication of
spinal ipjuries?"
SIT was. and | 30 suggested to DR..
Bliss, but he thought differently. The |
autopsy showed up how much he was
mistaken"
do you rot consider such an in
ury to the spine as the President
received necessarily iatal?"
"As I said bsiore. l think the
President had q reasonable chance |
for recovery, but it was thrown away |
oy the bad management OF the case.
During the first three weeks when |
everything depended upon the utmost
,kill, il Was then that the wound was
NOT PROPERLY CLEANED.
Pus was allowed 10 accumulate and
oyse.mia, which the enfeeb lsd system
If the President was not able to over.
,ome."
Glow aid Bliss come to have
charge OF the oase?"
"He just took charge OF it. He
happened to be the first loan called
after the shooting, and he stuck to
It, showing every body else aside. |
Neither he President nor Mrs. |
Garfield ever asked him to take
charge OF the case.
Il