The Portland daily press., 1882-07-07

PHILADELPHIA, July 6.-The Medical News
of this city tomorrow will publish the official,
report Of the autopsy on the body OF Guiteau,
signed by DIR. d. S. Lamb. After detailing
the course of procedure fixed upon and
enumerating those present at the autopsy, he
says: "The examination was then conducted
by me assisted by Drs. Hartigan and Sewers
and Mr.. Scafhirt, anatomist OF the medical
museum and as near as possible in the order
proposed. The eyes were examined by DR..
Loring who reported the pupils slightly and
equally dilated; vitreous was cloudy and
fundas indistinguishable; the conjunetive OF
the left eye was congested. lie repeated the
examination two hours later and noticed an
appearance as of transverse fracture of the.
lenses A small white scar directed obliquely
downwardS, forwards and to the left and con-
fined to the scalp was observed midway be-
tween the top of the left ear and median line
of the head" The report says the cerebral
vessels appeared normal; the brain was firm,
its weight including the cerebrnm, cere ell
lum, pons and medulla and portion OF the
dura was 495 ounces. On one section OF the
cerebrum there was an appearance as OF Slight
thinning of the gray cortex, white substance
almost absolutely anaemic; the assures general
ly presented a considerable depth and general
" well developed. The ascending frontal was
we'll defined on each side; the ascending
parielal on the right side we'll developed in its
lower three-fourths but narrowed in the upper
fourth, but on the left side the narrowing was
less marked. The island of reil presented on
the right side five assures and six straight
gyri; on the left side seven assures and eight
straig hit gyri. The paracentral lobula was
we'll marked on the right side; small on the
left.
The usual median incision was made and
the abdomen opened. There was an extravasa-
ton of blood into the right pectoralis of the
major muscle near the second rib, and the
adipose layer of the abdominal section was
one inch in thickness. The dome of the
diaphragm extended up to the fourth rib on
each side. There were old pleuritic adhesions
at the apex, of the right lung and
the upper and middle lobes were
congenitally united by connective tissue,
The lung was normal throughout; also the
old peuritic adhesions of the left lung to the
diaphragm, and between its lobes three small
tubercles, like pigmented patches were OBJ
served in the upper lobe The heart weighed
apparently normal; there was an abundance Of
fat upon its anterior surface, and Y1llcuS
patch of old percarditis near the apex of the
left ventricle The right ventricle contained
little blood, justsforming a clot. The valves
were normal. All abdominal viscera present.
ed q large accumulation of fat, but they were
normally situated. The liver was congested.
The gall-bladder contained little bile The
spleen was lobulated and enlarged; it weighed
Is ounces. The pancreas was normal The
stomach contained food, and the intestines ap-
peared normal, but were not opened The kid
neys were congeStsd; there was small super
fetal sorous cyst on the right one. The results
of the microscopic examinations will be report
ed hereafter.
In long editorial the Medical News says:
'It must appear from the report of the autop-
sy that those psychiatrists who expected to
demonstrate the assass in's criminal irresponsi-
biity by changes in his brain, will have rather
difficult task. Some deviations from a typi-
cally normal brain are referred to in the re.
port, but they have absolutely no Specification
from the point of view of mental derange-
ment It may be affirmed of Guiteau's brain,
it presented as little evidence of pathological
change as tho brain of any one of his age dy-
ing of some other than cerebral disease.