The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1883-09-28
FROg DIR. CASE.
He Replies TO DR.. ShannOn's Let
ter His Side of the Question.


In your issue Of the 18th ipst.
read letter from DR.. Shannon, in
which he says II desire in justice
to myself aud in retutalion OF the
anjn,t criticisms aud misrepresen.
tasfons 0nNwhich have been the
subject, TO give some of the facts
relative TO the death at Mr.. Frank
SnN der, which occurred III the res,
idence of bis brother, Col. Vim. X.
Snyder, on the 9th ot August 1888,
on Folt Bayou in this eouuty."
The above being the text of his
letter, DIR. Shannon then goes on
to say 'sThe unkind things that
have been said Of me are probably
due TO a statement made by DIR. ID.
Z. Case, Of Ocean Springs, to DIR.
w. III. Carson, Inspector of the
Louisiana State board ot health
aud Incorporated by DIR. Carson ia
his official report of August IL,
and published in the Picayane OF
the 18th, aud wildly copied Oy the
press aud accepted as true.n Aud
this being his exor,llum | now de.
sire to be heard in reply, for th,
subject matter OF bis letter
charges me with misrepresenti
tions, fasehood aud deception,
hope therefore, Mr.. Editor you viii
allow me sufficient space in youi
columns to place myself right be
lore the people TO vindnale th,
positions aud opinions | hav,
taken aud entertained, from the
first, aud to hull back, with ali the
force and power OF truth and his
tory, the unjust charges made by
DIR. Shannon against me.
In order hat the pCbIic may fully
understand all that know and
all that have said in regard to
his reported case OF yellow fever.
| Nill state that on 9th OF August
DIR. Shanuon called ut my office
and asked me Ito assist him III
making II post.mortem examination
of the body OF Frank Snyder
Previous TO calling on me DR..
Shannon had telegraphcd DR.
Jones, Of New Orleans, to send \
yellow icyeI expert; the expert mol
arriving IN time, | went with Dr.
Shannon to the residence OF VIM. X
Sn> der, where tue death OF Frank
Snydcr occurred. DIR. Shannon
first exhibited to me the bedding,
stained with dark colored fluid
which he said bad been vomited by
his patient few hours peyiOus to
death. l then accompanied Dir
Shannon into the house to view the
dead body. DIR. Shannon then in
formed me that he had not had the
least suspicion OF yellow ievel
until be saw the black vomit a
few hours previous to death; that
his diagnosis had been bilious fever
with developing caucer of the
stomach. AT this stage of the
proceedings, DIR. Shannon asked
me il it aid not look like yellow
fever, aui my reply was it certain.
~ did look like yellow fever; as
we had no means of verifying the
tact that it was yellow fever, aud
at this stage OF the proceeding, we
did not expect to have any veriti.
cation other than our mere ocular
observatloas, Dir. Shannon now
proposed that we make the dissec.
ton oi the stomach with the view
of verifying his diagnosis OF the
"developin2 cancer oi the stomach
With scalpil in hand, | proceeded
to take out the stomach, | also
extended my dissection and took
out the duodenum aud the pan.
create gland. | thea examined the
liver, gall, bladder and spleen.
The external or perltoneal coat of
the stomach WAS perfectly sound
and free from discoloration, the
muscular coats also presented the
same healthy appearance,t the lnacus
coat presented the appearance OF
congestion and acute inflammation,
there was no softenlng, there was
no odor to give evidence OF decom
position or gangreen, the stomach
contained about half u pint OF
dark grumous fluid, similar iu
appearance to that v0mited; the
liver, | estimated nearly doubled
the size OF a normal liver. l did
not cut into the liver, externally it
presented u uniform psle yellow
color, the gall bladder WAS full of
u dark greenish looking bile, all
around external to the duodennm,
the pancreas and involving the
pancreatic duct and the gall duct
was extensive adhesions, evidence
Of an old chronic inflammation Of
the peritouaum, | did not try the
patensy OF the gall duct but judg.
lug from external appearances, /
concluded it must DO very much
contracted if not entirely obllter-
ated. AT this stage OF the pro-
ceedi &, | remarked to DIR. Shan
non that had not found any evi.
deuce OF developing cancer, but
that | had found sufficient evidence
of disease to account for death,
without calling it yellow fever, and
in the absence of that peculiar odor,
common to the black yomit of sci.