Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-04-30
THE NORTHWEST
GENERAL GRANTS CASE.
Some Interesting Idside Facts in Re-
gard to It's There a Quarrel
Among the Doctors?
Especial Dispatch 10 the Enquirer.l


NEW YORK, April 1S.-There is an
unsolved mystery in the case of Gem
eral Grant. Rumors are plenty, and
too wild in there nature to be even
negatively published; theories are
varied and ingenious; but the certain
ties are quite sufficient to establish the
fact that something concerning the
patient is concealed. There is, to begin
with, inharmonies now among the
four physicians engaged. They are:
Douglas, the family doctor, in regular
charge Of the case; Shrady, q specialist
in cancerous and other diseases of the
blood; Sands, surgeon of consider
able fame, and Barker, an old practi-
tioner of wealth and standing. Doug
has and Shrady are susceptible Of valua-
BILE promotion in their profession
through the advertising incidental to
their connection with so public mat
Ter, and there are symptoms of antag-
Onism between them arising from
competition in the getting of personal
mention in the reports. Sands and
Barker are associated with them for con-
sultation only, and neither has, from
first to last, signed his name to any one
Of the numerous bulletins issued by
Douglas and Shrady. When Barker
was asked for the reason of this, he re-
plied: "It is not essential that four
names should be attached to those
statements-two are quite enough, are
they not?" Pressed to answer the ex-
plicit question whether those bulletins
hid more than they revealed, he took
an impregnable position behind pro-
fessional etiquette, and declined to say
word for publication. Sands was a
little more revelatory, for he said:
soThere has at no time been any imme-
diate danger of the General dying.
You newspaper gentlemen have SEN
sationalized the case.n
"But the published accounts have
been altogether based on the bulletins
and other assertions of Doctors Douglas
and Shrady," was urged, "and surely
those gentlemen ought to know what
they are talking about.n
30, yes; they ought to-" and here
there seemed to be a suggestion of
irony.
"But do they not?"
"Stop, now; you centainly don't ex-
pect me to criticise my professional as
S0ciates?"
However, to a distinguished pysci-
clan, within a. few days, Sands eX-
pressed his condemnation of the man
aer in which some facts in the case had
been exaggerated and Others rssuppressed.
Still another significant thing is the re-
fusal of the physicians to tell what
medicines are administered beyond the
morphine and cocaine that are used to
deaden pain and induce sleep. If the
treatment were ascertainable, the ma
ture and progress of the disease would
be clear to any medical man.
"Do your bulletins tell the entire
truth?" Shrady was asked.
"They state nothing that isn't exact
by true" was the reply.
There is an expectation, at all events,
that months oflife remain to Grant, and
The Rev. DR.. Newman takes the lat
Der view, and attributes it partially to
the effect of the great volume ofsincere
prayer that has been offered by chris
dian sympathizers throuhout the coun-
try. On Douglas being asked to ex-
plain the apparently wonderful I'M
provement in his patient he said:
"Some of the alarming complications
have been eliminated-thati is all. He
would not go into particulars. DIR.
William H. Draper, whose reputation
extends beyond New York, is close
friend of one of the four physicians, II
think there can be no doubt" he said,
s'that the Generals ailments have, in O
good measure, yielded to treatment.
The public can rest assured that the
best has been done for him. ItlOoks as
though even recovery were possible. I
have no knowledge that l can make
public as to whether there has been any
misleading of the public or as to the
diagnosis of the disease"
Mark Twain believes that Grant will
surely live until autumn, and in the
mean time be strong enough to COM
plete the book which Marks firm,
Webster & Co., are to issue. General
Badeau was brought to town in haste
90 finish the work from the Generals
draughts and documents. That plan
has been abandoned, and the publica-
tion delayed until fall, in the expecta-
tion that Grant can do all of the job in
DprsOn