The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1885-11-27


The Cause % she Death u the Eminent
TSsgc<linn scientifically Setsled--Dr- En-
gels Theory Proven 10 Have nesn Corr
rcet. and niood-rei-onlas Prem Ciosss1
Arteries the Active Agent 81 Death.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, November ,s---An
autopsy on the brain of the late John Me
Cullough was held yesterday mornin. Ia
the receiving vault n Monumental Gene
terry. II was conducted by Dr. Hugo
Engel. professor Of nervous diseases aud
clinical medicine Al the Mcdico-c hirurgi-
cal College. Of this city, who attended
the tragcdian alter his removal % this
city from the Bloominsdale Asylum. as
sisted BY Chas. X. Mills. NJ. d., lecturer
on nervous diseases NJ the University q
Pennsylvania and Professor Of the Poly
clinic, and BY Frank Woodbury.,
M. d., Professor Of Thcrapcu-
tics at the Mcdio-C hirurgical
College. and editor Of the Philadelphia
Medical Times There were present
number 81 other physicians and surgeons
connected with the colleges and hospitals
Of the city. including , NJ. Burton. "
jefferson College; y. n. Lloyd. instructor
IN nervous diseases az the University 81
Pennsylvania; DIR. r. II. Hardy. q Cali
fornia; ~ l.. IInmmel. NJ. d.. editor ii
the Medical Bufisfin; W. X. ID. BLACK.
wood, late Of Jefferson College. and
Others. John Mccullough. the actors
oldest son. was present ~ a representa-
tive ~ the family.
The brain was removed. and with
scalpcl and scissors DR. Engei and Dr.
Mills made careful examination. ON
its coating numerous granuiations Mere
found and the brain was found 10 be con-
gestcd Beneath this coating was 4
whitish gray deposit. which DR. Engel
declared carried out his theory that the
cause Of death was blood poisoning. and
not progressive insanity, as had hccn as
serted by the Bloomnr,lals ASYLUM
physicians. Tie matter over the
ccrcbellum was thick and mnrky. and
the tissues were very adhernt. il
being almost impossible 20 separate the
two anterior lobes Of the brain. The re-
moval 81 the pia mater from the anterior
lobe was found extremely difficult, and
the walls Of the brain were much harder
than liz normal The RICH; and left mid
die ccrcrhrals and the baSiiar artery
were taken out and retained for micrOs-
copical examination All the main arter-
les were fully one-half less In caliber
than Is normal.
The brain was not half a. soft a. Il
usually found In persons dead A. long As
forty-eight hours. II was unusually large.
and the skull very thick. Tie skull cap
was symmetrical. and the brain was very
highly developed. There we're no marks
If what is termed general parcsis. At
the conclusion Of the examination a con-
snltation Of the physicians present was
had and the following statement was is
sued from them n Official
Tie physicians assembled ind there was a
disease OF the blood vessels Of the hrain due
10 blood poison. and that the bnriiar artery
and the middle cerebral arteries were the
ones affected thnt the pin mater vase Opaque
over q larger part q the convexty q ne
brain and was adhefcnt, especially IN the
front parictai region near the brOcas con
vui-ion and the nssurc OF the roiando. In
pia mater i was found that small fragments
OF corittcai fragments came away with the
membrane. Neither tnmors nor absce-ses
found fully explained the symptoms evincef
during life.
The autopsy il stated 20 have fully sub
stanfiafcd DR.. Engel's theory that Nc
Cullough's mind alteration was due 10
the disease known a. "Thromhusis.
which IL the gathering u tkrombus Or
clot Of blood In one Of the arteries, thus
blocking the free circulation 81 the blood
through the brain. DR.. Engel always con-
tended that the formation Of one oi these
thrombii was the primary cause u the
trouble. He was confident that II he could
carry Mccullough through thirty days
without the formation Of a second throm-
bus he could eventually cure him, but Il
the end Of two weeks the second obstruc-
tion was formed and death ensusl.