Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-11-20
BLOOD POISONING KILLED HIM
What an Examination of John McCul-
IouEh's RemaiSs Revealed,


LApELPHIA, November l9.-The re,
ceiviDg vault at Monument Cemetery was
the scene this morning of TIE autopsy on
the BODY of the dead trsgedisn, John Nc
Cunough, held at the reques. Of the family,
ia order 10 definitely fix the cause Of his
death and su6stanuate or disprove DR.
EuRers theory of his death, it bsiug differ
ent from that held by the physicians at
Bloomiugdals Hospital DR.. Engel s
theory was that death was cssued BY a
disease known as thrombosis which is q
gathering of thrombus or clot Of blood in
one Of the arteries, thus blocking the cir
culation OF blood through it. This DR..
Engel believed was the cause Of death.
he always eontended that the formation
of one of these thrombi 10 the brain was
the primary esuse of the trouble. So con.
fident was he Of this fact that he asserted
if he could carly Mccullough through
thirty DAYS without the formation OF sec
ond thrombus he could eventually be
cured Two weeks elapsed when the sec
Dad formed and death ensued. The ply
sicians at Bloomingdale Hospital claimed
that the insanity was due to general
causes, not spinal
Anon the physicians present we're DR..
Engel wko performed the autopsy; DR..
A. f. Roessel who assisted; Charles h.
Mills, DR.. Walter + Bi6by, the family ply
sicisn; Prot. Frank Woodbury.. Jr., Dr.. j.
N. Barton, Surgeon General of Jefferson
Medical College; Dr. Theodore Cruel, DR..
.JH. Lloyj. DR.. Suddeth Dr.. ". Z. D
BlsckScoj .Nsurarogits at the Presbyterian
Hospi,ol; Dr. 4. J. Humnel, of the Medi-
cal Ballstin, Dr. B. S Hardy, surgeon in
charge Of ,hs Maternity Hospital, San
Francisco The body ssas moved from
the caskst shortly after 10 O'Clock and
placed on On operating table in the vault,
ready for the autopsy. The body was
found to be in 8 most excellent state
of preservation, no, the least sign of
Secsy being visible. At ii o'clock DE-.
Eugsl commenced the operation By max
ing q semi-cireular incision below the
right ear, then cutting in semi-circle be
removed the scalp, sawed the skull through
above the eyes, and after severing the
spinal cord and optic nerves removed the
brain from the skull, and it was subjected
70 q close examination By the medical
men present. Immediately stterward the
medical gentlemen whose names are
printed above, held q private meeting and
agreed TO the following statement: The
physicians assembled find it was a disease
Of the blood vessels Of the brain, due to
blood poison, end that the bssilsry artery
and middle cere6ra arteries were the ones
mainly affected. That pismsteE opaque
over a large part of the convexity OF the
brain and adherent especially in the
froa.opsrieial region near the brocas
,,>ayoiation SLd assure Of the rolondo. In
So,;,r. ~lscss where 81 attempt to strip the
,;a .log9 vas F-&4ait Sas found that snail
fragments of the cornc---' ufs1s came away
with the membrane. Neither ,"nIor nof
abscess wss discovered. Considering la
lesgth Of time which has elapsed since the
death of Mccullough, the body was IN
excellent preservation.
The result of the autopsy fully corro-
bosates the diagnosis Of DR.. EngeL
Among the persons present were James
son of the deceased, and
Young lady, apparently unknown to any
one present, Who stood st q respectable
from the ysuit, silently and alone
until the vsult closed and al had depart
ed, when she took her leave.