Evening star., 1885-07-25
GEN. GRANTS FATAL ILLNESS,
The Discovery Of the Cancer and the
PrOgress Of the Disease.

i D1SCOVeHy
Progress OF the Disease.
i
| From the Philadelphia Press
Gen. Grants physical condition caused no
alarm before September last. One evening
early in that month, while seated on the porch
| Of Mr.. Childs' Long Branch cottage, the general
| complained to DIR. DaCosta, of this city, of the
slight trouble he experienced In swallowing.
DR.. DaCosta examined his throat, and, without
giving any opinion, urged the general to pay an
early visit to New York and consult his regular
physician, DIR. Fordyce Barker. The pain con-
tinued for several days before Gen. Grant
needed the advice, and it was not until October
| 22 that he called on DIR. Douglas. The spe-
cialfst made minute examination of the dis.
eased parts with laryngOscOpe. The base Of
the tongue was found to be intiamed, consider
ably swollen and hardened, and the roof OF the
mouth, the soft palate and tOnSils were the seat
OF an angry Inflammation.
The true nature of the disease was withheld
| an epithelial character. His family, however,
We're informed that 1t was an epithelioma, or
affair and liable to terminate fatally. The gen.
eral was then smoking, on an average, about
niteen cigars daily; he was restricted by his
the first half of the cigar only to be smoked. He
continued this practice for a few days, but find
ing that even this limited amount of tobacco
lfritated his throat he gave up smoking Of his
own accord on November 80.
PROGRESS OF THE DISEASE.
1t was agreed between Drs. Barker and Doug
| las that DIR. Barker should look after the gene
| raj health Of the patient, and that Dr. Douglas
should attend specially to the throat trouble.
Regularly every day the general either walked
or rode In his carriage TO DR.. Douglas office and
| had his throat treated. He suffered considera-
were removed, some of which were jagged and
1rritated the tongue. The neuralgia pain was
s it
from that day until the end had to be taken in
a nau1d form I'm or r In solids chopped fine.
las, Sands and Markoe met at the residence of
General Grant and looked at his throat.
They then finally decided that the case was
epfthelioma, or cancer of the throat. The re-
suit Of this consultation was suppressed until
February ID; The announcement Of this fatal
| all parts of the world. The state legislatures
which were then in session were prompt to pass
| resolutions expressingth pain and regret with
which the news of his illness was everywhere
heard.
Shortly after this the Grant retirement bill,
appointing him general on the retired list of
the army, passed Congress, and the last official
act of President Arthur was naming General
| Grant the beneficiary of this bill. The an
nu1ty of $13 900 which this bill bestowed upon
the retired soldier expired with his life.
A CRISIS.
1t was evident that Gen. Grant was rapidly
| losing strength. When the generals throat
was examined on March it was found that
the small ulcers that had appeared in the throat
had perforated the membranes which consti-
| tute the anterior border of the tonslIar cavity
The right side of the root of the tongue and a
nelghboring gland were indurated. The pa
tents condition was alternately one of depres-
| sion and eXaltation. He was able during his
| good periods to go out driving, and enjoyed it
exceedingly. He also spent Some time upon
his book, and did large amount OF work for
one in his condition.
during some hours his death was mOmentarily
expected After midnight on April 2 the ply
s1sans sany agap b toHnd the
! family were summoned to the bedside and all
kneit; "A prayer was offered by DIR. Newman,
| and the general said "Amen' in a feeble voice
The physicians believed he could not live more
than five minutes. The invalid was perfectly
composed. and calmly called the members of
MS family to him, and, after speaking word
to each, he kissed them upon the forehead and
| said, in hardly audible voice, Farewell"
While pr Newman baptized the dying man,
| the family knelt at the bedside and awaited the
end.
DIR. Shrady suddenly bethought himself of
dermic syringe, he filed it with Il drachm Of
brandy and injected it into the right arm Of the
general In a few moments a change was no
tlced. The general lay quietly in his bed with
his eyes closed, and could hardly be seen to
breathe AT one time it was thought that he
spot Just in time and the dying man revived
In about an hour another hypOdernac injection
OF brandy was given and the general rallied
entirely from his weakness and fell into a quiet
sumber, from which he awOke somewhat re-
freshed. Gen. Grant recovered sufficiently to
and, when the heat of June began to be felt, he
was removed to Mt. McGregor.
THE JOURNEY TO MT. M'GREGOR.
Gen. Grant made the journey from New
York to Mt. McGregor on Tuesday, June 10Th
So urgent was the demand for change of air
and scene that they took the risk of subjectipg
him to six hours of railroad travel at a time
when his condition was anything but favor
able, rather than permit him to remain longer
and the angry state of the cancer he was much
less reduced by the journey than had been
anticipated and when the train stopped at the
summit he Insisted on walking to the Drexel
Cottage. but his powers failed him after he had
gone a hundred feet, and he was carried the
remainder OF the distance. He was accompanied
TO his new home by Mrs. Grant, Col. Fred
Grant and family. Mrs. Sartoris, Mrs. Jesse
Grant, Dr. Douglas and the two nurses.
The sick man showed signs of contentment
with the change, but he had not been at Mount
McGresor twenty-four hours before his ambi-
reaction. While DIR. Douglas was asleep on the
day succeeding their arrival he walked, at
tended only by Nurse Harrison, to the brow of
the mountain. 200 yards distant-a greater tax
on his strength than anything he had under
taken since his illness became aggravated-and
when he returned to the cottage his physical
exhaustion followed by CORRESPONDING
mental depression. For several days his voice
had almost entirely played him traitor, and,
Orandum for his family and another for DR..
DouglaGs' he sgG The first referred to paper which
ne had drawn up i'll New York regard
ing the disposition of his personal effects
after bis death, and in the latter he
told his physician that he was wasting
away and the end was near. DIR. Sands was
speedily brought up from New York, but when
he arrived a sound sleep had revived the gen
eral ana the night OF apprehension had given
way to the dawn of confidence. Rev. DIR. New
man visited him on Thursday, and was sur
prised to witness the apparent improvement
that had taken place Yet Grants own view of
his case had not changed, for in a note which
he then passed to his religious counselor he
said:
:" 1t is just week to-day since have spoken
My suffering continuous. The doctors how
ever-Sands and Douglas-say that my ailment
is improving do not feel So"
HEROIC TO THE END.
In his moments of utmost distress there was
no diminution of Gen. Grants courage. In his
intervals Of relief from excrucating pain he
took pleasure while they played about him.
To obese DIR. Gray, Of the Utica insane asylum,
he wrote: Your shadow has grown no less
since met you in Utica. Mine Is reduced ma
terially." 1t seemed that he was endeavorine
to reassure his family, and hence missed no on.
portunity OF cheering them, although his walk
on Wednesday had convinced him that he had
that the termination Of his disease could not be
long postponed. Indeed, he had made the test
for the purpose, formed in his own mind, of
trying his powers, and he had satisfied himself
as to their speedy dwindling.
The second week Of the sOjourn on Mt Nc
GregOr was marked by almost continuous suf-
fering. but. perhaps feeling that his time was
growing Short the general applied many of his
waxing hours to revision OF the proofs OF his
memoirs and the N nfn nov