River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-03-05
GRANTS P-TIABLE CONDITION.

AIDED to His Other Afuictions, He Is q
Constant sufaer--Talixs with His PhysI-
clans and SON Fred.
NEW YORK. Special Telegram, Feb 2s. The
announcement If Gen. Grants alarming and
probable fatal illness to-day caused great
surprise among his numerous friends
Anxious inquiries were made us to his condi-
Uion, coupled with expressions of hope
that the reports had been exaggerated
and that the general would soon
be restored to health. 1t is now believed
that the maladS from which Gen. Grant is
suffering cannot but have a fatal termina-
ton, and also that his dissolution may
take place within very short
time, a few months being the max
imum period OF his life. with
the chances that shorter time will end his
earthly career All the physicians in attend
ance upon him concur in this view of the
case, and the general immedia family have
abandoned all hope of his recovery His
wife and oil his children, with the
exception of Mrs shrtolis; who has been
cabled for from England, are constantly in
attendance upon the general, and their deep
sorrow is intensified By realization of the
fact that his sutfertngs are OF the most
intense character. He can only have
temporary relief while sleeping, and even
this during the past few nigAts has become
an impossiblity, as insomnia has been added
to his other complications, SO that he is prac-
tically an almost continun sufferer Death
from cancer may not occur Immediately,
but il is sure to come in a very short time
and at a moment when least expected Gen.
Grant presents a pimable appearance at pres
emit His face and head are bandaged, his
ewes are sunken and his face wears q sal
low hue while his hair and beard have
whitened greatly. This is the worst form OF
his disease and has brought about loss Of
appetite His doctors assert that he Is sub
sisting largely upon his vital tissues, and
he is growing preceptibly weaker day
by day The trouble is an liberation
of She soft tissues of the roof Of the mouth
with hardness and soreness at the base or the
tongue. 1t is with great difficulty that the
general opens his mouth to admit food he
suffers the most eXcruciatiDg torture from
neuralgia also, but scarcely murmur
escapes him The general knows he must
die, and vet he does not want to believe 1t.
There were many callers at the house to-day,
but they were not admitted TO the generals
presence, and after warm expressions of
sympathy with the members of his
family they withdrew Throughout his ILL
ness Gen Grant has labored faithfully at his
literary tasks His history of the rebellion
is now practically completed, and the maya
zine articles for the Century are also finished.
RELATED BY FRED GRANT.
New YORK, Feb 2S-In regard to Gen.
reporter this afternoons
NV father is n very sick man. There il no use
longer denying the fagt. We have made eyery
effort to keep the facts from the public. be-
cause we knew that as soon as
1t should become known that lie
was dangerously i'll there would be
a hundred letters coming in with every mail, and
this would only excite HIM and make ms re-
covery less hopeful. Ny father he had little
was up and about his room for
a little while Yesterday, and we hope to get him
up again to-day; but he is suffering constant
pain in the ear and head, For any facts con-
corning the nature Of his disease L refer you to
his physician
The doctors who are attending him are DIR.
Fordyce Baker, Dr. J. II. Douglas and DR.. II.
b. Sands of this city. and DR.. L. NJ Merker
of Philadelphia DR.. Douglas said;
am no wise responsible for the rose-colored
report tina. appeared in a medical journal last
week. TWO days before the report was pub
lished l had a conversation with DIR,
Lands at Gen. Grants house we both
decided that the canceruus growth az
the root of the tongue was hardening and stead
lily growing worse. micToscopical eXamina-
ton by an expert proved beyond doubt that the
case was one OF malignant epithelial growth.
Gen. Grant is a very sick man, and think there
is little or no hope that he viii recover. lie Is
breaking down, but has displayed much courage
In less than a month he has done as mucn
as six or eight hours work day, but
has had little sleep for the past eight
days and we have tried to keep the knowledge
O
because ne had so many other troubles
to bear. have all along NAM
tanned that his trouble Is from
q cancerous growth at the root OF the tongue,
caused no doubt by excessive smoking Every
time no speaks or breathes or eats this Is dis
turbed. It is difficult 10 treat 1t for that rea-
SON There have been times when the growth
has been temporarily checked, hut It has never
been arrested and is steadily increasing. There
has been considerable loss OF tissue of the soft
palate He takes nourishment every day in
LIQUID form, He cannot eat solid food because
he has lost all his teeth. They were extracted
in the hope Of easing the pain IN his lace. Inls
pain although it resembles neuralgia, is not that
pure and simple, but it IL reflection
pain caused by cancer in the throat. lie
has been suffering from severe pain
in the right ear and on the top of the head. To
eose this his head is kept wrapped IN hot Han
nels. / cannot saw how near the end is. lie
may live months vet as men suffering from this
disease have done; bat do not think there Is
any hope that he will ever recover.
WASHINGTON, Special Telegram, Feb. %
Private letters received here confirms the
alarming news published by the Philadelphia
Times in regard TO Gen Grants health, He
is now recognized as an invalid. aud his con-
dition is critical He is confined to his
room, sees but few of his oldest frinds, and
is much broken and depressed "a spirits
DR. DOUGLAS STATEMENT.
DR. Douglas was asked tEis afternoon to
describe the condition of his patient He
said:
Gen. Grant is a very sick man His body and
hands are greatly emaciated. and he is losing
flesh daily. He cannot recover from the disease,
and his death is only question OF time. lie Is
losing his grip on life, and has not the force ana
energy to stand up against the many blows TO
his strength He may live for weeks or months.
The progress of the disease may be put in abey-
ance by natural forces, though at present 1t Is
advancing rapidly. 1t Is not likely that the can
Ger will choke him, it VIII kill him by exhaust
ion 1t is impossible to give HIM stimulants. as
they iniure his throat. Gen. Grant came to me
first on Oct % last and asked me to examine his
throat. / did SO, and saw at once that he was
suffering from q cancer. dld not wish 10
friyhten him BY telling him this, sosI said he
had an epithelial trouble. He asked me If
it was not cancer and told MIN
the disease was of cancerous character IN u
mild form. IL probably arose from excessive
smoking, combined with other causes. lie had
been suffering with it since June ]. | at once
told his family Of the nature of the disease, and
thew know how serious the case is. think the
general also knows it now. He was in the habit
of coming down to sec me pretty much every
morning The cancer continued to grow worse,
although its growth has not been steady. the
hardened part Of the cancer is at the root OF the
tongue on the right side. The liberation Is on
the soft palate just above where the tonslls lie.
The loss OF the teeth has prevented Gen. Grant
from chewing solid food. tie eats minced ~. az,
terrapin and other soft food. and has no diff
Guilty in swallowing it. Indeed, he swat
lows more readily than he did two
months ago. This is probably due to the
fact that liberation has relaxed some OF
the membranes He takes good Zeal
of nourishnent, although he does not want TO
eat as the effect of the disease ia to destroy all
appetite. The bad weather OF late has affecged
him unfayorably. He caught slight cold. The
cancer is what is called a "benign cancer, and II
it were anywhere else on the body we could at
least hold it in allegiance. As II Is, an opera
tion would accomplish no good. IL wouO
be quite impossible to cut it out from the root OF
the tongue. Within the past ten Gays there
has been great change for the worse Inc
mind has great influence on such diseases, and
believe that distress OF mind caused By the
failure of the relief bill in congress injured the
general very much. Two weeks ago he
was feeling much better 1hen came
the defeat of the bin and he seemed to lose
heart On Feb / ; / found that the liberation
had extended very rapidly, and there was per
foration of the folds of the membranes which
constitute the interior border of the tons1is cav
ity The liberation had burrowed down until Ii
came out near the root of the tongue. Inc can
Ger does not hurt the general unless III is rudely
/ Touched If he talks very long he gets fatigued.
and then II hurts him. On Wednesday last ne
was quite cheerful, and worked most OF the day
at his book. Almost all night he suffered great
( pain in the right ear. Hot hannels applied tC
| the head stopped the pain, but he qua not sleel
until morning. Thursday night was another bao
/ night, although he did not suffer such severe
| pain. On Friday night he had no pain, and slep
| brokenly.
| HIS CONDITION UNCHANGED LAST NIGHT
! NEW YORK March AT midnight Cen
| Grants condition was unchanged Inc gen
/ erai was up during the day as usual, but his
/ musicians and friends have given up al
/ hope of his recovery. His doctors say he Is
/ gradually sinking. There were many cal
/ lers at the house to-day. The Tribune says
"Was the general alarmed at the publicity
4 given TO his case, and on finding out MS true
condition."
/ Il am NOT in a position TO answer questions as
to what is done in Gen. Grants house, but pre-
/ sumo all accounts of his condition that might
4 nrod1ce an unfaynrable mental impression were
/ kept from him. / saw him ahoub ~ O CLOCK TO-
1 night and be was then tree from pam, anu gave