The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-12
The Disease and 1t. Probable Re.uIs.

The Disease and Its Probable Result
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.
The eyes of Europe are on San Reno, where
the Crown Prince gasps for breath through a
silver tube inserted in cut throat. The dis
ease OF the Crown Prince dates back to the win
ter of 1886, when his Royal Highness suffered
from attack of hoarseness that did not yield
to the treatment of his regular medical attend
ants, Drs. Wegner and Schroeder. An examin-
alton Of the throat of the illustrious patient at
this time with the laryngoscope revealed nothing
N particular to Schroeder and Wegner, and,
somewhat dissatisfied, the Prince consulted
DIR. Gerhardt who discovered a small tumor in
the larynx, which was promptly removed by the
use of caustic. A relapse followed, unsuccess.
fully treated by the same means, and his High
ness wss sent to Ems
This relapse awaked the belief that the growth
was malignant, and the celebrated DIR. Berg
mann proclaimed his opinion that only an opera
ton would procure radical cure. This was in
May DIR. Tobald, the great expert with the
laryngoscope, was now called in and fully agreed
with his medical associates that the only road
for cure was immediate operation. The can
cerous nature of the tumor was fully recognized
by all Eve of the attending physicians. and the
operation upon the larynx was fully decided
The consent OF all the imperial family was OBJ
tanned, and the Crown Prince himself demanded
the relief The day for the operation was fixed
when, at the last moment, perceiving the enor-
nous responsibility that would be thrown on
the doctors in case of an accidental fatal ter
mination. he demanded additional medical ex-
pert testimony. He asked that Rauchfuss, of
St Petersburg. Stoerk, of Vienna, and Macken-
zie, of London. be called in the case.
At this general consultation the German
physicians freely expressed their opinions rs to
the nature Of the disease and the operative
procedure TO be followed. This was done with
regret, but in medicine the diagnosis and prog
nosis of disease is the same in the peasant
the king The fiattery of delustve hope was not
even held out to curry favor with royalty. The
- a. %o11 h. orrrtaf Pal
truth.
1t was here that DIR. Mackenzie, with his
natural Scotch stubbornness, stood out in con-
sultation against all the other physicians, and
declared that the tumor in the larynx not
MALIGNANT and demanded the proof of existing
cancer from the miscroscopic anatomopatholog-
icai examination by that celebrated German
doctor and radical politician, Virchow. who
once challenged Bismarck to deadly duel.
small fragment was taken from the royal
throat and placed under the microscope, al
though the attending physicians deemed such
ar examination unnecessary.
Even after the result of Virchow's investiga-
tons were known, the regular German attend
ing physicians still persisted In their opinion
that the Crown Prince should submit to the
treatment first laid down. although Mackenzie
insisted that an intra-laryngeaI operation was
the that should, be followed. and that the
extirpation of the larynx was cruel and uncalleG-
for. Mackenzie pledged his word and promise
to give relief If his plan of operating internally
was followed. The opinions of all the physicians
entered on the archives of state, and will
stand out in black and white when the. full
medical history of the Princes is finally
written. Tobald boldly advocated the complete
section and extrpation of the thyroid cartilage,
being without danger in skillful surgical
hands This celebrated specialist die not hesi-
tate TO declare that MackenZie's whole idea of
the nature Of the disease and its treatment was
wrong. and that the Scotchmans operation
would be failure. giving his full reasons why
he expressed such an opinion Drs. Gerhardt
and Won Bergman fully conceded with To-
bald in all his remarks.
hall noiA 40 han Sionn
The wife Of the Crown Prince naturally
nverse to an operation. The regal petticoats de-
cided an important m edical question. The COM
patriot of the Crown Princess was given charge
OF the case. The royal patient, under of
Mackenzie and not Bergp.ann, and removed
from the German influences of Berlin to milder
climates, to Boreno, San Reno until August
last, when a violent suffocatiye attack made, an
almost victim of his Hiehness. This attack
was due TO the sudden engagement OF the ever
increasing tumor. German politicians became
alarmed at the outlook, and. the government de-
manded that a new consultation be had, and, in
order that Germany might not be overawed by
the stubborn Scotcbman who had the empire
by the throat, Schroeder, of Vienna, at the re-
quest of the Prince, Krause, OF Berlin on the
demand Of Mackenzie and Schmidt. of Frank
fort, on the order of the Emperor William, were
present The very dav these distinguished
medical men met at San Reno the royal
patient had another and most violent suf-
focative attack, and his life was in such dan
ger that the operation for tracheotomy was
agreed upon, when suddenly the swelling in
the tunor of the throat subsidized. An examna-
ton was made and the cancerous nature of the
growth so fully established to leave no
further doubt on that subject Sad to say. the
raw ages of the disease had extended to all the
adjoining Emphatic tissues, and the time for
an operation to succeed seemed past. The con-
eultants agreed that the Crown Prince had lost
his chance for radical by extirpation of
the laryn,x and that in case of dangerous fut-
ure attack of sufocation Mackenzies method of
relief by tracheotomy would De the most useful.
il was the stubbornness of Scotch doctor hold
ing out against number of equally skillful Ger
of its Grown Prince for il is only matter of n
few days, perhaps hours, that will witness the
death CT one of the bestowed men in Germany
Breathing the balmy air Of San Reno through
silver tube is dangerous TO the lungs, and bron-
chtis or pneumonia will speedily carry off his
Highness, unless the last desperate chances of
an operation undertaken, and royal pa
tient lies stiff and stark on the surgical table.