Evening journal., 1888-10-15
BERGMANN's DEFENSE.
Counter Accusations aud sharp Reply
70 Mackenzie's Charges Bergmann
Charges Ineompetency and Ignorance.

counter Accusations aud Sharp Reply
70 Mackenzle's Charges Bergmann
Charges Ineompetency and Ignorance.
BERLIN, Oct. IA correspondent called
upon Professor and Geheimer Medical Rath
Won bergmann at his residence Alexander
ufer, overlooking the great Krieg Denkmal.
n the Thiergarten.
When asked what he thought Of Sir Morell
Mackenzie's defense, he exclaimed with brus-
lue gesture:
III Is arrant nonsense. As long as the En-
)eror Frederick was III we would not give
"details Of his case to the public said the bro.
essor. by we | mean the German phvsi-
.ians This course was made diflicult 10 us
is the English political and medical news
papers covered us with abuse. When the
Emperor Frederick died the the minister Of
the royal household asked us TO publish the
reports made by Us during the emperor's
illness.
THE charges against Gerhardt are so alb
surd that they can only find their explana-
tion IN Mackenze's despair II was my mis-
fortune that the august patient and his royal
consoit had more confidence IN Mackenzie
than in the three German physicians This
misplaced confidence brought the late en-
peror to an early grave. Mackenzie failed 70
detect cancer
Now, about that crooked cut Of Bramann
My answer is this The accusation Is a lie
The cut was made exactly IN the middle
Mackenzie told Prince Henry Of Prussia az
San Reno himself that the operation had
been admirably performed. In regard TO the
choice Of tubes if the operation Of tracheo-
tony had TO be made 80 far as TO cause a
wound directly over the breast bone, a short
tube could not be used. Here / need not de-
fend myself 70 members OF the medical pro
fession who know the operation. Mackenzie
is aware Of this himself
Now, IN regard to the very sericas charge
made against me with regard to what took
place on April II, when am said to have
ploughed a deep wound in the emperor's
throat and caused an Inflammation Ia the
cellular tissues between the trachea nnd the
sternum or breast bone
Again, l am compelled to the belief that
Mackenzie failed TO grasp the meaning Of
Nirchows post mortem report, wherein no
mention occurs Of any such Inflammation.
On the contrary, the cellular tissues living
back Of the breast bone, the anterior msdias-
terium, showed no evidence OF any cicatriza-
tion, but only of purely normal conditions
The post mortem showed the immediate cause
Of death The inflammation Of the lungs was
shown 10 be Of recent date.
In regard 70 the charges amounting TO NAL
practice, that Mackenzie says were brought
against him by the German doctors pam
pet, we, the German physicians, do not hesl.
tate in saying that Mackennes treatment Of
the emperor did amount to malpractice. in
asmuch as both diagnosis and treatment dis
played gross ignorance Of medicine ia gen
eral
His whole knowledge Of anatomy ana
pathology begins and ends in the larynx
In his defense ne overlooks the fact that his
accusations against me fan 10 the ground ia
the presence Of the testimony Of Professors
Nirchow and Waldntsyer's post mortem ex-
animation
"hlackenzie's defense casts doubt ON the
capabilities of his German colleagues. hut
Nrchow's post mortem clearly established
the fact that Tobold, Gerhardt and had all
been quite correct in our diagnosis Of the
emperor's malady. The one who allowed the
fittest time and. opportunity Of arrestine the
emperor's disease 20 slip away was the famous
laryngologist, Mackenzie
He may pen whole libraries to escape this
reproach. But in vain. Had the operation
been made on the crown prince in May, as
wished, His Majesty Frederick III might
just as well as not be alive now, as are tie
four patients referred to ia our report upon
whom the operation was so successfully Der
formed.