The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-05-10
NOT AFFLICTED WITH scRoFutA.


| Prince VgaL12Ha'6 DeaOEEmkty Said TO be
Caused by . Broken Arm.
NEW YORK, May 4.-There will APP
pear in this weeks issue of the
Medical Record, which has given the
subject of the late Emperor Williams
and the present German emperor's
Illness more than ordinary attention,
an account of Crown Prince William
and the causes to which. are due his
crippled arm. 1t will go far toward
disabusing people of the belief that
Prince William is afflicted with any
disease of scrofulous nature, reports
to that effect having recently been
sent to English and American papers
from Berlin. The authority for the
Records story is the physician VINO at
tended the gymnasium with Crown
Prince William and DIR. Shrady SAYS
his information is entirely trust
worthy. The story is as follows: The
present difficulty of Crown Prince
William dates from his birth, when a
fracture of the left arm occurred,
which resulted in that member being
about two inches shorter than the
the other and has given rise to the
story of his being afflicted with
scrofula.
Previous to the birth of her child,
Empress Victoria, then crown princess,
was seriously ill and her mother,
don two English obstetricianS to attend
her. These physicians found them
selves unable to cope with the difficulty
that presented itself and then arrived
necessity for consultation, when a
messenger was dispatched for Prof.
Martin, the elder, since dead, who. at
the time, was high in the circles of the
court and president of one of the uni
versitieS. PiQued at the introduction
of Englishmen in the case and and the
exclusion of those of the fatherland,
the eminent scientist returned this
answer: IF was not able to attend
to the crown princess in the first place.
am not able to do SO now" Informed
of this bruSQue reply of Prof. Martin,
Emperor William, at that time king of
Prussia. issued an imperial edict Or
dering the obdurate physician to at
tend the crown princess. Such sum-
mons had to be obeyed and Prof. Mar
tin went to the palace. He was con-
Quoted into the presence of the crown
princess, where were the two ohStet-
tricians. Saluting the crown prince,
who was in the apartment, the German
physician silently gave his attention to
the royal mother and OveTcame the diff
ficulty that had puzzled the London
doctors, placed the newborn babe in
the hands of Il nurse, bowed stifiy to
the prince and professional gentlemen
from England and retired, without ut
tering word.
Here was the spectacle of proud
scientific man who would not unbend
for royalty. He had performed his du
ty, in taciturn manner it is true, but
that was all. Professor Martin was
dismissed from the court. When the
little prince was three or four days old
it was discovered that his left arm was
fractured a short distance from the
shoulder. Who broke it? Did the &C
cident occur through the agency of
Prof. Martin. or while the babe was in
the care of its English attendants?
That question has never been an
swered; probably never will be. The
doctor who broke the arm and felt the
snap of the infantile bone, from the
nature of things would keep the ma tie
to himself, fearing to have it known
that to him belonged the blame.
The fracture of a newly born in
fant's arm is not an unusual occur
renee, and it is not regarded in the
medical profession as serious, or at
tended by great danger. In this case,
arm of the prince was shorter than the
right, and it has ever since remained
so. 1t has been stated at different
times that Prince Williams eyes were
bad. Had this been the case he could
never have passed through the gym
nasium. When he graduated the
young prince, although bright and pos
sessed of thorough education, yet
stood No. II in the class. This shows
the impartiality of the German profess
sors in dealing with students of royal
blood" From this story there can be
no wonder at the deep-rOoted prejudice
| in the princes mind against what he
considers the interference of foreign,
particularly English, doctors, in the
| case of his father. Whenever he
glances down at his shortened left
arm, there must occur to him the
thought that but for the meddline in
his case it might have been as perfect
as he is in eYerV other particular