Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-05-28
Lying at Death Door.
Gen. Philip Sheridan in a Very
 Critical Condition.
HOPE OF RECOVERY ABANDONED.
He Is Liable to Die at Any Moment-A Single Heart spasm win Bring the Eed. Oxygen Admiuistered to Prevent suns- catIon-A Doctors Opinion.

cation-A Doctors Opinion.
 WASHINGTON, May eS-Gen sheridAns life is hanging by a single thread His con- been such as to justify the gravest appreben- sions, and is extremely critical His depleted energies and the drain upon his physical strength, the result of repeated attacks of heart failure, have reduced his vitality to % low an ebb that his death can only be 6 mat ter of a few hours at most A sudden spem of the heart may bring the end without a premouition- He may live a day, possibly two. but neither the physicians in attendance upon him nor the friends who surround him offer the slightest hope of his ultimate re- covery.
 The grevest symptom of the case developed itsek after the last attack of beart failure The recovery from each succeeding spasm has bean slower than the last. but the doctors shook their heads gravely as they noted the exceeding tardiness with which the patient rallied under the influence of the ressoratives administered, even after the heroic measure was resorted to of covering the region of the heart with powerful blister.
 Mrs Sheridan, whose devotion to her hus- band has completely exhausted her strength, sat by him until nearly midnight. now and then taking his hand in her own, or flaming him slowly when he seemed oppressed by ths somewhat close atmosphere Of the sick room The doctors, two of whom were constantly in the room, watched him closely, and frequently took his pulse, which sped away at ll2 to ll4 beats a mifute
 In commenting upon Gen. Sheridans con- dition leading physician of the city said to a correspondent
 "To the medical mind the bulletins issued by the physicians in charge of this case are extremely vague and unsatisfactory, but they show, nevertheless that fatal termina- ton is to be feared at moments notice- The organic trouble, as far as can be learned, is what we style valvular insufiiciency, the failure of the valves of the heart to properly perform their function of pumping the blood out into the arteries
 Owing to this failure the blood regurgi- tates or flows back upon the heart, which re- doubles its exertions to sustain the circula- ton. For this condition of things nature makes temporary provision by what is known as 'compensating hypertrophy,' in which the walls of the heart, which constitute its mus cular equipment, thicken and develop rap idly to keep pace with the extraordinary de- mand upon them
 "But this state of things cannot last for ever. A reaction soon sets in, and as the heart wears out from sheer over exertion its walls become thin and fiabby, and fatal heart failure is liable at any moment to ensue This condition, described as oedema, is not generally understood It is really dropsy, and is produced by an oyereharg.ng 0r s>-~ -~ssefaf sassue WHICH enselops tne body in perfect network with the watery fluid of the blood. Owing to the failure of the heart to keep up the circulation tho blood in the veins presses with such force that the water in it percolates through the vessels into the cellular tissue
 ''Gdema of the lower limbs points not to BrightAs disease, as has been suggested, even as a complication, but to heart disorder Were the trouble with the kidneys the oedema would probably extend over the whole body. The figures given in the bulletins as representing respiration and pulsation accord entirely with what can be learned of the diagnosis They are very high indeed
 'tWe are told, however, that Gen Sheri- dams respiration is 30 and his pulse 1l2 This is but an evidence of the great effort nature is making to oxygenate the blood Air is thus drawn into the lungs in short gasps in order to relieve them of the carbonic acid gas which the stagnant blood gives off. The result to be feared now might follow any sud- den exertion, or an attack of indigestion in duced by partaking of food which the stom- ach, in Its present enfeebled state could not assimilate
 Patients are sometimes carried of sud- denly by the total failure of the heart under such conditions as I have described, but in the majority of cases death follows a stupor of longer or shorter duration The blood cannot be properly oxygenated It quickly becomes poisoned A stupor follows as the poison reaches the brain, and death ensues
 "There is no reason to believe that Gen. Sheridan is not receiving the ablest possible treatment at the hands of tho physicians who are in attendance upon him. Unfortunately, his disease is one for which medical skill can do but little, aside from paIliating its painful features.n
 At o'clock yesterday afternoon the gene raj expressed 6 desire to sleep again, and as the curtains were drawn to darken the room he quickly dropped of intoa e dozing slumber At no time have the physicians found it nec- essary to administer sleeping draughts of any nature After dozing for an hour he awak- ened and looked about him, butrelapsed into a sort of stupor, dozing of again at about 8 o'clock.
 When he again awoke the physicians were at once alarmed at the change in his condi- tion- It was immediately apparent to them that fin the feeble action of his heart the lungs were unable to supply oxygen enough to properly @rate the blood, and that death by blood poisoning might at any moment ensue.
 Provision had been made in advance for this emergency, and large retort containing pure oxygen gas was brought to the bedside. The patient was propped up carefully and Dr. Matthews moved the tube, discharging the stream of oxygen before the generals face.
 The life giving gas at once began its good work. The sick man eagerly inhaled it, his eye brightening and his color improving with each inspiration For several minutes the stream was allowed to play upon his mouth and nostrils, then he sank back among the pillows.
 It was quite apparent that he had been narrowly saved from suffocation- The effect cf the gas quickly passed ef, however, and the full, even pulsations of the heart and the
 regular breathing gave place once more to a futtering pulsation and labored inspirations
 TheSe was no recurrence of the valvular
 spasms which denote the immediate presence of danger, but there was . general sinking in
 the sick mans condition which robbed his experienced physicians of whatever hope
 they may have entertained of ultimately
 saving his life. Oxygen was again admins tered, and for time the patient revived, but
 the rel&f was plainly only temporary, and
 was followed by stupor, which denotes slow blood poisoning, against which the doctors afl ty,oSv ~