St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-25
THE SWANSON CASE.
DR.. Boeckmann Makes Complete
Exclamation Ofthe Treatment

F1rst-"Extensive or even superficial exam
ination of al accidental wound by probing
or digital exploration i'll the street, on train.
or III railroad station or drug shop, is
strongly to be condemned, as it almost nee
essarily exposes the wound to unavoidable
Infection -Arpad G. Gerster.
(Tbe rules of aseptic ana antiseptic surgery.
New York 1887
Seeond-"Ihe blame lies entirely with DR..
Boeckmann in not attending to him."
"A. Becker, IN the DAILY GLOBE, Jan. %
1890.
The first of the above quotations con-
tains the maxim which controlled all
my actions as soon as it came to my
knowledge that my noble old friend and
cOuntryman, Mai. Swanson, had been
run over by the cable car and had been
taken to the nearest drug store only a
few steps from my Office, where he, as
understand, expressed decided desire
for my assistance.
Now then, in, tead of losing time to
no purpose by fastening over there nv
self, at once dispatched my assistant,
Nils Sagrov, and with him went by my
request MIR. Anderson. the jeweler
227 East Seventh street, to have my
wounded friend brought to my office.
where l myself put every thing in readi-
ness for his reception, and where |
manner that 1 can undertake
the scientific treatment of any
accident of such kind al
most without notice, and where
L, without any exceptions, perform all
operation of the most important nature.
as well as the minor ones. Had | not
been prepared as am at my Office. it
would have been just as open to criti-
cism to bring him up there, as to exam
inc and attend him in drug store wide
quotation No. y, and in that case my
policy certainly would have been a
different one.
However, NJ. Swanson did not arrive.
No one seemed to be disposed to bring
him to my Office, wherefore / even sent
some patients from my waiting room as
extra help, but in vain, The confusion
az the drug store was too great, and
somehow or other it seemed as if there
was no help for the major but he should
enter the patrol wagon, and what tur-
Their happened is too we'll known.
When in the evening about O'Clock
l was summoned to Maj. Swainson's
home the crushed leg was amputated.
That the amputatiOn was the correct
thing. and was performed with surgical
Skill, Is matter of course, as some of
the best and most experienced surgeons
in the city were in attendance.
But what chances the old gentleman
would have had for his life had he been
taken 10 my Office and treated in accord
ance with the demands of this present
day in regard to antiseptic ana aseptic
measures, all of eight hours earlier, and
without having been subjected to the
unfortunate ride in the patrol wagon
nobody can tell.
In the course pursued, 1 have, Mr..
Editor. tried to follow the rules of sci
ence-and science in medicine is hu-
mainly.
Perhaps the public may not see. as I
claim, that the course l pursued was
the correct thing, but am satisfied that
shall have the thoughtful and eniight-
ened physicians on my side, as well as
those of Maj. Swainson'S friends who
are familiar with the circumstances.
Feeling assured of this can afford at
present to overlook the aspersions east
on NE in the second quotation at the
head of this letter.
EDWARD BoECKMANN, M. D.
st. Paul, Jan. "a. 1890.