Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-03
The Cork in DR.. BothweII's
Bronchial Tube Must Soon
Cause His Death.
NO OPERATION POSSIBLE.
Only One Remaining to Be Tried,
and He Is Too Weak for That.
THE FAMILY AWAITING TIE END.
Statement of the Manner in Which the
Accident 0ccHrred,
NOT CONSIDERED SERIOUS AT FIRST
.srrcrAL TELEGRAM TO THE D1spArcH.,

.srEcILI TELEGRAM TO THE DIEPATcH,
NEW YORK, May 2.-The Rev. DIR.
George w. Boutwell,. the pastor of the
Church of the Covenant, of Brooklyn, who
breathed the cork of four-ounce bottle into
his left bronchial tube two weeks ago yes
terday, is making desperate fight for his
life against almost irresistible odds. He
rallied wonderfully to-day, and at one time
during the afternoon the doctors thought
there was Just chance in a thousand that
his iron constitution and nerve and indom-
liable pluck would pull him through.
Then he had another sinking spell, and
about7 o'clock his wife and the two nieces
Miss Alexander and Miss Collins, thought
be was dying. They sent in hurry for the
staff of the hospital The doctors came run
ming to his room ana applied restoratives.
As he revived he became fully conscious,
and be remarked to his friend, the Rev. DR..
Stokes, who is his constant attendant: ct
was very near then" An hour after the
spell he was in a seemingly better condition
than he had been during the day.
Two Diseases and Probably Three.
In addition to pneumonia, pleurisy has
set in, it is believed, and he now has the
two diseases, with possibly a third, blood
poisoning, which the doctors dread very
much to fight. When he regained his senses
he was suffering frightful pain, but ne did
not complain. He seemed very solicitous
for his wife, and begged her to leave him
Tba nr ID
and the Rev. Dr. Roberts, who is filling DR..
Bothwell's pulpit, called on him in the
morning. He talked cheerily with them.
They encouraged him to keep up the fight
When they were leaving he asked them to
request, through the press, the prayers of
the Christian public in his behalf
Shortly after they went away he became
delirious again, and from that until late in
the evening the only persons he recognized
were his wife and the nurses. He did not
know the doctor and his presence troubled
him. The doctor administered hypodermic
injections of sparteine and whisky and
brandy, and occasionally ether Tonight
there sat at the doctors bedside, practically
waiting for the end. for the physicians all
said that it was not great ways of, Mrs.
Boutwell,, the Rev. DIR. Stokes. Mr.. Merritt
and Mr.. Clark. The man was growing con-
stantly weaker, and finally be would proba-
bly, die from exhaustion. 1t would not be
possible for him to keep up the unequal
struggle much longer. '
How the Accident Happened.
When Mr.. Boutwell, met with the accident
two weeks ago that is resulting in his death
it was not thought to be q very serious one.
He did not think that it was of nature
that would cause more than passing in
convenience. There have been several
stories told of how the accident happened.
The correct one is this: One of the doctors
children was i'll and he took it up on his
knee to give it medicine. 1t took the medi-
cine from his hand quicker than from the
mothers. The medicine was one of the
patent decoctions got up for children's COM
plants, and it is very widely advertised
He held the cork between his teeth while he
dropped the medicine in a spoon. He was
about to give it to the child when his Swear
old child caIae running up crying, "Papa,
give ME some" This reminded him of the
expression, Children cry for it, in many
advertisements.
He started to laugh and took a deep
breath. The cork slipped from between his
teeth and down his throat His efforts to
extricate it with his finger resulted in his
pushing it further down. As was said, the
accident was regarded as one that would
only cause passing inconvenience, The
doctor himself laughed about 1t when he
got over the coughing fit that followed the
lodging of the cork at the entrance of the
left bronchial tube. He saw a ridiculous
side to it. He paid no particular attention
TO it for two days
Preached After the Accident
He preached a sermon the following
morning, Sunday, and another Sunday
evening. 1t was Monday afternoon that he
realized that it was matter that required
attention and he visited Dr. Rushmore.
The doctor did not think it was so serious
matter at first. As is customary in all cases,
the simplest methods to get rid of foreign
substances in the throat and nearby organs
were resorted 10.
Three operations have been per formed in
the hope of getting the cork from its lodg-
ING place. Each one has resulted in
weakening the patient, and has done no good
whatever. But one other operation could
be performed with any hope of success, and
that was to cut through the chest into the
bronchial tube. The chances are 100 to !
that it could not be successfully performed
under the most favorable circumstances.
As DR.. Boutwell, is at present, even an at |
Temp at the operation would probably re-
su.t in his death. 1t was predicted from
the first by doctors not directly connected
with the case that it was a hopeless one.
With the doctors directly connected with il |
it has been one of hope against hope, but
they say that now all hore has gone.