Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-03-29

The True Condition Of the Emperor's
Trouble Was Not Known TO Himself
Professor Germain See has added
some very interesting information re-
specting the circumstances under
which the condition of Napoleon III
was kept secret at the moment of the
declaration of war with Germany in
1870 He says that being summoned
in attendance on the emperor on June
20 of that year he soon OWNED the
true state of the case. The eminent
sevant tells us for the first time that
in the course of conversation he
asked his patient to give him some
idea of his health since 1864, and that
the emperor replied at once that he
had hit the mark, as it was to the ac-
cident which occurred in that year at
Neufchatel that he attributed his i'll
ness.
He had gone to visit the tomb of
his mother in company with the EN-
press, Princess Anna Murat, and
Nine. Carette, when the horses bolt
ed and the carriage was upset. From
that day he was never the same man.
Professor Germain See had expressed
a wish to meet in consultation the
doctors who had attended Napoleon
III, and they al assembled on the
morning Of July1 at the house Of DR..
Conneau. He startled his colleagues
by giving them his candid opinion Of
the case, but although hitherto they
had entertained different views, they
yielded finally to his arguments.
Then came the question as to whether
an operation should take place imme-
diately.
Professor Ger1nain See spoke
strongly in its favor, but some of his
medical friends - renarking that
they could not treat the emperor like
an ordinory patient-advocated de-
lay. Still Professor German See
pressed his point, eventually win
ming over Dr. Ricord to his side.
but the dread of responsibility was
so great that their colleagues asked
to be allowed to wait until the sum
mer was over. In September they
would decide what they should do.
Finally the majority voted for post
ponement of energetic measures.
The professor was requested to draw
up a report, and on July he handed
it to DR.. Conneau, being under the
impression that it would be signed
bV all his colleagues
1t was not until Sept. 4 that he as
certained that they had not done so,
and he learned this fact under very
peculiar circumstances. NJ Jules
Favre had obtained possession of the
document, and he sent his secretary
who is now prefect of Rouen-to in
quire what it all meant. Professor
Germain See affir1ns that all the par
ticulars of this memorable consulta-
ton had been withheld from the en-
press by DR.. Conneau, and adds that
Napoleon Ill himself was not ac-
quainted with the details until a
twelvemonth afterward
All this evidence seems to estab-
lish conclusively the fact that the
emperor, the empress and all their
entourage-with the exception of the
doctors-had no idea Of the very seri-
Gus character of the illness from
which Napoleon III was suffering,
and justifies fairly the inference that
if they had known the bitter truth,
rhe declaration of war with Germany
at least would have been postponed
The dread of responsibility in a sur
gical case thus led to one of the great
est catastrophes of modern times.
DR.. Conneau, by the way, was not
one of the medical men who voted
for or against the operation, but at
tended simply as witness the con-
sultation which took place at his
house, Paris Cor. London Tele
graph.