The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-12


is no federal statute to cover the case.
District Attorney Penney consulted
secretary Root to-day as to the pro-
cedure. He did not secure Mr.. Root S
opinion as secretary of war, but as one
or the ablest lawyers in New York
state 1t is understood that the local
authorities are only waiting the result
OF the shot to formulate their charge
against the assailant of the President.
AFTER this afternoons bulletin Sec
retary Hay announced that he felt
warranted. in leaving for Washington
ana he left tonight for the capital.
Character of the Irritation.
DR.. McBurney to-day explained the
character of the irritation which had
made the reopening of the incision nee
essary. T~+s
1T was caused" he said, ''just as
we stated, by the fact that a piece of
the Presidents coat was carried into
the body by the bullet-not far, not
over an inch. The bullet then slipped
on through the fat. The fragment OF
the coat was, of course, removed when
the operation was performed, but every
surgeon understands that even though
every foreign particle is removed, It's
sues exposed to contamination are apt
to show irritation. That was so in this
case. When the stitches were taken out
the wound opened of ITSELF
Was any foreign substance found
within?"
Not PARTICLE he answered en-
phatically. "The wound was not again
sewed up he added. "it will close and
heal by granulation."
Is the opening of wounds after
such an operation unusual?" he was
asked.
Not in gunshots wounds where for
eign substances can be carried into
the body" he replied. wherever con-
tamination is possible that is liable to
occur. OF course in cases of simple
operations, where clean Instruments
are used, nothing of the sort should
happen. When this irritation occurs
pus or serum is sometimes found when
the wound is opened"
Was any pus found in this case?"
mo, not suggestion of pus. There
was thin fluid exuded as a result of
the Inflammation, as was to be ex-
pected."
DR.. McBurney said that the interior
wounds had healed That, he said.
was proved by the manner in which
the President had digested the beef
juice given to him last night. He said
the President had relished the nourish-
ment given him and that tomorrow
he would be given white of egg and
perhaps something else.
DR.. Mann, who performed the orig
inal operation last Friday, and who did
the dressing of the wound last night,
concurred in the expression of conf
dence which the other doctors had
given.
What was done last night" said
DR.. Mann. was merely the usual
dressing of the incision of the abdo-
men requisite to keep it in proper con-
dftion. The incision is about five
inches in length just above the navel,
horizontal and in line with the body.
There is no cross incision. The cut
was laid open carefully and some anti
septic gauze inserted The results We're
entirely satisfactory"
y - The Woantls-@Are-separa - -. =.
Or. Mann was asked as to the rela-
ton of the outer incisioR- to the inner
wounds of the stomachs
J. They are quite separate said he.
THE wounds of the stomach are those
made by the bullet, while the other in
cisionA was that required by the "surgi-
cal operation Immediately after the
shooting AS to the wounds of the
stomach, they were closed during the
operation, and now sufficient time has
elapsed to permit the sutures to heal
by natural process. That. this is pro-
crossing nicely is evident from the res
toration of the normal digestive pro-
cesses. Until last night we had not
permitted food to enter the stomach by
way of the mouth. But the adminis-
tration of beef juice has proved so sat
isfactory that we have doubled the
amount and will add the white of eggs.
He is receiving as much as three and
four teaspoonsfuls of beef juice an
hour and this will be gradually in
creased"