The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-09-21
eAneReNE NOW RARE.

The final diagnosis Of gangrene fatal element in the
uress of President Mckinley. which shown by the
autopsy be the agent responsible for his death formed
the subject OF the following remarks by physician prom
inent in surgical work in New York City. He said:
IN the old days before antseptc 'asepc surgery
became familiar words the word gangrene hospital
gangrene had very definite meaning to all surgeons In
the civil war and all wars that have been waged since mill
tary surgery carefully studied hospital gangrene
an element always to be counted the greatest danger
soldiers when crowded together in military
hospitals late the Franco-PrussiaD this
of affairs not infrequent.
In 1892 I in welknown hospital in Brooklyn,
when a patient brought in suffering from a slight
wound with signs of any serious disturbance. After
the edges Of the wound TO be gray
breaking down. little later the dull slug
gsh Inflammation to have spread in several di
rections of slough noticeaby increased
The patient now seen be suffering from poisoning
and had a heart that showed signs Of weakening The
pulse rapid special sign gener-
al Inflammation. After death. which occurred after day
two the progress Of the diseased tissue could be traced
UP the intestine continuous masses of grayish slough
and through the internal organs with only limited
Of gangrene the exterior Of the body. This may be
taken typical case hospital gangrene No one con-
neeed with the hospital had before is
eery rarely observed in any hospital and few
the young practitioners medicine have ever seen case
of the type that used wild through hospitals
of the Army Of the Potomac during the civil war
IN the old hooks surgery hospital gangrene is spoken
of dphtheria Of wound, raumatic dphheria This
kas known to after the slightest contusions or
wounds The was attributed by authority
than Bilroths Surgical Pathology, edition of 1880
catching cold too much mental exeron mechanical rri
taton Of the wound chemical ferments among which
the author specifies foreign bodies pieces cloth
Ing wads injurious Influences the atmosphere
such the smell Of pus He goes on TO say: There is
little left but the suppositon that inuriousy acting
substances are of dustke They may aoat in
the air Of the hospital and adhere also TO bandages COM
presses instruments with which wound
The present is that hospital or acute spreading
gangrene is infection a specific microorganisn
The tissues undergo destruction unequaiy blood and
softer tissues affected There is chemical dlsorgan
ization Of the tissues which changed to dirty black
yellow gray semauid mass a condition which re ap
in different parts Of body by what is termed
metastass spreading by the blood system there is gen
eral poisoning which early shows itself in weakened heart
action and apparent the case Of President Nc
Knley by lack rather than the presence Of high temper
eture Where the infection came from in the given case is
difficult impossible say The fire of the powder fash
IS supposed to erize the bullet but clothing IS liable TO
carry the ordinary bacteria OF wounded infection though
lnnoclous to the human body unless introduced within
That the condition IS fatal hardly necessary TO saw for
long before the external signs are marked the process of
blood poisoning has begun and the patient is doomed