Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-10-18
THE AUTOPSY.

DR.. Gaylor's report of the autopsy Is
lengthy. and detailed. Nothing Of Inn
portance was noticed about the wound
on the chest caused by the first shot,
except that the area Of the ski was
found to be discoored, greenish, yell
low and notified and that there was
hemorrhage into the fat under the
skin beneath this area. The abb
domInal wound showed no evidence OF
necrosis or sloughng. No inhamma-
ton Of the peritOreum was found. The
wound in the front wall of the stomach
was found TO be held intact by SIR
sutures,'
The area of the stomach around the
posteriOr wall of the stomach was also
Of duh gray color but the satures
held the wound intact, Behind the
latter wound there was spot OF dis
coloration which showed that the
sloughing process had gone backward
I'm the track Of the bullet, The gan
grenous cavity found behind the stom-
ach involved the pancreas and the sur
rounding loose tissues, the bottom OF
the blind pocket being formed by the
upper end of the left kidney, which
was found TO be lacerated at the point
TO the extent OF about two centlmeters.
TRACK OF BULLET.
The track of the bullet was then
traced through gangrenous tissue In
the fat behind the kidney to the mus
cles Of the back wall Of the abdomen.
The direction Of the bullet, however,
could not be traced any further, The
search for the bullet was most thorough
and painstaking, but In spite Of all ef-
forts It could not be found and the au-
topsy had to be discontinued because
the time allotted to It by the family
of the late President had already been
exceeded.
Dr. Gaylord adds AS we were sat-
ished that nothing could be gained by
locating the bullet, which had set up
no reaction, search for II was discon-
tinued.
Examination OF the heart muscles
showed that II was affected with well
marked fatty degeneration, and I'm
some places the muscle flbers showed
groups Of dark brown granules, dem
a diseased condition Of the
cardiac muscle"
Dr. Gaylord believes that the repair
10 the stomach wounds had been ef-
fectlve and that the gangrene around
these wounds does not seem TO have
been the result ~ any well-deflned
cause. He attributes the gangrenous
OF the tissues solely 10 low
vitality In the parts. The appearance
NJ the gangrenous tissues shows that
the gangrene took place shortly before
death.
In speaking Of the causation Of the
cavity behind the stomach, he says
that n must largely be attributed to
the action Of the missile. Ii may have
resulted from the rotation OF nearly
spent bullet or from the simple con-
'usslon OF the bullet as II passed into
The soft tissues. The injury to the
pancrea producing n cavity within IT,
occurred during the passage Of the bull
et. because the cavity was found wall
I'd OF by the fibrln In an advanced
stare Of organization There was no
Ieokare Of pancreatic fluid into the sur
tissues. The extensive gan
irene Of the pancreas seems 20 have
been an important factor in the case,
hoUgh II has never been shown how
much OF THE orgpn must he DESTROYED
% cause death. The wound In the kid
nov is of no Importance. except as
showing the track Of the bullet The
diseased condition Of the heart muscles
shows WIN the pulse was 80 FREQUENT.
and whv II did not respond to stimu-
alton at the critical time.
BACTERIoLoGIsT REPORTS.
The report OF the bacteriologist is
arsely what the doctors call mega
I'VE I. e., It concerns rather the alb
ience Of germs than their presence. A
culture taken from the wound during
lie showed several varieties Of germs,
)ut such showing Is rather expected
II such cases There were present
NO Of the ordinary germs OF nupera-
ion and one gas forming germ of un-
Known Identity. IS the result Of an
examination Of various tissues and
laids removed post mortem in very
small supplies, Dr. Matsinger con-
.ludes that the absence Of known
lathogenio bacteria, particularly in
he gangrenous cavity. warrants the
conclusion that bacteria Infection was