Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-09-26

When President Garfield died % years
ago the country stood amazed land GER
tainIy disgusteG at the published claims
Of the doctors who attended him In
washington City and at Elberon, on the
New Jersey coast, where he breathed his
He was shot BY Guiteau on July and
fingered until September 1s.
According 70 the doctors he was get
ting well all the time, while he was sure
IL diving for more than two months. Dur
ing all this agony he had high-priced
physicians to diagnose and report upon
his condition. Telegraph wires were kept
hot transcribing and sending frequent
bulletins from ocean 70 ocean
They had every appliance that money
could buy and ingenuity or science could
suggest
they had all sorts OF surgical instru-
ments within reach and all sorts Of de-
vices to cure up the wound safely.
They hunted for the bullet day after
day and vowed by the eternal that they
had located il. when To- an autopsy and
most mortem incision discovered Il In a
place never before designated
When the stomach was entered there
was no bullet there. and IL dropped out
from the backbone muscles accidentally
into a basin placed underneath 10 hold
the removed portions. while the wise men
were looking IN another place where they
assured the country they had located II
beyond peradventure Nevertheless they
had cheek enough 10 present medical
bin 10 congress which was monumental
IN size and charlatan audacity.
II would seem that nothing Is really
learned By experience in some quarters,
for President Mckinley was wounded and
died from a similarly undiscovered bullet,
after the same style and fashion. only
short % years aelapsing- ---.
Perhaps "a was impossible TO reach the
bullet in either case. but IL Is preposter-
Gus that the country should have been
assured at both times that the wounded
men we're on the high road 10 recovery
when they had death warrant In fire.
quently examined part OF their bodies.
and yet where these doctors were incap-
able Of locating Il.
Was II ignorance or were they only try
ing 20 fool the ignorant7 With a bullet
passing through President Mckinley s
stomach IN two places. they either failed
20 look beyond those Two holes or they
concluded 20 guess at probable results
and trust 10 luck 20 sustain their guess.
Having had sad experience with Mr..
Garfeld's wound and the false hopes
created by unreliable bulletins, II is as
toufshfuE that the late doctors should
have stumbled and blundered in exactly
the same way in their decisions, bulletins
and opinions in treating Mr.. Mckinley.
Perhaps the country may congratulate
itself that the late sufferer passed on
without more time being given for false
and meretrfcious pretense and with less
opportunity for extravagant and imprac-
ticable protestations Of cure 20 disgust
the country. where no possibility OF cure
can now be discovered I'm either instance.
The sole apology which can be accept
ed Is one OF positive inability TO save life,
but that apology does not harmonize with
the loud sounding declarations. signed
and sealed as decree OF infallible Opin-
ion. which pronounced the president per-
fectly safe with no question about IT'D In
The minds OF nearly a dozen doctors, Sc
lected because OF their well known skill
and experience. Somebody Is at fault
when a former mistake or miscalculation
went for naught in treating a case al
most exactly alike and under similar con-
ditions 10 the first
Perhaps there viii be little criticism Of
Mr.. McKinley's doctors In print for drop
ping into the same unfortunate manner Of
saying things that were not authorized
and not relied upon. but certainly the
medical profession Is carrying a burden
that Is surely felt n not complained Of In
the mistaken treatment OF the late presi-
dents wound by the notable physicians
assembled at Buffalo. Their failure is
notifying
Their bulletins smack OF something that
closely resembles charlatanism-h IL is
not the genuine article itself.
When one great medical expert rose up,
clapped his heels together and dismissed