Evening star., 1901-10-18
STATEMENT OF DOCTORS
MEN WHO TREATED PRESIDENT
MCKINLEY Explain.
Claim the Operation Was q Success
Patients Vitality Too Low
to Respond.

A dispatch from New York says: The
Medical ournal for Saturday, October 10,
will contain the full official report of the
surgeons who attended the late President,
William Mckinley, in Buffalo. The report
contains upward of 5000 words, and con-
stitutes the official record of the case. The
report is signed by Drs. P. M. Rixcy, Mat
thew d. Mann, Hermann Mynter, Roswell
Park, Eugene WaSdin, Charles McBurHey
and Charles G. Stockton, as members Of
the medical staff attending the late Presi-
dent. The report of the autopsy is signed
by DR.. Harvey r. Gaylord, pathologist to
the New York State Pathological Laborl-
tory, while the report on the bacteriolog-
ical examination bears the signature OF
DR.. Herman G. Hatzinger, bacteriolosist
to the New York State Pathological Lab
oratory.
The important feature of the report in
the New York Medical Journal Is the em-
phasis with which Dr. Matthew d. Mann
speaking for his colleagues declares that
there never under like circumstances was
a more harmonious and better -a.reed
band of consultants," thus setting aside
the rumors of disagreement among the
attending physicians and surgeons.
The report describes in detail the events
Immediately following the shooting, which
are already familiar to the public. Then
follows a description of the operation in
all it's technical minutiae The utmost
care was used to prevent infection of the
abdominal cavity and of the wound by the
most approved modern methods If sur
gical cleanliness. The wounds in rhe
stomach were sutured with silk. using
double rows OF stitches, arranged that
the greatest possible security was given
to the sutured spots. The application of
these stitches was accompaniaI by great
difficulties. especially the suturng of the
opening in the posterior wall of the stom-
ach. The chief trouble was the depth Of
the abdominal cavity, the lack of instru-
| ments to draw the edges of the woun,l
apart during the sewing, and the lack Of
good light.
In his comments on the report of the
operation Dr.. Mann particularly empha-
sizes the disadvantages under which he la
bored when suturfng the wounds In the
! stomach. with the failing light Of a Seuteno
Der afternoon Later on in the operation a
movable electric light was used with ad-
| vantage. Speaking of the search for the
bullet during the operation, the report
| says - ''il-''
1.-THE operation on the stomach now be-
| ing finished, DR.. Mann introduced his arm
! so as to palpate carefully all the deep struc-
| lures behind the stomach. No trace OF
the bullet 9r Of tthe further track of the
| bullet could be found. AS the Introduction
| OF the hand in this way seemed to have a
| bad influence on thes Presidents pulse. nro-
longed SEARCH for further injury done by
| the bullet sr for the bullet itself was de-
| caused the death of the patient upon the
| operating table. =
| The findings ats the autopsy, as well as
| the developments, of the case during the
| last days, eYclude all possibilities of ai,so-
| lutte injury to the stomach by premature
giving of solid fobd. as was alleged at the
| time when stnfayerable symptoms came ON
after change tofsolid diet On the fifth
| day the President slipped hot water on the
] sixth he had beef Juice, the first food
taken by mouth asince the operation In
| the meantime nnfritive enemas We're cor
fiuIIad hit well rata ina 81
| in the morning of the seventh day he was
allowed chicken broth, very small pie &c
| of toast and a small cup of coffee. He
| did not care for the toast and ate scarcely
| any of it. The wound had in the mean
while been doing very we'll, and had been
| dressed daily after the removal OF the
| stitches and sloaghing tissue. The Presi-
! dent seemed at his best, and a favorable
result was now confidently predicted There
was no sign OF blood poisoning or of infiam-
.mation of the peritoneum. The oIly
alarming symptom was his rapid ;,uise. but
as the President had naturally a rather
good quality right 1long, the surgeons dil
| not attribute, very Great importance to tfis
sign.
On the seventh day, toward moan th,.
pulse began to grow weaker and grew
rapidly Worse.s StinluiaEts were given and
the food was discontinued. while castor nil
and an enema of oxga1i were given TO move
the bowels AT midnight there was some
Improvement in the pulse, after an Infection
of salt solution into the subcutaneous tis-
sues.
On the eighth day the condition of the
President was described as very SCI ious. as