The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-18
M'KINLEY'S DOCTORS
OFFICIAL REPORT OF SURGEONS Is
PUBLISHED.
WERE ALL IN HARMONY.
ALL THE NARROWING DETAILS
GONE INTO ANEW.

Search for Bullet Might Have
Caused Death on Operating Table.
They Deny That Solid Diet Injured
the Patients StOmach-The Autop-
sy Showed Fatty Degeneration of
Heart Muscle, Accounting for the
Quick Pulse-Gangrene Due to
Lowered Vitality in Parts Affected,
New York, Oct. 1.-THE New York
Medical Journal for Saturday, Oct. 19,
will contain the full official report of
the surgeons who attended the late
President William Mckinley in Buffa-
10. The report contains upward of IL. 900
words, and constitutes the official re-
cord of the case. The report is signed
by the members of the medical staff at
tending the late President. The report
of the autopsy is signed by DR.. Harvey
r. Gaylord, while the report on the
meteorological examination bears the
signature of DR.. Herman G. Matzin-
ger.
The important feature of the report
in the New York Medical Journal is the
0---tAAN7AO N4IiA LII. ndIIn6W II.
Mann, speaking for his colleagues, de-
clares that there never under like cir
cumstances was a more harmonious
and better agreed band of consult
ants thus setting aside the run1ors
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 de-
scription 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 meth
DDS of surgical cleanliness. Speaking
OF the search for the bullet during the
operation, the report says:
No Trace of the Bullet
1.-The operation on the stomach now
being finished, DR.. Mann introduced
his arm so as to palpate carefully all
the deep structures behind the stom-
ach. No trace of the bullet. or ~ the
turther track of the bullet could be
round. As the introduction of the
hand in this way seemed to have a bad
influence on the Presidents pulse. pro-
longed search for further injury done
by the bullet, or for the bullet itself,
was desisted from"
Further search might have caused
the death of the patient upon the op-
Grating table. At the close of the op-
GRAFTON the surgeons present unani-
mously assured DR.. Mann in answer to
his questions that they were perfectly
satisfied that everything that was
possible had been done and that they
had no further suggestions to make.
On the fifth day. Sept. 10. took place
the much discussed removal of stitches
from the wound in the abdominal
wall. The report says:
Discovery of Suppuration.
I'm the evening the dressings were
examined and, as there was consider
able staining from the discharges, il
was thought best to remove four
stitches and to separate the edges OF
the wound. A little slough was OBJ
served near the bullet track, covering
a space nearly an inch wide, the thick
ness of the flaps. The suppuration
seemed to extend down to the muscle.
The findings at the autopsy as we'll as
the last days exclude all possibility Of
absolute injury to the stomach by pre-
mature giving of solid food, as was al
legged at the time when unfavorable
symptoms came on after change tc
solid diet. The only alarming symptom
was his rapid pulse, but as the Presi-
dent had naturally a rapid pulse, and
as it had been of fairly good quality
right along, the surgeons did not at
tribute very great importance to this
sign. On the seventh day, towards
noon, the pulse began to grow weaker
and grew rapidly worse. Stimulants
were given and the food was discon-
tinued, while castor oil and an enema
Of OK gall were given to move the bow
els. At midnight there was some inn
provement in the pulse, after an injec-
ton of salt solution into the subcuta-
neous tissues. On the eighth day the
condition of the President was described
as very serious, as he did not respond tc
stimulation. Stimulants and infections
of salt solution, coffee and broth were
given. but without much effect. At 4
o'clock oxygen was given and contin-
ued for some hours. At $50 O'Clock
the President was restless. At 10 D.
m. he lost consciousness and contln-
ued to sink until he died at 2;15 a. m.
on Sept. IA.
Kidney Was Lacerated.
DR.. Gaylord's report of the autopsy is
lengthy and detailed. The gangrenous
cavity found behind the stomach in
volved the pancreas and the surround
ing loose tissues. tine bottom of the
blind pocket being formed by the upper
end of the left kidney. which was
found to be lacerated at that point to
the extent of about two centimetres
The track of the bullet was then traced
through gangrenous tissue in the fat
behind the kidney into the muscles OF
the back wall of the abdomen; the di-
rection of the bullet, however, could
not be traced any further
Fatty Degeneration of Heart.
Examination of the heart muscles
showed that it was affected with well
marked fatty degeneration and in some
places the muscle fibres showed groups
of dark brown granules, demonstrate
ing a diseased condition of the cardiac
muscle.
DR.. Gaylord believes that the repair
10 the stomach wounds had been ef-
fective and that the gangrene around
these wounds does not seem to have
been the result of any well defined
cause. He attributed the gangrenoua
condition OF the tissues solely 10 low
cred vitality IN the parts The ap-
pearance OF the gangrenous tissues
shows that the gangrene took place
shortly before death.
The extensive gangrene Of the PAN
creas seems 20 have been an impor-
tant factor In the case, though u had
never been shown how much OF this
organ must be destroyed % cause
death. The wound iD the kidney 10 OF