Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1901-10-26
THEIR OFFICIAL REPORT
PHYSICIANS TELL OF
McKINLEY'S ILLNESS
Details Of Operation and Autopsy.
Solid Food Did No Injury
---Heart was in Bad
Condition.

New York. Oct. 1.-THE New York
Medical Journal for Saturday. October
~, will contain the full official report
of the surgeons who attended the late
President Mckinley In Buffalo.
The report describes in detail the
events Immediately following the
shooting which are already familiar
to the public. Then follows descrip-
tion of the operation In all its techni-
cal minutiac. The utmost care was
used to prevent infection of the alb
dominal cavity and the wound, by the
most approved and modern methods OF
surgical cleanliness. The wounds in
the stomach were closed with silk,
using double rows Of stitches: arrang-
ell SO that the greatest possible secur-
ity was given. The application Of
these stitches was accompanied by
great difficulties. especially the sutur-
ing of the opening in the posterior wall
of the stomach. The chief trouble waJ
the. depth of the abdominal cavity. the
lack of Instruments to draw the edges
Of the wound apart during the sewing.
and the lack OF good light. In his
comments on the report of the opera
ton. Dr. Mann particularly emphasizes
the disadvantages under which he la
bored when suturing the wounds in
the stomach. with failing light OF u
September afternoon. Later on In the
operation. a movable electric light was
used with advantage. Speaking Of the
search for the bullet during the opera
ton, the report says:
The operation on the stomach now
being finished, DR.. Mann introduced his
arm 50 rs to paipitate carefully all the
deep structures behind the stomach. No
trace of the bullet or of the further
track of the bullet could be found. AZ
the introduction OF the hand In this
way seemed to have a bad influence on
the Presidents pulse, prolonged
search fr further injury done by the
bullet. or for the bullet itself, was de-
sisted from" Further search might
have caused the death OF the patient
upon the operating table. At the close
of the operation the surgeons present
unanimously assured DR.. Mann In ans-
wer 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. II was also decided not 70 intro
ducc any gauze or tubes into the abdo-
men for drainage, as this was not ne
cessary. but the wound was not sewed
up So tightly that no drainage could
take place naturally The report than
continues In the history of the case
after the operation. The progress Of
the illness Is given day by day and the
bulletins as given out by the attending
physicians are Incorporated In the re-
port. On the fifth day. September 10.
of stitches from the wound In the alb
dominal wall The report says: In
the evening the dressings were exam.
lned. ana as there was considerable
straining from the discharges IL was
thought best to remove four stitches.
and to separate the edges Of the wound.
A little slough was observed near the
bullet. covering "a space nearly an incn
wide, the thickness Of the flaps. The
suppuratiOn seemed to extend down
the muscles" The remainder OF the
wound looked healthy, and II was
thought that the Infection was due to
the bullet or to a piece OF clothing
which had been carried into the wound
ut the time Of the shooting. The