Evening star., 1901-09-19
DEFENSE OF THE DOCTORS
MEDICAL JOURNALS SAY THEY ACT
ED INTELLIGENTLY.
President McKinley's Wound Was
Unique in Some Respects, 1t
Is Claimed.

The forthcoming edition Of the New York
Medical Journal will discuss the case Of the
late President Mckinley in lengthy ar
ticle. 1t will say:
TT Is a melancholy consolation to know
that the fatal termination Of President
McKinley's case was not in the slightest
degree due to any omission to give him
the full benefit of all the present re-
sources Of our art. and there Is nothing
humiliating in the fact that the favorable
prognosis which for five or six days SEEM
ed justified should have finally proven fall
lacious.
TT is expected that an official report
Of the case will be given to the profession
in the course of short time. Pending the
issue of the report, let us briefly review
the case At the time of his ASSASSINATION
President Mckinley was probably In pet
ter physical condition than most men OF
his age fifty-eight years, who lead sed-
entary life. So far as is known, ne was
free from all organic disease, though his
vitality may have been somewhat impaired
by the fearful mental strain to which
the duties Of his office and it's responsible
ties and anxieties had long subjected him.
He was suddenly cut down by cruel
wound, but he bore 1t bravely. and there
was little Of the condition known as shock
This freedom from shock was correctly in
terpreted as showing that no considerable
internal hemorrhage was going on.
without delay he was taken to wen.
equipped hospital and attended by sur
geons of worldwide reputation and vast
experience. The operation itself was per-
formed by an exceedingly capable gyne-
cologist, who was assisted by equally ca
pable general surgeons. 1t is perfectly
certain that there was no technical fault
in the operation, and 1t may be said with
equal positiveness that it would have
verged madness to prolong the search
for the bullet after it had been ascertained
that it had not inflicted any very grave
injury beyond that Of the omach-ascer-
taiDed that is to say, within the limitations
of warrantable efforts.
THE operation having been finished
without seriously taxing the distinguished
patients vital powers, there followed at
least five days of freedom from serious
symptoms. This we say with full appre-
citation of the fact that the record of the
pulse and respiration seemed ominous, for
the high rate might have been due to any
one of a number Of conditions not in
themselves of grave import. The hopeful
view was taken, and quite naturally, that
1t could be SO explained. 1t is easy to be
wise after the event. and to say that in
this respect the surgeons were in error;
err they certainly did. as the result shows,
capacity or avoidable lack of Judgment
1t simply, we repeat. illustrates the fact
that the medical man is not a perfect
being.
"Gangrene was probably established Two
or three days before the fatal issue fol-
lowed, but 1t could hardly have occurred
very early without giving rise to more
dfsquieting phenomena than augmentation
of the pulse and respiration rates. which,
as We have said before, might well have
been due to some comparatively uninl-
portant disturbance. To the wound Of the
kidneys we attribute little Importance fur
ther than arises from the fact that it
made one more traumatic surface to be-
come gangrenous. There Is said to have
been trif1ing degree Of haematuria Of
brief duration, but not enough to indicate
very serious renal lesion.
The case Of the profoundly lamented
President may be set down as unique in
some of its features, not so much per-
haps, as regards the actual traumatism i'll
hicted by the assasSin's bullet as with re-
gard to the deferred appearance Of the gan
grenous process that blotted out his fair
prospects Of recovery"
LONDON, September 19.-The British
Medical Journal, discussing the results of
the autopsy, says it is needless to assign
any influence to the escape of pancreatic
secretions or to poisoned bullet because
the mechanical conditions "amply account
for all disturbances found"
The Journal testiies to the high rank of
American surgery and says:
Success in such case would have
been a triumph and defeat is not dis
grace"