The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-09-09
HAS TOBACCO HEART.
Julian Hawthorne on Presidents
Chance of Recovery.
fBy Julian Hawthorne.l

Buffalo. \. Y, Sept. 9.-The bulletins
are hopeful in their tone and still more
hopeful are the headings of the col
umns in which they are printed, and
yet, after studying them closely. and
rejecting upon the condition neces-
sarily attending the wound, 1 am
forced to believe that there is very lit
tie chance, indeed, that Mr. Mckinley
Will recover.
1t is. on the contrary, more than pos
sible that he may die within day or
two.
The president had lunched at half
past 1 O'clock before the attack upon
him at T. The day was not and he was
perspiring- lie mad on over his shirt
and underwear q white NaiStcOat, and
the bullet penetrated these three gar
ments. carrying some of the substance
Of each with II. The bullet itself, a 81
caliber had been in the Darrel of the
revolver several days. and the weapon
had been carried during that time in
Csolgosz's pocket or had lain in his
drawer. 1t had grease upon 1t. and
must have accumulated dirt.
Mckinley, again, is a man past the
meridian Of life, and of somewhat portiy
habit He is not in the habit of taking
vigorous exercise, by walk every day
or SO. He is-and this more to the
pOint-a great smoker, using as many
a dozen or eighteen cigars a day.
And he has a tobacco heart. causing an
irregularity of the pulse. The tobacco
which the liver has been unable fully to
digest, has affected the interior tissues
and thus rendered them less quick to
heal after an injury
Upon the whole, the chances in favor
of escaping blood poisoning are a good
deal less than they We're in the case of
Garfield and. were blood poisoning to
set in, the result would be certain
On the other hand, his surroundings
could hardly be more favorable than
they are President Milburn's house IS
apart from streets on which trolleys
run; a broad, aSphalted avenue passes
on two sides of it: at no time is there
much traffic and whatever there was is
now discontinued and ropes are stretch
ed at either extremity of the squares
and policemen and United States troops
are on guard. Broad lawns, silken
green, lie on all sides, with the sun
shine falling softly over them, broken
only by the shade of thick foliaged
trees and the only sound is the soft
swishing of the watering sprinklers, re-
vOlving over the grass. The air is
light and dry. and unpolluted by the
smoke Of the city, a mile or more dis
tant
In the sick mans room are his wife
and the Dhvsicians ONLY and ever and
anon the nOiseless presence of in
innate friend In his treatment ae has
the advantage of whatever the best
surgical and medical science can sup
ply and the country may rest assured
that, should he SuCcumb it will be in
spite of the utmost that human skill
and experience can do to save him.
But, after all, there is not much that
human skill can do When a mans
pulse reaches 146, with a respiration Of
q and a temperature of 1O2 or 1903, 1t is
plain that the outlook is serious The
pulse. it is true. sometimes falls abrupt
~ to 100 But the rate of respiration
increases.
1t is obvious that there may be many
good reasons for throwing as sanguine
a complexion as possible over the Off
cial bulletins. The stock market has
to be thought of. the political ex-
igencies, and the temper of the people,
which assumed at one time a very
threatening aspect. If the worst must
come. il Will be known soon enough
take what precautions one may. And
if. happily, the patients fight with
death should be successful it will be
we'll to have kept the tide of anxiety
from rising The anxiety, as it is is
omnipresent and deep 1t does not ap-
pear much on the surface.