Evening journal., 1901-09-11
POINTS In THE
GARFIELD CASE
As in MCKiHIey'S Surgeons
Couldn't Find Ball
THOUGHT HAD TRACED COURSE
Carfeld's Wound Mortal Whatever
Was DOae for Him-CaSO Famous
in Surgical Annals

The attempt to assassinate President
Mckinley, and, above all, the failure
Of the surgeons to locate the second
bullet, of course turns the thought 4
everyone to the plight OF Presidei
Garfield, when he lay for eleven weeLs
and more suffering from the effects a
Guiteaus bullet, the whereabouts e
which the surgeons failed to discover
until the knife laid bare its course Il
the autopsy.
General Garfield was shot at 80
o'clock in the morning of Saturda.
July 3, 1881, in the women's waitii Z
room of the Baltimore and Potom :
railroad in Washington while he W; /
walking arm in arm with James ID.
Blaine He was taken first to pr
vate room in the station, and then j
removed to the White House. He h, 1
been shot twice first in the right arm
just below the shoulder, and the Sc 9.
ond and fatal time in the back ju 1
above the right hip and near the Ii, e
ney. The surgeons who were hastil,
summoned prObed for the bullet will .
out success, but announced that 1
course had been downward and 70 .
ward into the groin. and that Il -
wound was serious, but not likely 4
be fatal The wound in the arm d
not amount to much, save for the pa .
it caused. The President retaint
consciousness, and when he reacht q
the White House he dictated a tell
gram to Mrs. Garfield, who was at E =
beron. When he was shot down ] /
was on his way to meet her in Jerse !
City, whence with some members
his Cabinet he was to make a trip in J
New England.
President Garfield's recovery fror
the shock Of the wounds was We 4
gradual. Later attempts to find { /
bullet failed, but there were no sig 4
at once Of serious internal hemorrha i
and there was little external bleedin
Both of these symptoms develop,
later in the afternoon, with vomitin =.
and at $3.50 o'clock the physicians sa
that the patient could not recover \
former physician of General Garfield .
said that the President had very fe 4
chances. The President maintained I
courage, kept clear head and contii
ued cheerful through Sunday. but i
asked the doctors to tell him II he W
going to die. Hopes of the medic
men rose on Sunday, but on Sunday /
midnight they had vanished Serio {
Inflammation had set in during D
sevening and at o'clock Vice Pre-
dent Arthur was awaiting a summo'
to the White House to take the oath
office.
BY noon OF Monday the doctors h. {
relieved the pain which till then h I
been constant. and which the patie
had complained of all the time as b p.
ing in his legs and feet. II was due !
the injury Of the nerves SUPPLY 1
the eNtremities. One New York ST :
geon said after the Presidents des !
that these pains he complained
showed there was trouble in the 81
attic muscle region. and that this inc q
cation should have led the surgeons
make an incision there which wor I
have let out the pus which afterwa
caused so much trouble At . o'clo
on Sunday afternoon General Carrie Q
said he felt better than at any tir g
since he was shot He had then I
pulse of 100 and respiration "a tt
examinations up to that time, it W I
announced. had only demonstrat I
that the bullet was in the neighbo e
hood of the liver.
From then until the autopsy di =
closed their error the surgeons spoil
of the Presidents wound as havir
penetrated the liver and statistics We !
evoked for an illustration Of q !
chances of life with such a wound !
was found that of 160 or 10 cases
similar liver wounds in the Civil W.
twenty-three We're treated successful
The great danger in President Ga .
neld's case was acknowledged to b
as in the case Of President McKinlr ,
now, in peritonitis. which It was 50
then was almost always fatal. On thi
first evening brandy and cracked iol
helped General Garfield to rally. b.
presently he could not retain that. Or
the second evening champagne ar
cracked ice aided him. Then his di
fell to milk and lime water. with. late
some chicken broth and rum of o.
vintage
On the Tuesday following the shoo-
ing the patient had as comfortable
day as could be expected. and on We
nesday there was the same waiting f
Developments which it was hope
might be good. but feared would =
bad. All that the doctors could do We
to try to keep the patients strengi
up. They feared blood poisoning a
the time, but could do nothing 10 pre
vent it, as they did not know tn
course Of the bullet. They were a
ready for instant operation should
develop. as If it did there must be II
slant operation, or death would be Gel
tain. The patient mieht appear to I
getting well. but suddenly the bloc
misht come into contact with the d.
trid matter sloughing from the woun
and be turned TO gall, and then the p-
tient would die. The operating D.
struments We're kept to hand, and q
surgeons stood guard.
The newspapers were printing ext
editions almost hourly, and the ph,
sicians We're issuing frequent bulletin
buf If was we'll undorcfood-fba do