The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-09
IL Was So skiIIfuIIy Performed that
second Immediate Operation
Was Not Necessary.
DETAILS NOW MADE PUBLIC
CONTENTS OF THE STOMACH KEPT
FROM THE ABDOMINAL CAVITY.
Danger Of PeritOnitis Thereby Avert
ed-PuIse of More Importance
Than Temperature.

BUFFALO. n. Y, Sept. s.-The Express
tomorrow will say regarding the first OPP
Grafton performed on the President:
THE operation performed at the emer-
gency hospital left no need for second
operation TO follow it almost Immediately.
The full details Of the operation heretofore
have not been known. 1t was performed
by Dr. Matthew d. Mann. His first assist
ant was Dr. Herman Mynter. His second
assistant was DR.. John Parmenter. His
third assistant was DR.. Lee, OF St Louis,
who happened to be the exposition
grounds at the time Of the tragedy and
placed his services at the disposal of the
President DR.. Nelson w. Wilson noted the
time of the operation and took the notes.
DR.. Eugene wasdin. of the Marine Hos
pital, gave the anesthetic. DR.. Rixey ar
rived at the latter part OF the operation and
held the light. DR.. Park arrived at the
close of the operation. 1t was DR.. Mann
who wieItIed the knife.
1.-The operation lasted almost an hour. A
cut about five inches long was made. 1t
was found necessary to turn I'D the stom-
ach of the President in order to trace the
course of the bullet. The bullets opening
IN the front wall OF the stomach was small.
and IL was carefully closed with sutures.
after which a search was made for the hole
IN the back wall Of the stomach. This hole
where the bullet went out of the stom-
ach was larger than the hole In the front
wall of the stomach, in fact, 1t was a
wound over an inch in diameter, jagged
and ragged 1t was sewed up in three
LAYERS This wound was larger than the
wound where the bullet entered the stom-
ach because the bullet. in its course, forced
tissues through ahead of ii.
I'm turning up the stomach, an act that
was absolutely necessary, and was per-
formed by DR.. Mann with rare skill, the
danger was that some of the contents of
the stomach might go into the abdominal
cavity and as a result cause peritontis.
Tt so happened that there was very little
in the Presidents stomach at the time of
the operation. Moreover, subsequent de-
veiepmsnts tend % show that this feature
of the operation was grandly successful
and that none of the contents of the
stomach entered the abdominal cavity. If
any of the contents had entered the cavity
the probability is that before now peri
tonitis would have set in.
I'm this connection ii is of interest that
some experienced surgeons do not mind the
temperature at all in noting the bulletins
OF the Presidents condition, but so long
as the pulse is in the proper relation to the
temperature in a big operation like this,
1t Is very common for the temperature to
If the temperature had dropped and the
pulse had accelerated, it would have been
a danger signal of pertOnitis setting in.
Ii is of interest also to knew that after
an operation OF this kind. the compressive
action in the abdominal cavity ceases or
becomes retrograde. After the operation,
as soon as the patient passes anything,
even gas. through the rectum, ii is a sign
that peristaltic action has recommended
normally and that the danger of peritonitis
was practically over. After an operation
such was performed on the President the
surgeons wish to know at once, even when
gas is passed for they take 1t then that
the patient is comparatively safe from
peritonitis. The point of Importance i'm
connection with these facts is that the
President yesterday passed gas and later
this fact with the bulletins issued by the
surgeons. the basis for hope it seems
stronger"