Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-14
The cause 0E DEATH
Physicians Discuss the Pulling
Symptoms During Presidents
Last Days.
Giving Of Solid Foods May Have
fastened But Not Caused
Death.
Failure Of the Bowels to Per-
form Function Of Assimila.
ton Real Cause.

ton Real Cause.
Buffalo, Sept. 14.-Concerning the de-
velopment of Intestinal toxaemia in the
presidents case this explanation is
made:
ToXaemia near the presence of toxic
of poison in the system. Intestinal
toxaemia means that the toxic is in evil
dence somewhere within the alimentary
canal, between the beginning of the
duodenum. at the pyloric orit1ce Of the
stomach, and the sphincter ami. This
portion of the alimentary tract is TWEEN
ty-five feet in length, and comprises the
small and large intestines. The former
is twenty feet in length and the lat
ter five feet.
Toxic products developed In the .ntes-
final canal must of necessity arise from
imperfectly digested food. The poison
Gus substances which thus develop are
termed ptomaines. If not swept cut of
the tract they increase with alarming
raldity, and, unless checked, the entire
system succumbs to the effects Of the
poison. The heart muscle relaSes and
ecomes atomic, and a fatal termination
is inevitably the result. This saturating
of the system by toXics developed in
this manner is called auto-intoXication.
Intestinal toXaemia is more likely to
develop in the small intestines, probab-
~ in the duodenum, jejunum, ilcum,
caecum, or in some portion of the as
cending, transverse. or descending coll
on. The falling heart is aggravated by
the conditions of the stomach and re-
manning portions of the alimentary tract
in such cases.
II was said hat an irritation at the
rectal opening developed as a result of
administration of nourishment by
means of the rectal tube, and that in
consequence the sphincter ami. the
muscle which control the termination
of the large intestine, became relaxed
and refused to perform its function.
The liquid nourishment could not there
fore be retained, and 1t became abso-
lutely necessary to administer food by
the mouth. h statement was vouched
for.
Conceding that the repair Of the stom-
ach had reached a point where that or
gan could resume it's normal activity
and perform its function in a satisfac-
tory manner, then, in the opinion Of the
attending physicians. il mad no differ
ence whether the food given in the nat
ural way consisted of liquids or solids.
1t is further asserted that the stomach
did perform Its functions but that the
intestines failedsto reapondsto the de.
mand made upon them by the partly d.
gested food, after it had passed from
the stomach thru the pylorus and into
the duodenum.
When it is remembered hat the most
important part Of digestion takes place
in the intestlnes and not in the stom-
ach, as was formerly believed. this Is an
important consideration. The nutrious
elements of the food are absorbed from
the intestinal walls. n a failure on
the part of the walls to perform their
function threatens starvation.
In the present instance relaxation OF
not only the sphincter an. resulted, but
relaxation n atony of the entire In
~testinaI tract followed. AS q conse-
quence the partially digested food sim
ply formed an inert mass in the lntes-
tines, which were unable either to con-
vert it into stimulating n n%ourishing
pro products or to expel 1t. 1t remained
there for a time. a hot-bed for the pro-
Il duCllOLl u toAlS o6StAlCs AZ = eaAS
early and vigorous employment Of ca
thartics, the depressing effects of which
the physicians ~endeavored to counter
act by the use of powerful cardiac and
respiratory stimulants.
The surgeon was old that many peo-
pie were already criticising the sur
geons for having permitted the presl-
dent to eat toast, because there was q
.,aca 1aI;nf ny,prO Ia yroar fh af tnn al
was a substance that would be gritty
and tend to i~rritate the weakened
stomach.
II know we will be criticised, n bit
terly, whenever a change for the worse
appears in the presidents condition, nc
matter what we have done. II he recov.
ers the people will be very grateful tc
us. People can not be altogether rea-
sonable at such a time in such matters
as this, and we are too human ourselve.
to expect them to be. But about the
toast" The physician held out his in.
dex finger and the one next to it, ant
crossed them just below the nail of the
index finger. There" he said" thai
is as large as the piece Of toast the
president had, and 1t was very thin
much thinner by half than are my fin
gers. He merely nibbled at the toast
He had hardly a mouthful OF 1t, not hal
a bite altogether. 1t was given to hin
not so much as food, but because there
seemed to be no better way Of removing
the heavy coating on his tongue and in
eide his mouth. The coating was yer,
disagreeable to him and was endanger
ing his comfort"
The surgeon added thai Of all thu
troubles of the surgeons in the las
days, none was more distressing t
them than the way the presidents hear
acted. Some people have said that tn
president had a tobacco heart" Thi
description has not satisfied the physi
clans. They can not understand tn
causes which have influenced the acton
of the heart. inc they can not trea
conditions which have symptoms which
they can not understand. Altogethe
the irregularity Of the heart action wa
the most alarming feature Of thei
work.