The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-08
THINK M'KINLEY
MAY RECOVER
Salt Lake Surgeons Discuss
Presidents Chances.
STOMACH WOUNDS
NOT ALWAYS FATAL
Salt Lake Man Living Without
a Stomach.

All classes of Salt Lake people were in
terested yesterday In the case Of Presi-
oent Mckinley, but the condition Of the
chief executive was peculiarly interest
Ing 20 the surgeons. They took varying
views OF the matter, some expressing the
opinion that he could not recover and
others taking the position that he has a
good chance to get wei. All agreed on
the proposition that a wound in the stom-
ach Is not necessarily fatal. and that the
stomach is not a vital organ.
Dr. Allen Fowler. who is chief OF the
Holy Cross hospital STAFF. talked enter
tainingly about the presidents wounds
alo Sonaition' PRIOR to antsseptic sur
gerry, sdld ne all wounds OF the alb
uomen which puncJured any portion of
the ahmentary canal were almost neces-
Eartly fatal. The danger from a wound
OF the stomach like the president is sur
fertng from now Is that some foreign
material or germ has been either carried
into the peritoneal cavity by the bullet
or the escape from the stomach into the
peritOneum OF some Of its contents be-
fore the wound could be closed or was
closed.
"ln either event septic peritonitis en-
sues with a fatal termination That
usus Ivy occurs inside of torty-eight or
sixty hours. In the case of the president
the abdomen was quickly opened under
the usual antiseptic precautions and the
two wounds in the stomach were closed.
But the temperature 8 given us by the
telegraph indicates that perstonitis has
usually follows trauma tism, meaning any
kind OF injury to the peritoneum.
IN the particular case in my Judg-
though Sunday will determine
Removal of The Stomach.
b. way of illustrating the fact that
the Stomach is not a vital organ, DR..
Fowler told Of removing the stomach
two years ago. The man had a cancer
ana although TO-DAY he has no more stom-
seh than a wooden Indian, he is working
nard every day as bricklayer ana eat
Ing the food that appears ordinarily on
any table Great care was taken in the
Both ends Of the stomach were care
FULLY tied in order that nothing might
leak out of II during the nice bit OF sur
gerry and antiseptic Eauze w5S placed I'M
der the organ to catch cry bit Of for
eign matter and keep IL out of the peri
moved the ends Of the aiimentary canal
were Joined together and now the pa
tent is a strong and healthy man. DR..
Fowler saw him only a short time ago
working at his trade.
"A case Of removal Of the stomach. ="
continued Dr.. Fowler. although 1t was
done successfully at Holy Cross hospital
two years ago. and the man is now doing
well and making full hand as a brick
layer, bears no resemblance to the case
of a bullet wound through bc.h walls OF
the stomach. In the first instance there
Is no opportuniey given for any foreign
substance 70 escape INTO the peritoneal
cavity and this does not apply in the
case Of bullet wounds
Not Necessarily Fatal.
DR.. Charles G. Plummer was inclined to
dents case He feared the 2es ME eSy
Foreign matter from the stomach or from
the passage OF the bullet had gotten into
the case President Mckinley would soon
recover. Wounds In the stomach are
Pnmer e6nn lSs any nSTY ab6 I
the navel rarely cuts TIE intestines and
i is purely matter OF going into and
where In the back.
Il hope i isn't near one OF the kidneys.
for IL il were II would be likely TO cause
some complications. It is certain that
the president Is in the very best of hands
with DIT. Parke attending him. He is enc
ever since / knew the president was in
Predicts Recovery.
I believe the president is going TO re-
rover" said DR.. J. S. Richards Il have
thought so ever since / learned the ma
ture OF the wound. Up TO five years ago
perfOrations of the stomach were thought
TO be almost certainly fatal. but the ad-
vance of surgical science has caused \
revision Of that view. Now stomach
wounds are regarded as far from fatal.
The great danger in this case is OF
food getting into the peritoneal cavity
and causing peritonitis before the wound
could be closed. This might bring about
very serious result
Removed a Stomach.
DR.. z. s. Wright is one of the few
surgeons to remove the stomach One
of his patients had most aggravated
case of cancer and Or. Wright found II
necessary TO take the organ out. He
then fastened the duodenum and the
oesophagus and fed the patient pre-di
gested food for a few days. but his con-
ditiCR when op~rated on was so weak
that he could not recover.
~ the presidents stomach was full
at the time he was shot and digestion was
going on" continued DR.. Wright. per
foration might let disease germs into the
re- toneal cavity and cause peritOnitis
with fatal ending. II his stomach was
empty this could not occur and his
chances would be materially increased "
Or. Wright says that other organs OF
the body which are supposed 70 be vital
are not necessarily So He cited the case
OF a woman who attempted TO commit
suicide. When he treated the case Or
Wright thought the bullet which she fired
into her body lad passed through thS
stomach. He didn't probe for the bullet
but kept the wound clean and she ulti-
raateiy recovered. Later she succeeded
in killing herself and DR.. Wright per
formed an autopsy lie found that the
first bullet. instead of going into hel
stomach. cut straight through her liver
yet there were no symptoms of such Z
wound. which. under ordinary ctrcum
stances, would have proven fatal