New-York tribune., 1901-09-07
WHAT SURGEONS SAY HERE
Continued from first page.

fatal"
us there any similarity between the bullet
wounds received by President Mckinley and
President Garield?" was asked.
..I do not know where the bullets struck Pres
ident Mckinley said DR.. Weisse. President
Garfield was shot in the right loin. 1t was found
AT the most mortem examination held on his
body that the ball went through the first lumbar
vertebra came out to the left side of it, wound
ed the splenic artery. remained there and be-
came encysted. President Garfield fingered after
being shot about eighty days. 1t was also
found that the ball passed through the back of
the liver An aneurism of the splenic artery
formed
President Garfield had pyamia, resulting
from an abscess of his parotid gland.
I'm those days antiseptic methods were not
perfect as they to-day. Even if they had
been there was no chance of President Gar
fields recovery. He doomed man from
the time he was shot. At that time If sur
geon performed what nearly all of them do
now he would have been thought TO have done
a criminal act, and the responsibility for the
operation would have been placed on his should
ers. Laparotomy then operation that
could not have been safely done In fact, the
work of learning the and the situation
OF the bullet mere guesswork
Now there is guesswork in discovering
the course of gunshots bullets that enter
the human body. If a person received to-day
a wound similar to that which resulted in the
death of President Garfield he would quickly
undergo the operation known laparotomy.
The wound would quickly he opened. and the
surgeon would know just what damage the
bullet had done
Soon after President Garheld's death re-
ceived word from surgeon in Tombstone Ariz
TO the effect that he had had a case OF a man
shot In the right loin. the ball making "A circuit
and coming out in front of the body without
wounding the organs. The bullet in this case
took a santing course The surgeon opera ted
and exposed the entire course of the ball and
removed gangrenous matter. The man recov-
cred.
AT the time Garfield shot man dared
to open the abdomen. because the antiseptic pro
tective measures had not been developed to
perfect state"
Nearly all the physicians who attended Presi-
dent Garfield dead DR. Bliss. who his
regular physician. died some years ago. So
did DR. r. II. Hamilton. the we'll known surgeon
of this city. and DR.. Agnew. OF Philadelphia
who were called In consultation. While Garfield
was dying there was considerable speculation
among physicians and surgeons in all parts Of
the world as to the probable course Of the bull
let At that time DR.. Weisse member of
the faculty Of the New-York University Medical
College He was anxious to throw some light on
the subject and. if possible TO form a correct
theory He held a number Of experiments at
the dissectng rooms of the college. and at
some Of these experiments DR.. George +. Shrady
and Or. F. II. Hamilton were present The re
suit of the experiments he had published in the
newspapers. on the advice Of DR.. Hamilton.
DR. Nelson H. Henry who was chief surgeon
OF the Second Division Of the Fourth Army
| Corps in the Spanish-American War, said when
seen at his home early last evening. that il was
too early 10 express expert opinion regard
| ing the seriousness Of President Mckinley's
wounds
Il have Just come from the Fifth Avenue
| Hotel where went before dinner and there
was nothing definite on which to base an opin-
/ ion There Is nothing that can be said about II
until an Official bulletin has been issued The
! chances of recovery in surgical cases have been
! greatly enhanced In the last few years by the
/ better methods Of caring for them and the
! progress in the knowledge OF antiseptics.
/ When President Garfield wounded his
/ case was unfortunately handled. l think 1t is
/ the general opinion to-day that he would have
/ recovered with proper care"
! Speaking of abdominal surgery. DR. Henry
| said that II was n common thing TO open the
/ abdomen in these days for purposes Of exami-
nation. Probably there is an abdomen opened
every day in this city for what is termed 'ex-
i ploratory examination" he continued. 1t is
| looked upon hardly more dangerous than an
| external examination. OF course. it is done
| with all care. A bullet may pick up Impurities
| in the air. and also carry particles of clothing
| into the wound. The chances of recovery in
surgical cases have increased a hundredfod in
| the last few years
Il hope and pray that shall have good
! news in the course of the night"
DR. Frank p Foster. Editor of The New
| York Medical Journal was seen at his home last
night In speaking about the reports Of the
condition OF PRESIDENT Mckinley. he said:
President Mckinley In excellent physical
condition so far l know. This together with
! the fact that he served a soldier in the Civil
! War so that he is not likely to be Frustrated
| as the result of fright. is very much in his
favor Another thing in his favor is the prompt
/ surgical and medical attendance which ne ap
| pears to have received. The wound Of the alb
( domen n Il is a penetrating one is likely 10 be
! more serious than a penetrating wound of the
chest provided in the of the chest that
! neither the heart nor any large blood vessel Is
injured Among the medical profession in Bur
| falo there are several distinguished surgeons
| who are quite equal to the care of any possible
! injury. ..,.
Of bullets lodged deer In the body include
| chiefly Neaton's porcelain tipped probe Dr.
| Girdner's telephone probe and the hontgeh ray
| apnaratus These apparatuseS make IL pos
sibIe 10 determine the locality of a bullet under
| almost ali circumstances. There is less FISK
| to-day of blood poisoning following an opera
ton than twenty years ago OWING 10 lhp'oNeu
| aseptic methods
DIR BIrIL'S ENCOURAGING VIEW
Newport r. L. Sept. (SpeciaD.-Dr. William
| r Run the noted surgeon, OF New-York, was
| seen this evening and asked his opinion OF Pres