The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-15

MILBURN HOUSE, BUFFALO, Sept
1.-THE official announcement of the ply
sicians a result of their autopsy on
the presidents body, that death resulted
from gangrene of the wounds led to
much discussion of the causes leading Up
10 this gangrene. 1t developed that DR..
Wasdin, one of the consulting physicians,
and an expert of high standing IN the
marine hospital service, strongly sup
ported the view that the murderous bull
let had been poisoned and that this was
one of the moving causes of the gan
grenous condition. The area of this dead
and gangrened flesh was a source of
much surprise to the surgeons, reaching
a circumference about the size of a silver
dollar about the internal wounds.
Aside from their signed statement the
doctors were rather averse to discussing
the autopsy, but some general express
sions were secured on the points involved.
DR.. Matthew D. Mann. the surgeon upon
whom fell the responsibility of operating
upon the president Immediately after he
was shot, in the course of a cursory talk
said:
First of all, there was never any con-
tention or unseemly discussion among the
physicians as to the method of treatment
of a case similar to the present one in
Importance. In no case was there ever a
better understanding as to what should
be done. We worked together as one
man. There were honest differences of
opinion among some of US sometimes as
TO which was the better mode of proceed
ure under certain conditions, but the mi
nority always were convinced.
About the criticisms that were made
as to the i--l1iciency of the original ex-
animation and the failure to locate the
bullet at the time of the operation, were
they justifed?'
Il think the report made today" DR..
Mann replied, rs a sufficient answer to
your question. 1t shows very plainly that
the location of the bullet had nothing to
do with the final outcome of the case
That resulted from gangrene, which APP
peared in the path of the bullet. Even
our efforts today to locate it, as stated
In the report, were unsuccessful. be-
lieve it went into the muscle at the small
of the back. We followed the hole made
by the bullet until it went into the mus
Gle. We searched one and a half hours
for the missile of death. The X-ray in
strument was not used, as the appliances
were not handy. This serious damage was
done to the organs through which it
passed-nOt to the locality where it now
rests
FIRST BULLET HARMLESS.
Your report says that the first bullet
striking in the breast did no HARM
Yes, that is correct. That bullet evil
IDENTIFY struck a button and then SHE'D off
without doing any damage Had it not
met some obstruction it surely would have
killed the president Immediately Below
the locality where it struck the flesh was
quite flabby and confused. Today's in
vestigation developed the fact that the
first bullet struck the president on the
right side Of The breast bone, near the
edge and between the second and third
ribs. In our original examination we said
1t was to the left of the breast bone The
mistake in the first announcement was
due to the very hasty examination made
at the time Of the shooting when the
question was not so much as to the exact
locality of the wounds as to that of get
ting to work to save the presidents life.o
The report speaks of a lack of evil
derce Of repair work on the part of ma
ture. Won't you explain just what
bearing this had on the case at issue?"
BY that statement we mean that the
general system OF the patient failed to
respond to the demand upon it for
revival from the shock suffered bv the
shooting. It was due probably to a
low state Of vitality; not to poor health.
mind you, but to a system that was con-