Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-09-28

which their awful responsibility
was assumed, and the thoroughness
and ability with which it was carried
out.
If the operation had been hurried
there might be some reason to feel
that possibly each step of It could
not have been considered as judicious-
ly as the occasion demanded. Such
was not the case; the President was
under ether an hour and q half and
was In such good condition all the
time that there was no demand made
upon the operator for haste. The
autopsy shows that good judgment
was shown in not prolonging search
for the ball.
In declining to use the X-rays sub.
sequently, Notwithstanding the general
anxiety as to the balls exact location,
the surgeons were judiciously passive
and following the teachings of the
greatest of military surgeons. A Sec
ond anesthesia and operation for the
extraction of 32-cAiber bullet in
the muscles oil the back would, under
the circumstances, have been not only
injudicious, but censurable. One can
not forbear to say at this time that
the Roentgen rays are not an unmixed
blessing. as death has followed opera
tions for encysted bullets that were
doing no harm al the time Of their re-
moval. One of yielding nature may
be induced to act against his better
judgment, on account of the anxiety
and importunings of patient and
friends, always greater than they
should be, but due to an exaggerated
Importance given by laymen to the
BALI and it's recovery. Those who
knew the Presidents surgeons person
ally have felt assured from the first
that no precipitate action would be
taken to meet a danger largely CHM
erical in its nature, whilst urgent,
portentous, awful problems were
pressing forward for solution.
What were the probabilities when
1t was known that President McKin-
ley, a, man SO years old, with a weak
heart has sustained a penetrating
wound of the abdomen? Death, un-
doubtedly, was the likelier issue.
When, however, the details of the
operation were given Saturday morn
ing, and it was recalled that the
President was shot at 4:3O in the after
noon, when his stomach .was presum-
ably empty, or nearly SO, more than
modicum OF comfort and hope was
felt by. a stricken Nation. The opera
tion had been promptly done; it had
been thoroughly well done; it had
been done by the best eXponents of
modern surgery The incidents of the
first, second and third days-the period
of greatest danger-were distinctly IA
vorable to the Presidents recovery,
though his abnormally high pulse-raue
| caused uneasiness. 1t had all along
been out of proportion to the tempera-
ture and respirations, but it was ex
planned as being usual with him. The
J fourth and fifth days served only to
fortify his surgeons in the opinion al
ready expressed that he would re-
cover. 1t seemed that he would and
that he should gea well; yet there were
still dangers ahead to which too
hopeful and impulsive people were
oblivious. They came on the sixth
day and had practically ended this
magnificent life in another twenty
four hours!
OF the exact causes leading to the
change which resulted in death, we
shall know more when the full re-
port of the autopsy is published. This
will be after cultures have been made
and astrological examination has
been completed When this full
scientific report is officially given out
1t will be time to discuss the cause
which led to the necrotic condition
found at the autopsy but not before.
Until then at least there shall be no
criticism of the management OF the
case and full credence should be
given to the official bulletins signed
by the attending surgeons and to these
only. The absence from Buffalo OF
the nearest relatives of President Nc
Kinley at the time of the unfavorable
change showed plainly enough that
they had left him doing so we'll that
only recovery was thought of. The
public We're fairly and candidly treat
ed from beginning to end. The un-
expected happen. While the Nation