Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1901-09-18
DOCTORS OPEN FIRE.

A di7patch from Buffalo to the New
York World ssys: The disagreement
among the doctors, foreshsdowed 10
the World. broke out yesterday. II
promises to to bitter and parhaps
even &c lndalous public ,ntroversy.
p the intel views forwarded with the
Dispatch show, Drs. Mann, Park, Myn-
tor aud Wssdin di-lsree among
themselves as to the surGic Il and medi-
| + oip' In the case. They agree at
only one poin'
Tney all say that DR.. McBurney, OF
NSg York, was directly responsible for
the public impr. ssIon that Mr.. McKin.
ley was o7rlsin to get well.
They all say that from the fret mo.
ment Of his sppe arance in the 6, he
yrs most optimistic; that contrary TO
hs invsriable custom in the past be
saw and talked freely with the news
paper men and gave them first opti-
mistic and then I 1stive assurance that
Mr.. Mckinley would get well.
They say that 1t was at his sugges-
zion that Mr.. Mckinley was given solid
food on Thursday, and that he alone
gave out the positive statemen 1t WIS
on Thursday just before he left-thst
MIR. Mckinley would certainly Set well.
DR.. Mann says that this positive
statement IVES 10 his mind such mis-
statement that he was on the point of
giving out over his own signature o
statement more moderate In tone and
more 10 accord with the facJ of the
case as he saw 1t.
They all cay that the official bulle-
tins. which were hopeful but not III
uve In one, fairly expressed their
opinion.
They say that they let DR.. McBur-
ney have his way beoau ,they d .fei red
20 his established fame fs one Of the
very greatest, If not the great:st Of the
surgeons OF AmeiiCl.
Their own Engagements among
themselves may /, summed up as fol
lowe:
As to the track of the wound made
by the second bullet. DR.. Park says
that 1t penetrated the pr 1cress. The
others say that 1t did not.
As to the c,Use of the gang rene, DR..
Wasdin says 1t ks ID hin like poieon
from a poisoned bullet. The others
think not.
DIR. Park says be thinks the pan
creatic fluid is responsible fer the gan
creme. The others say that the pam
creatc fluid escaped f.om the pan
creas.
AS to the extent OF the gsngreDe,
DR.. Mann said be found gangrene 10
the surface of the wound made by the
second bullet when he opened 10 on
Tuesday, and that he cut away the
mortified flesh there before sewing 1t
up again.
DIR. Park says there WIS no gangrene
found there OF that time. AS to the
cause in general, some say that IL js
rare cise, Others that Ii had few extra.
ordinary features.
Furthermore, 1t has now come out
that underneath the skin where the
first bullet struck and made slight
abrasion, they found at the autopsy q
large patch OF gangrened flesh severel
inches 10 diameter.
Since the amazing discoveries ct the
autopsy - discoveries which make 1t
certain that from the very beginning
there was not the slightest chance
that Mr.. Mckinley would recover-sev-
eral acts have been noted In the off-
cial bulletins and are beingwonderiog.
ly commented upon. For Example,
these:
At 1850 p. m. on the evening OF the
day he was shot his pulse was reported
at 124 and bis respiration at "a. The
pulss OF the normal man is about 70,
aud bis rC 3piration from 15 to 90 min
ute. His pu 50 never fell below I'D,
was the most of the time 120 or more.
Tuesday, the day when DR.. McBur-
ney was optimistic to the point OF an
almost complete certainty that the
President would get we'll. Mr. McKin.
ley's pulse ranged from 1lS to 126
On Thursday when DIR. McBurney
left "the oouvslescsnt" the Pulse rang
ed from 122 to 12S.
Ga that Thursday the respiration
was not given out, but 1t u now known
that 1t wr3 above the normal or about
25.
The pulse, which WIS the main cause
of the doubt OF the other surgeons, ac-
coriiug tc their statements, ives ex-
planned by DR.. McBurney ss due to the
shock.
Afsr the giving Of the solid food
DR.. McBuruey left before the results of
it became known-the remaining doc
tors assumed that the high pulee was
due to the food.
OF course, 1t ia now known that the
pulse was the real warning of the in-
ternal conditions from the very start.
Another fact is that there are no
cases on record OF q man over forty-fve
yeais OF age getting we'll of 3 shot
through the stomach. After forty-fve
the flesh Is too old. 1t does not heal
properly. 1t easily falls prey to gan
creme.
The dissgIeements among the doctors
are all subordinate to the phs]e OF the
controversy which tends to shift the
blame of the over-optimism, the utter
absence OF caution In communicating
news to the public, upon DR.. Mcbur-
ney.
The dc ctors are very pc1itive ana
yerv bitter in es,ertiuq that the opis.