Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-10-18

York Medical Journal for saturday, Oc-
tober 18th, will contain the full Off
eial report of the surgeons who at
tend the late President, William Nc
Kinley, at Buffalo. The report con-
tains upwards Of fifteen thousand
words, and constitutes the official rec
ord of the case. The report is sign
ed by Drs. 2. NJ. Rixey. Matthew ID.
Mann, Herman Mynter, Roswell Park.
Eugene Wasdin, Charles McBurney and
Charles G. Stockton, as members of the
medical staff attending the late Pres,-
dent. The report of the autopsy is
signed by DR.. Harvey r. Gaylord. path
ologist to the New York State Patho-
logical Laboratory, while the report or
the meteorological examination bears
the signature of DR.. Herman G. Met
Finger, bacteriologist to the New York
Pathological Laboratory.
T'he important feature of the report
in the New York Medical Journal is the
emphasis with which DIR. Matthew d.
Mann. speaking for his colleagues, de-
clares that there never, under like
circumstances. was more harmonious
and better agreed band OF consult
ants thus setting aside the rumors
OF disagreement among the attending
physicians and surgeons.
The report describes in detail the
events Immediately following the
shooting, which are already familiar to
the public. Then follows a description
of tie operation in all its technical
minusiae. The Utmost care was used
TO prevent infection of the albion nal
cavity, and o. the wound, by the most
approved modern methods OF surgical
cleanliness.
SpeaKiug of the search for the bullet
during the operation, the report Says:
The operation on the stomach now
being finished, DR.. Mann introduced his
arm so as to palpate carefully all the
deep structures behind the stomach.
Ne trace of the bullet, or of the fur
Their track of the bullet could be found
As the Introduction of the hand in this
way seemed to have bad influence
on the Presidents pulse prolonged
search for further injury done by tho
bullet, or for the bullet itself, was de-
sisted from
Further search might have caused the
death of the patient upon the operating
table. At the close of the operation
the surgeons present unanimously
assured DR.. Mann, in answer to his
questions, that they were perfectly sat-
isfed that everything that was possible
had been done and that they had no
further suggestions to make 1t was
also decided not to introduce any gauze
or tubes into the abdomen for drain
age, as this was not necessary, but the
wound was not sewed up so tightly that
no drainage could not take place nat
urally.
The report then continues in the his
tory Of the case after the operation.
The progress of the Illness is given day
by day, and the bulletins as given out
by the attending physicians are incor-
porated in the report.
The findings of the autopsy as well as
the developments Of the case during the
last days exclude all possibility of doubt
of absolute injury to the stomach by
premature giving of solid food. as was
alleged at the time when unfavorable
symptoms came on after change to solid
diet On the fifth day the President
slipped hot water, on the sixth day had
beef juice, the first taken by mouth
since the operation. In the meantime
rutritive enemas were continued, but
were not well retained. At $50 in the
morning of the seventh day he was a.
lowed chicken broth, a very small piece
Of toast and small cup of coffee. lie
aid not care for the toast and ate
scarcely any of it. The wound had in
the meanwhile been doing very well and
HUd occH utCooCd udtis oitSi INV
al of the stitches and the sloughing It's
sue. The President seemed at his best
and a favorable result was now con-
1dently predicted. There was no sign
of blood poisoning or OF inflammation
OF the peritoneum. The only alarm
ing symptom was his rapid pulse, but
as the President had naturally rather
rapid pulse, and as 1t had been of fair
ly good quality right along, the sur
geons did not attribute very great i'm
portance to this sign.
On the seventh day, towards noon,
the pulse began to grow weaker and
grew rapidly worse. Stimulants were
given and the food was discontinued,
while castor oil and an enema of OK
gall were given to move the bowels.
AT midnight there was some improve
ment in the pulse, after an injection OF
salt solution into the sub-cutaneous
tissues. On the eighth day the condi-
ton of the President was described as
very serious, as he did not respond to
stimulation. Stimulants and inJec-