Omaha daily bee., 1902-06-27
EXPERT MEDICAL OPINION
Gravity of the Case of the King De-
pends Upon Proper
Diagnosis.

LONDON, June 2S.--The British Medical
Journal says: D.
Should the kings symptoms the
course they have hitherto follow w
good reason to hope for hi ~ a.
restoration to health Owing to ps.f Iy,
Of the affection and the character Tr, ~
dressings used IL Is inevitable that his
valescence should be somewhat prolonge>
but we believe that II no complications
arise there is no reason to fear his re-
covery will not be complete.
The condition of the parts made clear at
the operation was such as to assure the
physicians that the abscess was due to one
of those unexplained inhamma tons WHICH
occIr with remarkable frequency in the
neighborhood of the vermtform appendix
and that It was not due to any organic dis
ease of more serious nature or to any
malignant growth, as rumor has suggested
Up-to the present there is no indication
Of the occurrence Of any complication and
should none arise his majesty may live for
many years.
The Lancet. while declaring 1t is impossi-
BILE to disguise the seriousness Of the kings
condition, says:
1t is our joyful privilege to be able to
counteract fatty some of the sinister mo-
tives which have been prevalent for the
last forty-eight hours throughout the world.
The idea that some dreadful news is being
kept back ought to be dtspelled and abso-
Lutte sincerity of every bulletin issued
should prevent the public from needing
these wild rumors. His majesty is, suffer
Ing from perityphlitls and nothing else. I'm
may be entirely masked and II was that
that absolutely prevented the necessity of
an operation from being apparent until yes
terday.
The Lancet declares that there was no
symptom of mallgnancy in the kings case.
Opinion of DIR. Murphy.
NEW YORK, June 2e.-Dr John B.
Murphy of Chicago, dean of the faculty of
Rush Medical college, has telegraphed to
the New York Medical journal the follow
ing statement regarding King Edward:
The official bulletins are very vague and
indefinite, as the doctors do not state
whether the perityphiitic abseess asornl was due
ing ulcer. They infer that 1t was APP
pendicits, but the clinical facts for Ave
respond with the inference,
If It be an appendical perityphlitis,
of the hs CHANCES Of
recovery allowing for his age and mode
Of living, should be 81 per cent. Even If he
has a gangrene of a small area of the
caecum from a periapendical abscess, his
chances of recovery should be good, unless
infer from the mild symptoms the day
Violent
II the perityphlitis abscess be from a
Prosnosis Is more grave for these perforat-
ticulariy the tubercular If the perforat-
ing occurred through a malignant ulcer
nlS chances OF recovery would De very
meager, as a resection of the capul-con
would be demanded. This is such a long
and grave operation that he could scarcely
Withstand IT, as it would involve an i'm
mediate risk of 40 to AZ per cent
Most Logical Assumption.
The assumption that the abscess Is OF
appendical origin Is the most logical from
his symptoms of pain and syncope on the
fifth or sixth day preceding the operation.
There every reason for his physicians
Withholding from the operation as long as
possible II the diagnosis OF appendicitis
operation would have been performed i'm
mediately, as the concensus of opinion of
the American medical and surgical pro-
fession is that the immediate operation,
that is, the operation within the first twen-
ty-four hours after the inset of symptoms.
gives the best results and subjects the
patient to the least risk
There Is unanimity of opinion In the
profession that no one no matter how IA
miltar with the disease, Is able to predict
from the early symptoms what will be the
therefore incumbent upon the profession
to operate early to avoid the probability
of later and more dangerous pathologic
conditions. Medical trea tment is uncertain,
inefficient and hazardous and thousands of
lives have been sacrificed by this method of
treatment. In Chicago alone in the last
three years there have been 752 deaths
from appendicitis. What a colossal crime.
What an indulgent and forebearing public
TO tolerate such results from the medical
profession On this basis there should be
all should be operated upon before that