The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-11-28

a u
If as Their Opinion That No Treat
mcnt Could Have Saved His Life.
Defense VIII be Elaborate and Other
Medical Experts Will Testify as to
the Possibility of Organic Weak
ness i'm Branch
Annapolis, Nd, November 23.-Ihc
prosecution used it's heavy artillery in
the line of medical testimony during
tOday's session of the cOur martial
which is tryingMidshipman Meriwetil-
er for manslaughter, in connection
with the death of Midshipman Branch,
important witnesses being Dr.. j. NJ
T. Finney, chief surgeon of the Johns
Hopkins University of Baltimore; Or.
Henry M. Thomas, neurologist of the
same institution and J. c. Byrnes, the
chief medical officer attached to the
naval academy.
The operation upon Midshipman
Branch. consisting of lifting and fold
ing over ii portion of the skull in or
der t 0 remove such blood clots as
might be formed, was performed by
DR.. Finney, and DR.. Thomas, the spe-
cialist in that line came to Annapolis
at DR.. Finney's request in order to To-
cate from the SYMPTOMS the proper
place for the operation. DR.. ByrEes
was called in consultation with DR..
Stone shortly after Branch had been
brought to the hospital.
Much evidence of a deeply interest
ing, though sometimes technical char
acter, was given by the medical men.
One point of interest brought out in
explanation of the fact that the skull!
was opened On the right side although
the paralysis appeared on the left side
of the body was that the nerves con-
trolling one side Of the body cross
from the opposite side of the brain.
while the nerves controlling the facial
muscles do not. It was further brought
out that the injury, though on the
right side. was occasioned by the She
cessive fist blows on the left side OF
the head. The injury was of the ma
ture medically known as "contre-
COUP" the blows to the skull on one
side of the head having the effect CT
forcing the brains against the walls
of the skull and causing compression
in that way.
All the medical officers gave it as
their yer positive conviction that
Branch died from the effect Of the
blows he had received in his fight with
Meriwether. The cross examination
was for the purpose of proving that
the death might have been due to or
ganic weakness of Branch, or to the
unski1led treatment he received from
his friends after the fight and the de-
lay in giving him into the care OF
the physicians. Stress was laid on the
fact that no autopsy was held, and
the admission was elected that a more
certain opinion as to the immediate
cause of the death could be given il
the autopsy had been held. However,
the physicians testified most positive
ly that it was their professional Opln-
ion that the blows and nothing else
had contributed to his death. The
medical witnesses also belittled any
possible effect of the treatment
Branch received after the fight, and
gave it as their opinion that no treat
ment could have saved his life. The
absence Of an autopsy was explained,
by Surgeon Byrnes who stated that
Branch's father refused his perInls-
sion.
The witnesses called during the
morning session were Surgeon E. Il.
Stone, of the naval academy staff;
Lieutenant Commander Fl. J. ZeiSe-
-o1;o. ool ITocoi4o1 Cfou-arS T0In z
Mahnekee. Ziegemeier was called to
prove hat the articles for the govern
ment of the navy which contain the
prohibition against fighting were read
to all midshipmen during the suTnmer
cruise, during which the witness COM
manded the Hartford, on which Meri-
wether was stationed.
Hospital Steward Mahnekee told Of
being summoned to B~ancrofts hall,
seeing Branch and recognizing his
serious condition. This he reported to
DR.. Stone, and was ordered to bring
Branch to the hospital. He had him
carried in an electric carriage to The
hospital, and delivered him to Sur
geon Stone. The transfer, he tesii-
fed. was accomplished without any
thing to disturb Branch.
DR.. Stone saiG in his testimony that
when Branch came under his are at
the hospital he was absolutely uncon-
scious. From the symptoms and what
was disclosed during the operations,
DR.. Stone was confident that the con-
dition had been brought about by ex-
ternal injuries to the head. such as
might have been caused by blows OF
the fist. These could have been in
hicted on either side of the head.
Much of the remainder of the direct
testimony was on the technical points
connected with Branch's injury.
On cross examination DR.. Stone said
that a similar condition of the brain