Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-06
DEATH WAS NEAR THREE
WEEKS AGO, DOCTOR SAYS
BY Associated Press to Every Evening

BY Associated Press TO Every Evening
New York, Jan. & ~ Colonel kooee-
welt suffered pulmonary cmhoIism which
nearly cost him his life three weeks before
he loft Roosevelt hospital on Christmas
Day. II was learned today Nothing
regarding this approach 10 death has
hitherto become known, but il was re-
vcalcd today ny Or Richards IN telling
III the Colonel's exact condition during
his last illness
Although there were no indications Of
setback after the Colonels return TO
Oyster Bay. fears for his well-bcing ami
convaleSccnce AZ Sagamore Hill had been
expressed by his friends. One object Of
his going 80 the hospital WAS that he might
have at hand more of tie conyenlences
oi the sick room than were accessible n
his own home
Sycamore Hill standing on an emlnence
and alwavs 3 delightful place IN summer,
swept hy brcezcs from. Long Island Sound,
these friends Of the RoOsevelts said. was
not 50 comfortable in winter Two fur
naccs in the cellar kept gong continuously
in severe weather and CRATE fires in every
| room hardly sufficed 10 heat the long halls
in the former Presidents home. De
spite this. the Colonel insisted he and the
other members Of his family were hardy
and accustomed 10 the rIEorS OF winter
living IN country homes.
In the same manner as his death was
caused a clot of blood became detached
from a thrombosed vein. On the former
occasion, however, the passage OF this clot
through the arteries 10 the lungs or the
brain was checked in time 10 save the
patient life.
DIR. Richards revealed in MS statement
that the Colonel lnfammatory rheuma-
tism. from which he suffered acutely at
times, was traceable twenty years back
to an injected tooth. This infection
spread to nearly all the joints IN the Col
onel's body as the years went on.
DR. Richards denied statements which
have been published from time TO time
that Colonel Roosevelt suffered from
sciatica as well as rheumatism. The
physician assented also that the Colonel
had never suffered with mastoIditls. AS was
reported when he went under an operation
about q year ago for an abscess of the
inner ear. and that neither this operation
nor the fever which nc contracted while
in South America on hunting trip could
&c idered contributory cause toward
his death.
when Colonel Roosevelt left Roose-
I.
Richards said "the following bulletin
was made public:
Colonel Roosevelt has been sick in
Roosevelt hospital for the past seven
weeks suffering from severe attack of
Infammatory rheumatism. He respond
cd readily to the ordinary treatment for
such cases and is now able to go home
This statement was true and given to
TIE Associated Press with Colonel Roose-
yelt's approval.
While the Colonel was in the hospital
he had pulmonary embolism, about
three weeks before he went home, which
nearly cost him his life at that time. This
was caused by clot of blood breaking
away from thrombosed vein.
Since leaving the hospital he had been
doing well until last night, when he died
in his sleep. The cause was probably
another embolism-whether to the lungs,
as | believe, or TO the brain, as may be
possible, only an autopsy ould determine.
There will be no autopsy IN this case I'M
less ono is requested by the Roosevelt
family"
OF sketch Of Colonel Rooseqelts life
see paac =