New-York tribune., 1919-01-07
Colonel Had
Former Attack.
Doctor Says
Had Pulmonary Embolism
About Three Weeks Ago,
Nearly Ending Life-No
Autopsy Is Anticipated

From the statements Of Drs. Rich
ards and Faller, made yesterday, it ap-
pears that Colonel Roosevelt previously
had survived one such attack as that
which finally caused his death.
"While the Colonel was in the hos
pital," said DR. Richards, "he had a
pulmonary ombolism about three weeks
before he went home which nearly
cost him mis- life. This was caused by
clot Of blood breaking away from a
| thrombcsed vein.
"Since leaving the hospital he had
been doing we'll until last night, when
he died in his sleep. The cause prob
ably was another embolism-whethcr
to the lungs, as l believe, or to the
brain, as may be possible, only an
autopsy could determine. There will
is requested by the family.
"The Colonel undoubtedly suffered
no pain whatever when he died The
blood clot passes instantaneously from
the thrombosed vein to the lungs or to
the brain, and the patients death is
. immediate.
Second Embolism Feared.
I'VE had feared second embolsm.
tlammatory rheumatism is not a usual
occurrence, yet it is by no means rare.
Emboilsm comes in childhood, but not
ordinarily in adult life. lnflammatory
rheumatism itself is common, but a
majority of persons who have it at
Colonel Roosevelt's time of life do not
have embolism. But Colonel Roose-
welt, once having had it while at the
hospital, it was not impossible that it
might occur again within two or three
months, especially if the rheumatism
continued to be acute, as it did in the
Colonel's case. After leaving the hos
pital he continued to suffer pains, but
when | last saw him. on Thursd day, he
was in the best of spirits and had
every expectation of getting we'll. NY
self and DR.. j. A. Hartwell and Colonel
w. A. Sherwood, of Brooklyn, also at
tending him, confidently expected he
would recover. His death came as a
shock to u.s."
"The Colonel's acute condition OF in
flammatory rheumatism may be said to
have had its inception shortly after his
Carnegie Hall speech last October. At
The veins around nearly every Joint
in his body were infamed arising out
Of rheumatism due to an infection
from tooth About twenty ycars ago
the ColonePs upper left bicuspid be-
came infected, and this infection spread
to the Joints Of the body AS announced
at the time. the Colonel last went to
the hospital. in November, this tooth
was extracted with view to removing
the direct cause for this infection
This operaticn was performed by Dr..
j. +. Harbrouck."
Cheerful to the End
DR.. Fallcr said yesterday that when
re was called to the Roosevelt home
Sunday night tho nurse tod him the
Colonel had suffered sudden attack
and was quite Ill. This condition had
passed when the physician got there
and the Coloncl had not retired
II felt as though my heart was goinp
20 stop beating" DR.. Faller says Colonel
Roosevelt told him. Il couldn't seem
o get long breath"
"Hc looked just as he usually did,"
said the doctor. "Nis voice was as
hearty as usual and there was nothing
in his appearance to indicate what had
occurred"
"Did he have any feeling That he
Was going to dic?"
"None whatever" said DR.. Fa]Icr
He said the Colonei's conversation
took cheerful hopeful turn and con-
scGnently every one in the house he
came more cheerful.