Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-09
Eisenhower Satisfactory
After Major Operation

down on paper at this time" He
added that II think you all UNI
derStand this"
Wife With Him
It was the second time in
less than q year that Mrs. EiSen-
hover had moved into a hospital
to be near her husband. The
first time was last September
"a. when the President went
into Fitzsimmons Hospital in
Denver a few hours after suffer-
ing his heart attack.
After steady reports of salts
factory progress through anxious
weeks after that attack, the
Presidents doctors announced
on February IA that he had
made a good recovery"-and
that the chances were that from
the medical standpoint he would
be able to carry on in the presi-
dency another S to 10 years
/ He announced on February 20
that he was ready to seek q
second term, confident that he
could carry out his duties sin
definitely"
During recent weeks, he had
gradually increased his pace of
official, political and social activ-
tiles. Still, he stuck closely to
an l,800-calorie a day diet to
keep his weight down and to a
regime of acknowledgement golf
and a daily swim-plus two
hour lunch period for a change
of pace.
Health Appeared Improving
Mr.. Eisenhower had appeared
in better and better health dur
ing recent weeks, too.
His intestinal illness came with
much the same suddeness as his
heart attack. And there was an
ominous parallel in the way news
about him developed during the
day.
In both instances Gen. Snyder
was called to his bedside about
2 o'clock in the morning; when
it was a heart attack the word
DR.. Snyder relayed to the public
for several hours was that it
was a digestive upset" and in
this case it was an upset
stomach; on both occasions the
serious nature of the Presidents
illness became known only after
noon Of the day he was stricken.
Mr.. Hagerty refused con-
Sistently, all during yesterday
and up to the decision to operate,
to use any such terms as "seri-
ous," flair" or critical" to de-
scribe the Presidents condition.
Newsmen and the public had to
draw their own conclusions.
Throughout the pre-operation
period. Mr.. Hagerty said the doc
tors were telling him that the
Presidents pulse, blood pressure
and temperature were normal.
When a newsman pointed out
that his announced pulse rate
of 80 was considerable higher
than reported in previous ex-
aminationS. Mr.. Hagerty said he
assumed the doctors meant it
was normal "for the upset that
he has had"
The last time Mr.. Hagerty re-
ported seeing the President per-
sonally before the operation
around 8 o'clock last night-he
said: ITO me he looks all right
and his spirits are very good"
Earlier Similar Attacks
During the first several hours,
while there was a tendency on
the part of DR.. Snyder and other
associates of the President to
discount the seriousness of his
condition. it was recalled he
had suffered what appeared to
be similar attacks before.
Mr.. Hagerty said that the last
previous instance was in April
of 1858 when Mr.. Eisenhower
flew back to Washington from
an Augusta (Ga.) golfing vaca-
ton to address a meeting Of the
American Society Of Newspaper
Editors. His abdominal pain
then brought beads of perspira-
ton to his forehead. Mr.. Hagerty
said an attack of similar ma
ture" occurred in 1919.
Mr.. Hagerty insisted that the
heart specialists were called in
only as a. precautionary" move
that this was mot a heart
case" Dramatic haste was in
volved in Col. Mattingly's case.
however. Starting on a vacation
trip, he was tracked down in
South Carolina and flown back
to Washington in a jet plane.