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An Eminent Physician's Opinion As To Garfield's Condition

An Eminent Physician's Opinion As To Garfield's Condition image
Parent Issue
Day
19
Month
August
Year
1881
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

A reporter of the Adrián Times li;is interviewed the leading medical men of that city. The followlng is tho opinión of Dr. liynd : Dr. Hyrnl- To glve you a oorrect Idea I muBt refer ta the liiMory of tlie cuse. The lnjury was lnilicted ubout forty days ago. The country was then told that the bafl had entered about tli'' tenth rib, une three luches to the rlght of the spinnl column, mid that lt had pmbahly baen daleotad, woundlng the rlght kiduey. A day or two proved tuis to bc Incorrect, Irum the fac.t tlie urine did not exhlblt aiiy evidence of lujury to that oriimi. Doctors, Hkeother poople, somellrnes draw upou their Imaglnatlon for thelr faots, partlcularly wheu they üo uot kuow any facts. The theory then of the leading doctor In attendance, wan that hall had entered the lower part of the llver, and had elther lodged In that reglón, or In toe wall of the abdomen, havlng lirst pass.,1 through tin; llver. Time proveii thls theory also to have been Incorrect. At thin grave langer was feared from perltoneal liiiliiiiiiuat ion. The danger of thls aerlous compllcatioii wan happily avertod by Uolng uotblng. Weweretheo assured that all waa golng on well, and tlie president wovild be on lil i.t-t In a week or two. Uoforlunately for the country the Rurgous wereagaiu mistaken, lu tluc prooow uf time pus formed, &s lt will In any aucli woimd. and were assured lor several days, and even weeks, that the drainage fnmi tbawoosd wiui miipli. hiiiI that the condlUon ol the pmldent m cïceeUngly favorable. In fact, assurauoe was glven lo the country that Utc pal), ut was partlally reatored lo hiallh. All at once the natloa was shocked by tho occurr.-in-f oí tito mwt alarming ujuip. tom8. An operatlon whh reKorted to whlch any vlllage doctor soa ld periorm. A simple incisión vv us tiuulf Heverai lncheu below and exlernal to the original orillo. A plece of the lra'turl rib mam removed, a very proper work whu-li ouicht to ltave been performed inuch sooner, and as a result of thls operatlon, the pivsiiient was relieved. For sume two vrk atu r this, we uext have the happy aasurunce oí h rapiü recovery ; in iacl Ihe suin total of the goou repons which the country recelved werc cnougli to care halfa ordinary people. By-and-by we are etartled wlth a report of another operatlou, necessary undoubtedly. und very mueli more grave ttiu.ii the lirM, involving a ueeper wuund, and demohstiullng that the surgeon had not undersiiHid Hip oase, or wen fiattering the public t hrough stalemouU which Umu has provod to rronaeua. Ut porler - Havo you any criticlsraa to mako on DoniM ' traatment pursued, aud if yoa have, what special crlticlmT Dr. liynd Tb rurt uature of the case should iuivi' been determlned at flrHt, lnvoivïtitf the cnursc if and lf peMlble tlie axact locatlonol thi'liall. AU foroign material sliould have been removed írum wouiul, wheu lully eUkblltbed, th presldontfl strciiLitli beloc BMta greater then tlian Dow, and iiiMiillity to wlthiaul the shock of any Deoessary opuratlou belng thus gnati r The rast froni tlie llrt, lt appeurs to nw, has been treated In muf nipatu hypotheses whieli have been proveu incorrect. There lian ¦ utd DegMCl in my Judgment. In not iiirordliic farly nd free drainage. It would appt-aras tbough nourltfhnumt liai b- n lnadeqojlle. It lia matter of vital Imtniruiuce In any tedions ca-Sf to maltituin the strength and patiënt. That can only be done Throuiih a tri-e aiuoutit of nutrimeiit. A man eau not malntaln liis streugth aud italliy long on babyfood. Lnstly there seems to have been ¦ vaal amonntof tondylsm, a great deal oí prolcsiimal advertislDg, mnoll do-nothlngKm, poaslbly (rowloi out of the tact that gome of the (urgeoua feit as ihough thtjy were treatIng 1 1 1 ¦ president of the 1'nitcii state. A doctor to lc sucoeHSful mum lose slght of rank aud ntalltni. and simply treat the man as a human b Inn, lor we flnd the functlons of the animal eoonomy ure perfnased in ordlnary mortal, niuch as they are in kings. There ia uo known dltlerenoe. Bsporter In your opinión, what are the i. nti chance of riTuvery? In. Kynd-' Ot ooona my opinión must be bMed aooa Ktadj of Blmply what I have rtad ; of the reporta which have beensentout Irom Washington, and wlilch have oiten been vnKne, atul loiuettmea contradictory. In common wllh otlier people I at flrst thought UM wounil a very dangerouu op e, and so expresned myselC 1 have already indlcated to you some of my views which b.ar mdlrectly upon my oplulons ot the prolmblllty of recovery. The ball Is still la probablr portions of broken boiH. and lome fragmenta of clottiing may bc looated aiong the truck of the ball or near the bottom of the wound. Two operatlons have bM perforroed, the lant un lomavlutt neriou, the prtwMeni la i enalnlj reatar. 41 the end of forty iliiyü o II ml n pul' ol lmi U II, tnturi' ii ik 1 1. aml i: .iiliing rapid. 1" view of Mie lilstury of tlie cue. lu view of the Out Ihat foralgn ault.ince atlll reniatn In the wouii'l n-gard the. prospect as lliiiti-rlDK. aml fear tliat tlie termluatluu wlll nol le a favorable au we all hope for. Kepter-What are In your Judginent the ¦ I mg-: - tliat are llkely to mauiu-I iln-iiis-lvm r j rori'-s of the Sllr - A I have iilromly lndlcatexl. X hall ¦aBÍMiKi'lur the cue nare whlle ' u caviiy of tlie abdomvu, or In II frontal wail, paaalbly Ui Ihe UMiue Mollig the pelvlo wall on the njlu wound aa at pi tuut would ba very nerloun ooe ir Ibe bafl were reiiaoved-rery rau' wlth the ball In. I iew tbmt we nhall liavettala .¦DUsUiiit liralnage, wl ¦ary evll.a wahlng prooe, wlth fivir, Nweai. growlng deblllty, and a gradual letun down of the power of llfe. Should oondltloD corit Imie, au it now appear I degree, It would aeeni au tlmuuii I one way In whlch the case can i-rn 8hould uperiiuuient abarcas fot in. pii'ic-iug ilie atxlomlual wall at any polnt, It would probably waote the llfe of the president by ali Krees. In such a oase death would ultlinately result. Krom the prraent lii' Knot aHKurluK. It r quircs ,. gon to tliinlt that the president is prir satlHfactorily. wluii In faot he 1h weakt-r tuan at any time aluce tlie injury. l{.ixrter- 1j you consldir that tl'eri' is any BlgnilU'ance from a medical xtaudputut In tlie prcMi.ii 11 1 Mi-MiiiK a document? The Ur. -He was not Injured In the hand (ir arm there I uu paralyala of that orgiui. I have bc. ii paopl in the agony of dlaaoiutlon even thin wrlte thelr urnnet. The purnde made over tlil act Is of noklnd of BlgulIIcance. I ti a world. we have had loo inuch talk, and too llttle efflclent work l relatlon to the oase. TIuth liave been too many doctors In attendanoe; tno many lucouslstent bulletins Issued - but the brokcn lone was not removed for a long lime, and the ball has uot been removed

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Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News