Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1882 — THE SCALPEL’S SECRETS. [ARTICLE]

THE SCALPEL’S SECRETS.

Coaflilion of finiMM’* Remain* at DinclMcd Or **»« A«*t *p*r Lamb’i Special Report of Ibe Case. The Medical News, of Philadelphia, print* the official report of the post-mortem examination of the body of Cl)arlee J. Guiteau. Tbo report it signed by "Dr. Lamb,” and is dated Army Medical Museum, Washington, July 4 : THK OFFICIAL REPORT. By reason of the delay, for which neither I nor my assistants wese responsible, the examination was not begun until 2AO o’clock p. m., one hour and a half after death, in oonsequonce of which the photographing waa less suocesafnll and a east was impracticable. The body, which was of a faint, yellowish tint, was that of a man about five feet seven inches in height and weighed 140 pounds. The eyes were examined by Dr. Loring, who reported the pupils slightly and equally dilated. The vitreous was cloudy and the fundus undistinqnishablo; the conjunotiva of tho left eye was congested. He repeated the examination two hours later, and noticed an appearanco as of a transverse fracture of the lenses. A small white Bear, directed obliquely downward, forward, and to the left, and confined to the scalp, was observed midway between tho top of tho left ear and the median line of the head. The right parietal bone was slightly flattened over a spaoe of about two inches square, just back of tho fronto parietal suture, and to the right of the inter-parietal there was a slightly flattened elevation on the corresponding internal surface or the calvaria. The frontal suture was obliterated, but the others were quite distinct. A number of pacchionian depressions were observed near the groove for the longitudinal sinus. In thickness the skull presented nothing remarkable. The dura mater was firmly adherent to the anterior portion of the calvaria in the vicinity of the loDgitudin&l sinus. There were adhesions of the dura also to the base of the skull; they wero quite firm, and situated in the several fassae, and most marked in tho deeper parts of the fassae, where also tin re were small patches, abruptly limited, of immovable arborescent congestions, with, however, no attendant thickening or pigmentation. This stagnation was again marked in tho left, anterior and middle fassae. There was no congestion of the dura, except at the points just noted. The dura aud‘pismater wero adherent to each other, and to the brain on both sides along a limited portion of the longitudinal fissure, iu the vicinity of the pacchio • niau granulations. The dura was slightly thickened along the longitudinal sinus. It was also slightly thickened and opaque along the portion of the lino of the middle meningeal artery on each side. The arachnoid of the upper convexity of the brain presented in many places, where it covered the sulci, small patches of thickening and opacity, elsewhere it was norm&L The piameter was amende auteriorly; posteriorly there was slight .hypaatasis. The cerebral vessels appeared to be normal in all respects. The orbital plates were well arched, and presented many conical eminences of large size. There was no roughening anywhere of the inner surface of tho skull. The brain was firm. Its weight, including the cerebrum, cerebellum, pans and medulla, and a portion of the dura, was ounces. It was slightly flattened m the region corresponding to the flattening of the parietal bone above mentioned. On a section of the cerebrum there was the appearance of a slight thinning of the gray cartex. The measurements taken, however, gave depths of 1-16 to % inch in close proximity to each other. The wbito substance was almost absolutely anremie. The cerebellum and island of Beil were both covered on each side.

The fissures generally presented considerable depth ; in many places, as in the right fissure of Kolando, amounting to seven-eighths of an inch. The right fissure of Sylvius was typical; the left was separated from the first temporal fissure by a slight bridge deeply situated. 'The right fissure of Rolando did not connect with tho fissure of Sylvius; the left was separated only by a small brtdgo deeply situated; both were separated from the longitudinal fissure. The first frontal fissure on the right sido was not connected with that of Rolando, but the posteripr part whs crossed by a secondary fissure. The same was the case on the left side, except that tho fissure was crossed by a small bridge near its center. The second and third frontal fissures presented nothing remarkable. There were numerous secondary fissures. Tho prsecentral and retrocentral fissures, on each side, were well defined, and wero unconnected with the other fissures. The inter-parietal fissure ou each sido terminated m the transverse occipital, separated only by a slight bridge. The parieto-occipital fissure was woll markod on each side. The transverse occipital fissure on the right side was ill-defined ; it began on tho median surface and extended well outward. The first temporal fissure was well developed on the right side ; on the left it was not of the usual lenglh. Wernicke’s fissure was well marked on the left side, but was not confluent The calloso marginal fissure was double on each side, the upper of the two being probably the true one. On the right, the upper one extended back to the anterior margin of the paracentral lobule ; on left, not quite so far. The lower one extended on tho right side to a line about half an inch in Jront of the parieto-oc-cipital fissure, from which it was separated by a small bridge ; on the left side, also, by a bridge of larger size. On the right side were seven fissures radiating from the circular fissure surrounding a small isolated convolution. On the left side were five fissures radiating from a small, shallow depression. The left collateral fissure was well defined, extending to the anterior extremity of the temporal lobe. The right was also well marked, but did not extend so far back as the other, and there was an attempt at confluence anteriorly with the temporo-occipital, a small bridge intervening. The left temporooccipital fissure was well defined. Tho following alone call for remark : The ascending frontal convolution was well defined on each side. The ascending parietal on the right sido waa well developed in its lswer threofouri iis, but narrowed in the upper fourth. On the left side the narrowing was less markod. The island of Reil presented on tho right side five fissures, and six straight gyri ; on tho left sido seven fissures and eight straight gyri. The paracentral lobulo was well marked on the right side, small on the left. The usual median incision was made, and the abdomen opened. There was an extravasation of blood into the right pectoralis major muscle near the second rib. The adipose layer of the abdominal section was one inch in thickness. The domo of the diaphragm extended up to the fourth rib on each side. There were old pleuritic adhesions at the apex of the right lung. The upper and middle lobes were congenitally united by a connective tissue. The lung was normal throughout. There were also old pleuritic adhesions of the left lung to the diaphragm and between its lobes ; three small, tubercle-like, pigmented patches were observed in the upper lobe. The heart weighed ten and three-quarters ounces. Its muscular substance was apparently normal. There was an abundance of fat upon its anterior surface, and a villose patch of old pericarditis near the apex of the left ventricle. The right ventricle contained a little blood, "just forming a clot. The valves were normal. The aorta' was slightly atheromatous for a short distance above the valves. All of the abdominal viscera presented large accumulations of fat. They were normally situated. The liver was congested. The gall bladdor contained a little bile. The spleen was lobulated and enlarged. It weighed eighteen ounces. The capsule was bluish; substance brown. The malpighiau bodies were hyper-, trophied. The pancreas was normal The stomach contained' food. The intestines appeared normal, and were not opened. The kidneys were congested. There was a small superficial serous cyst on the right one. 1. A considerable quantity of dark blood ran out of the heart in the separation of tne heart and lungs. 2. Dr. Young states that the man was subject to malarial attacks while in jail. 3. He had eaten dinner about an hour and a half before execution.