Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 March 1885 — NEARING THE END. [ARTICLE]

NEARING THE END.

Malignant Oancer Rapidly Destroying the Life of Ulysses S. Grant [New York telegram. In regard to Gen. Grant’s health. Col. Frederick Grant said to a Font reporter this afternoon: “My father is a very sick man. There is no nse in longer denying the tact. We have made every effort to keep the true facts from the public, because we knew that, as soon as it should become known that he was dangerously ill, there would be hundreds of letters coming in with every mail, and this would only excite him and make ~his cure less hopeful. For any facts concerning the nature of his disease I refer you to his physicians. The doctors who are attending him are Dr. Fordyce Barker, Dr. J. H. Douglas, and Dr. H.. 8. Bands, of this city, and Dr. L M. Merker, of Philadelphia” Dr. Douglas said: “I am in nowise responsible for the rose-colored report that appeared in the Meaical Journal last week. Two days before the report was published I had ,a conversation with Dr. Sands at Gen. Grant’s house. As a result of the consultar tion we botn decided lhat the cancerous growth at the root of tho tongue was hardening and steadily growing worse. Microscopical examina tion by an expert proved beyond doubt that the case was one of the malignant epithelial growth. Gen. Grant is a very sick man. I think there is little or no hope that he will recover. He is breaking down, but has displayed mnch courage. For a month he has done as mnch as six or eight hours’ work a day, bnt he has had but little sleep for the past eight days. We have tried to keep the knowledge of his true condition from -the General, because he has so many othtr troubles to bear, I have all along maintained that his trouble is from cancerous growth at the root of the tongue, caused, undoubtedly, by excess in smoking. Every time he sßeaks, or breathes, or eats, this is disturbed. It-is difficult to tseat it for that reason. There are times when the growth has been temporarily checked, but It has never been arrested, and is steadily increasing. There has been considerable loss of tissue of the soft palate. He takes nourishment every day in a liquid form. He can not eat solid food because he has lost all his teeth. They were extracted in the hope of easing the pain in bis face. This pain, although it resembles neuralgia, is not that pure and simple, but is a reflection oi the pain caused by the cancer in the throat. He has been suffering from a severe pain in the right ear and on the top of the head. To ease this h a head is kept wrapped in hot flannels. 1 can not say how near the end is He may live for a month yet, as men suffering from this disease have done, bnt I do not think there is any hope that he will ever recover." Dr. Douglas was asked to describe the condition of his patient He said: "Gen. Grant is a very sick man. His body and hands are greatly emaciated, and he is losing flesh daily. He can not recover from the disease, and his death is only a question of time. He is losing his grip on life, and has not the force and energy to stand up agaiast the many blows to his strength. He may live for weeks or months. The progress of tfig disease may be put in abeyance by natural forces, although at present it is advancing rapidly. It Is not likely that the cancer will choke him. It will kill him bv exhaustion. It is impossible to give him stimulants, as they injure his throat. 1 was seriously alarmed from the first, bnc I thought his condition fair, and that his life might be prolonged for months, until this nlot ration set in. I can not tell how long he will live. It 1b a fatal disease, which will sooner or later terminate life, but when I can not say. It ,tnay be in three months or in six months. I don’t see how it can be beyond six months. “Gen. Grant came to me first on Oct. 22 last, and asked roe to examine his tbroafc. I did so, and saw at once that ne was suffering from a cancer. I did not wish to 1 Tighten him by telling him this, so 1 «*id he had an epithelial trouble. He asked me it it was not a cancer, and I told him the disease was of a cancerous character in a mild form. It probably arose from excessive smoking, combined with other causes.- He had been suueriug from it since Jane. lat once told his family of the nature of the disease, and they know how serious the case is. I think the General also knows it sow. Ho was in the habit of coming down i o see me pretty much every morning. The cancer continued to grow worse, although its growth has not been steady. The hardened part of the cancer Is at the r 6 >t of the tongue ou the riuht side. The ulceration is in the soft palate just above where the tonsils lie. He stopped smoking on Nov. 20, and he did not seem to mid the deprivation of tobacco. At one time he had a severe -pain in the left ear, and that was checked by removing a bad tooth. ’J he dentist found that several other teeth were in a bad condition, and advised their removal, which was done. The loss of these teeth has prevented Gen. Grant irom chewing solid food He eats minced meat, terrapin and other soft food, and has no difficulty in swallowing it. Indeed, he swadows more readily than he did two months ago.. This is probably due to tho fact that the ulceration has relaxed some of the memb anes. Ue takes a good deal of nourishment, although he does not want to eat. as the effect of the disease is to destroy all anpetite. The bad. weather of late has affected him unfavorably. He caught a slight cold. The cancer is what is called a ‘benign cancer.’ and it it were anywhere else on the body we could at least hold it in abeyance. As it is, an operation wonid accomplish no good. It would be quite impossible to cut it out from the root of the tongue.”

Washington, Ga., claims t* have been the first town in America to be named lor the “Father of ; his Country." ' , ,» Gen. Eobebt Toombs la ill at his home in Washington, Go.