Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 141, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 December 1903 — DOCTOR ISRAEL B. WASHBURN DEAD. [ARTICLE]

DOCTOR ISRAEL B. WASHBURN DEAD.

Bis Death Occurred Suddenly Friday Evening At Valparaiso. \ c. liter a Surgical Operation Made Necessary by a Previous Lamentable Oversight ✓ Again Rensselaer and Jasper bounty have suffered the loss of Mieir oldest practicing physician. Dr. Israel B. Washburn has suddenly been called away, just at that period when his many years of practice, and his profound studies •f medical and surgioal science should have given him yet many years of usefulness. Bis death occurred late Friday •vening, Dee. 11th, 1903, at Dr. Loring’s hospital, in Valparaiso. He attended the meeting •f the Kankakee Valley Medical Association at Hammond, Tuesday, and from there accompanied Dr. Loring, president of the Associa lion to Valparaiso, and was operated upon by him Thursday a. m. The operation seemed to be suosessful, and Friday his daughter Mary, of Chicago, who was by his side, sent word home that he was doing very satisfactorily. A few hours latter came thq sad intelligence that he had suddenly expired. He had previously been subjected to two surgical operations, .in | Chicago, for supposed gall stones. The last of these two was performed nearly two years ago and seemed entirely successful .Afterwards however, he was subject to sharp pains when in certain positions, and finally to abscesses in his hip. These he himself attributed to infection from some foreign substances left in the abdomenal cavity at the operation, probably as he thought the threads used in sewing the wound. When the operation was performed at

Valparaiso, this view was confirmed, except that the stance was a pair of surgical forceps, left there by some t rrible oversight, by the hospital internes who assisted the physician who performed the operation. It was, beyond doubt, this forceps whioh made this third operation necessary, and was thus the actual, if indirect cause of his death. The forceps were found adhering to the liver and were much corroded. They were 5f inches in length.

The doctor remained conscious until about seven o’clock, Friday evening, and seemingly with fair prospects of rallying from the operation, but at seven o’clock he suddenly expired from heart failure. The previous operation at whioh the foroeps were left, was performed by the celebrated surgeon, Dr. Fenger, now deceased. The family do not ascribe the fault to him however, but to the hospital internes whose duty it was to attend to the dressing of the wound, and to look after the surgical instruments used. The body arrived on the 11 o’clock train, last Saturday accompanied by the daughter Mary and son Dr. I. M. Washburn, and was taken at once to the home- on West South street, where the Stricken wife and other sop and daughter Warren, and Helena awaited it.