The art and science of the medical field was certainly more art than science in the early 1880s. In another hundred years, the same will probably be said about the state of medicine in the 2000s. We have come a long way in our understanding of sterilization and our technology is much advanced from the 1880s.
It is a shame that President Garfield was assassinated and common sense from our common knowledge wouldn't allow anyone, let alone a President, be treated as Garfield was at that time.
Garfield's assassination is rarely taught in schools anymore. Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated in 1865 but by 1901 two other presidents would join him (Garfield and McKinley). Definitely a tumultuous period of time in our nation's history.
The 'new metal detecting device' as I've read the story was actually one of the first x-ray machines available and the bullet could have in fact been detected had the operators of the machine known how to make proper use of it. Thank you Tara.
One of my favorite narratives from the War Between the States was when General Garfield preached at the Mooresville Church of Christ, one Sunday morning. He was in uniform, and armed soldiers stood guard on either side of the entrance to the church building -- a building that is still standing, and in good condition (just west of Huntsville, AL).
I never knew this part of our history. Medicine is still an art & science. The importance of keeping items clean & sterile was not fully understood until the early 1900s. While these things had been discovered earlier, they were not common practice in 1880.
Several places I have read that they actually believe it was not the assassin's bullet, but the unsterile probing, looking for the bullet, which caused a massive infection that lead to his death.
This was so interesting. I didn’t know much about Garfield except that he was one of our presidents and that he was assassinated. I also enjoy reading the comments and the additional information that is shared.
Tragic and so pointless… and we certainly haven’t learned much since about how to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerously unbalanced people. If anything, with even deadlier , modern weapons readily available, we may have lost ground ( Uvalde 😢 ) .
The art and science of the medical field was certainly more art than science in the early 1880s. In another hundred years, the same will probably be said about the state of medicine in the 2000s. We have come a long way in our understanding of sterilization and our technology is much advanced from the 1880s.
It is a shame that President Garfield was assassinated and common sense from our common knowledge wouldn't allow anyone, let alone a President, be treated as Garfield was at that time.
Thank you Tara.
Garfield's assassination is rarely taught in schools anymore. Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated in 1865 but by 1901 two other presidents would join him (Garfield and McKinley). Definitely a tumultuous period of time in our nation's history.
The 'new metal detecting device' as I've read the story was actually one of the first x-ray machines available and the bullet could have in fact been detected had the operators of the machine known how to make proper use of it. Thank you Tara.
"My name is Charles Guiteau, my name I'll never deny
I shot president Garfield, and for it I must die."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x-Gfeen-b8
James Garfield is a subject of one of the statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol. Hope you don’t mind Tara, if I share the link to my Blog Post about him in my series about the National Statuary Hall Collection. https://dianaerbio.wordpress.com/2018/03/14/statues-the-people-they-salute-james-garfield/
That was a great read! Thanks for sharing.
Of course not! Always happy when you add more info. :)
The desire to serve is virtuous. Lusting for power and prestige is evil. A good test when evaluating any candidate or appointment.
One of my favorite narratives from the War Between the States was when General Garfield preached at the Mooresville Church of Christ, one Sunday morning. He was in uniform, and armed soldiers stood guard on either side of the entrance to the church building -- a building that is still standing, and in good condition (just west of Huntsville, AL).
Betsy Tara Ross there were 3 POTUS in 1841 AND 1881! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Sounds like a good presidential trivia question. :)
I never knew this part of our history. Medicine is still an art & science. The importance of keeping items clean & sterile was not fully understood until the early 1900s. While these things had been discovered earlier, they were not common practice in 1880.
Several places I have read that they actually believe it was not the assassin's bullet, but the unsterile probing, looking for the bullet, which caused a massive infection that lead to his death.
Another story I heard little of over my many years!
Thank you Tara!!
As you commented Tara-a very tragic event.
We take so much for granted today.
This was so interesting. I didn’t know much about Garfield except that he was one of our presidents and that he was assassinated. I also enjoy reading the comments and the additional information that is shared.
Only his last words were lucid.
Tragic and so pointless… and we certainly haven’t learned much since about how to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerously unbalanced people. If anything, with even deadlier , modern weapons readily available, we may have lost ground ( Uvalde 😢 ) .
Always interesting , Thank You , Tara ! 🙏🏻♥️🙏🏻👌