Death of Lincoln 150

[RJNorton]

(04-21-2015 10:56 AM)LincolnToddFan Wrote:  It is truly miraculous that Seward survived that night.

Hi Toia. I wrote Dr. Blaine Houmes about this. He replied and also indicated I could post his reply. Thank you, Blaine!!

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There were a total of 4-5 splints sequentially used on Mr. Seward. The initial one was a cloth bandage tied from his chin to the top of his head. He couldn't tolerate it, so his physicians (before they consulted Dr Thomas Gunning from New York City) attempted to use wire sutures around his upper and lower teeth, to hold his mouth at least partially closed. This is what was in place when Powell arrived. I have little knowledge about a metal "back support" and I have always believed it was the back of the bed frame that caused the sparks from Powell's knife. He needed to be propped up because his right shoulder was also broken from the carriage accident and back then (and often today) treatment including allowing gravity to help with fracture healing. You let the arm essentially dangle or place the patient in an arm sling with some gravity tension holding the arm in place. About 2-3 years ago I was researching in the Huntington Library and was allowed to examine the knife with a magnifying glass. No nicks in the blade, and no obvious blood stains. They wouldn't let me bring a forensic light in to examine it for stains, however. So much for the advancement of science and history....

After Powell's assault, and recognizing the failure of their attempts, the physicians and family called in Dr. Gunning. He was widely experienced at that time and even today is considered the "father" of dental prosthetics. He even treated himself successfully in 1862 when he sustained a broken jaw after being thrown from a horse. Gunning wanted to immediately place a different type of splint, but Seward's family, friends, and physicians were resistant, considering the failure of previous attempts, so he left April 17th. Ten days later (April 28) they called him back, as Seward's face was swelling and the right side of his face was numb--swollen to the point that he couldn't even move his right eye. Think infection. Gunning lanced Seward's face, drained all the pus (the human mouth is as dirty as the other end), and initially placed silk and wire sutures. Incidentally, there is no record of any anesthetic given. Lincoln had such a bad case of dental phobia he used to take his own supply of chloroform when he went for a dental appointment. Five days after that Gunning cleansed the wound and put in new sutures which he later replaced them with a "dental appliance." This was a type of rubber splint covering his teeth and the inside of the upper and lower mouth (with holes to drain saliva), secured by cloth ties around Mr. Seward's face, to the back of the top and lower scalp. Dr. Gunning replaced the appliance with others in July and then in September/October. Years later Gunning had a little cottage industry going, giving lectures and publishing journal articles on how he successfully treated the Secretary of State.

William Seward was lucky to survive.