doctors at lincoln's bedside

[loetar44]

Overview of ALL medical doctors in attendance at the bedside of president Lincoln when he was dying. The identity of ALL the medical men at the bedside where he lay for nine hours before his death was difficult to determine, for the reason that “nearly every doctor then in the city of Washington” (according to Dr. C. S. Lamb, at that time a resident, but then not at home), was in the room at some time during the night. Dr. Leale. stated that many unknown to him were allowed to feel the pulse but none of them touched the wound.

Please be so kind to inform me if you have additions, corrections or deletions.


A: PHYSICIANS PRESENT IN THE STATE BOX AT FORD’S THEATRE

(1) Charles A(ugustus) Leale (March 26, 1842 – June 13, 1932); M.D., Bellevue Hospital Medical College, 1865; appointed Assistant Surgeon, U. S. Volunteers, April 8, 1865. The first physician to reach Lincoln and in charge until the arrival of Lincoln's family physician Dr. Stone. Leale remained with Lincoln until the president’s death. Restored AL’s airway, breathing, and circulation, to improve AL’s life chance and assisted carrying AL across the street to the Petersen House (held Lincoln’s head).

(2) Charles S(abin) Taft (Aug 1835 – Dec 18, 1900); M.D., surgeon in charge at the Signal Corps Camp of Instruction at Red Hill, Georgetown; Acting Assistant Surgeon, United States Army. The second physician to reach Lincoln (is often placed third because his personal account intimates so). He climbed on the stage and was assisted by members of the audience up to the box, which he entered by climbing over the rail.Taft was active in the artificial respiration measures of AL. Assisted carrying AL across the street to the Petersen House (held Lincoln’s right shoulder).

(3) Albert F(reeman) A(fricanus) King (Jan 18, 1841- Dec 13, 1914); M.D., Columbia Medical College, 1861; University of Pennsylvania, 1865; Acting Assistant Surgeon, United States Army. The third physician to reach Lincoln ((is often placed second); was active in the artificial respiration measures of AL. Observations of the pulse and respiration were noted down by Dr. King at AL’s bedside. Assisted carrying AL across the street to the Petersen House (held Lincoln’s left shoulder).


B: : PHYSICIANS PRESENT AT FORD’S THEATRE
(but doubtful if they were in the State Box)

(4) C(harles) D(avenport) Gatch (1841- Oct 27, 1870); M.D. , served through the war with the armies of General Rosecrans. The fourth physician to reach Lincoln' s box (following his own account the third). Was together with his brother Capt. Oliver Cross Gatch (in uniform) in the dress circle of Ford’s. According to Oliver’s own statements they were asked to the State Box, were Charles came to the conclusion that AL’s injury was fatal. According to Oliver he helped carry the president to the Petersen House, but this is doubtful, because this is not mentioned in any other accounts. The brothers Gatch were almost certainly also not present in the state box, since they are mentioned neither by Leale nor by Taft. Dr. Gatch certainly had no active role in treating president Lincoln. The Gatch brothers’ story (if true) ended when Lincoln was removed from Ford's Theatre.

(5) George B(rainard) Todd (Apr. 30, 1834 – Sep 20 1874); M. D. , served at the end of the war on the Monitor "Montauk” and was at Ford's Theater on the 14th of April, 1865. In a letter addressed to his brother he describes what happened that night and was given a note by an unknown general and told to go to the nearest telegraph office to inform the nation. Dr. Todd had no active role in treating president Lincoln.

(6) Samuel A. Sabin (Sep 20, 1830 – Apr 3, 1871); M.D.; medical division Michigan University, 1857, first surgeon of the Ninth New York Heavy Artillery (Aug 1862 – Jan 1865); practicing in Palmyra, N.Y.; was present in Ford’s and witnessed the assassination. He wrote a letter to his wife Florence the following day, describing what he saw in Ford's Theater: “….someone said, "The president is shot," and, thinking there would be no surgeon at hand I might be of service, I ran immediately to the president's box. When I got there, of course, I found everything in the utmost confusion, some calling for one thing, some for another. As soon as I saw the wound, I saw there was no hope, and another surgeon [Leale] had stated the same previously….I did not accompany the body across the street as I might have done, dreading to be called as a witness when there should be an investigation.”

C: PHYSICIANS IN ATTENDANCE AT THE PETERSEN HOUSE
(in addition to Leale, Taft and King)
BTW: it took ca. 20 to 30 minutes to carry AL from the state box to Petersen’s House.

(7) William M(orrow) Notson (Feb 1836 – Jun 23, 1882) ; M.D.; Jefferson Medical College, 1861. Medical Officer, Maj. Surg. 1876; U. S. Army, 1862-1882; Brev. Capt. 1863 for gallantry and meritorious service at Gettysburg; Dr. Notson left service after the battle of Fairfield and resided in Washington, D.C. “The 6th United States Cavalry in the Civil War” says: “He was one of the officers who attended the president from the theater across the street to Mr. Petersen’s house”. Lt. MacLermont of the 11th New York Cavalry recalled that Notson sent for brandy to "revive" AL. MacLermont pulled off AL’s boots and opened the back window for some fresh air. Dr. Norton ordered the room to be cleared of every one under the rank of major. During the night Dr. Notson treated also Seward and wounded members in Seward's chamber. After AL’s passing Dr. Notson attended the autopsy, but his participation was interrupted to again attend Seward.

(8) Charles H(enry) L. Liebermann (Sep 15, 1813 – March 27, 1886, came to the U.S. early in 1840); M.D., University of Berlin, 1838. Washington physician (practicing at Pennsylvania Ave.); professor of Surgery University of Georgetown 1849-1853 and 1857-1861, President of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia. Was (one of) the first physicians who arrived at the Petersen House. He removed a lock of hair from the area of Lincoln's head near the wound.

(9) Charles M(ason) Ford (Jun. 15, 1840 - Feb. 15, 1884); M.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1861. Arrived at Petersen’s House after Dr. Liebermann and before Dr. Stone. During the greater part of the night, the pulsations were counted by Dr. Ford and noted by Dr. King.

(10) Robert K(ing) Stone (Dec 11, 1822 – April 23, 1872); M.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1845. Family physician of the Lincolns (from their arrival in Washington in 1861) and in charge at AL’s death bed from the time of his arrival at the Petersen House (when Leale gave control over). He arrived according to Leale “about 20 minutes after we had placed him [AL] in bed in the House of Mr. Peterson" (according to Stone himself, he arrived at about 10:15 pm, but this can’t be true; Lieberman and Ford arrived earlier, possibly also Notson).

(11) Joseph K. Barnes (July 21, 1817 – April 5, 1883); M.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1838; 12th Surgeon General of the United States Army (1864–1882). Barnes arrived much later than Stone; he was first in attendance on Secretary Seward (until a few minutes after 11:00 pm). It’s unclear Barnes took charge over from Stone (discrepancies between Leale's two accounts as well as between the accounts of Taft and Leale).

(12) Charles H(enry) Crane (July 19, 1825 – October 10, 1883); M.D. ; Harvard, 1847, assistant to Dr. Barnes, medical inspector of prisoners-of-war (Crane was Surgeon General, U. S. Army, 1882-1883) and arrived with him; Col. Crane had charge of AL’s head "during a great part of the time”.

(13) Ezra (W.) Abbott (April 28, 1819 – March 21, 1884); M.D.; homeopathic physician of Concord, N.H. He made a detailed record, at generally five-minute intervals (from 11:00 pm to 7:20 am) of Lincoln's condition and some other events which took place during the last hours (not to be confused with the pulse and respiration table of Ford and King). He preserved a section of the sleeve from Lincoln’s coat, cut away in search of the fatal bullet wound. It was said that he was one of the men who carried the mortally wounded president from Ford’s Theatre.

(14) James Crowdhill Hall (1805 -1880 – in some accounts “Neal Hall” and J. C. Hall); M.D.; University of Pennsylvania, 1827; he was at AL’s deathbed for only a (very) short moment, but in his opinion AL’s true condition was that “the president was dead to all intents, although he might live three hours or perhaps longer".

(15) John F(rederick) May (May 19, 1812 – May 1, 1891); M.D., Columbian Medical College, 1834; Washington physician. Dr. May made a positive identification of the body of John Wilkes Booth, when a formal inquest was held aboard the U.S.S. Montauk, based upon the recognition of the scar made by his scalpel, when he removed two years earlier a fibroid tumor from the back of JWB’s neck. Reports say that he was a short moment at the bedside of AL. No further info is known.

(16) Lyman B(eecher) Todd (April 1832 – May 1902); M.D. , Jefferson Medical School, Philadelphia,1854. A (half) cousin (of Lexington, Ky.) and close friend of Mary Todd Lincoln. He was at the deathbed of President Lincoln, but there are no further details known.

(17) Ashbel Woodward (Jun. 26, 1804 - Dec. 20, 1885); M.D.; for many years president of Connecticut Medical Society; no further identification known. Immediately after the removal of Lincoln’s body (from Petersen’s House), Hermann Faber, a medical artist on duty at the Army Medical Museum, entered the room where the president had died and made a sketch, which he showed to Dr. Woodward who provided details of the position of those present at the time of Lincoln’s demise, so “a Dr. Woodward” was there. Drs. Woodward and Barnes approved the accuracy of Faber’s sketch, but was this Ashbel Woodward or Janvier Woodward, who, along with Dr. Edward Curtis, performed the autopsy on President Lincoln? Faber and Janvier Woodward were no strangers to each other …. However, there is no supporting evidence that Janvier Woodward was actually at AL’s bedside….


D: PHYSICIANS PRESENT AT LINCOLN’S AUTOPSY
(in addition to Barnes, Crane, Stone, Taft and Notson)

Nine men were present for the autopsy: Barnes, Crane, Stone, Taft, Notson, Gen. Rucker of the Army’s Quartermaster Dept., Lincoln’s friend Orville H. Browning and the doctors:

(18) J(oseph) Janvier Woodward (Oct 30, 1833 – Aug. 17, 1884); M.D.; University of Pennsylvania, 1853; Woodward performed -and wrote reports on- the autopsies of both Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth (he also attended to president Garfield after he was shot). Was one of the two doctors / pathologists who performed the autopsy, together with:

(19) Edward G(eorge) Curtis (Jun. 4, 1838 - Nov. 28, 1912); M.D.; College of Physicians and Surgeons,New York, 1864; Army Surgeon, 1863-1870. He was Woodward's assistant at the Army Medical Museum from 1864 to 1870. Aided Woodward at AL’s autopsy.


E. PHYSICIANS CERTAINLY NOT IN ATTENDANCE
(however still mentioned in some documentation)

(20) D(octor) Willard Bliss (Aug 18, 1825 – Feb 21, 1889); M.D.; Cleveland Medical College, 1849; commander of the Armory Square Hospital in 1865. From Dr. Charles A. Leale’s Report (1867) on the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln: “I asked again to have the Surgeon General and Dr Stone sent for, also sent a special messenger for Surgeon D. W. Bliss then in command of Armory Square Hospital”. Dr. Bliss never attended Lincoln. Dr. Bliss was the M.D. who treated president James A. Garfield after his mortal wounding from a gunshot in July 1881 (now seen as a “mistreatment”).

(21) Anderson R(uffin) Abbott (Apr. 7, 1837 – Dec 29, 1913), M.D.; Toronto School of Medicine, 1861; first Canadian person of color to be licensed physician; participated in the CW as a civilian assistant surgeon (one of eight) in the Union army. Later, he acted as a civilian surgeon in several Washington, DC, hospitals that served Union forces. Became popular in Washington society, resulting in a “friendly relationship between him and the president”. Some claimed that he was at AL’s deathbed when he accompanied Elizabeth Keckley to the Petersen House. (true or untrue?) Anderson Abbott was never at AL’s bedside. People who say he was, have confused him with Dr. Ezra W. Abbott (see 13). Following Lincoln's assassination, Mary Todd Lincoln bestowed on Abbott the plaid shawl Lincoln wore to his first inauguration.