doctors at lincoln's bedside

[Leon Greene]

(02-25-2018 06:42 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  

(02-25-2018 05:55 PM)Leon Greene Wrote:  I suspect that your last suggestion was correct - no one wanted to take responsibility for this rather gruesome technique that had a very high death rate.

I'll never forget the day Kennedy was shot. We were watching the TV when my brother-in-law, who was a young doctor at the time,remarked;

"I'd hate to be the intern on duty when they came in the door wheeling the president. I'd probably be hiding in the restroom."

I'll bet they all felt that way.

Yet, medically speaking the odds you quoted of surviving the procedure were higher than I would have guessed. Especially, when you're looking at a 100% certainty.

A friend of mine (he is now deceased) WAS the resident on duty when Kennedy was brought to the hospital in Dallas, and a movie was made of his experience - "Parkland." You're right; it isn't someplace anyone wants to be.

[Steve]

I'm reposting this post from another thread. I thought it might be of more use here for people looking up old threads in the future and were specifically looking for information on the doctors treating Lincoln.

(04-28-2021 04:48 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Many thanks to Steve Williams for sending this account. Steve writes, "It's part of an undated account by Dr. Ezra W. Abbott of his actions during the night of the assassination. Unfortunately the auction site that sold the original letter only posted images of two pages (1st and 3rd?) of the four page account. It may have been written for a talk he gave

https://historical.ha.com/itm/autographs...14-61117.s

Dr. Abbott says that he was in Ford's Theatre during the assassination. He describes heading down stairs and then heading around the box, which would indicate Abbott had been sitting in the Family Circle. His description of Laura Keene already in the box by the time he got there would indicate that he got to the box well after Drs. Taft and King had entered the box. From the lack of description of his involvement in the care of Lincoln in the box, it's possible they were already preparing to move the President by the time he arrived at the box. He does say that he was one of six people to carry Lincoln across to Petersen House."

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Although Dr. Abbott lists himself as one of those who carried the stricken President to the Petersen House, I have seen accounts in which Abbott is not listed at all. I know he is the doctor who kept track of Lincoln's pulse readings during the long night.