The tragic death of President James Garfield
Summary
TLDRThis script recounts the tragic assassination of President James A. Garfield, a brilliant man born into poverty who rose to the presidency. Despite surviving the initial shooting, Garfield succumbed to infection due to the unsterilized practices of doctors who probed his wounds. The incident led to significant medical reforms and a national unity that bridged the post-Civil War divide. The assassin, Charles Guiteau, was executed, and his delusional belief that he would be celebrated for his act was shattered.
Takeaways
- 🇺🇸 Four U.S. Presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, William McKinley, and James A. Garfield.
- 🏛️ James A. Garfield's assassination is less well-known despite his extraordinary background and achievements.
- 📚 Garfield was born into poverty and worked his way up from janitor to college president, showcasing his brilliant mind.
- 🎓 He was a self-made man who put himself through college and became a professor of literature and ancient languages.
- 🔫 Charles J. Guiteau, the assassin, was a delusional and grandiose office-seeker who had failed at everything he tried.
- 🗓️ Guiteau believed he had a divine message to kill the president, leading to the shooting on July 2, 1881.
- 🚂 The assassination attempt took place at a train station, where Garfield was shot but not immediately killed.
- 🩺 The medical treatment Garfield received was inadequate, with unsterilized fingers and instruments used to probe his wounds.
- 🌐 The lack of belief in germ theory among American doctors at the time contributed to Garfield's eventual death from infection.
- 📡 Alexander Graham Bell's metal detector was used in an attempt to locate the bullet, but the effort was undermined by medical arrogance and misinformation.
- 🕊️ Garfield's death led to positive changes, including the acceptance of antiseptics, civil service reform, and a sense of national unity post-Civil War.
- ⚰️ Guiteau was executed for the assassination, and his last words highlighted the role of the doctors in Garfield's death.
Q & A
Which four US presidents have been assassinated?
-Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, William McKinley, and James A. Garfield.
What is significant about James A. Garfield's background?
-James A. Garfield was born into extreme poverty in a log cabin, and his father died when he was less than two years old. He worked as a janitor and carpenter to put himself through college, and by 26, he had become the president of Hiram College.
What was Garfield's view on the presidency before he became president?
-Garfield saw the presidency as a 'bleak mountain,' knowing it would be a very difficult and lonely position, and he never sought the office.
What was the 'spoils system' mentioned in the script?
-The spoils system was a practice where anyone could petition the president in person for a government job regardless of experience or ability.
Who was Charles Guiteau, and what was his motivation for assassinating Garfield?
-Charles Guiteau was a delusional and grandiose office seeker who had failed at everything he tried. He believed he had a divine inspiration from God to kill the president when his demand for a position was not met.
Why was there no immediate fatality after Garfield was shot by Guiteau?
-The gunshot did not hit Garfield's spinal cord or any vital organs, making the initial injury non-fatal.
What medical practices of the time contributed to Garfield's deteriorating health?
-Doctors at the time did not believe in germs and rejected the use of antiseptics. They inserted unsterilized fingers and instruments into Garfield's wounds, leading to severe infections.
Who was Dr. D. Willard Bliss, and what was his role in Garfield's treatment?
-Dr. D. Willard Bliss was a doctor who took charge of Garfield's treatment. He was described as arrogant and ambitious, and he did not allow second opinions during the 80 days of Garfield's suffering.
What role did Alexander Graham Bell play in the attempt to save Garfield?
-Alexander Graham Bell was called upon to use his newly invented metal detector to locate the bullet inside Garfield. However, the metal springs in Garfield's bed interfered with the detector, and the bullet was not found.
What were the consequences of Garfield's assassination for the medical field and the country?
-The assassination led to the quick acceptance of antiseptics by American doctors, civil service reform, and a sense of unity that helped heal the nation after the Civil War.
What was Charles Guiteau's final realization before his execution?
-Charles Guiteau realized at the very end that he would not be celebrated for killing the president, and he claimed that it was the doctors who murdered Garfield, not him.
Outlines
🎓 The Tragic Presidency of James A. Garfield
This paragraph delves into the life and untimely death of James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States. Born into poverty, Garfield's intellect and determination led him from janitor to college professor and eventually to the presidency. Despite his reluctance to hold the office, which he described as a 'bleak mountain,' Garfield was thrust into the role during a period of political patronage known as the spoil system. His assassination by Charles J. Guiteau, a delusional office-seeker, was a tragedy that could have been avoided. The medical mishandling of his gunshot wound, including the use of unsterilized instruments and fingers, ultimately led to his death from infection. The paragraph also highlights the historical significance of Garfield's death, which catalyzed changes in medical practices and civil service reform.
🔍 The Medical Missteps and Legacy of Garfield's Assassination
The second paragraph focuses on the medical misadventures and the broader impact of President Garfield's assassination. It details the futile and harmful attempts by doctors to locate and remove the bullet without sterilization, reflecting the contemporary disbelief in germ theory. The use of Alexander Graham Bell's metal detector was thwarted by the president's metal-spring bed and the doctors' stubborn refusal to consider the bullet might be on the left side of Garfield's body. Garfield's death on September 19th, 1881, was not from the gunshot but from the medical interventions. The paragraph concludes by reflecting on the positive changes that arose from this tragedy, including the acceptance of antiseptics and civil service reform, and the unification of a divided nation. It also notes the eventual execution of Guiteau, who, in his delusion, believed that he would be celebrated for his actions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Assassination
💡Collective Memory
💡Log Cabin
💡Spoils System
💡Delusional
💡Antiseptics
💡Miasma Theory
💡Civil War Hero
💡Invention of the Telephone
💡Civil Service Reform
💡Healing the Nation
Highlights
Four US presidents have been assassinated, with Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy most remembered, while James A. Garfield remains a historical footnote despite his extraordinary qualities.
James A. Garfield was born into poverty, worked his way up from janitor to assistant professor, and had an extraordinary mind.
Garfield's presidency was unwanted, referring to it as a 'bleak mountain', and he was aware of the spoils system's challenges.
Charles Guiteau, a delusional office seeker, believed divine inspiration told him to kill the president.
The lack of Secret Service and the assassination attempt on Garfield on July 2, 1881.
Doctors' immediate response to Garfield's shooting involved unsterilized fingers and instruments, reflecting the medical practices of the time.
The rejection of antiseptics by American doctors due to the belief in the miasma theory, which attributed disease to bad air.
Cabinet member Robert Todd Lincoln's presence at the assassinations of three US presidents.
Dr. D. Willard Bliss's arrogance and monopoly on Garfield's treatment, dismissing second opinions.
Garfield's suffering due to infection and inability to eat, leading to a drastic weight loss.
Alexander Graham Bell's involvement using his metal detector to locate the bullet, hindered by the president's metal bed frame.
Bliss's willful ignorance in only allowing Bell to search one side of Garfield's body, where the bullet was not.
Garfield's death on September 19, 1881, caused not by the gunshot but by medical mishandling.
The positive outcomes following Garfield's death, including the acceptance of antiseptics and civil service reform.
The assassination and its aftermath brought the country together, healing the deep wounds from the Civil War.
Charles Guiteau's execution and his belief that he would be celebrated for his actions, highlighting his delusional state.
Guiteau's quote blaming the doctors for Garfield's death, reflecting the truth of the medical missteps.
Transcripts
[Music]
of the four US presidents who have been
assassinated two Abraham Lincoln and
John F Kennedy are engraved in our
Collective memory William McKinley had
already been president of full term when
he was murdered at the turn of the 20th
century but James A Garfield in office
less than 4 months when he was shot in
1881 is for most Americans in historical
footnote and that says author Candace
Mard is a great shame he was without
question one of the most extraordinary
men ever elected president he was
absolutely brilliant you know he was
born into incredible poverty in a log
cabin in a log cabin the last of the Log
Cabin presidents his father died before
he was 2 years old and so to put himself
through college his first year he was a
janitor and a carpenter by his second
year they made him assistant professor
of literature and ancient languages by
the time he was 26 he was the schle of
just president it was just one of these
astonishing things he just had a an off
the chart's mind his loss is all the
more heartbreaking Mard writes in her
recent book because Garfield didn't need
to die even after he was shot a civil
war hero and nine-term Congressman
Garfield was drafted by fellow
Republicans to run for president an
office he never sought he called the
presidency a bleak Mountain he knew that
it was going to be very difficult and
lonely position to be in and you know
this is the height of the spoil system
the spoil system under which anyone
could petition the president in person
for a government job regardless of
experience or ability and so could
anyone just show up at the White House
they could they could me he would have
like a hundred office Seekers every day
Charles gateau was one of those office
Seekers delusional and grandiose he
drifted through life this is a man who
had failed at everything he had tried
and he had tried everything you know he
he had tried law he had tried evangelism
he' even tried a free love commune in
the in the 1800s um and he had failed
there too you know the women there had
nicknamed him Charles get out gateau
thought he should be named minister to
France day after day he visited the
White House even meeting Garfield once
but when his demand wasn't met he had
what he believed was a a divine
inspiration a message from God that he
needed to kill the president and you
know this is 16 years after Lincoln's
assassination there's still no secret
service
protection on July 2nd 1881 the
president was scheduled to travel by
train from DC to Massachusetts and so
Gau woke up early that morning and he
went to the train station and he had his
shoes shined and he was ready with his
gun and
his yeah because he was very aware um of
the attention he would be receiving
the president along with two of his sons
arrived at the station so they walk in
Garfield takes just a few steps G steps
out of the shadows and shoots them twice
once in the arm and once in the back but
the gunshot is not fatal it's not it
doesn't hit his spinal cord it doesn't
hit any vital organs within minutes
doctors converged on the Fallen
president using their fingers to poke
and prod his open wounds 12 different
doctors inserted unsterilized fingers
and instruments in Garfield's back
probing for this bullet and the first
examination took place on the train
station floor I mean you can't imagine a
more germ infested environment American
doctors at the time didn't believe germs
existed at all and according to Dr
Jeffrey resck of the National Library of
Medicine they rejected the use of
antiseptics pioneered by Joseph liser
for whom lisine would later be named
liser an Englishman uh embraced this
Theory uh in the early 1860s based upon
the fact that it's germs that cause
disease American doctors did not believe
in the lerian uh Theory because they
subscribed to the miasma Theory bad air
caused disease and illness not germs
germs you couldn't see on the scene at
the train station Cabinet member Robert
Todd Lincoln present at his father's
death 16 years before he would also
witness the murder of McKinley 20 years
later
of the four presidential assassinations
he was um there for three of them a
pretty ghoulish distinction that's right
it's unfortunate it was Lincoln who
summoned Dr D Willard Bliss the D stood
for doctor his actual first name and
Bliss was a uniquely arrogant and
ambitious man and he just took charge
there would be no second opinions for an
excruciating 80 Days made even even
worse by the sweltering Washington
summer Garfield suffered stoically as
his condition worsened he is riddled
with infection at this point he has
these abscesses all through his body and
he was starving to death unable to keep
down the Sumptuous meals he was being
fed the president's weight plunged from
210 lb to
130 in a panic to find the bullets still
lodged in Garfield Bliss called on
Alexander gr Bell yes that Bell the
inventor of the telephone Belle's task
use the metal detector he'd invented to
find the bullet so it could once and for
all be extracted but unbeknownst to Bell
Garfield was lying on a bed made of
metal Springs rare at the time which is
obviously going to affect a metal
detector but worse than that Bliss
believed and had publicly stated that
the bullet was on the right side of the
president's body and he would only let
Belle um examine that part of of the
president's body and of course the
bullet had gone to the
left once again just willful ignorance
you know it's just one of the incredible
dangers of ambition you know and he he
was he he did not want to be proven
wrong President Garfield finally died on
September 19th
1881 the autopsy confirmed bliss's
ignorance President Garfield didn't have
to die uh President Garfield died
because uh of what his doctors did and
what they didn't do but from this
senseless horror came good the use of
antiseptics was quickly accepted by
American doctors civil service reform
was enacted and perhaps even more
significantly one of the most important
things that happened is it really
brought the country together for the
first time since the Civil War it
connect to the North and the South it
did it did it healed this deep deep deep
wound because there was this this this
common sorrow and this this
understanding of of
loss as for the man who shot the
president Charles gateau would be hanged
only aware at the very end that he would
not be celebrated for killing the
president there's a quote in your book
from Gau where he says something like
it's the doctors that murdered Garfield
that's right he said you know I yes I
shot him but his doctors killed him this
insane person actually says something
sane that's right and it's true
unfortunately it's it's absolutely
true
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