General Henry Madill's Wounds Are Assessed By His Surgeon Brother

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A wonderful end of war-date Union surgeon's letter written Surg. William A. Madill, 20th New York Cavalry, 3p. quarto, Richmond, Virginia, May 2, 1865, with cover addressed to his brother Thomas, and reads in part: "…I have since felt very uneasy in regard to Henry's [bvt. brig. general Henry Madill was severely wounded during the fall of Petersburg on April 2, 1865] present condition. The symptoms described are certainly bad ones, and I fear the result. I would have told from the symptoms that spirits was the trouble. Don't give them you will find in every case they do injury. My experience has taught me to give them with the greatest of care. It is a singular fact, that a man in this country can't stand opium. I have seen death caused by an ordinary dose, in several instances. The depression is great, and a man with a draining gunshot cannot stand the after depression. Thousands of men have been killed with their use. …Henry I am certain can't stand morphine…I would not allow him to have access to morphine or any other anodyne, without the proper orders. The bilious condition of which you speak, should receive the greatest care for upon the condition of the liver depends very much the bowels are certainly more or less torpid, and stools are obtained more from the gravity of fecal matter than by the hermicular motion and the proper secretion of fluids. Hence the use of the syringe occasionally, also some mild cathartics are necessary, because I don't believe there is any discharge of matter from above the rectum. A Billious attack is very bad and does much injury and may produce diarrhea, which in the present condition of the bowels would certainly prove fatal. I have seen so many cases of the kind and know exactly how they operate. If you are obliged to use morphine, inject it, you will find the effect much better…a much smaller quantity is required to produce the desired effect. I am almost fully satisfied that the ball is in the region of the stomach, hence this vomiting at stated periods…" VG.

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$General Henry Madill\'s Wounds Are Assessed By His Surgeon Brother$