Notes and Queries [excerpt]

The lamented President McKinley would have rallied from the assassin’s bullet and the surgeon’s scalpel had it not been for the thorough undermining of his vital powers by the constant use of tobacco. The bullet was safely removed, the wound was made perfectly aseptic and all things were in his favor—except the lack of normally healthy tissues and healthy blood. His nervous system was too thoroughly undermined to resist the shock and supply the needed reserve force to carry on and complete the healing process. The attending surgeons were confident that their illustrious patient was practically out of danger at the very moment when necrosis of the gastric tissue had set in. They had ignored the one telling factor that really decided the case.