Previously unseen autopsy documents regarding the assassinated US President William McKinley show that after the death of the president, a physician conducted bizarre autopsy experiments. These experiments involved the injection of bacteria samples from the wounds of the president into a dog and some rabbits.
The Death of US President WIlliam McKinley
Back on September 6, 1901, President McKinley was shot two times by Leon Czolosz at close range. This was done as Czolosz feigned to shake the late president's hand during the Pan-American Exposition held back then in Buffalo, New York.
The first was able to safely ricochet off a button on the jacket of the president. However, the second one was able to enter the late president's abdomen, piercing his stomach's front and back walls.
McKinley was then brought to a hospital, where Dr. Matthew Man, a gynecological surgeon, did a surgery on the president. After McKinley initially exhibited signs of recovering and getting discharged from the hospital, his condition suddenly got worse.
The president eventually died on September 14. Czolgosz, on the other hand, later received a death sentence by electric chair.
According to doctors, McKinley's cause of death was necrotizing pancreatitis or pancreatic necrosis. This is a condition wherein a portion of the pancreas dies because of chronic infection, insufficient blood flow, or damage.
Health practitioners had criticized Mann for his surgery. Reports even show that he left the bullet inside the president's body and did not do proper cleaning or closing of the wound. This could have led to the necrosis-causing infection.
The lingering of McKinley prior to his death has also sparked rumors back then. People were speculating that the bullets shot by Czolgosz may have been laced with bacteria or poison. There are also conspiracy theorists who think that Czologsz did not work on his own.
To address the speculation, on top of the usual autopsy, a bacteriological examination was also ordered. Dr. Herman Matzinger, a leading blood analysis expert back then, conducted the extra procedures. Dr. Matzinger then concluded that there was no poison and that the necrosis may have been due to the shooting itself and not the surgery.
Injecting Bacteria of the Late US President Into Rabbits and Dogs
This year, the Raab Collection listed some personal papers of Matzinger that were associated with this added examination. The documents include letters, sample receipts, a notebook, telegrams, a memorial service invitation, and an annotated copy of the original report. These have been made available for purchase at $80,000.
While the documents of Matzinger show how the conclusions in the original report were made, the documents were also found to be full of surprises.
Matzinger described in his notebook how he nurtured whitish cultures of bacteria from swab samples that were taken from the wound of the late president. This bacteria was then injected into a dog and some rabbits.
It remains unclear if these animals were Matzinger's pets or if they served as lab animals. It is also a mystery if Matzinger believed that this would shed light on whether the bullet was laced with bacteria or poison.
While the documents do not indicate what happened to the rabbits, Matzinger was able to monitor the dog for the next few days. The doctor noted that the dog's body temperature reached 40 degrees Celsius, which is higher than average for dogs. Matzinger noted that the dog was "acting well" despite this.
The records also show details regarding how Matzinger looked into the bullets and weapons that Czolgosz used and how the doctor examined McKinley's blood to pick up any signs of poison.
With this, the collection of Matzinger sheds light on how the autopsies of esteemed and high-ranking individuals were conducted in the past. Raab representatives explain that such kinds of documents are quite impossible to find, likening them to a treasure.
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