Description of Walter Reed's final illness, by [Emilie Lawrence Reed], [1922?] |
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1 A month prior to Dr. Reed's last
illness on his home-coming in
the evening I would be shocked
with the impress that his day's
work had made upon him,--
as he sat opposite me at din-
ner and I looked upon his
worn face it seemed as if
time was daily adding years
instead of hours to his life-
He complained so often of wea-
riness both mentally & physically
and to lecture seemed such a
difficult task. I remember
one night just before going
to the Columbia Lecture Hall
that he took his manuscript
and as he scanned the pages
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he shook his head and
remarked to me, "I can't
realize that I wrote this
lecture, it is utterly beyond
my mental capacity now-"
Indeed so changed was he
at home where he took the priv-
ilege to make known his real
feelings that I felt there was
some impending calamity-
Before his friends he exerted
himself to keep up his usual
flow of spirits and it was only
to his faithful old messenger
at the museum did he give
vent to his feelings, saying
"Beechner, I am a sick man".
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On Wednesday the 12th of Nov.
he returned from his Office
earlier than usual & remarked
that he had eaten something
for lunch that had disagreed
with him & he felt so badly
that he did not go to his
lecture [that night] - The next morning
he remained in bed till
about eleven o'clock & then
went out, but still complaining.
Both on Wednesday & Thursday
he had one or two of the Doctor, [his medical]
friends to examine him, but
they all agreed that I it was
not his appendix that was crea-
ting the trouble though the
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pain really caused him to limp.
On Friday in the early after-
noon Dr. Borden of [who is] the Army
expert on appendecitis again
examined him & found the
appendix sensitive & brought
him home in his Carriage
& ordered him to take his
bed- He called that night
at 10 o'clock found Dr. Reed
in considerable pain though
his temperature was not
excessive & his pulse good-
All through the night he com-
plained of pain & had a rest-
less night- Through out Saturday
he was comfortable & Dr. B
thought he would be well
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enough to be operated on by
the following Wednesday.
Saturday night was a most
restful one & Sunday morning
found him so bright that
I told him I thought the
little stay in bed had done
him much good- His tem-
perature was almost normal
& he insisted upon having
some solid food for break-
fast saying that he felt
well enough to eat some
waffles (his favorite Sunday
morning bread) but of course
I denied him anything
but the liquid diet prescribed- He sat up in bed
most of the day, read his
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papers, talked of the improve-
ments we were to make at
our Summer home in the
Spring, what we would
plant in the garden etc.
Took much pleasure in
seeing his friends and
indeed seemed more like
himself than he had for
weeks. That evening about
eight o'clock I noticed
that he pulled [tucked] the sheet
snugly around him & when I
question him, he confessed
that he felt chilly- I imme-
diately phoned for Dr. Borden
& upon taking his temperature
he found that it had gone
up- Dr. Borden called in
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Dr. J. R. Kean of the Army whose
appartment was near ours &
they agreed that an operation
was necessary in the [next] morning.
I did not close my eyes
in sleep that night and
I feel that he did not either
but the night passed in
silence- I was not brave
enough to speak and
if he was in pain he
gave no evidence of it-
Early the next morning
he was taken to the
Army Hospital at Washing
ton Barracks, but he in-
sisted upon walking from
his bed room to the front door
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and stopped in the library
sat down at his desk &
wrote out a check. He was operated on at about
noon- temperature & pulse both
normal- Just before going
upon the operating table he
took his dear friend Dr. Kean
to one side & said to him,
"Kean I am not afraid of
the knife, but if any thing
should happen I am leaving
my wife & daughter so little",
and as he went under the in-
fluence of the ether his last
words were, "so little, so little".
The Drs. were surprised to
find things in so serious
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a condition, a rupture taking
place during the operation-
The after effects of the ether were
most distressing and his
gave way entirely. Dr. Borden said
he had never seen a woman
more hysterical- I had been under treatment
for nervousness for several months
at the time that Dr. was taken
ill and he realizing my con-
dition prefered that I post-
pone my visits till he was
better able to controll himself,
so I only saw him for
just a moment, twice while
during the fatal week. Even
those moments were thoughts
of me, and his greeting
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was, "sweetheart this is no
place for you". And the second- "Darling stay
away till I send for you".
That was all -- God alone
knows what anguish it
was to stay away, but Dr.
Borden said he was too ill
to take any risks. I feel that I know so
little concerning him that
last week and when the
end came I was so ill
that the Dr. [a physician] was constantly
with me- Our little daughter
was taken into the room for
a few hours before his death
but if he was conscious of
his condition he did not
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let her know it- He had often told me
that he did not like
death-bed scenes and he
was spared that agony, con-
sequently I have been willing
to add the crushing sorrow
of that week's separation to
my heavy burdens feeling that
in some slight way I shared
them- The care & devotions
of his brother medical of-
ficers was beautiful, and
I know that all that med-
ical skill & faithful nur-
sing could do not done
for him- and as
Bishop Lawrence of Mass.
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so beautifully said to me,
"Let us feel that the
Master had still greater
work for him to do,
and He took him"- |
