Dr. Mackenzie's Book.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 316, 14 November 1888, Page 4

Dr. Mackenzie's Book.

Thi:? looked-for information concerning the lasfe illness and death of Frederick 111. was given to the public on Monday, October 16th. The German booksellers ordered 75,000 copies: but the American newspapers who contracted for the exclushe publication of the work in their localities declared theii agieement 'soid, in view of the fact that extracts published in advance impaired the commercial value of the matter and abrogated the stipulation of exclusjiveness, the foundation of the contract. This and other c.iuses, have thrown Dr. Mackenzie, according to the London "Sunday Times," into a condition ot great mental excitement/. The New York "Bun" published the full text, on which the doctor cabled to the paper that the abstracts from his book, distributed to the New York "Herald," and &uch other journals as avcio willing to take them by the London Central News Company, had been stolen by "unscrupulous rutiians," and were quite unintelligible without the numerous illustrations which the robber had nob the opportunity to fetch. Dr. Mackenzie will suo the News Company and the papers subscribing to it. Summaiised, the book plainly charges Frederick's German physicians with both incapacity and brutality. Proiessor Ger hardt is charged with causing the canceious complication, and Bergman n is held responsible for the Emperor's death, by his clumsiness when, in the operation on the invalid's throat, he forced a talse passage through the trachea, from which fatal symptoms soon developed. But for this blunder. Mackenzie asserts that the Emperor would have lived at least two months longer. The doctor also accuses Bismarck ot eilorts to entrap him. Interesting detail* ate given of the fortitude with which the Crown Prince boie his sufferings. After the first consultation. Dr. Mackenzie learned that the Princu always attributed tho oiigin of his illne&s to a cold con U acted in 1886 while drivingono evening with the King and Queen of Italy. The coachman lost his way ; the Crown Prince had no groat coat with him, and felt chilly ; in fact, felt as it he had taken a cold. He told Dr. Mackenzie that he never was quite well after that evening.

THE OTHER SIDE. The London^ " Daily Telegraph " of October 14bh prints an interview with Dr. Beigmann, in which he sayy that he will take no notice of the charges Dr. Mackenzie makes against himself and the other German surgeons who attended the Emperor. The official roport published condemns Mackenzie'^ every word. A copy of thia, translated into English, will bo publibhed throughout the length and breadth of Epgland. Bergmann considers Mackenzie's defence arranfc nonsense, and the German physicians do not hesitate to say his treatment of the Emperor' amounted to malpractice, inasmuch as both' his diagnosis and treatment displayed ignorance of medicine in general. He declares that Mackenzie's whole knowledge of anatomy and pathology begins and onds in the larynx. Virchow'B posb \ mortem clearly ' established t the fact I that Tobold, Gerhardt, and himself were I all correct in their diagnoses, t and t fchafo I

Mackenzie allowed the opportunity of ar-i resting the disease to slip away. Had an' operation beon made on the Crown Prince in May as he (Bergmann), wished tho,; Emperor might be alive now. Misplaced confidence of the Emperor and his consort in Dr. Mackenzie brought Frederick' to his grave, tn regard to Di\ Mackenzie's statement that Bergmann opened the patient's trachea throe millimetres to the, right, of tho line, the German doctor said ' emphatically, "Itia a lie !" adding that the, 'cut was made exactly in the middle, and that Mackenzie himself pronounced the' operation a good one. Borgmnnn concludes with the remark that " Dr. Mackoimo's lios have short logs." Forty thousand copies of the book wove seized in Leipsic by tho police. The bo^k is not allowed to be sold in Berlin. The police soized all copies exposed for sale there. Somi-ollicial Gorman papers abuse Mackenzie's book in unmeasured terms, bub do not attempt to refute his statements. Tho book was placed on sale in London, October 15th, and many thousands weie Bold in a iow horns. The publishers ,'issert that ex-Enipiot-> Victoria road all ihe proof -bbeet« ot ihe book beiore it was printed. Virchow and Waldeyer have &iened a document declaring that Ihe pi olocol utter the post mortem examination on tho lemains ot Fiedouok did mol mention an übeco.^ in tho cum by of tliu trachea, and that none existed. The ti&su^s in wiiich Mackenzie asserts Borgmann made a l.dpe passn-:o woiv. normal and nob cicatribcd. Protestor Bcigmann does not object to fighting a duel with Dr. Macken/Ao.