Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice MillardMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Although he only served a short time I’ve found the story of James Garfield and his tragic ending a fascinating story. I first came along the story of his assassination thru “Assassination Vacation” by Sarah Vowell which led me later to a more in depth biography in “Garfield” by Allan Peskin. This book focuses though primarily on his assassination and the events and people involved.
The largest part of the book seems to focus on the archaic medical care that played a large part in his eventual death after being shot. Garfield had been shot on July 2, 1881 but didn’t die until September 19, 1882 from massive infections. The concept of germs was still new although it was widely accepted in Europe was still not accepted in the American medical profession. It didn’t help that he was under the care of an egomaniac, Dr. Willard Bliss, who micromanaged the President’s care that wouldn’t allow for any dissenting or differing opinions. Dr. Bliss and others probed the President with unsterilized fingers and other instruments that only worsened infection. Even when famed inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, tried to locate the bullet with a device he tirelessly worked to create told that Bell he could only look where Bliss thought the bullet was. Later when the autopsy it was done the bullet was nowhere near where Dr. Bliss thought it was.
Meanwhile the assassin Charles Guiteau was sitting a jail cell wondering when General Sherman was going to come rescue him and thank him as he too was a Republican “stalwart”. Obviously that didn’t happen. Charles had been seeking a government job because he felt deserved one because he wrote a speech stumping for Garfield the year before. Those were still the days of the “spoils” system where with each new President was usually barraged with those seeking jobs. Guiteau took his quest to the level of harassment and stalking. After months of this he finally decides to kill the President after he had a dream he believed to be from God. He decided that “If the President was out of the way everything would go better.”
The bulk of the book towards the end tells of the care, if you could call it that, he received in the hands of his doctor who either out of egotistical pressure or ignorance of proper care perhaps contributed to eventual death of the President. Even though the knowledge of dangerous microbes and the practice of sterilization were accepted by the medical community in Europe it had yet to gain much acceptance in the United States.
I was a little disappointed that Charles Guiteau’s afterward seemed to receive lighter coverage by the author in comparison. It would seem the Candice Millard didn’t want to focus too much on the assassin too much. The account of trial she does include makes it sound like a circus rival any in the modern day. Even though Guiteau tried to plead insanity he was still found guilty and hanged nearly a year to the day of him shooting the President.
I do recommend this if you’re looking more about President James Garfield, his assassination and why he didn’t die until months after his shooting. It does give fair amount biographical information about the President but the main focus obviously is about the assassination itself.
Other suggested titles:
Garfield: A Biography by Allan Peskin (1978)
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (2005)
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