placed on his back. While holding his face upward and
keeping his head from rolling to either side, I looked at his elevated
knees caused by his great height. This uncomfortable position grieved
me and I ordered the foot of the bed to be removed. Dr. Taft and Dr.
King reported that it was a fixture. Then I requested that it be
broken off; as I found this could not satisfactorily be done, I had
the President placed diagonally on the bed and called for extra
pillows, and with them formed a gentle inclined plane on which to rest
his head and shoulders. His position was then one of repose.

The room soon filled with anxious people. I called the officer and
asked him to open a window and order all except the medical gentlemen
and friends to leave the room. After we had given the President a
short rest I decided to make a thorough physical examination, as I
wished to see if he had been wounded in any other part of the body. I
requested all except the surgeons to leave the room. The Captain
reported that my order had been carried out with the exception of Mrs.
Lincoln, to whom he said he did not like to speak. I addressed Mrs.
Lincoln, explaining my desire, and she immediately left the room. I
examined the President's entire body from his head to his feet and
found no other injury. His lower extremities were very cold and I sent
the Hospital Steward, who had been of great assistance to us in
removing the President from the theatre, to procure bottles of hot
water and hot blankets, which were applied. I also sent for a large
sinapism and in a short time one very nicely made was brought. This I
applied over the solar-plexus and to the anterior surface of his body.
We arranged the bed clothes nicely and I assigned Dr. Taft and Dr.
King to keep his head upon the pillows in the most comfortable
position, relieving each other in this duty, after which I sent an
officer to notify Mrs. Lincoln that she might return to her husband;
she came in and sat on a chair placed for her at the head of the bed.

As the symptoms indicated renewed brain compression, I again cleared
the opening of clotted blood and pushed forward the button of bone,
which acted as a valve, permitted an oozing of blood and relieved
pressure on the brain. I again saw good results from this action.

After doing all that was professionally necessary, I stood aside for a
general view and to think what to do next. While thus watching several
army officers anxiously ask