THE LATE SIR MORELL MACKENZIE
[To the Editor of the SrEemtroa.] SIR,—Four weeks after the death of his father—July, 1888— the German Kaiser caused an 'official report of the illness and death of his father, Kaiser Friedrich, to be published. The book printed in the Reichsdriickerei, Berlin; is entitled ': Die Krankheit Kaiser Friedrichs nach amtlichen Quellen und den im KeinigIichen Hausministerium niedergelegten Berichten der Aerzte : Bardeleben, v. Bergmann, Bratnann, Gerhardt, Kussmaul, Landgraf, Moritz Schmidt, Schrlitter, To bold, Waldeyer. The facts and dates were taken from the official sources and the documents of the medical attendants. The English medical Press and medical societies of rank at that time took the part of the German cicictors. This fact led me to expect that the inaccurate • version given by Dr. Irwin Moore in a recent issue of the • Spectator would be set right by some English medical authority. As this has not been done so far, I beg you to publish the following :--
It is an undeniable fact that the German doctors diagnosed that the Crown Prince was suffering from cancer of the larynx on May 20th, 1887. Then Mackenzie was called, who rejeeted this diagnosis and guaranteed that he would heal the diseak without an* operation. On the strength of this verdict the immediate -operation was deferred—and a year later Kaiser Friedrich died of cancer of the larynx. Prince Wilhelm used
a 1 his influence to support the German doctors and save his father's lifr ti rough an immediate operation. The subsequent development , roved him to be in the right.
Mackenzie's position is absolutely incomprehensible for every medial man. Considering his experience in such eases he ought to have realized his tragic mistake sooner, and at once corrected his wrong diagnosis. His reluctance to allow any other doctors near the Crown Prince after having assumed the responsibility for his treatment may have origin- ated in the feeling that his diagnOsis was wrong.'
The small portion of the tumour that was removed with the forceps contained nocancer ; this is-a conclusive proof of the small area of the disease at this moment. Had the portion been taken from the middle of the growth, Virchow would certainly have given the diagnosis of a malignant growth. Once the character of the disease was clearly defined at this early 'stage the chances for a radical operation were excellent The great surgical skill of an authority such as Ernst von Bergmann Wai would beyond doubt have saved the life of the Crown Prince, as Bergmann had succeeded in saving so many other patients in similar cases. It was not Mackenzie's fear of the Mei mortality in such cases, as he -maintained, that led him to refuse his consent to an operation, but his wrong diagnosis of the disease and his promise to heal it without operation. When in the autumn of the same year, 1887, he confessed his 'error in his diagnosis it was much toO late for a radical opera- tion.
These are the facts of the case as proved by the official documents. Consequently the accusations made by the Kaiser against Mackenzie• are both correct and justified, and cannot be refuted.—! am, Sir, &c., DR. MED. ERNST 0. G. SCHULTZE, Assistant to the late Dr. Ernst von Bergmann. Berlin.
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