Having read Candice Millard's The River of Doubt, an outstanding contribution to the literature on Theodore Roosevelt, it was with great anticipation that I purchased this book from Amazon and began to read about James Garfield. A forgotten President due to his short tenure in office, James Garfied is deserving of a higher place in history. Showing the convergence of an insane man, the medical community, and President James Garfield, Destiny of the Republic tells the story of how a tragedy shaped a nation and ultimately caused a change in society for the better.
The book opens with the drowning of passengers aboard the Stonington and Narragansett after they collided in 1880. Insane con artist Charles Guiteau, who lived through the collision and believed his survival was a sign of his destiny, commits himself to killing James Garfied. Tracing his life as a preacher, liar, cheat, and delusioned politician, Destiny of the Republic carefully follows Charles Guiteau all the way through the assassination and finally his trial and execution. In the process we learn of the complexities of the not guilty by insanity plea as well as the problems of religious and political zealots. Getting into the mind of the crazed assassin, we gain from knowing the psychology and flawed mental thinking that could cause someone to kill a President.
At the same time we read about Guiteau, we also learn about the medical community replete with its strengths and flaws of thinking at the time. Although antiseptic surgery was discovered by Joseph Lister and used in Europe, most American doctors did not accept it as an approach to medicine. Without direct knowledge of bacteria, many physicians did not consider the value of a sterile environment for practicing medicine. It was common and even a mark of success to operate with blood on the clothes and with used instruments. Doctors would often dig their fingers into wounds, probing for bullets or other objects, causing greater infection and rarely curing the patient. It was not uncommon for bullets to remain in patients for years as the body adjusted to the foreign object. The greater danger was often the doctors themselves. In Garfield's case, Dr. Bliss insisted on being the primary physician and continually probed for the bullet, never finding it but slowly destroying Garfield by creating a bacateria filled canal that spread throughout the President's body.
In spite of the invention of a type of metal detector called the Induction Balance by famed inventor Alexander Graham Bell, a man known for the telephone and later the founding of the National Geographic Society, the bullet in James Garfield was never found. Although relentless in his pursuit of a way to help the President, Bell's invention was not effective due to the attending physician's wrong belief in the pathway and location of the bullet.
The biographical information on James Garfield is thorough, authentic, and engaging. Born into a poor family, Garfield became a scientist, a scholar, a soldier, a civil rights advocate, a devoted family man, and finally a statesman. A reluctant although effective politician, Garfield became President because of his intellect and popular demand rather than shrewd campaigning. His destiny to be President seemed pre-written and a result of his remarkable alacrity and natural leadership abilities. Unable to harbor resentment, maintaining a positive disposition and a love of life, Garfield's impact on society and culture was special and unique. These qualities and more add to the tragic circumstances of his life and death.
The book is well-written with perceptive insights into personalities, politics of the time, assassinations, insanity, and medical developments. In spite of the objective presentation of the facts, the outpouring of emotions can be felt on nearly every page. We can almost feel the blind probing into the back of the President and the pain of the infection as it ravaged his body. We despise the doctors, we cheer for Alexander Graham Bell, and we continually hold in disdain the man who shot and ultimately killed him. This marvelous book is highly recommend for readers of history, assassinations, and political machinations of the time. Not easy to put aside, Destiny of the Republic has an overriding tone of men and women who make a difference in the world. Although tragic and sad, in many ways this book portrays hope for the future as we learn to appreciate the medical advances of our time.
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
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- EdReviewed in Canada on March 23, 2021
I really could not put this book down
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase - R HelenReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2012
Thank G-d for medical advancements!
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase - Sam AinsworthReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2017
James A Greatfield
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
