November 2, 2003

Grover's Secret Surgery

Not so long ago, an American president's health was a state secret lest his sniffles induce pneumonia in the body politic.

 John F. Kennedy's severe medical problems, for example, were off limits. Officially he was said to suffer from Addison's disease, a hormonal imbalance.

Unofficially he was diagnosed as suffering from celiac, the "Irish Disease."  This is a severe allergy to gluten in wheat and other cereals. It manifests itself by severe intestinal problems and softening of bones -- painful when involving the vertebrae.

President Kennedy had three operations to ease the strain on his spine. Daily doses of prescription drugs enabled him to carry out his duties. A rocking chair in the Oval Office gave partial relief.

Other presidents also concealed their health problems before regular health checkups and public announcement of results became customary.

Chester Arthur was diagnosed with Bright's disease shortly after taking office. He denied rumors of the affliction but nearly died in office. He finished his term but died a year later.

Woodrow Wilson concealed two strokes before his election. He suffered a paralyzing stroke in 1919 during his second term and was an invalid in the White House thereafter. His strong-willed wife, Edith, is said to have run the country informally for the next 17 months until his term expired. He died four years later, still an invalid.

Franklin Roosevelt ran for an unprecedented fourth term -- keeping secret a life-threatening diagnosis of hypertension. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage as World War II drew to a close.

He was severely crippled by adult polio, but most Americans were not aware of this for many years. The press voluntarily avoided mentioning it or photographing his braced legs and crutches.  

Grover Cleveland

The most unusual ailment and cure was the secret surgery July l, 1893, on President Grover Cleveland to remove a cancer of the upper jaw. He had noticed a "rough place" on the roof of his mouth in June.

His physician, Dr. Joseph D. Bryant of New York City, recognized the spot as a cancerous lesion often inflicting tobacco users and hard drinkers. Cleveland was both. The physician urged removal of the lesion as soon as possible.  

Cleveland decided that the operation should be secret because the country was in a financial crisis caused by the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of l890. He was a proponent of the gold standard and was re-elected on a promise to repeal the silver measure.

He called a special session of Congress for Aug. 7 to deal with the issue, and set a date of July l for the surgery. The upcoming Independence Day holiday provided cover for his absence from Washington, D.C.  

Dr. Bryant assembled a surgical team. Dr. W.W. Keen of Philadelphia would assist him. Three other physicians and a dentist provided related services.

Cleveland often sailed to his summer home at Gray Gables on Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, aboard the steam yacht Oneida belonging to his good friend Commodore Benedict.

The operation would be performed aboard -- away from the scrutiny of "press hounds" -- on the way to Gray Gables.  

Benedict painted his luxurious yacht a different color so as not to be so recognizable as they proceeded through Long Island Sound and Buzzards Bay.

The surgical team arrived individually. President Cleveland and his friend Col. D.S. Lamont, Secretary of the Army, arrived last. The ship got underway immediately.

Cleveland and the surgical team went to the main cabin. There the president was strapped into a straight chair secured to the base of the ship's main mast. The ship's steward hovered near by "to fetch and carry." Every one else stayed on the main deck.

Details of the operation were revealed 25 years later by Dr. William Williams Keen in the Saturday Evening Post magazine.

Nitrous oxide - a mild anesthetic known colloquially as "laughing gas" --was administered. Dr. Hasbrouck first extracted the two left upper bicuspid teeth.

Dr. Bryant, with the assistance of Dr. Keen and Dr. Erdman,  then incised the lesion in the roof of the mouth. A few minutes later, ether was given by Dr. O'Reilly. Dr. Janeway monitored the president's pulse and heartbeat.

The entire upper-left jaw was removed without any external incision by means of a cheek retractor bought in Paris by Dr. Keen. Only one blood vessel was tied. Pressure, hot water and cauterization checked bleeding.

The Oneida reached Gray Gables on the evening of July 5. President Cleveland "walked from the launch to his residence with but little apparent effort."

By this time, word had leaked out about a probable health problem regarding Cleveland. Correspondents from the leading newspapers flocked to Gray Gables to check out the rumors.

Col. Lamont held a press conference in a barn behind Cleveland's home. He asserted that the president had a couple of teeth pulled, nothing more. The reporters returned to their hotel and debated whether Lamont had given the true situation. Half believed, half didn't. Finally they agreed to file the same version - that the president had a toothache.  

A week later, Dr. Kasson Gibson, a New York City prosthodontist, came to Gray Gables and fitted the president with a vulcanized rubber jaw. It fit so well there was no disfigurement of the cheeks or change in speech.

In a letter to Dr. Gibson, Cleveland wrote: "My dear Doctor, I hasten to announce that you have scored another dental victory. The new plate came last night. I have worn it all day with the utmost ease and comfort. My wife says my voice and articulation are now much better than they have been for a number of years."  

After the wound had cleared, Dr. Bryant discovered that a small spot of carcinoma had been missed. He contacted doctors Keen, Janeway and Erdman for a second operation.

They and the president boarded the Oneida again on July 17 and removed the remnant lesion. The operation was brief, and Cleveland recovered quickly. He returned to Washington in time for the special session of Congress he had called.  

After some arm-twisting by the president, Congress repealed the Silver Purchase Act.

Author: Lindsey Williams

Cutlines

1 --  3 col. - man with mustache

Photo provided

[ President Grover Cleveland underwent secret surgery to remove cancer of his upper jaw  and kept it secret to avoid starting a national, financial panic. ]

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2 - 4 col. - yacht

Photo courtesy U.S. Navy History Center

[ President Cleveland's cancer surgery was performed aboard a friend's yacht, Oneida, while sailing from New York City to Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Flag at stern is the U.S. yacht ensign. ]

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3 - 3 col. OPTIONAL - shoemaker cartoon

Cartoon provided

[ This political cartoon depicts Uncle Sam, standing, having his shoes mended by Grover Cleveland. One shoe is labeled TARIFF. The president is mending the other shoe labeled SILVER. The caption is "One at a time." ]

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