The fifty second annual report of the Royal Humane Society ... 1826.

  • Royal Humane Society (London, England)
Date:
1826
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The fifty second annual report of the Royal Humane Society ... 1826. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    side of a bank, and immedately proceeded, with his own hands, to assist in taking off the wet clothes from the appa- rent corpse, and to rub his temples, wrists, &c. which His Imperial Majesty continued for a considerable time, using every other means (though destitute of every medical assist- ance), that appeared at the moment most likely to restore animation, but all without effect. “ In the midst of this beneficent occupation, the Emperor was joined by the gentlemen of his suite, among whom were Prince Wolkonsky and Count Lieven (two Russian noble- men), and Dr. Wylie, His Majesty’s head surgeon, an English gentleman, whose professional abilities are so well known (at least on the Continent), that they need no com- ment, who always travels with, and indeed never quits his Majesty at any time. “ Their exertions were immediately added to those of the Emperor; and, on the Doctor’s attempting to bleed the patient, his Majesty held and rubbed his arm, and gave every other assistance in his power : however that, and all other means they could devise, proved equally ineffectual; so much so, that after above three hours’ fruitless attempts to recover him, the Doctor declared, to the extreme chagrin of the Emperor (who was by this time become very anxious about it), bis opinion, that life was quite gone, and that it was useless proceeding any further. <{ Fatigued as he was with such continued exertion, the Emperor could not, however, rest satisfied without entreat- ing Dr. Wylie to persevere, and to make a fresh atttempt to bleed him. The Doctor, although (as he has declared to me himself, and from whose own mouth I have these particulars) he had not the slightest hope of being more successful in this than in former ones, proceeded, neverthe- less, to obey the positive injunctions of his Imperial Ma- jesty; when the whole of them (the noblemen, &c.) making