By Candice MillardWhat a tragedy James Garfield was shot just five months into his presidency! He was unusually bright, honest, and beloved. But the bullet shot by Charles Guiteau, a mentally ill applicant for a government position, did not kill the president. It was the bungling of the president's many physicians, chiefly Dr. Doctor [yes, his first name] Bliss, who introduced bacteria into the bullet hole, that brought about Garfield's drawn-out death by infection nearly three months after the assassination attempt. This period was a painfully grim time for Garfield's family and for the nation. Chester A Arthur, who had been chosen as Garfield's running mate mainly to appease a "boss" figure who wanted to control the Republican party, was initially overwhelmed to find himself in the White House, but surprised dissenters by embracing and carrying out reforms, especially in civil service, which Garfield had initiated.
The author covers a wide range of political thought, including mini-bios of politicians, as well as modern scientists like Alexander Graham Bell (whose expertise was called on to try to locate the bullet in Garfield's side) and Joseph Lister (whose pioneering work in the use of antiseptics could have saved Garfield's life, had Bliss heeded his advice).
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