FRIEDRICII WILHELM NICOLAUS KARL. 



357 



to reveal any evidences of cancer in the 

 growth, and Dr. Mackenzie advised against 

 the radical operation proposed by the German 

 surgeons, favoring intra-laryngeal rather than 

 extra-laryngeal treatment. The case having 

 been placed entirely under his care, Dr, Mac- 

 kenzie proceeded to remove the growth by 

 means of forceps especially devised for the 

 purpose. The portions of the tumor removed 

 at each operation were sent to Prof. Virchow 

 for microscopical examination, but no evi- 

 dences of cancer were found in any of them. 

 In July Dr. Mackenzie reported that the growth 

 had been entirely removed from the left vocal 

 chord. However, it soon reappeared and, de- 

 spite all treatment, gradually increased in size. 

 For several months after the prince's return 

 from the Queen's Jubilee there was very little 

 change in his condition, but while he was 

 at San Remo, in November, the disease sud- 

 denly assumed a more serious phase,, and Dr. 

 Mackenzie was summoned from London. The 

 growth was found to be very much increased 

 in size, and other portions of the larynx had 

 become involved, but hopes were still enter- 

 tained that the condition would ultimately dis- 

 appear under appropriate treatment. Contrary 

 to these expectations, the tumor continued to 

 increase in size, and by the beginning of the 

 following February, it had become so large as 

 to encroach considerably upon the air-passages, 

 and seriously impede respiration. The immi- 

 nent danger of suffocation rendered the oper- 

 ation of tracheotomy necessary. The operation 

 was performed on Feb. 9, 1888, by Dr. Brain- 

 man, Prof. Bergmann's assistant.. The benefi- 

 cial results of the operation were immediately 

 apparent in the improvement in respiration, 

 which was now accomplished through a silver 

 tracheotomy tube, inserted into the wind-pipe 

 through an opening in the neck. For several 

 weeks after the operation there was a slight 

 improvement in the patient's condition. On 

 March 4, a portion of necrosed tissue, which 

 had come away through the tracheotomy tube, 

 was examined microscopically by Prof. Wal- 

 deyer, who found the first distinct evidences 

 of the presence of cancer. 



The death of Emperor William I, on March 

 9, made the Crown-Prince King of Prussia and 

 Emperor of Germany under the title of Fried- 

 rich III. On the 10th he left San Remo for 

 Berlin, and on his arrival was published, si- 

 multaneously with his proclamation to the 

 people, a letter to Prince Bismarck warmly 

 acknowledging the services of the Chancellor 

 during the reign of the late Emperor. Among 

 the first acts of the new Emperor's reign were 

 the promotion of General von Blumenthal to 

 the rank of field-marshal, and the conferring 

 of the order of the Black Eagle on Dr. Fried- 

 burg, the Russian Minister of Justice, a Jew 

 by descent. His proclamation of an amnesty 

 decree for political offenses was hailed as a 

 concession to Liberal sentiment. Early in his 

 reign the inundations in the eastern and north- 



ern portions of Germany aroused his sympa- 

 thies, and lie sent the Empress to inspect the 

 relief measures instituted at Posen. 



A fortnight had hardly elapsed after his 

 accesion to the throne before an unfavorable 

 change took place in the progress of his dis- 

 ease, and on March 21 he issued a decree, 

 addressed to the Crown-Prince, expressing the 

 wish that the latter should make himself con- 

 versant with the affairs of state. The prince 

 was accordingly intrusted with the preparation 

 and discharge of such business as the Emperor 

 assigned to him, and empowered to affix all 

 necessary signatures without obtaining special 

 authorization. 



A serious difficulty arose between the Em- 

 peror and Empress and Prince Bismarck, re- 

 garding the contemplated marriage between the 

 Princess Victoria and Prince Alexander of 

 Battenburg, ex-Prince of Bulgaria. Prince 

 Bismarck threatened to resign, and the pro- 

 jected alliance was abandoned. 



About the 16th of April the Emperor's con- 

 dition became critical, bronchitis having super- 

 vened, but he improved in condition, and on 

 June 1 he left Charlottenburg for Potsdam. 

 A few days later a ministerial crisis arose in 

 consequence of the disinclination of the Em- 

 peror to give his assent to the quinquennial 

 election bill adopted by the Prussian Diet. 

 The official publication of the bill was followed 

 by the resignation of Herr von Puttkamer, the 

 Minister of the Interior and Vice-President of 

 the Ministerial Council. 



Abscesses began to form in the Emperor's 

 neck, in the neighborhood of the wound made 

 in performing the operation of tracheotomy, 

 and the patient experienced great difficulty 

 in swallowing, and grew rapidly weaker. The 

 cancer was extending, and already the whole 

 of the larynx was involved, and the surround- 

 ing organs were invaded to such an extent 

 that an opening appeared between the trachea 

 and the oesophagus, permitting food to escape 

 through the tracheotomy tube. Artificial feed- 

 ing had to be resorted to, but the efforts of the 

 physicians to relieve his condition were of no 

 avail, and on June 15 the German nation was 

 called upon, a second time in a little more than 

 three months, to mourn the death of their 

 sovereign. 



Emperor Friedrich III was succeeded on 

 the throne by his eldest son, Friedrich Wil- 

 helm, born Jan. 27, 1859, who reigns under 

 the title of Emperor William II of Germany. 

 The other surviving children are Princess Char- 

 lotte, born July 24, 1860; Prince Heinrich, 

 born May 20, 1862 ; Princess Victoria, born 

 April 12^ 1866 ; Princess Sophie Dorothea, 

 born June 14, 1870; and Princess Margarethe, 

 born April 22, 1872. 



After the death of the Emperor the Govern- 

 ment published the official reports of the Ger- 

 man doctors who were in attendance upon 

 him, and in this report Sir Morell Mackenzie 

 was censured both for his opposition to the 



