94: Dirty Doctors: How Infection Killed James Garfield (Part 6)

An Old Timey Podcast

True Crime, Comedy, History

4.9 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 11 March 2026

⏱️ 89 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Mere minutes after the shooting, a doctor arrived on the scene. Using his ungloved, unwashed fingers, he dug into President James Garfield’s bullet wound. The doctor hoped to retrieve the bullet. That would prove a common theme in the president’s medical care. As James Garfield struggled to survive, doctors obsessed over retrieving the bullet. They subjected him to daily examinations — always with unsanitized tools and unwashed hands. Those examinations caused him tremendous suffering. They ultimately killed him.

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from:
The book, “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President,” by Candice Millard
The book, “Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield,” by Kenneth D. Ackerman
“Murder of a President” documentary and additional resources from PBS.org
“‘As a Matter of Fact, I Presume I Shall Live to be President’”: A Brief Biographical Sketch of Garfield’s Assassin” from the National Park Service
“Assassination and Insanity in Gilded Age America,” by Winston Bowman

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hear ye, hear ye. You are listening to an old-timey podcast. I'm Kristen Caruso. And I'm Norman Caruso. And on this episode, James Garfield struggles to survive. Oh, jeez, this is going to be a bummer of an episode, isn't it? Everyone, this is your warning. This is your official warning, and I don't want to hear another word about it.
0:22.7	This episode is disgusting and it's sad.
0:26.2	Gross and sad.
0:27.8	People who are struggling right now, stop listening.
0:32.4	Leave the room.
0:34.2	Before we get into this horrible, horrible episode, Kristen.
0:37.7	Let's do a little banter. We just finished... Room. Before we get into this horrible, horrible episode, Kristen. Yeah, thanks.
0:40.2	Let's do a little banter.
0:41.3	We just finished. Oh, that sounded so natural and not like you're a robot man at all.
0:45.0	Let's do a little banter.
0:46.0	Let's begin the banter session.
0:48.0	Yes, excellent.
0:48.9	We just finished the newest season of Love is Blind.
0:51.9	It was once again an absolute disaster.
0:54.5	Mm-hmm.
0:55.1	Mm-hmm.
0:55.6	No crystal light chicken smoothies this season.
0:58.6	That was a little disappointing.
1:00.4	But we did witness the most average man I have ever seen talked down to a gorgeous doctor
1:06.5	and then be stunned when the doctor wanted to end the relationship.
1:11.9	I hope there's a big crossover between people who watch Love is Blind and who also want to learn about the assassination of James Garfield.
1:19.1	Because if we've hit the right spot in that Venn diagram, boy, are people happy right now.
	...

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