Potus Geeks Summer Reruns: Grover Cleveland's Cancer Surgery
[Originally posted in this community on September 25, 2015].
In the summer of 1893, Grover Cleveland was a few months into his second non-consecutive term as President. The burning political issue was whether or not to repeal Free Silver coinage. The panic of 1893 had hit the nation and it was made worse by the acute shortage of gold that had resulted from the increased coinage of silver. Cleveland called Congress into special session to deal with the problem. The debate over the issue was a heated one and the effects of the panic had driven more moderates to support repealing the coinage provisions of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. That Act, passed in 1890 during the previous administration, increased the amount of silver the government was required to purchase. It was an economic measure intended to increase the demand for silver, something that would help the economy. The plan backfired, as investors redeemed the new coin notes for gold dollars, depleting the government's gold reserves and causing a financial panic. Cleveland called for the repeal of the act to prevent the depletion of the gold reserves.
While this was going on, Cleveland sought the advice of the White House doctor, Dr. O'Reilly, about soreness on the roof of his mouth and a crater-like edge ulcer with a granulated surface on the left side of Cleveland's hard palate. This little bump had grown larger and this concerned Cleveland. Samples of the tumor were sent to the army medical museum (but the name of the patient they were taken from was not provided). The tests resulted in a diagnosis of an epithelioma, an abnormal growth with a malignancy. Dr. O'Reilly told his patient, "It's a bad looking tenant, and I would have it evicted immediately."
Cleveland decided to follow his advice, but he wanted to have his surgery performed secretly. He was concerned that further panic would result if the news of his health became public and that the news might worsen the financial depression.
Cleveland announced that he would be taking a four day vacation cruise from New York to his summer home in Cape Cod, aboard a friend's yacht called the Oneida. It was during this cruise, on July 1, that the surgery took place. The lead surgeon who performed the surgery was Dr. Joseph Bryant. The surgery took place aboard the Oneida, a yacht owned by Cleveland's friend E. C. Benedict, as it sailed off Long Island. The medical team was composed of six surgeons including Dr. Bryant.
The surgery took about 90 minutes to perform. It was conducted through the President's mouth, to avoid any scars or other signs of surgery. Cleveland was anesthetized with nitrous oxide and ether. During the surgery, parts of Cleveland's upper left jaw and hard palate were successfully removed along with about five teeth. As one author notes, Cleveland was able to keep his mustache intact through the surgery. The size of the tumor and the extent of the operation left Cleveland's mouth disfigured, so another surgery was required in order to fit Cleveland with a hard rubber dental prosthesis that corrected his speech and restored his appearance.
A false story was fed to the press, which reported that Cleveland had two bad teeth removed. This seemed to avert any suspicion. When one newspaper story appeared in the Philadelphia Press, written by E. J. Edwards, giving details of the actual operation, the participating surgeons discounted the severity of what transpired during Cleveland's vacation. Cleveland himself denied the allegation and went so far as to accused the journalist of fabrication. Cleveland's supporters launched a campaign to discredit Edwards, even though his story was quite accurate. It wasn't until 1917, nine years after Cleveland's death, when one of the surgeons present on the Oneida, Dr. William W. Keen, wrote an article detailing the operation, in part to vindicate Edwards.
Cleveland had no further signs of cancer after the tumor was removed, and there was some debate as to whether or not his tumor was actually malignant. Several doctors, including Dr. Keen, stated after Cleveland's death that the tumor was a carcinoma. It wasn't until some time in the 1980s, when an analysis of the specimen preserved from the operation finally confirmed the tumor to be verrucous carcinoma, a form of epithelial cancer with a low potential for metastasis.
In the summer of 1893, Grover Cleveland was a few months into his second non-consecutive term as President. The burning political issue was whether or not to repeal Free Silver coinage. The panic of 1893 had hit the nation and it was made worse by the acute shortage of gold that had resulted from the increased coinage of silver. Cleveland called Congress into special session to deal with the problem. The debate over the issue was a heated one and the effects of the panic had driven more moderates to support repealing the coinage provisions of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. That Act, passed in 1890 during the previous administration, increased the amount of silver the government was required to purchase. It was an economic measure intended to increase the demand for silver, something that would help the economy. The plan backfired, as investors redeemed the new coin notes for gold dollars, depleting the government's gold reserves and causing a financial panic. Cleveland called for the repeal of the act to prevent the depletion of the gold reserves.
While this was going on, Cleveland sought the advice of the White House doctor, Dr. O'Reilly, about soreness on the roof of his mouth and a crater-like edge ulcer with a granulated surface on the left side of Cleveland's hard palate. This little bump had grown larger and this concerned Cleveland. Samples of the tumor were sent to the army medical museum (but the name of the patient they were taken from was not provided). The tests resulted in a diagnosis of an epithelioma, an abnormal growth with a malignancy. Dr. O'Reilly told his patient, "It's a bad looking tenant, and I would have it evicted immediately."
Cleveland decided to follow his advice, but he wanted to have his surgery performed secretly. He was concerned that further panic would result if the news of his health became public and that the news might worsen the financial depression.
Cleveland announced that he would be taking a four day vacation cruise from New York to his summer home in Cape Cod, aboard a friend's yacht called the Oneida. It was during this cruise, on July 1, that the surgery took place. The lead surgeon who performed the surgery was Dr. Joseph Bryant. The surgery took place aboard the Oneida, a yacht owned by Cleveland's friend E. C. Benedict, as it sailed off Long Island. The medical team was composed of six surgeons including Dr. Bryant.
The surgery took about 90 minutes to perform. It was conducted through the President's mouth, to avoid any scars or other signs of surgery. Cleveland was anesthetized with nitrous oxide and ether. During the surgery, parts of Cleveland's upper left jaw and hard palate were successfully removed along with about five teeth. As one author notes, Cleveland was able to keep his mustache intact through the surgery. The size of the tumor and the extent of the operation left Cleveland's mouth disfigured, so another surgery was required in order to fit Cleveland with a hard rubber dental prosthesis that corrected his speech and restored his appearance.
A false story was fed to the press, which reported that Cleveland had two bad teeth removed. This seemed to avert any suspicion. When one newspaper story appeared in the Philadelphia Press, written by E. J. Edwards, giving details of the actual operation, the participating surgeons discounted the severity of what transpired during Cleveland's vacation. Cleveland himself denied the allegation and went so far as to accused the journalist of fabrication. Cleveland's supporters launched a campaign to discredit Edwards, even though his story was quite accurate. It wasn't until 1917, nine years after Cleveland's death, when one of the surgeons present on the Oneida, Dr. William W. Keen, wrote an article detailing the operation, in part to vindicate Edwards.
Cleveland had no further signs of cancer after the tumor was removed, and there was some debate as to whether or not his tumor was actually malignant. Several doctors, including Dr. Keen, stated after Cleveland's death that the tumor was a carcinoma. It wasn't until some time in the 1980s, when an analysis of the specimen preserved from the operation finally confirmed the tumor to be verrucous carcinoma, a form of epithelial cancer with a low potential for metastasis.