The Late Duke of Saxe-Coburg
Queen Victoria
The German Emperor
The Empress Frederick
King Edward VII.
From a Photograph by J. Russell and Sons
On 7th July the King, with the Duke of Sparta, who was on a visit to this country, attended the presentation of colours by Queen Victoria to the 3rd Coldstream Guards at Aldershot.
The King met with a serious accident on 18th July while at Waddesdon Manor, Bucks, on a visit to Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. His Majesty slipped in descending a staircase and sustained a fracture of the knee-cap, but was able to travel to Marlborough House the same afternoon. Not much progress was made, however, and on the 19th Sir William MacCormac and Sir Francis Laking decided to call in the famous surgeon, Sir Thomas Smith, who had undoubtedly prolonged the Duchess of Teck’s life. It is interesting to note that the Röntgen rays were employed to ascertain the extent of the injury, probably the first occasion of their being used for a Royal patient. Rest was compulsory, and though it must have been irksome in the extreme to one of the King’s active habits, yet nothing could exceed the cheerfulness displayed by the patient.
On the 21st Lord Lister, the “father” of antiseptic surgery, was called in, and with characteristic consideration, in view of the anxiety exhibited by the whole Empire, the King authorised the publication of a detailed statement regarding the accident.
From this it appeared that he missed his footing while coming down the spiral staircase at Waddesdon Manor, and in the sudden severe effort made to save himself from falling sustained a fracture of the left patella. “About one-fifth of the bone, somewhat crescentic in shape, was torn away, along with the tendinous insertion of the quadriceps extensor, and the gap between the fragments amounted to a little more than two inches.” Sir W. MacCormac and Sir Francis Laking concluded their statement by the remark that the illustrious patient “is bearing the enforced restraint with exemplary patience and good temper.” Of course what every one feared was some permanent lameness or weakness of the limb, but this, as will be seen from what follows, was fortunately averted.