Upon the Electrical Experiments to Determine the Location of the Bullet in the Body of the Late President Garfield

Becoming the second U.S. President to be assassinated, James A. Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881 and died on September 19, 1881. During the 11 weeks that the president lingered before his death, medical experts and scientists struggled to determine the precise location of the bullet lodged within his chest. This information would determine the best course of action and perhaps save President Garfield's life. Alexander Graham Bell attempted to locate the bullet using an early form of a metal detector, which is detailed in this paper. Though his attempts were unsuccessful, it is now known that the failure was not due to Mr. Bell's invention, but the president's mattress. The newly-invented coil spring mattress caused Bell's invention to detect metal everywhere in President Garfield's body rather than locate the specific position of the bullet within his chest.