Copyright Screen Rant
Death by Lightning book author Candice Millard and series creator Mike Makowsky address what really caused President James Garfield's death. Death by Lightning ends with Garfield (Michael Shannon) getting assassinated by Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen), who had previously admired the President. The show depicts how doctors Bliss (Željko Ivanek) and Purvis (Shaun Parkes) attempted but failed to save his life. Speaking with Netflix about Garfield's death, Millard and Makowsky explained what truly caused the President's death, and how Death by Lightning depicts this with accuracy. The pair first explained how, despite the assassination, it wasn't until McKinley’s assassination that the Secret Service was established. Prior to 1903, a President would have needed hired security if they wanted protection: Mike Makowsky: The great irony was his wife wanted him to pay for private security, and he would wave that concern off. It’s in the show: ‘Assassination can be no more guarded against than death by lightning. And it’s best not to worry too much about either one.’ Candice Millard: It took until after McKinley’s assassination that we finally realized that we need to protect our presidents. While the bullet from Guiteau is what led to Garfield's death, the wound itself wouldn't have killed him by modern standards. However, a lack of belief in antiseptic treatments coupled with constant prodding at the bullet hole is believed to have led to a fatal infection. Purvis even told Bliss to steralize the wound, with his suggestion going unheard: Candice Millard: The bullet went in his back; it didn’t hit any vital organs, it didn’t hit his spinal cord. This is right after the Civil War — there are a lot of men walking around with bullets in them. In fact, the guy who first captured Guiteau after he shot Garfield had a bullet in his brain and had been living like that for years. Mike Makowsky: In that train station, there was another doctor, Charles Purvis, who had read up on the latest medical science coming out of Europe and very much cautioned Bliss against not sterilizing his probe. And Bliss waved him away. Bliss said he didn’t believe in invisible monsters, these germs, and dismissed the younger doctor. At the end of the day, Guiteau may have fired the bullet, but he’s not Garfield’s ultimate murderer. As the article states, Garfield died slowly, mostly due to Bliss dismissing the advice others gave him while tending to the wound. Another figure in Death by Lightning to give him advice is Alexander Graham Bell (Richard Rankin), who believed the bullet was still trapped inside Garfield's body. However, the leading doctor dismissed the notion, which would've saved the President's life. The assassination is historical because it made Garfield the shortest serving President in US history. But it's made more tragic because of how his death transpired: Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, but didn't succumb to his injuries until September 19, over two months later. His slow, agonizing death makes the medical malpractice involved all the more tragic. Following Garfield's death, Guiteau was subject to a public trial, at which he represented himself. The trial made national waves not only because of the assassination of the President, but due to Guiteau's behavior, leading to medical disagreements about whether he could be classified as clinically insane at the time. He was sentenced to death on February 4, 1882.
