Death by lightning book author Candice Millard and series creator Mike Makowsky address what really caused the death of President James Garfield. Death by lightning ends with the assassination of Garfield (Michael Shannon) by Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen), who previously admired the president. The show describes how doctors Bliss (Željko Ivanek) and Purvis (Shaun Parkes) tried, unsuccessfully, to save his life.
Talk with Netflix about Garfield’s death, Millard and Makowsky explained what really caused the president’s death and how Death by lightning describes this accurately. The two men first explained how, despite the assassination, it was only after McKinley’s assassination that the Secret Service was created. Before 1903, a president would have needed to hire security guards if he wanted to be protected:
Mike Makowsky: The great irony was that his wife wanted him to pay for private security, and he brushed aside that concern. It’s in the series: “We can no more protect ourselves against assassination than against death by lightning. And it’s best not to worry too much about either one.
Candice Millard: It wasn’t until McKinley’s assassination that we finally understood that we needed to protect our presidents.
Although Guiteau’s bullet led to Garfield’s death, the wound itself would not have killed him by modern standards. However, it is believed that a lack of confidence in antiseptic treatments, coupled with constant pressure from the bullet impact, led to a fatal infection. Purvis even told Bliss to sterilize the wound, her suggestion going unheeded:
Candice Millard: The bullet entered his back; he did not touch any vital organ, nor his spinal cord. It’s right after the Civil War – there are a lot of men walking around with bullets in their arms. In fact, the guy who first captured Guiteau after shooting Garfield had a bullet in his brain and had been living like that for years.
Mike Makowsky: At this station there was another doctor, Charles Purvis, who had learned about the latest medical knowledge from Europe and had strongly warned Bliss against sterilizing her probe. And Bliss waved him away. Bliss declared that he did not believe in invisible monsters, in these germs, and dismissed the young doctor. Ultimately, Guiteau may have fired the bullet, but he’s not Garfield’s ultimate murderer.
As the article states, Garfield died slowly, mainly because Bliss rejected the advice others gave her while tending to the wound. Another number in Death by lightning to give him advice was Alexander Graham Bell (Richard Rankin), who thought the bullet was still stuck in Garfield’s body. However, the senior doctor rejected the idea, which would have saved the president’s life.
The assassination is historic because it made Garfield the shortest-serving president in United States history. But the situation is even more tragic because of the manner in which his death occurred: Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, but did not succumb to his wounds until September 19, more than two months later. His slow, agonizing death makes the medical malpractice involved even more tragic.
After Garfield’s death, Guiteau was subjected to a public trial, during which he represented himself. The trial made waves nationally not only because of the president’s assassination, but also because of Guiteau’s behavior, leading to medical disagreements over whether he could be classified as clinically insane at the time. He was sentenced to death on February 4, 1882.
Millard and Makowsky’s explanations reflect how Death by lightning accurately reflected Garfield’s death and the aftermath of his assassination. However, the tragic reality of what happened to him was just one domino in a long line that led to the Secret Service and better protection of presidents, a small light in the darkness of his untimely end.
- Release date
-
2025 – 2025-00-00
- Network
-
Netflix
- Directors
-
Matt Ross
- Writers
-
Mike Makowsky
