HILADELPHIA - Former President Gerald R. Ford is recuperating in a hospital, after apparently suffering two minor strokes, casting a slight pall over what has been an otherwise cheery Republican convention.
Dr. Robert Schwartzman, chief of neurology at Hahnemann University Hospital and Ford's primary caretaker, said yesterday afternoon that Ford was ''much better than he was this morning.''
Ford, who is 87, ''should totally recover,'' Schwartzman said.
Ford's speech remains slurred and his balance is out of kilter, but his doctors said they expect him to recover all his physical abilities. He has no brain damage, and his cognitive abilites are unimpaired, they said.
Ford will remain hospitalized for five to six days while tests determine the extent and location of the blockage of blood flow to his brain, his doctors said.
Though Ford appears to be stable, stroke specialists said that the next two days are critical and that he cannot be definitively pronounced out of the woods without several successive days of improvement.
Ford's doctors said his minor brain-stem strokes were likely the product of atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty deposits in blood vessels, typically caused by high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, or diabetes.
''He's saying that he feels great and would like to get home,'' said Dr. Carol Thomas of Hahnemann University Hospital.
News of Ford's malady generated bipartisan expressions of sympathy.
''The president spoke with Mrs. Ford to express his concern and best wishes for a speedy recovery,'' said President Clinton's spokesman, Elliot Diringer.
On Tuesday night, Ford, the 38th president, sat with his wife, Betty, with George and Barbara Bush, and with Nancy Reagan as Republican convention-goers paid tribute to the three living GOP presidents.
The elder Bush said in a statement yesterday: ''It was a joy to sit next to him at the convention last night. ... Once again, we were reminded of his decency and all that he did at a crucial time in our nation's history.''
After a triumphant arrival in Philadelphia yesterday, George W. Bush also called Mrs. Ford to convey his concern.
''I was saddened to hear that President Gerald Ford was admitted to the hospital after the glowing tribute he received last night,'' the GOP presidential nominee said in a statement. ''Americans love Gerald and Betty Ford for their integrity, wisdom, and compassion.''
Ford's condition was intially diagnosed as a sinus infection. He checked into Hahnemann University Hospital's emergency room yesterday at 1 a.m., complaining of pain in his tongue, and sought only pain relief, doctors said.
His personal doctor had been following his condition and reported the symptoms to the hospital. The doctors then diagnosed it as an acute sinus infection, gave him pain killers, and released him.
Later in the morning, journalists and friends noticed his slurred speech and often puzzling responses to questions. On C-SPAN he answered a question about Iraq by holding forth on onions.
At 9 a.m., Ford walked back into the hospital under his own power. Betty Ford told doctors she had noticed his slurred speech for several days, and tests confirmed a ''small brain-stem stroke'' at the base the brain, which controls balance, speech, and other faculties.
Schwartzman said they suspected that Ford also had suffered a mild stroke a day earlier, based on the description of his symptoms.
At a press conference yesterday afternoon, Hahnemann officals said their treatment during Ford's first visit to the hospital was appropriate. They said they did not conduct tests for a stroke at that time because of incomplete information from Ford and his personal physician.
Some stroke specialists said the activity in which Ford engaged before his stroke treatment - interviews before jostling cameras and hot lights - may slightly hamper his recovery.
Ford is being treated with drugs that help unclog arteries. Doctors said the crucial task now is to identify the exact nature of his stroke.
''It's incumbent on the doctors to settle the issue of what caused the stroke, in order to prevent a more serious stroke,'' said Dr. Philip J. Kistler, director of stroke service at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Zuckman reported from Philadelphia and Mishra from Boston. Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.
