Back in 1799, Washington’s physicians justified the removal of more than 80 ounces of his blood (2.365 liters or 40 percent of his total blood volume) over a 12-hour period in order to reduce the massive inflammation of his windpipe and constrict the blood vessels in the region. Theories of humoralism and inflammation aside, this massive blood loss — along with the accompanying dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and viscous blood flow — could not have helped the president’s dire condition.
A fourth physician, William Thornton (who also designed the U.S. Capitol building), arrived after Washington succumbed. Thornton had expertise in the tracheotomy procedure, an extremely rare operation at the time that was performed only in emergencies and with occasional success. Dr. Dick, too, advocated this procedure — rather than the massive bloodletting — but given the primitive nature of surgical science in 1799, it is doubtful it would have helped much.
I can’t even… I just can’t.
Since this community tends to be cynical, with reason, for so much that’s happening in the world, an article like this is great for reminding us how lucky we are to be alive today rather than in 1799. For all our problems, life is better in so many ways these 215 years later.
He’d have been better off with no medical care.
Doctors to this day kill people, once in a while.
Try NOT to be hospitalized, if you know what’s good for you.
I recently read the account of the death of James Garfield, assassinated in 1880. A brilliant man by all accounts, he was shot. The shot was minor. What killed him was bad doctoring, inadequate hygiene (probing wound with unwashed finger), and arrogance. Alexander Graham Bell had recently invented the metal detector. He offered to use it to find the bullet. He was instructed that, since the bullet HAD to be on the right side, he was ONLY to examine the right side of the body, not the left (where the bullet actually was). Garfield died of massive sepsis, or infection of the blood, as well as other infections. We are headed that way again, since antibiotics are losing effectiveness.
Just look at the mumps outbreak in the NHL. You know what part of the problem is? Players refusing to get a booster shot re: vaccination.
Now that is one where management should see a very powerful economic argument. If Player X gets mumps, I would guess that they would be out for 1 week min. Lose a star forward for a week, you may lose a lot of your games. Management should force vaccination.
Well, they won’t have to worry about leaving their money to their kids.
Poor Mozart was (absurdly) bled to death, too. It likely was better not to receive the care of a physician in those days.
But this is what comes of theorizing based on imagination and fantasy, not empirical knowledge. Bloodletting was a medieval practice, which the Enlightenment continued out of ignorance of reality. Unlike torture, which our Enlightenment Founders condemned as both cruel and useless.
So perhaps bloodletting will also make a return in the wondrous “conservative” era….why the hell not? It’s not like abject failure makes any difference to the American right!
More likely prayer and faith healing.