The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1876-12-20
What Killed George Washington.

IL, 1870, contained the following Par
tieWlar Account Of the Illness and
Death Of Gen Washington"
''Some time in the night of Friday,
the 10th ult., having boen exposed to
rain on the preceding day. Gen.
Washington was attacked with an in
hammatory affection Of the upper part
of the wiDdpipe, called, in technical
language, byndche tTdcheaiis. The dis
ease commenced with violent ague,
accompanied with some pain in the
upper fore part Of the throat, sense
of structure in the same part, cough,
and a difficult, rather than n painful,
deglutition, which we're soon succeed.
ed by fever and q quick and laborious
respiration. The necessity of blood.
letting suggesting itself to The Gener-
al, he procured bleeder in the neigh.
borhood, who took from his arm, in
the night, twelve or fourteen ounces OF
blood. He could not by any means
be prevailed on by the family to send
for the attending physician till the
fol owing morning, who arrived at
Mount Vernon about n o'clock on
Saturday. Discovering the case to be
highly alarming, aud foreseeng the
fatal tendency of the disease, two con.
sulting physicians were Immediately
sent for, who arrived, one at half after
three, aud the other at four o'clock in
afternoon; in the meantime we're EN-.
ployed two pretty copious bleedings
blister was applied to the part
affected, two moderate doses of calo.
mel were given, and an injection was
administered, which operated on the
lower intestines, but all without any
pcrceptible advantage. the respiration
becoming still more difficult and dis.
tressing. Upon the arrival of the
FIRST of the consulting physicians it
was agreed, as there were yet no signs
Of accumulation in the bronchial YES
sels of the lungs, to try the result of
another bleeding, when about thirty.
two oDnces of blood were drawn with.
out the smallest apparent allsviatiou
of thel disease. Vapors of vinegar
and water were frequently inhaled,
ten grains Of calomol were given, sue
ceeded by repeated doses of emetic
tarter, amounting in all to five or six
grains, with no other effect than a CO.
pious discharge from the bowels. The
power of life seemed now manifestly
yielding to the force of the disorder;
blisters were now applied to the ex.
tremities, together with cataplasm of
bran and vinegar to the throat. Speak
ing which was painful from the begin.
ming, now became almost impractiea-
BILE; respiration grew more and.
contracted and imperfect, till hall
past eleven on Saturday night, when,
retaining the full possession of bis in.
tellect, he expired without struggle.
"He was fully impressed at the be.
ginning Of his complaint, as we'll as
through every succeeding stage Of it,
that its conclusion would be fatal, sub.
mitting to the several exertions tor his
recovery rather as a duty than from
any expectation of their efficacy. He
considered the operations of death up
on his system as coeval with his dis
ease, and several hours before his
death, after repeated efforts to be un.
derstood, succeeded in expressing
desire that he might be permitted to
die without further interruption. Dur.
ing the short period of his illness he
economical his time in tho arrange
ment of such concerns as required his
attention, with the utmost serenity,
and anticipated his approaching dis
solution with every demonstration of
that equinimity for which his whole
life has been so uniformly and singu-
larly conspicuous"
The New York Witness remarks as
follows upon the above account:
"We suppose most Of the faculty
now would, after reading the above
medical report, regard the Father Of
his Country as having been killed by
ths lancet. And it is we'll worth while
to consider whether there is not some
equally great mistake in the medical
treatment of diseases now as there was
in 1899. 1t is our belief that much
more harm is done by alcoholic medi-
cation than ever was done by bleeding,
and that the more scientific and
class of practitioners Of some
future day will look back on the aleo-
hOlic prescription Of 1875 with pity