The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-05-10
New Shades in Dress Goods,
The Arcade-EGAN & co.
HOW WASHINGTON DIED.

4
medical men of the so-called old
school of doctors, but representing
progressive minds of the allopathic
branch of the medical profession
some of them had been professors
in medical colleges many years ago.
These old friends in conversational
way compared notes relative to the
radical changes which have taken
place in the methods of treatment of
diseases, the large and frequent
doses of calomel and other powerful
remedies administered to the pa
tients in the practice of forty or
fifty years ago, compared with the
almost infinitesimal doses now pre-
scribed and the now total abandon
ment of some remedies and modes |
of treatment which were in general
practice then.
The old-time doctor, and even the
physician of but recent date, form
crly carried in his coat pocket
formidable lance, the sight of which
frightened his nervous patient.
With that instrument he proceeded,
by way of preliminary preparation
for "course of medicine" to open
n large vein in the sick persons arm
and therefrom draw pint to
quart of blood. Then follow the
inevitable prescription of fifteen or
twenty grains of calomel accom-
panied by bottle of castor oil and
the patient would be "laid up
therefore for some days, engaged in
recovering from his heroic medical
treatment. Now phlebotomy, or
blood-letting, has been almost wholly
abandoned. Calomel when pre-
scribed at all is given in half-grain
doses at intervals of three to four
hours, and so on to the end of the
list of old-popular remedies.
One of the physicians present,
pursuing this theme, astonished his
hearers by asserting that the ga
Their of His Country" General
George Washington, did not die a
natural death, but was killed by his
doctors. Here several voices stimuli
laneOuSly eNcllllllcu'
CHATS libel Where is your
evidence?" Thereupon the sup
posed libeler produced from a
Georgetown, ID. c., newspaper,
printed in 1899, an account of the
illness, death and burial of George
Washington, together with the GER
tifcate of the physicians, Drs. Craik
and Dick, who treated the illustrious
patient in his last illness. The GER
tifcate of these physicians, who
resided about fifteen miles from
Georgetown, showed that Genera
Washington, having been exposed
: to rain on Friday, December 18th
, in the night of that day was attack
ed with chills, accompanied will
, pain in the upper and fore part o
, the throat, coughing, difficult
= rather than painful swallowing, sue
ceeded by fever and quick ant
laborious respiration.
General Washington" says thu
| account, regarding the attack al
S only severe cold, would not sent
| for physician, but called in one o
Y his servants, bleeder, so-called
: who took from the sick mans arm
: nearly pint of blood, which was
5 goodly portion of the vigorous
n healthy life of the patient. Th'
t patient was about in that condition
> until the arrival of his physicians a
Y 10 o'clock the next morning (Satur
o day), when the doctors proceede,
y to repeat the bleeder's operation
>, and twice within about four hour
t took other two pints or quarts o
S blood. In the interim were employ
Il ed two copious bleedlngs, a b'iste
:, was applied to the part affected
V two moderate doses of calomel wer
d given, succeeded by repeated dose
d of tartar emetic, amounting to fiv
or six grains, with no other effec
than copious discharge from tn
bowels"
" "This was treatment of til
q heroic kind" interjected the allege
% libeler, (which was enough to XII
r, any ordinary well man." and it wa
.e evidently doing the business for tn
l. General, for the learned doctor
1T add:
or "The powers of life seemed no
ID manifestly yielding TO the force
e. the disorder. Blisters were apple
re TO the extremities, together with
in cataplasm of bran and vinegar
TX the throat. Speaking, which W;
ed painful from the beginning, now b
ed came impracticable. Respiratic
or grew more and more contracted al
IN imperfect until 1880 O'Clock
a Saturday night, when, retainir
10 possession of his intellect, he e
ry pired without struggle"
,e- "No wonder!" remarked the {
M legged libeler. "lIow could
N struggle after losing about all t
ch blood in his body, with huge bliste
int aiding in the depletion of vii
ass strength and his stomach cramm
TT with calomel and tartar emetic
nj that there was no room for food
err, fluids, which he should have. had
IS. keep up the system? Poor nj
civ how he must have suffered A
the he couldn't make them stop til
RS torture, although he seems TO hi
ng- tried to do so. But the medi
t is men certify that after repeal