Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-27
OLD-TIME DOCTORS,

during the present year occurs the
hundredth annive rsary of the death Of
George Washington. The date is De-
cember IA, but all sort of Washington
lana will be in order during the gear. Mr..
l.. w. DeZeller, of Seabury 4 johnson,
No. SO Maiden Lane, New York owns a
bound volume of the Monthly Magazine
and American Review of New York, for
the year 1899. and from it Is taken the
following interesting contemporaneous
account of the medical treatment admin
istered to the most illustrious of Ameri-
cans during his last illness. 1t will be
seen that the science of medicine has
made enormous strides in the direction Of
greater mildness in the treatment of dis
ease during the last 100 years, and the
extraordinary means taken to save
Washington's life ought to be Interesting
reading to others han doctors and drug
gists. The December number of the mag
azine says:
Some time in the night of Friday, the
18th of December, having been exposed
to a rain on the preceding day., Gen.
Washington was attacked with an in
iammatory affection of the upper. part
OF the windpipe, called. in technical
language, cynanche trachealis. The dis
ease commenced with a violent ague, ac-
II jill poil III III upDcI
and fore part of the throat. a sense of
structure in the same part, a cough, and
a difficult, rather than a painful, degiu-
tlnatlon, which were soon succeeded by
fever and a quick and laborious respira-
ton.
The necessity Of bloot-letting suggest
ing itself to the general, he procured a
bieeder in the neighborhood, who took
from his arm in the night II or IA ounces
of blood. He could not be prevailed upon
by the family 20 send for the attending
physician till the following morning, who
arrived at Mount Vernon at about II
o'clock OF Saturday.
'~Discovering the case to be highly
alarming and foreseeing the fatal ten
dency OF the disease, two consulting ply
sicians were Immediately sent for, who
arrived, one at half after 3, and the other
at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. In the mean
time We're employed two copious bleed
ings, a blister was applied to the parts
affected, two moderate doses of calomel
We're given, but all without any p%ercepti-
bic advantage. the respiration becoming
still more difficult and painful.
ION the arrival of the first Of the con
sulting physicians it was agreed, as
there were vet no signs Of accumulation
in the bronchial vessels Of the lungs, to
| try the effect o. another bleeding, when
about 80 ounces If blood We're drawn
without the least apparent alienation Of
the disease. Vapors of vinegar and water
were frequently inhaled, 10 grains of cal
omel were given. succeeded by repeated
doses Of emetic tartar, amounting in all
to five or six grains.
1.-The power of life seemed now mani
testify yielding to the force Of the dis
ease; -blisters We're applied to the ex-
tremeties, together with a cataplasm of
bran and vinegar to the throat. Speak
ing, which had been painful from the be-
ginning, now became almost impractic-
able: respiration grew moro and more
contracted and imperfect till 1880 on Sat-
urday night. when, retaining the full pos
session of his intellects, he expired with
out a struggle.
"He was fully impressed at the begin
ming of his disease. as we'll as through
every stage of it. that it's conclusion
would be mortal: submitting to the ex-
ertions made for his recovery rather as a
duty than from any belief of their eff
ficacy. He considered the operations of
death upon his system as coeval with the
disease, and several hours before his
death, after repeated efforts to be under
stood, he succeeded in expressing a desire
that he might be permitted to die with
out further interruption"