Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-15
wAsHINGToN's LIFE.
Throat Specialists Say IL Might Have
Been Longer.
Baltimore Sun.)

have been at least prolonged and at any
rate his death made less painful was the
opinion expressed last night in n dis
cussion before the newly formed Laryn-
geological society OF Maryland at the
rooms Of the Medical and Chirurgical
Faculty, sf North Eutaw street. \ num-
Der Of prominent throat specialists took
part in the discussion.
The discussion was begun with a his
torical address by Mr.. Charles Wheathers
Bump, who gave an account OF the last
Illness OF Washington and Of the treat
ment which was accorded him by his
three physicians-Drs. James Craix.
Elisha c. Dick and Gustavus Richard
Brown. The account was based upon two
statements by the physicians recently
found by Mr.. Bump in the files Of rarc
old newspapers and periodicals. One was
a history Of the case, singed by Drs.
Crsik and Dick, and printed i'm the Bal
timore Federal Gazette for December 26.
1893, II days after Washington's death.
The other was an article by Or. Dick.
written in 1908 for the Philadelphia Medi-
cal and Physical Journal. a short-lived
periodical, now rarely found. A private
letter OF one Of the three physicians was
also quoted.
THE FATAL ILLNESS.
washington is generally supposed to
have died from what is now know to
medical men as acute oedematous iaryn-
gifts. but what was then classified as
quinsy or eroupe OF adults. He caught n
cold while riding over his estate In bad
weather on Thursday, December u, 1893.
and on the following day Complained or
hoarseness. Before dawn on Saturday
he aroused Mrs. Washington and said
he was III. but would not let her sum-
mon doctor until day broke. Tne ply
sican first sent for was Dr. Craik, who
had been Washington's intimate friend
FOR nearly half centuary. when he
came, he saw that the ex-Presldent was
in great pain, and he asked that Or.
Dick be summoned from Alexandra and
DR.. Brown from Port Tobacco.
In spite OF their efforts TO alleviate the
sick man, he died about II O'Clock that
Saturday night, within 20 hours after he
had told his wife that he was ~. His
death was directly due TO strangulation,
caused by the swelling or his larynx
until it closed and prevented his breath
ing.
FIVE POUNDS OF BLOOD DRAWN.
The treatment which was given Wash
ingtOn consisted mainly OF a succession
Of blood lettings and Of the frequent adj
ministration or mercury IN the form OF
calomel and Of tartar emetic. From the
physicians statements it has been com
puted, sir. Bump stated, that at least
five pounds OF blood were drawn in
Y hours once by an overseer OF the es-
tate at WashingtOns direction and three
times by the physicians after their arri-
val, the last bleeding taking no less than
two pounds from him. 1t is stated that
after this last bleeding Washington, with
much pain ana difficulty, cOntrived TO
have them understand that he wished 10
Idle without further interruption"
Modern biographers have almost uni
fOrmly condemned tho treatment Of the
physicians as little short OF murder"
and Blr Bump showed that even with
the scanty medical knowledge OF Il hum
dred years ago the methods were
violently assailed I'm this country and
Europe. lie quoted from attacks made
by William Goblet. a noted pamphiete-
or and political writer, by a physician or
Savannah ana another of London. all
within four months or Wasnlngtons
death
WHEN DOCTORS DISAGREE.
"Of still more importance" he said, us
the knowledge which IS disclosed in Or.
Dicks article. We learn there that the
physicians themselves disagreed as TO the
right treatment. Or. Dick rOundly Con-
demned the excessive blOOd-letting as ter
ribiy weakening at "a time when Washing
ton needed every iota of his strength. Tie
surgical operation OF tracheOtomy or
opening the Windpipe 10 admit air into the
lungs was a novelty, but DR.. Dick had
read OF a few cases where 10 had been
practiced and he strongly advocated tina.
il be performed on Washington. The other
two physicians, however. were older men,
and they We're TOO conservative 10 adopt
the suggestion. After Washington had
admits that they were In error I'm refusing
TO adopt DR.. Dicks suggestion"
FASTENED BY BLEEDING.
DR.. Samuel *. Merrick open the dis
cussiOn. He advanced the opinion that
fatal termination of Washington's illness
was probably FASTENED by excessive blood
letting. Then he suggested that the az
lection of the throat might have been of
dlphtheritic origin, from the fact that
Group does not kill adults, while diph-
iberia does sometimes lie SAID That while
laryngeal diptheria IS not common in
adults. reports of other similar cases in
the neighborhoOd OF Alexandria I'm 1893 led
90 the suggestion that WashngtOn's at
lection might have been of diphtheritic
origin DR. Merrick cited n case OF pure
laryngeal diphtheria he had seen in a man
IS years old, which, he said. without the
approved methods Of treatment Of mo-
dern times would likely have caused the
mans death. In this case a tracheOtomy
or opening OF the windplpe was per-
formed
THE MODERN TREATMENT.
Or. Samual Johnston expressed the
opinion that probably the treatment 10
ceiyed contributed to the fatal termina-
ton Of Washlngton's illness. He said X
such case was seen nowadays the flrst
thing the careful doctor would do would
Fs4Hs f..raf
lGryngoscOpe. IL the tOnsil was inhamed,
he said, a meteorological culture would
be taken TO determine whether IL was a
simple or ii diphtheritic Infection. Then
the nasal passages would be examined
for evidences OF the dlphtheritic mem-
brane, the post mares and the windpipe
being similarly Inspected. The treatment
he said. would be according to the results
Of this inspection.
II there was swelling Of the mouth Of
the Windpipe the surfaces would be sacrl-
fed. Steam inhalatiOns would be used.
BrOmods OK potash and astringents would
be used 10 counterfeit the swelling. NO
blisters would DO used. Salines might be
used 10 induce watery discharge
through the ailmentary canal and thus
indirectly reduce the congestion. II these
methods brought no relief spraying or
cocaine would be tried and intubauon or
the placing OF metal tube In the open
ing of the Windpipe 50 that ~ would DO
lungs TracheotOmy would be the resort
tx the other means failed. There would
be no bleeding, no tartar emetic giving,
no calOmel, and nutrition instead of depic-
ton or tho patients strength.
The iaTyngoscope IS u small mirror OF
handle, which is put In the patients
throat and light injected into It from a
circular mirror held on the forehead OF
the physician.
Dr. Edwin Bernstein said that In the
Ian a
for the treatment Of such cases, physi-
clans must respect the acumen OF DR.
Dick in suggesting tracheotomy at that
early day when so little was known about