The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-10


Mr. Rawlins Gone of tho oyerseers) might be sent
for 10 bleed him before the doctor could arrive
I despatched servant instantly for Rawlins and
another for DR. Ctaik Rawlins came at once
and half pint Of blood was taken from the Gen
erals arm. DR.. Craik arrived about II o'clock
and az soon ns he reached his patients bedside
took in the gravity of the case and sent for DR.
Brown Of Port Tobacco and DR.. Dick Of Alcxan-
dria rs consulting physicians
full statement OF the details OF the treatment
from this time published by Drs Craik and Dick
in Ne MeSondIia paper Of Dec a. as iolows
that some account 81 the late illness and death
OF General Washington will be generally inter-
esting, AMI particularly 50 as to INC PROFESSORS
aud practitioners of medicine throughout Amer.
lea. We request you to publish the following state.
mcnt ~ A. ,,
inst, having been exposed 10 n rain on the pre-.
cedlng day General Washington was attacked
with an inlammatory, affection 81 The, upper part
Of the windpipc, called In technical language
Cgnarhe T'rdchedits The disease commenced
with violent ague,, accompanied with some
sense Of structure in the same part, cough. and
difficult rather than painful deglutition, which
were soon succeeded by quick and laborious
"'rhe necessity Of blood.letting suggesting
itself to the General he procured beedcr in the
twelve or fourteen ounces of blood He could
not he prevailed on by the family 10 send for the
attending physician III the following morning rS
on Saturday. Discovering the vase To he highly
alarming and forcsecing the fatal tendency Of
uediatcy sent for. who arrived, one at half after
8 and the other at o'clock In the afternoon
In the meantime we're employed two pretty copious,
and two moderate doses Of calomc were given.
but all without any perceptible advantage, the
respiration becoming still more difficult and dis.
tressing lpon tho arrival Of the first Of the
consulting physicians IL was agreed. a. there
were ye, no signs OF accumulation in ihc bronchial
vessels Of the lungs, to try the result Of anothcr
bleeding when about thrtytwo ounces Of blood
were drawn without the smallest apparent ale,
water were frequently inhaled. ten grains Of cal.
omel were given, succeeded by repeated doses
Of emetc tartar amounting In all To five or six
grains
yielding to the force 81 the disorder bsters were
applied To the c1tremitics together with A cato
plasm Of bran and vinegar 10 the throat. Speak.
ing, which was painful from the beginning.
now because almost imprac'icnble; respiration
grew more and more contracted and imperfect,
till after II on Saturday night, retaining the
full possession Of his intellect he expired without
a struggle.
"He was fully impressed at the beginning VI
his complaint a. well aS through every succeed
ing stage Of H. that Us conclusion would be mortal
submitting to the several cNer,ions made for his
recovery rather As n duty than from any cNpecta-
ton Of their efficiency. lie considered the opera
tons 81 death upon his system az cocval with
the disease. and several hours before his death
after repeated efforts To be understood. succeeded
in expressing n desire that he might be permitted
10 die without further interruption During
the short period oi his illness he economical his
time in the arrangement OF such few concerns
and anticipated his approaching dissolution
with every demonstration IT that cquanimity
for which his whole life has been so uniformly
and Sngularly CONSPICUOUS
JANIS CRACK. attending Physician
ELlsHAC. DICK. Consulting Physician.
The signature ui Doctor GuStANuS brown nf
Port Tobacco. who attended aS consulting ply
stefan, on account OF the remotcnrSS NJ his resi-
dcncc from this place, has not been procured To
This accoun, elected at the time good deal
Of discussion by the medical faculty both in this
B. IL
a majority oi the profession endorsed the treat.
mcni as in accordance with the most approved
physicians who strongly condemned i, and de
Clarcd that lhe illus,rous patient had been blcd
10 death. Among thcSe br. John l'rickclc Of
The duration Of his illness was twenty hours:
from a. NJ. till after 10 Z NJ A blceder being
sent for at the unseasonabl hour Of . 4 NJ We
may suppose the operation was not performed
until o'clock; before eleven hours elapsed he
was BLEED again twice protuScly, which must have
soon aitetward he was BLEED again 10 the amount
al thirty two ounces Thus we $50 by their own
statement that they drew from man In tho sixty
eighth year o' his age the enormous quantity 81
cighty.two ounces, or above two quarts and a half
Of blood in about thirteen huurs Very few "
the mos, robust young men IN the world could
survive such loss II blood, hut the body oi an
aged person must be exhausted and all his
powers 50 weakened by i, as TO make his death
the causr precisely: the physicians soon observed
the powers % life Welding, loss Of speech, and
sivc bleeding had left him no strength g. struggle"
Many ycnrs after this, in 1890 when Edward
he called upon Dr James Jackson q Boston
for his opinion as to this treatment DIR jackson
in reply entered into n critical discussion of the
details 81 the cas-" from which h. arrived AT this
conclusion, 1t would seem that the treatment
adopted by DR.. Crnik and his medical coadjutnrs
is The same which has been and j. nov directed
proved Of III" blood letting rs Tho great rene Is"
IN such eases O., o. y, he " Other hand IN Ga6o,
following note IN the chapter on Washington's
death In rrspons" To an inquiry as To the mod
lio2p"r u Boston. well known as an authority
in diseases ~ the throat wrote me. Washing
tons PHYSICIANS ar" not 20 be criticised iot their
treatment for they acted according 10 their best
light ard knowledge. To treat such u IN
such manner IN the year 1880 would be- little
short 81 criminal AZ the present time the phys-
clans would use the laryugOsCopc, and look and
see what the trouble was The laryngoscop-
has only been used since 1857 In this disease
the function most int.ricred With - breathing
The one thing which saves a patient in this dis
cas-" is timely trachcotnmy. doub, II trachr
Washngton's time, Washington ought 10 have
been trGcheotomi2"d, or rather that Is Ia" way
antimony calom"l ~ bleeding now The point
is 70 let in IN" cir and not 20 let gu; the blood u"
From III" standpoint OF to-day II would sem
that Wnshington's physicians while doing the
best they knew, Numbered i-artully in his treat.
m"nt And there * some ground for the belief
that nnc NJ the consulting physicians DR. Dick
i!rown, realized the mistake when too lat" Ben.
son j; LOSING, whilc editing the American ms
ior,rdl RECORD IN 1873, published the draft Of a
letter from DR. Brown to DIR. Craik with the
statement MAT II had been found by gentleman
visiting Alexandria In nm old letter book Of DR..
Browns. II rcnds as follows
"PoRr TOBACCO. Jan. 2. 1900
SIR ! have lately met DR. Dick again in
consultation, and the high opinion that formed
81 him when We We're in conference nj Mount
Vernon last month concerning tn" situation uf
our illustrlous friend haS been confirmed Yuu
remember how. by his clear reasoning and eyi
dent knowledge Of certain symptoms after his
examination q the General, he assured us that
u was no, really quinsy which We supposed il to
be- but n VIC lent Inflammation of the membrane
OF the throat by which IL was almost closed, and
which II not Immediately arrested would result
IN death, You remember he was aversc 10 bleeding
Ing the General and have often thought that
II We Ind acted according 10 his suggestions
when he said He needs all his strength-blecd-
Ing viii diminish IL, and taken no more blood
from him. our good friend might have been alive
now, But We were governed by the best light
We had We thought we were right. and We are
justified
II this draft be- genuine II throws grent deal
81 light upon the subject but | must confess |
have my doubts Ms Ia its gcnuineness. NJ it rests
upon the authority OF an unknown correspondent.
and MI Losing may have been deceived Still
have never heard II disputed and see that hstor
lansot rcput- quote ts authority without qualifca-
ton tscerta ain that DR. Dick did not lose In the cs
linn NI9aH -