George Washington's recurrent health problems and fatal infection re-examined
Historical analysis published in Clin Infect Dis (2021)
Abstract
George Washington's medical history has been recounted so many times and with such consistency that it seems that nothing new remains to be said about the panoply of disorders that plagued him during his life. The same can be said for the particular one that carried him off at age 67. We know that he had small pox, dysentery, recurrent attacks of malaria, and a host of other infections during his long and spectacularly productive career. His teeth were a source of unrelenting distress despite his assiduous attention to dental hygiene; and terminally, he developed a rapidly progressive upper respiratory infection, which killed him in little more than a day and a half despite the best medical care available.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
Historical re-examination of George Washington's medical history and fatal upper-respiratory infection, contextualizing bloodletting practices of late-18th-century American medicine.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This article re-examines the medical history of George Washington, recounting his recurrent health problems—including smallpox, dysentery, malaria, dental issues, and other infections—and his terminal rapidly progressive upper respiratory infection that proved fatal within approximately a day and a half despite contemporary medical care. The abstract provides a biographical overview of his illnesses across his lifetime. There is no mention of leeches, hirudotherapy, bloodletting, or any leech-related intervention in the abstract. This article has no discernible relevance to ASH's domain.
Citation
George Washington's recurrent health problems and fatal infection re-examined.
Mackowiak PA et al. · Clinical infectious diseases, 2021
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