George Washington’s Hard Death Shows the Limits of Medicine in His Time
He’s one of the United States’s most revered figures, but his last hours were plagued by excruciating illness
When George Washington left office at 65, he was the picture of health—at least for a man of his age living in the 18th century.
Less than three years later, he was dead of a sudden illness that was centuries away from being treatable.
By all accounts, George Washington’s final hours were painful and frightening, though he had been healthy just days before and hadn’t sustained any grievous injuries. His death, which took place “a little more than 30 months into his retirement,†writes Howard Markel for PBS News Hour, illustrates how suddenly illness could strike even the most wealthy–and how little doctors were able to do about it.
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http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/george-washingtons-hard-death-shows-limits-medicine-his-time-180967531/#pfJb4CR23IkUyiQP.99
