Washington Was Likely Killed by His Own Doctors

When George Washington fell ill with a severe throat infection in December 1799, his physicians applied the standard treatment of the era: bloodletting. Over the course of just two days, they drained an estimated 5–7 pints of blood — nearly half the body's total blood supply. Modern medical historians believe Washington was almost certainly killed by this treatment rather than the original illness, which would be easily treatable today with antibiotics.

Source

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1200698/

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Published: April 8, 2026
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George Washington History Science & Health

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