Mount Vernon, Virginia – On December 14, 1799, George Washington passed away at his home after falling seriously ill and losing around 40% of his blood. His death, which came in a 21-hour period, left many experts puzzled over the exact cause.
Contemporary accounts from Tobias Lear, Washington’s secretary, provided insight into the events leading up to the former President’s rapid decline. Washington, previously healthy, rode around his estate in wet clothes on a miserable day, and later became seriously ill, struggling to breathe or speak. Doctors proceeded to bleed Washington multiple times, resulting in a 40% loss of blood.
Medical practitioners in 1799 initially considered cynanche trachealis, an inflammation of the air passages, as the cause of Washington’s death. However, theories over the years have suggested other potential diagnoses, including diphtheria and acute bacterial epiglottitis.
Dr. Howard Markel, summarizing findings from the New England Journal of Medicine and other sources, cited acute bacterial epiglottitis as the most likely explanation for Washington’s symptoms. Other experts have debated the contribution of the massive bloodletting and disregarded suggestions for a tracheotomy to Washington’s untimely death.
The truth of the matter is that none of these theories can be proved conclusively, leaving the exact cause of George Washington’s death still a mystery over 200 years later. Despite the uncertainty, one thing remains clear: the sudden and tragic loss of the nation’s first President led to ongoing discussions and research about his mysterious illness and untimely demise.