S3E6 "The Medical History of George Washington"

Dr. Matthew Bowdish joins us today as we discuss the “Medical History of George Washington”.  As Commander in Chief his health was not well known to the general public as it was a matter of national security.  However, we do know that he suffered from many diseases and that his ultimate death was likely caused by the medical practices of the day.  Click on the picture below to watch this week’s episode of Revolutionary War Rarities.  We are the podcast from the Sons of the American Revolution.

A brief list of resources to do further research on the topics mentioned in this episode:

Abrams JE. Revolutionary Medicine, NYU Press, 2013

Coss S. The Fever of 1721, Simon & Schuster, 2016

Curfman D., The Medical History of the Father Our Country - General George Washington.  At OFPA Website

Reiss O. Medicine and the American Revolution, McFarland & Co. 1998

Scheidemandel H.  Did George Washington Die of Quinsy?  Arch Oto (102) 519-21.

Shyrock R.  Medicine and Society in America 1660-1880.  Cornell University Press 2010.

Wilbur C.  Revolutionary Medicine 1700-1800, Globe Pequot, 1997.

George Washington’s Ancestry:

https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-10-02-0211-0002

https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/ancestry https://www.georgewashington.org/ancestry-and-family-history.jsp https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/american-ancestry

George Washington’s Health History:

https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/health https://www.americanheritage.com/medical-profile-george-washington https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/georgewashington/index.html https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-mysterious-death-of-george-washington https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/george-washingtons-medical-chart