Historical Medical Practices and the Case of George Washington

Before the turn of the $1900\text{s}$ , the field of medicine relied heavily on treatments that were largely ineffective or detrimental by modern standards.
The two primary functions of logic-based medical intervention during this era were:
- Bleeding: The practice of withdrawing blood from a patient to cure or prevent illness.
- Purgatives: Substances or procedures used to induce the evacuation of the bowels or stomach.

Historical Longevity: Phlebotomy was a standard medical practice used for centuries despite having very little, if any, therapeutic benefit for the vast majority of conditions.
Methods of Extraction:
- Leeches: Biological organisms used to suck blood directly from the patient’s body.
- Scalpel or Lancet: Surgical instruments used to drain veins, typically from the patient's arm.
Therapeutic Efficacy and Physiological Impact:
- The practice was functionally useless for most ailments and generally resulted in draining the patient's energy and making them physically weaker.
- Exceptions: The only condition where bleeding would have provided a genuine benefit is in cases where a patient had an excessive amount of iron in their blood.
- Psychological and Neurological Context: Bleeding was sometimes used to "settle down" patients who were in manic or hyperactive states, though it did nothing to address underlying causes.
- Immune System Suppression: Instead of aiding recovery, phlebotomy generally hindered the function of the patient's immune system.

Core Function: These treatments were designed to purge the body of supposed toxins or "humors" by forcing the evacuation of the digestive tract.
Specific Modalities:
- Emetics: Agents used to induce vomiting.
- Enemas: Procedures used to evacuate the bowels.
Misapplication: Doctors frequently utilized emetics and enemas to treat any kind of illness, regardless of whether the patient exhibited digestive issues or not.

Patient Profile: George Washington, the President of the United States, representing the highest social and political echelon. His care was provided by the best doctors available in the country.
Diagnosis: A severe throat infection.
Medical Limitations: At the time of Washington's illness, there were no antibiotics available; such medications would have been the most effective and appropriate treatment for his condition.
Medical Interventions Applied:
- Blistering: Doctors produced boils on his tongue.
- Sputum Induction: Treatments were administered to cause him to produce more phlegm.
- Repeated Phlebotomy: He was bled several times.
- Enemas: He was given enemas as part of a "shotgun" approach to find anything that might work.
Outcome:
- Washington died without receiving any benefit from these treatments.
- Historical and medical consensus argues that his death was unnecessary and likely accelerated by the aggressive and debilitating nature of the medical care he received.