How They Croaked George Washington

1. What problems did George Washington have with his mouth and teeth?

• He only had minor cavities that were easily treated.
• George Washington had perfect teeth and never experienced any dental issues.
• George Washington had rotten teeth, abscesses, and carbuncles

• Washington had a full set of dentures made of gold and ivory.

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2. What did George Washington have to eat? Why?

• Mashed-up baby food because his dentures/teeth did not fit well/comfortably in his mouth.

• Soup Only because he could only handle liquid

• Meat Only because he only liked meat

• Mashed up baby food because that was his favorite food.

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3. What is “blood-letting”? Why did doctors use this approach to treat sick people?

• The addition of ‘good blood’ by using an IV. Doctors thought bad blood accumulated and stagnated in the body and needed to be removed.

• Doctors would hook an IV and pump medicine in the body that would help the blood.

• In the time period there was a myth about vampires helping doctors by letting them have ‘bad blood’ from their patients.

• The extraction of ‘bad blood’ by using a knife. Doctors thought bad blood accumulated and stagnated in the body and needed to be removed.

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4. What different treatments were done to George Washington while he was sick in 1799?

• Bloodletting and Smelling salts

• Antibiotics and bloodletting

• Drink with molasses, vinegar, and butter, wrapping a rag soaked in smelling salts around his neck, bloodletting, blister beetles, tartar emetic, and stuck wheat-bran poultries all over his legs and feet

• Drink with molasses, vinegar, and butter, wrapping a rag soaked in smelling salts around his neck, blister beetles, and tartar emetic,

Why was medical care not very effective at this time in history?

• Doctors were too smart

• They were not real doctors

• Doctors didn’t have the knowledge and advancement in medicine and technology we do now

• Doctors didn’t care

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Why was draining blood from George Washington a mistake?

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What infection killed George Washington? Where was the location of his infection?

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