Subject(s)
Epiglottitis/history , Famous Persons , Laryngitis/history , Asphyxia/history , History, 18th Century , Humans , Male , United StatesABSTRACT
After his second term as first president of the United States, George Washington retired to his Mount Vernon estate in 1796. It was there that he suddenly fell ill and died in December of 1799 after an illness lasting only 21 hours. His problem was first diagnosed as "quinsy" and later modified to "Cynanche trachealis". A review of the signs, symptoms, and clinical course of his fatal illness suggests that the cause of death was most likely an otolaryngologic emergency known as "acute epiglottitis."
Subject(s)
Tracheitis/history , Aged , Famous Persons , History of Medicine , Humans , Male , United StatesABSTRACT
The often perplexing clinical findings in acute epiglottitis are produced by the relative absence of cyanosis and hypercapnia in the face of severe hypoxemia, since expiration and CO2 elimination are not impaired. A serious situation arises when intubation is unseccessful. Six hundred otolaryngologists were polled to determine whether life-saving tracheotomy in such a situation could be performed within the time limits.
