Did George Washington die of quinsy?

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 mod...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inArchives of otolaryngology (1960) Vol. 102; no. 9; p. 519
Main Author Scheidemandel, H H
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.09.1976
Subjects
Aged
Famous Persons
History of Medicine
Humans
Male
Tracheitis - history
United States
United States
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Summary: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."
ISSN:0003-9977
DOI:10.1001/archotol.1976.00780140051001