Washington had a number of serious health scares while president. The first occurred less than two months after his inauguration. Washington described the illness as, “a very large and painful tumor on the protuberance of my thigh—this prevents me from walking or sitting”.31 After weeks of treatments, Dr. Samuel Bard and his father, Dr. John Bard, removed Washington’s tumor on June 17, 1789. It took six weeks for the incision site to heal, during which Washington mainly laid on his right side.32 A similar, but milder, tumor reappeared two years later. Thomas Jefferson wrote to James Madison, “The President is indisposed with the same blind tumour, & in the same place, which he had the year before last in New York.”33
Then, in the spring of 1790, Washington became very ill. This time he was inflicted by influenza and pneumonia, which affected both his hearing and eyesight. At one point, William Maclay reported that Washington had “nearly lost his hearing.”34
On May 16, Theodore Sedgwick noted, “About five oclock in the afternoon yesterday, the physicians disclosed that they had no hopes of his recovery.”35 However, Washington began to sweat overnight, and by morning, the doctors believed he was out of immediate danger. After recovering, Washington wrote the following about his health:
I have already had within less than a year, two severe attacks—the last worse than the first—a third more than probable will put me to sleep with my fathers; at what distance this may be I know not. Within the last twelve months I have undergone more, and severer sickness than thirty preceding years afflicted me with, put it altogether—I have abundant reason however to be thankful that I am so well recovered; though I still feel the remains of the violent affection of my lungs—The cough, pain in my breast, and shortness in breathing not having entirely left me.36
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