I was at the "Psychiatry: The Industry of Death" museum in Hollywood this weekend, and the very first plaque in the whole museum alleges that Benjamin Rush, considered the father of modern psychiatry, killed George Washington. MAJOR CAVEAT, I know better than to trust anything at a museum run by the Church of Scientology, but I was curious about the story behind this allegation. I learned through some quick Googling that Rush was not at all present at Washington's deathbed, so a statement as direct as "he killed him" is very misleading, but I also learned that Rush was a major advocate of bloodletting. Is there even a tiny bit of truth to the statement--do (actual) historians indirectly blame Rush's advocacy for Washington's death? Or is this link between the two entirely fictitious?
Well, according to [this] (http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/14/health/death-of-a-president-a-200-year-old-malpractice-debate.html) article, Rush was not present at George Washington's death. But, he was an known advocate of bloodletting ([article from upenn.edu] (http://www.archives.upenn.edu/people/1700s/rush_benj.html)). So, Benjamin Rush had an indirect role in the death of George Washington.