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Interesting Facts - Page 101
501
George Washington died after doctors removed about 40% of his blood, employing the then-common practice of bloodletting.
502
President James Garfield would probably have survived being shot if not for the terrible medical treatment he received. His doctors repeatedly stuck their unwashed fingers into his wound, accidentally punctured his gallbladder, and denied him adequate nutrition. Even still, Garfield had such a strong constitution that it took more than two months for him to die after being shot.
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When U.S. President James A. Garfield was shot by a lunatic in 1881, he did not have any bodyguards. In fact, his movements and schedule were published in newspapers, making it relatively easy for his assassin to find him and shoot him.
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Alexander Graham Bell invented the metal detector to help find the bullet that was trapped in President James Garfield's body. His device would have worked, except that Garfield's incompetent doctor only let him use the device on one side of Garfield's body when the bullet lay on the other side.
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Before modern times, barbers did more than cut hair. They also performed surgery, dental care, and blood-letting. The red and white striped barber pole initially stood for blood and bandages.
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Thus, whenever doctors deemed that a person was sick due to their blood creating an imbalance, they would drain "a bit of it" by means of leeches or a puncture, a procedure that came to be known as "bloodletting". In Washington's case, he asked for it, much like today's people who pop a pill without going to the doctor (sometimes it works, sometimes a doctor visit is better).
Thankfully, during the 19th century, people started to question its validity, and the medical community stopped gradually its usage. Nowadays, it's reserved to very, very specific cases, but with so many precautions never even imagined long before.