Medicine That Would Have Changed History

What If the Founders Had a Medicine Cabinet?

By Cayla McGrath

America turns 250 this July.

Most anniversary articles this summer will celebrate with fireworks, founding documents, and famous quotes from Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin. We thought we’d celebrate a little differently by asking an unusual question: What if the Founders had a medicine cabinet?

Half of early American history reads like a record of people dying from infections, dehydration, and wounds that modern medicine routinely treats in the outpatient setting. That’s not meant to criticize eighteenth or nineteenth-century physicians for practicing with the tools they had. Quite the opposite. It serves as a reminder of just how dramatically the floor of basic medical preparedness has risen in a relatively short period of time.

Antibiotics, oral rehydration therapy, antiseptic wound care, hemostatic dressings, and evidence-based trauma management are not ancient discoveries. Many became standard practice within our grandparents’ lifetimes. At Jase, we spend much of our time helping families prepare for disruptions that may happen next month, next hurricane season, or on their next international trip. In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, we thought it might be fun to look backward instead.

Here are seven moments in American history where a modern Jase kit sitting on the shelf could have dramatically altered the outcome.

#1 Valley Forge, Winter 1777–1778

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Most Americans learn about Valley Forge as a story of bitter cold, inadequate clothing, and soldiers enduring a brutal winter. In reality, disease claimed far more lives than frostbite ever did.

Between 1,700 and 2,500 Continental soldiers died during the encampment, making Valley Forge one of the deadliest chapters of the Revolutionary War. Typhus spread through body lice, while dysentery and typhoid fever circulated because of contaminated water sources and poor sanitation. Influenza and pneumonia also moved quickly through an already weakened population. Historians note that nearly two-thirds of these deaths occurred in the spring, after the worst weather had passed.

Unfortunately, the medicine chest available in 1778 offered little relief. Bloodletting, mercury-based purgatives, and opium represented some of the best medical interventions available at the time. Germ theory was still decades away, and oral rehydration therapy had not yet been imagined.

Today, many of the bacterial infections and dehydration-related illnesses that devastated Valley Forge would likely be managed with antibiotics, oral rehydration salts, and improved sanitation practices. Washington still emerges from Valley Forge as a stronger leader, but perhaps he does so with many more soldiers standing alongside him.

#2 George Washington’s Final Illness, 1799

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Many people assume George Washington died simply because his doctors removed too much blood. The story is slightly more nuanced.

Modern historians and infectious disease specialists believe Washington likely suffered from acute bacterial epiglottitis, a rapidly progressing infection that causes swelling of the tissues surrounding the airway. As his breathing became more labored, his physicians attempted nearly every treatment available to them, including repeated bloodletting, blistering compounds, mercury preparations, gargles, and enemas.

By the end of the ordeal, Washington had lost approximately 40 percent of his blood volume.While the infection itself likely initiated his decline, historians increasingly believe that the aggressive interventions of the era significantly worsened his condition. Had Washington developed the same illness today and received prompt antibiotic treatment, there is a good chance he would have recovered within days and enjoyed several more years at Mount Vernon.

#3 Lewis and Clark’s Expedition, 1804–1806

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Lewis and Clark are often remembered as rugged explorers conquering an untamed frontier, but their journals tell a different story. For much of their two-year expedition, members of the Corps of Discovery battled dysentery, skin infections, abscesses, dehydration, and gastrointestinal illnesses.

President Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis to train under Dr. Benjamin Rush before the expedition departed. Rush supplied the group with dozens of his patented mercury-based purgative pills, nicknamed “Thunderclappers.” The medication was considered cutting-edge medicine in 1804, despite causing severe diarrhea and leaving such high concentrations of mercury behind that archaeologists still use soil testing to locate expedition campsites today.

Clark frequently documented sickness spreading among the group and correctly suspected contaminated water sources were contributing to their illnesses.

Today, many of these predictable travel-related problems could likely be managed with a contingency antibiotic, oral rehydration salts, and wound care supplies. It may not make for exciting storytelling, but it probably would have made for a significantly more comfortable expedition

#4 Sacagawea’s Serious Illness, 1805

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During the expedition, Sacagawea developed a severe illness that left her weak, feverish, and in considerable pain. Historical descriptions suggest she experienced symptoms consistent with an infection that today would often be treated successfully with a short course of antibiotics.

Instead, physicians of the era relied on opium, bark preparations, salts, and bloodletting.

Thankfully, Sacagawea recovered. Still, it is remarkable to consider that an illness which nearly altered one of America’s most celebrated expeditions might now be addressed with medications that fit neatly inside a household medicine cabinet.

#5 William Henry Harrison, 1841

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William Henry Harrison did not die because he delivered a lengthy inauguration speech in the rain.

That explanation persisted for generations, but modern historians believe a much different culprit was responsible: typhoid fever.

At the time, Washington, D.C., had primitive sewage infrastructure, and the White House water supply was located downhill from areas used for waste disposal. Harrison developed symptoms consistent with typhoid infection, including severe gastrointestinal illness and progressive dehydration, before dying only thirty-one days into his presidency.

His physicians attempted treatment with opium, castor oil, mercury compounds, and leeches.

Today, oral rehydration therapy alone has prevented millions of deaths worldwide. Combined with appropriate antibiotic treatment, Harrison’s illness would likely have been highly survivable, potentially changing the course of American political history.

#6 James Garfield, 1881

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James Garfield’s story may be the most compelling example of how much medicine has evolved.

Charles Guiteau shot Garfield in July 1881, but historians and surgeons largely agree that the gunshot wound itself was survivable. The bullet missed his spinal cord and lodged behind the pancreas.

What followed was seventy-nine days of increasingly aggressive medical intervention.

Twelve physicians repeatedly inserted unwashed fingers and non-sterile instruments into Garfield’s wound while attempting to locate the bullet. One physician punctured his liver during an examination. Surgeons gradually expanded a relatively small wound into an incision nearly twenty inches long.

All of this occurred fourteen years after Joseph Lister introduced antiseptic surgical techniques in Europe.

Garfield ultimately died from overwhelming infection, malnutrition, and sepsis.

His story highlights a lesson that remains foundational to modern trauma medicine: not every wound benefits from aggressive intervention. Sometimes the best course of action is surprisingly simple. Control bleeding, protect the wound from contamination, monitor carefully, and resist the temptation to make a survivable injury worse.

#7 Theodore Roosevelt’s Bullet Speech, 1912

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Contrary to popular legend, Theodore Roosevelt’s eyeglass case did not stop a bullet.

It merely slowed it down.

After being shot in the chest while campaigning in Milwaukee, Roosevelt quickly assessed himself, determined he was not coughing blood, and proceeded to deliver a ninety-minute speech before seeking medical attention.

Doctors later decided to leave the bullet in place, believing removal posed greater risks than simply allowing it to remain.

Roosevelt carried that bullet for the rest of his life.

Unlike Garfield’s physicians, Roosevelt’s doctors understood an important principle that still guides trauma care today: not every injury requires aggressive intervention. Sometimes, controlling bleeding, preventing contamination, and allowing the body to heal is the wiser course.

The Medical Floor Has Risen

Looking across these seven moments in American history, the common thread is not necessarily bad luck. More often, these individuals simply lived before the medical floor had risen beneath them.

Antibiotics, antiseptic technique, oral rehydration therapy, hemostatic dressings, and evidence-based wound management were not yet available. Many of the illnesses and injuries that once changed the course of history are now the kinds of challenges families can thoughtfully prepare for at home.

Perhaps that’s one of the most meaningful ways to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

Not only by remembering what earlier generations built, but by appreciating how much safer, healthier, and more medically prepared ordinary families can be today.

At Jase, we believe appropriate medical preparation means keeping that modern medical floor stocked. It means having thoughtful, clinician-built tools available before you need them, so that when life becomes unpredictable, your doctor and pharmacy are already on the shelf, ready when access to care isn’t.

Cayla McGrath is a content strategist with Jase Medical. This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider before using any prescription medication.