| James Craik's Spring Lancet | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Origin |
James Craik/The death of George Washington |
|
Type |
Spring Lancet |
|
Effects |
Prevents clotting |
|
Downsides |
Effects |
|
Activation |
Breaking skin |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 13 |
|
Section |
|
|
Aisle |
563363-3477 |
|
Shelf |
154422-938-910 |
|
Date of Collection |
May 17, 2001 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
James Craik (1730-1814) was an 18th century Scottish-American physician who served as the sixth Surgeon General of the United States, as well as personal physician of George Washington.
An army surgeon, Craik served under and befriended Washington during the French-Indian War, as well as the Revolutionary War, and afterwards ran his own private practice in Alexandria at the behest of Washington.
On December 14th, 1799, Craik and two other doctors, Elisha C. Dick and Gustavus Richard Brown, attended a sick George Washington, who had developed an infection in the throat after being caught in the rain. While numerous attempts at relieving the general of his symptoms were tried, including a gargle that nearly drowned him, the most well-known were the numerous bloodlettings, purposeful cuts into the circulatory system to release "excess" blood. Ultimately, Washington was bled a total of five times, thrice by Craik, for a total of 3.75 liters over the course of nine to ten hours.
Tragically, it is highly possible that this attempt to save Washington's life only hastened his death, as he began feeling the effects of preterminal anemia, hypovolemia, and hypotension.
Effects[]
Infused with the conviction of both Washington and Craik that the bloodletting would be effective, this spring lancet can prevent the clotting of a wound that it creates, effectively ensuring that the victim will bleed out completely unless neutralized.