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Although there was speculation of an attempt to poison hotel guests, that theory was not proven. The outbreak affected mostly patrons of the hotel's dining room but not those who frequented the bar. It began to spread more noticeably by mid-January 1857. New cases of the illness began to decrease in
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A sewer builder noticed a sewer opening in the southwest corner of the
National Hotel that connected with the sewer leading into the street. Through the opening proceeded a constant fetid gas, which was coming in rapidly enough to extinguish a candle flame, according to the individual's estimation.
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newspaper vocalized the poison theory. However, dissenters contended that poisoned water was improbable because the
National Hotel's water tank was used only for washing. Drinking water was brought to the establishment from a distance. In an effort to eliminate rats from the National Hotel, arsenic
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of their stomachs. Affected individuals often complained of recurrences of symptoms even after they had left the
National Hotel. Aside from a sudden onset of diarrhea, which happened generally in the early morning, vomiting occurred after the diarrhea ceased.
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Major George McNeir, 64, of
Washington, DC, dined at the National Hotel during the first outbreak of the epidemic. Dr. Jas J. Waring was among the physicians who performed an autopsy on McNeir. He was the only person whose body was subjected to a
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examination after he had died from the sickness. Waring stated that there was no incubation period before the onset of McNeir's illness. McNeir had been affected when he went to bed after dinner, and the symptoms never left him until his death.
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The
National Hotel was built in the late 1820s. After other mishaps, including a fire in 1921, it was acquired in 1929 by the District of Columbia municipal government and was demolished in 1942. The site was occupied by the
114:, which originated from the decomposition of vegetables and animals. It thought that the infection had entered the National Hotel from a sewer, which was connected to the Sixth Street sewer.
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number by the end of
January 1857 and continued to abate until mid-February. When the numbers of guests increased for the
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James
Buchanan's nephew also died from the epidemic. He had originally been set to be his uncle's personal secretary.
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of
Mississippi died in July 1858 from the disease's aftereffects. He had also served as a major general during the
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was used. One of the poisoned rats was discovered in the water tank after guests had become ill with the sickness.
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The
National Hotel epidemic manifested itself as a persistent diarrhea, which was often accompanied by an intense
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of
Pennsylvania died in June 1859 of complications from the disease, which he had contracted at the hotel.
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Outbreak in Washington, DC: The 1857 Mystery of the National Hotel Disease
382:"The Washington Epidemic-Report of the Committee of the Board of Health",
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was a mysterious sickness that began to afflict persons who stayed at the
292:"The Washington Epidemic--Report of the Committee of the Board of Health"
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Among the three dozen or so deaths were several members of Congress:
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In the 21st century, medical experts attribute the outbreak to "
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http://firstladies.c-span.org/FirstLady/17/Harriet-Lane.aspx
440:"The National Hotel Disease — Letter to Dr. D. H. Storer".
250:
Redman, Brian Francis (2009). "What Would Millard Do?",
273:. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
118:The committee looked into but found no evidence of
58:because of the hotel’s primitive sewage system."
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51:, the sickness returned again forcefully.
49:presidential inauguration of March 4, 1857
469:Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2014.
371:Columbia Historical Society of Washington
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340:. United States House of Representatives
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334:"The Mysterious National Hotel Disease"
271:"The Mysterious National Hotel Disease"
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515:Disease outbreaks in the United States
27:, the site of the mysterious disease.
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500:1857 disasters in the United States
146:of Pennsylvania died in April 1857.
181:until it closed in December 2019.
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413:"Lost Washington: National Hotel"
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16:Mysterious sickness in the 1850s
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510:Disasters in Washington, D.C.
373:, Vol. 57–59, 1961, pg. 120.
505:Hotels in the United States
454:10.1056/nejm185706110561902
338:History, Art & Archives
319:"The Washington Epidemic",
252:Findings of the Friends of
235:"The Washington Epidemic",
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395:Walton, Jennifer. C-Span.
495:1857 in Washington, D.C.
386:, March 25, 1857, pg. 2.
241:, March 23, 1857, pg. 2.
210:United States portal
417:Washington Kaleidoscope
359:National Hotel Epidemic
323:, April 3, 1857, pg. 5.
108:Mayor of Washington, DC
33:National Hotel epidemic
160:Former Representative
92:A physician quoted by
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23:The National Hotel in
490:1857 health disasters
448:(19): 371–376. 1857.
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384:New York Daily Times
321:New York Daily Times
238:New York Daily Times
155:Mexican–American War
411:Kent (2009-05-07).
296:The New York Times
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475:978-1-62619-638-4
461:Walters, Kerry S.
442:Boston Med Surg J
198:Hotels portal
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484:Categories
422:2011-01-20
277:2012-07-20
216:References
344:9 January
302:9 January
257:, pg. 53.
99:The Times
56:dysentery
185:See also
88:Theories
62:Symptoms
179:Newseum
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134:Deaths
112:miasma
126:, or
68:colic
471:ISBN
346:2021
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172:Site
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