U.S. President Facts That Will Make You See Them Differently

James A. Garfield survived the initial gunshot from his assassin, but his doctors repeatedly probed his wound with unwashed hands and dirty instruments. Infection set in, worsened, and ultimately killed him — making his death a tragic case of medical malpractice by today’s standards.

It’s heartbreaking to think Garfield could have lived with proper care. Instead, the attempts to save him became the very thing that doomed him. His death ended up reshaping American medicine, but it came at an enormous personal cost.