John Adams

[W. Gray]

Tonight on the series finale to the HBO John Adams program the show, among other things, featured the amputation of John Adams daughter's right breast.

She had breast cancer.

It was around 1803.

Surgery was done in an upstairs bedroom in the Adams farmhouse.

The doctor gave her a mixture that appears to have been some type of relaxant. Other than that, there was no anesthetic.

The doctor gave her a stick wrapped in cloth to bite down on.

She was wide-awake, her feet were tied to the bedpost, and three men held her down as the surgeon began.

There were no women present in the room. John and Abigail Adams waited downstairs and the grand children were sent on a walk.

In 1826, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were the only living signers of the Declaration of Independence. Both died on July 4 of that year within a couple hours of each other. Adams was 91. Jefferson was 83.

[Teresa]

We taped all of the whole series of John Adams..and will put them on DVD's.
It was a really good learning lesson in so many things.

That part though, I went into the kitchen..
Couldn't take it.