Here, I offer praise for sitting back and doing nothing.* [ * Based on: “In Praise of Passivity,” Studia Humana 1 (2012): 12-28. ] 1. Medieval Doctors At the end of his life, George Washington developed an infection of the epiglottis of his throat, a rare and potentially life-threatening condition. He received the best medical attention available. The doctors applied “the proper remedies”, which in this case included five episodes of bloodletting that drained half of his blood. Somehow, this didn’t work. He died shortly thereafter. Needless to say, the “treatments” he received either had no effect or actually hastened the end.