Byron was not destined to enjoy a glorious death in battle. On February 15 he suffered a serious and painful seizure that left him speechless and with his features distorted for some time. Fever and pain plagued him for days and by April 10 he was no longer able to stir. His four doctors seemed unable to offer any assistance other that excessive bloodletting with leeches, which only made matters worse by weakening the poet’s exhausted body. While he worried about his dependents, his household was falling into total disarray. Eventually Byron lost all consciousness (during his last hours of conscience he seemed to imagine that bullets were flying round his head) and died on April 24, 1824.