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What Really Killed William Henry Harrison?This interesting article posits that it was not pneumonia that killed Harrison but pneumonia as a secondary infection to typhoid or paratyphoid fever, which were endemic in Washington D.C. at the time because of poor sanitation. We will never know if this guys is right and I am no medical historian, but the case made in the article is plausible at least.
The conventional story that he caught a cold/pneumonia based on a long, outdoor inaugural address seems quaint, but I wonder whether someone can actually catch a cold by being outside in the cold for too long. Hypothermia, yes, but a virus – does not seem plausible (unless the cold weather weakened his immune system).
Th best theory I have read is that being out in the cold and wet actually does weaken your immune system to the point where virse and such can take hold. Now, ask me if I believe it.I have spent so much time wet, cold, and miserable in my military career without getting sick that I am not sure i believe it.
