How did William Harrison die?

Answer 1

On March 26, Harrison became ill with a cold. According to the prevailing medical misconception of that time, microorganisms being then unknown, it was believed that his illness was directly caused by the bad weather. However, it was more than three weeks after the inauguration before Harrison showed the first signs of ill health and modern studies have shown that exposure to adverse weather does not cause respiratory illnesses. It is likely he was a victim of the common cold virus, exacerbated by the drastic pressures of his changed circumstances.


The cold worsened, rapidly turning to pneumonia and pleurisy. He sought to rest in the White House, but could not find a quiet room because of the steady crowd of office seekers; in addition, his extremely busy social schedule made any rest time scarce. Harrison's doctors tried cures, applying opium, caster oil, and Virginia snake weed. However, the treatments only made Harrison worse, and he became delirious. He died nine days after becoming ill, at 12:30 a.m. on April 4, 1841, of right lower lobe pneumonia, jaundice, and overwhelming septicemia; he became the first American president to die in office.