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Medical Mystery: Was it really cold weather that killed the president?

History long has accepted that William Henry Harrison caused his own death by spending too much time out in the cold. But his symptoms took weeks to set in.

This 1841 Currier & Ives illustration depicts William Henry Harrison on his deathbed with Rev. Hawley, a physician, niece, and nephew in attendance, as well as Thomas Ewing, Secretary of Treasury, Daniel Webster, Secretary of State, and Francis Granger (waiting at the door), Postmaster General.
This 1841 Currier & Ives illustration depicts William Henry Harrison on his deathbed with Rev. Hawley, a physician, niece, and nephew in attendance, as well as Thomas Ewing, Secretary of Treasury, Daniel Webster, Secretary of State, and Francis Granger (waiting at the door), Postmaster General.Read moreLibrary of Congress
    by Allan B. Schwartz, For the Inquirer
    Published