Current event 6 Sam
Brashear
Chem. IR/IH 4/2/14
I found
an article that was about what some think could be the real cause of the death
of William Henry Harrison. It was originally believed that he died because of
pneumonia after giving a speech of 8,334 words in winter weather without
clothes like a top hat or a jacket. What the cause might have been was most
likely enteric fever, which could have been caused by the lack of a sewage
system. Before 1850, the White house had no sewage system, so it all flowed
onto public area just near the White house. The water supply was seven blocks
away from the White house, so there could have been a way for gastrointestinal
pathogens to infect the water supply.
This
can say a handful about general safety and sewage management back then, and the
lack of these played huge roles in making us realize that we needed to manage
sewage. It is important so diseases don’t infect our drinking water. Where the
water went to could have been the source of where the disease formed. From
improving sewage systems, we also improved medicine.
It was
honestly shocking to know the actual truth instead of something that you
accepted as true for so long. Like the death of our ninth president, who spoke
the longest speech in US history, and tragically days later from what his
doctor originally thought was pneumonia. It was especially interesting knowing
something about one of our own presidents.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/01/science/what-really-killed-william-henry-harrison.html?ref=science
