Robin Pogrebin, in the New York Times tells us cause of death is now being questioned. It has always been reported, and therefore assumed, that the great magician passed away from a ruptured appendix that occurred when a college student asked Harry if he could punch him in his fabled tight abdomen to test his claimed legendary fitness, received permission, punched Harry three quick times, and made Harry wince. That was on October 22. Nothing was thought of it at the time.
At least not until seven days later when Harry needed two abdominal operations. The first was on October 29, for the appendix that was thought to have burst. There was a second surgery on October 30 to alleviate the complications from the prior day's surgery.
Recovery was not made after the second surgery and Houdini passed away. Harry doesn't escape death, and he certainly doesn't escape when it was recorded. The documents were manipulated to show October 31 as his date of death, to coincide with Halloween, a time of year when Harry was particularly debunking mediums and Spiritualists.
The eventual burst appendix, and October 31 date of death have held their place in history, at least until 2025 when a retired urology surgeon, Larrian Gillespie, wrote a book, "Houdini, The Man Who Died Twice" and reported on her review of the altered death certificates, and medical reports. Her timeline and series of events goes as follows:
The burst appendix was not the primary cause of death, but rather a "bowel obstruction brought on by a fibrous mass of chop suey that Houdini ate on October 28."
Harry Houdini was born Erik Weisz, (Weiss on his gravestone) in Appleton, Wisconsin, son of a rabbi. It's irrelevant that Chinese food, chop suey, might have been popular with Jewish people even in 1926. Dr. Gillespie has researched that this is what he ate on October 28. How it turned into a "fibrous mass" is not described. If it was takeout, I'm sure Harry didn't eat the paper container. Or did he? No matter.
Emergency surgery was performed on October 29 to evacuate the bowel. Severe fever, muscle spasms, and unconsciousness set in.
A second surgery is performed on October 30 from which Houdini died. The second surgery is not mentioned on the death certificate. Operations, plural, are however mentioned in the NYT obituary headline.
The death remained classified as an accident in order to allow Houdini's widow to collect a double indemnity payout from his life insurance.
The Canadian university student who punched Houdini three times was vilified his entire life for causing the great magician's death, passed away himself from malnutrition in 1954 was buried in an unmarked Montreal grave.
Joscelyn Gordon Whitehead had an unusual spelling for a guy's first name. Google tells us, not unsurprisingly, it is Old French in origin:
archaic, medieval spelling of a historically masculine name derived from the Old French Joscelin and Germanic Gauzlin. While it was traditionally given to men in the Middle Ages, the spelling and name are viewed as predominantly feminine today.
Dr. Gillespie's research and book have removed the stigma of attributing Houdini's death to some punches thrown by Mr. Whitehead.
Larrian is seen in the photo standing over a headstone she ordered, paid for, and had installed where Mr. Whitehead is buried.
Standing to her right is George Hardeen, a great-nephew of Houdini; to her left is D. Whitehead, a relative of Joscelyn Gordon Whitehead.
The headstone reads:
WHITEHEAD
Joscelyn Gordon
November 25, 1896
July 5, 1954
Falsely Accused No More
Now if we can clear up the spelling of Houdini's birth surname.
http://www.onofframp.blogspot.com
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