When discussing the legendary Harry Houdini, two questions frequently arise. Firstly, many are surprised to learn of his Jewish heritage, often responding, “I didn’t know Houdini was Jewish,” despite his father being a rabbi. Secondly, the persistent rumor of his death by a punch to the stomach inevitably surfaces. While the simple answer might seem to be “yes,” the complete truth behind how Houdini died is a far more intricate and less straightforward narrative.
Book cover of 'Houdini: The Elusive American' by Adam Begley, detailing the life and mysterious death of the famous magician Harry Houdini.
In the autumn of 1926, at the age of 52, Houdini embarked on yet another grueling tour, a hallmark of his career. However, this final series of performances was plagued with misfortune from the outset. His wife, Bess, succumbed to food poisoning, and Houdini himself suffered a fractured ankle during a particularly demanding escape act. Ignoring the mounting pain and setbacks, he pressed on, driven by his relentless dedication to his craft.
Then came the fateful morning of Friday, October 22nd, in his dressing room at Montreal’s Princess Theatre. J. Gordon Whitehead, an enthusiastic student from McGill University, entered the room with a bold proposition: to test the widely circulated claim of Houdini’s extraordinary ability to withstand forceful blows to his abdomen. Without warning, Whitehead delivered several hard punches to Houdini’s stomach. A week later, Harry Houdini was dead. This sequence of events has cemented the popular, albeit simplistic, notion that a punch killed Houdini.
However, the reality is considerably more nuanced. Houdini was already experiencing discomfort and feeling unwell even before Whitehead’s impromptu test of strength. The day following the punches, his condition worsened, yet, true to his unwavering commitment, he still performed that evening. After the Saturday night show, he struggled to even change out of his stage attire. Despite his deteriorating health, a scheduled engagement in Detroit loomed, and Houdini boarded an overnight train as planned.
Upon arrival in Detroit, and before his scheduled Sunday performance, a local doctor examined Houdini in his Garrick Theater dressing room. The diagnosis pointed towards acute appendicitis as the likely culprit for Houdini’s intense abdominal pain and elevated temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The doctor strongly advised immediate hospitalization, but Houdini, ever the showman and acutely aware of the sold-out theater, refused. He informed the theater manager that “the show must go on.” Summoning every ounce of his willpower, Houdini completed his act, barely managing to get through it. Again, he declined to go to the hospital immediately after the performance, opting instead to return to his hotel.
At the hotel, the house physician assessed Houdini and, recognizing the severity of the situation, promptly contacted the hospital’s chief of surgery, urging him to come to Houdini’s suite. The surgeon arrived at 3:00 AM and immediately insisted on Houdini’s immediate hospitalization. In a move that further illustrates his stubborn nature and perhaps a degree of denial, Houdini first telephoned his personal physician in New York for a second opinion.
It was not until the afternoon of Monday, October 25th, that Houdini finally underwent surgery. The surgeon’s findings were stark: Houdini’s appendix had ruptured, releasing bacterial pus into his abdominal cavity, a perilous condition known as peritonitis. In 1926, before the advent of antibiotics, peritonitis was almost invariably fatal. Houdini battled for six more days before succumbing to the infection, passing away in the early afternoon of Sunday, October 31st, 1926 – Halloween. The official cause of death was indeed diffuse peritonitis, stemming from a ruptured appendix.
Crucially, medical experts refute the notion that J. Gordon Whitehead’s punches directly caused the appendicitis. The theory of “traumatic appendicitis,” where injury induces appendicitis, is largely discredited. A recent surgical review of Houdini’s case explicitly states, “No causal link has … been found between trauma and appendicitis,” concluding that the proximity of the punch incident and the onset of appendicitis symptoms must be considered a mere coincidence. Appendicitis is fundamentally caused by bacterial infection, not physical trauma like a punch. Furthermore, the idea that Whitehead’s punches ruptured the appendix is also contradicted by the timeline. Survival for nine days with a burst appendix, as was the case with Houdini from the punch to his death, would have been medically impossible even for the master escape artist.
The question of the true cause of death gains further significance when considering Houdini’s fervent crusade against Spiritualism at the time. He dedicated a significant portion of his time to debunking Spiritualism, the belief in communication with the dead, and exposing fraudulent spirit mediums. Incensed Spiritualists had even prophesied his demise, and upon his death on Halloween, they were quick to claim supernatural responsibility. Conspiracy theories arose immediately: Was J. Gordon Whitehead an agent of the Spiritualists? Did a vengeful spirit guide Whitehead’s fist in the Princess Theatre dressing room?
Houdini was fiercely competitive and driven to be the best. The thought of Spiritualists gloating over his death would have been abhorrent to him, something he himself had foreseen when he quipped about the dangers of crossing Fifth Avenue. Therefore, to honor his memory and accurately reflect the circumstances of his passing, it’s essential to remember that Harry Houdini died from the complications of a bacterial infection, exacerbated by his own extraordinary, and ultimately detrimental, stubbornness.
