Health and Medical History of President
John TylerLived 1790-1862
Health and Medical History of President
John TylerLived 1790-1862
Lived 1790-1862
2023
1776
Revolutionary War1776-1783
War of 18121812-1815
Mexican-American War1846-1848
Civil War1861-1865
Spanish-American War1898-1899
World War 11917-1918
World War 21941-1945
Korean War1950-1953
Viet Nam War1964-1975
Desert Storm1990-1991
Bush's Wars2001-2021
Possible diagnoses include Guillain-Barre syndrome, myasthenia gravis, tick paralysis, diphtheritic paralysis, and botulism 1c.
Tyler had little faith in doctors. He regularly "took the waters" at various spas in Virginia. He became a believer in sulfur hydrotherapy. He also took "massive" doses of calomel regularly, which may have contributed to his gastrointestinal problems. 1c
Tyler was ordered to bed the next day, and the day following complained of a suffocating feeling. He was treated with mustard plasters, brandy, and a morphine-containing cough medicine. He died soon afterwards 1e.
Most likely, Tyler died of a stroke. The episodes of dizziness beforehand were probably transient ischemic attacks 1e.
- When an influenza epidemic swept the nation during Tyler's term, it was called the "Tyler grippe." 2a
- Tyler's first wife died in the White House 3a. While President, he married a woman 30 years his junior. Tyler had eight children by his first wife, and seven by his second 1c.
- Tyler's last surviving grandson is still living, in 2021, into the presidency of Joseph Biden 4.
- Bumgarner, John R. The Health of the Presidents: The 41 United States Presidents Through 1993 from a Physician's Point of View. Jefferson, NC: MacFarland & Company, 1994.
a p.64 b pp.64-65 c p.65 d pp.64, 65 e p.66
Comment: Devotes one chapter to each President, through Clinton. Written for the layperson, well-referenced, with areas of speculation clearly identified, Dr. Zebra depends heavily on this book. Dr. Bumgarner survived the Bataan Death March and has written an unforgettable book casting a physician's eye on that experience.
- Boller, Paul F. Jr. Presidential Anecdotes. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981.
a p.97
- MacMahon, Edward B. and Curry, Leonard. Medical Cover-Ups in the White House. Washington, DC: Farragut, 1987.
a p.15
- Brockell, Gillian. The 10th president's last surviving grandson: A bridge to the nation's complicated past. Washington Post. 29 Nov. 2020.