Houdini, the man who seemed to be able to escape anything, was not able to escape death. He was only 52 when he died of peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix.
Houdini was in Montreal in October 1926. A regular part of this act was to ask an audience member to punch him in the stomach to show how strong his stomach muscles were. Word of this feat spread so most audiences were aware of it. The exact details of what happened in Houdini’s Montreal dressing room are fuzzy as many people who were there had conflicting memories. But, legend has it that a boxing student asked Houdini if he could really take a punch like that. Replying yes, the student immediately began hitting Houdini in the stomach before he had a chance to prepare his stomach muscles for the blow. Some believed that these strikes to the stomach caused Houdini’s appendix to rupture but this theory was disproved. However, the Houdini may have attributed his stomach pain to the punch, rather than the appendicitis that was actually occurring. Had he not received the punch, he might have felt the stomach pain, realized something was wrong and gotten medical attention sooner.
Regardless, Houdini was having stomach problems that night when he performed. By the time he was on his way to the next show in Detroit, wife Bess was so concerned that she had telegraphed for a doctor to see Harry when they arrived. The doctor wanted Houdini hospitalized immediately, but Houdini insisted on performing his show that night. He finished the show that night, unlike the movie version where he had to be rescued from the Torture Cell. Houdini still was reluctant to go to the hospital, despite the pleas of the doctor and his wife. When he finally did agree to be hospitalized on October 24, it was too late. The surgeon removing his appendix found that he was suffering from peritonitis. Houdini had a second surgery four days later then seemed to recover before he took a turn for the worse and died on October 31 (Halloween), 1926.
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