Dr. J. B. Kennedy
Dr. C. S. Kennedy
Dr. G. S. Kennedy
Dr. W. Y. Kennedy
211 Professional Building
Woodward and Peterboro
Detroit
Telephone
Glendale 7700
November 16, 1926
Dr. William Stone,
48 W. 88th St.
New York City.
Dear Doctor:
Your letter of November 13 has come to hand. Please accept my thanks for your kind
remarks therein contained.
You asked whether the blow which Mr. Houdini received had anything to do with the
attack of appendicitis. My reply is that I believe very positively that it did. Heretofore I
have had some doubt as to actual existence of such a thing as traumatic appendicitis,
but in this case there can be no doubt. It is the first case of undoubted traumatic
appendicitis which I have ever seen and I can say without qualification that I believe the
blow was directly responsible for Mr. Houdini's death.
Any further information which you may desire I shall be glad to supply.
Yours very truly,
Charles S. Kennedy
D. E. Cohn, M. D.
Suite 408 Hofman Building
Detroit
TEL Cadillac 2656
November 22, 1926
Ernst, Fox, Cane.
25 W. 43rd St.
New York
(Added) Answered
B.M.L.E. 11/23/'26
Dear Sirs:
In reply to your letter of November 13, I wish to say that I agree with the opinion of Dr.
Kennedy. I believe, without any doubt, that the blow was the existing factor or cause in
the death of Mr. Harry Houdini. Hoping this will give you the information you desire I am
Very truly yours,
Dr. D. E. Cohn
Dr. Herbert W. Hewitt
1131 – 37 David Whitney Building
Detroit
(Added) Answered
B.M.L.D. 11/29/'26
Messrs. Ernst, Fox and Cane,
25 W. 43rd St.
New York.
Gentlemen:
Your favor of the 19th inst. to hand and I have noted its contents. In reply I beg to
state that while appendicitis is usually considered a disease caused entirely by bacteria,
I believe in this particular instance, that the blow received by Mr. Houdini in his dressing
room at the Princess Theater, Montréal, on the evening of October 22, 1926, was directly
responsible for the attack of appendicitis.
I realize that this is a very unusual cause but in this particular case it is my opinion
that the above statement is correct.
Yours truly,
H. W. Hewitt
Dr. G. L. Lefevre
Musknoon, Michigan
December 2, 1926.
(Added) Answered
B.M.L.E. 12/4/'26
Messrs. Ernst, Fox, and Cane,
Counselors at law
25 W. 43rd St.
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen: –
Answering your letter of November 23, 1926, wherein you ask whether the blow which
Mr. Houdini received had anything to do with the attack of appendicitis, I will say that this
is very probable and had a great deal to do with his condition.
I had another similar case a few years ago where a young man was kicked by a horse
over the appendix that caused a ruptured appendix and peritonitis. The term that we use
in this condition is traumatic appendicitis.
There is no question in my mind that if he received the blow which it is said he got in
Montréal, that it was directly responsible for Mr. Houdini's death.
Any further information which you may desire, I shall be glad to supply.
Very truly yours,
George L. Lefevre
The statements of Houdini's doctors
|