The Conspiracy Of The US President Zachary Taylor's Death, On Today's History, July 8 1850
JAKARTA - On July 9, 1850, the 12th President of the United States (US) Zachary Taylor died. Taylor's death sparked conspiracy theories about the exhumation of the tomb.
Taylor's tenure in the US was very short. Only 16 months, in which his power ceased when he died. Taylor died after four days of suffering from various symptoms.
He had severe cramps, diarrhea, nausea, and dehydration. Private doctors concluded Taylor died of cholera morbus, a bacterial infection of the small intestine.
According to the doctor, the cause of cholera morbus in Taylor was due to the food he consumed. When celebrating July 4 or US Independence Day, Taylor had time to eat cherries and ice milk in large quantities.
But other sources claim Taylor died of gastroenteritis caused by very sour cherries combined with milk. Others also suspect Taylor of food poisoning or typhoid fever.
Zachary Taylor's Career
Taylor received a U.S. Army commission in 1808. He was promoted to major during the War of 1812 in recognition of his defense of Fort Harrison against an attack by chief Shawnee Tecumseh.
In 1832 he fought in the Black Hawk War and campaigned against the Seminole Indians in Florida. Taylor's military exploits earned him the nickname "Old Rough and Ready".
The nickname reflects his wrinkled clothes and inattention to his own weaknesses. With the outbreak of the Mexican-American War of 1846, Taylor led troops across the Rio Grande.
Taylor defeated Mexican troops in the battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, and Buena Vista. The victory made Taylor a national hero and led him to run for president of the Whig Party in 1848.
After serving as president, Taylor supported Wilmot Proviso. It was a proposal that excluded slavery from territory acquired from Mexico during the war.
Taylor told Southern leaders that he would personally lead the Army against the separatists.
The cause of death that continues to be discussed
Conspiracy theories for Taylor's murder are inevitable because Taylor is a union member. Some people suspect Taylor was poisoned by pro-slavery conspirators. At that time Taylor was also in good health.
The cause of death that linked cherries and ice milk was deemed absurd. The assassination estimate made more sense when Millard Fillmore succeeded Taylor as president.
At that time the anti-slavery wave in Congress turned into a compromise. The majority of historians are satisfied with the explanation that Zachary Taylor died of illness after consuming large quantities of cherries and ice milk.
However, some historians add that Taylor's condition worsened because doctors worsened the condition of the President, who was then 65 years old. Doctors are said to have given Taylor a strange potion that hastened his death.
Fact finding
In 1991, Taylor's death was again unearthed by Clara Rising, a Florida-based writer. He conducted various studies to complete a book about Taylor.
According to the New York Times, most of what Rising did was to determine whether Taylor was the first US president to be assassinated, instead of Abraham Lincoln. At that time the memory of Lincoln's death was still felt.
For months Rising searched for answers to questions about Taylor's death that hardly anyone asked. Rising talks to a pathologist.
Experts say Taylor's rapid death occurred due to intestinal disturbances consistent with arsenic poisoning. Rising presented his theory to Dr. Richard Greathouse, who agreed the tomb was excavated for testing.
Rising had to pay for the excavation, which cost at least USD 1.200.
Taylor's murder conspiracy denial
It turns out that the assumption of murder was refuted. Dr. George Nichols, Kentucky's chief medical examiner, said Taylor was not killed by mercury or toxic metals, as used in some of the drugs Taylor's doctors prescribed.
In addition, the amount of arsenic found in Taylor's body was "consistent as humans on planet Earth", with arsenic being the 50th most common element. Taylor's arsenic levels were hundreds of times lower than the amount of arsenic that kills humans.
Cited from the Courier Journa, Nichols and Dr. Richard Greathouse, who approved the excavation of Taylor's grave, said it was impossible to determine exactly what caused Taylor's death. Taylor's body is very unlikely to be carried out a full autopsy.
"He must have had some organs or more tissue", Greathouse said.
Medical examiners found no organs or skin on Taylor. They did find bones; some eyebrows, scalp, and pubic hair; and a small amount of soft tissue in his right thigh and kidney.
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