Dave Kusske answers “Does anyone know exactly what was wrong...”

Jill asked this question about The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics:

Does anyone know exactly what was wrong with Don Hume?

Dave Kusske Hume worked in a pulp mill in Anacortes one summer. Apparently the sulphur fumes got to him and he was susceptible to colds and respiratory issues. He…moreHume worked in a pulp mill in Anacortes one summer. Apparently the sulphur fumes got to him and he was susceptible to colds and respiratory issues. He had been taking Haliver Oil (cod liver oil and something; this was pre-antibiotic days) up through the Olympic Trials but quit taking it after qualifying thinking it would be warm in Germany. The weather instead turned out to be cold with rain and wind at times. It weakened Hume and he fell quite sick. Al and George found him white as a sheet hours before the big race. Somehow the rest of the team convinced Al to just strap Don in the boat and the rest would pull him along. Improbably it worked!(less)

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The Boys in the Boat

by Daniel James Brown (Goodreads Author)

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