One of the axioms of American history is that Theodore Roosevelt was a spindly youth with devastating asthma who cured himself of his pulmonary distress by embarking one day on the pursuit of various manly athletic endeavors such as boxing and bodybuilding. However, as reported by Richard Shenkman in his 1988 book Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History, Roosevelt biographer David McCullough gainsays the foregoing.
According to McCullough, Roosevelt's asthma abated long before he became a jock. In fact, it seemed to disappear once Roosevelt left home to attend Harvard University.
Further, Roosevelt's asthmatic condition may have been highly overstated. Normally, asthmatics have attacks triggered by certain stimuli, such as temperature or the presence of allergens. Roosevelt, as a youth, was healthy in all sorts of locations, times of year, and conditions--with one exception.
That exception was that the attacks usually occurred only on Sundays. By coincidence, the only time Roosevelt's father was at home with him was on Sundays. McCullough theorizes that Roosevelt quickly realized that his father would dote on him whenever little "Teedie" had a bout of illness. Because the Roosevelts were wealthy, this doting could take on extreme forms, including carriage rides, lavish gifts, and trips to exotic locales.
Asthma obviously is a legitimate and a sometimes debilitating, life-threatening ailment. However, in Roosevelt's case, his attacks were probably primarily a device to get his father's attention. This hypothesis, by the way, is a theory one probably would not have wanted to assert in Roosevelt's presence when he was still alive.
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