A modern medical reading of Admiral Henderson's final illness

A medically qualified panelist cautiously reconstructs Admiral Henderson's decline as cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation, and a possible stroke rather than relying on a vague period diagnosis.

Question

What probably caused Admiral Reginald Henderson's death, and how might modern medicine have treated him?

Short answer

The evidence is incomplete, but cardiovascular disease leading to atrial fibrillation and a stroke is plausible; modern care would control blood pressure and rhythm, anticoagulate, and stop smoking.

Notes

Detailed public medical records are scarce. Heavy smoking, hypertension, arterial disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation form a plausible chain that could produce a clot and stroke, potentially explaining descriptions later interpreted as a brain tumour. Modern management would include blood-pressure treatment, rate control, anticoagulation, smoking cessation, and exercise. Effective anticoagulants were not yet available to Henderson.