One day in 1864, Boole walked two miles in the drenching rain and lectured wearing his wet clothes. He soon became ill, developing a severe cold and high fever. As his wife believed that remedies should resemble their cause, she put Boole to bed and poured buckets of water over him - the wet having brought on his illness. With neither spouse distinguishing good idea from bad, Boole's condition worsened and he died.