William Nixon was not a well man in his last years; his heart was failing. He had been a powerful athlete in his younger days, a rugby football forward and a great swimmer, both of which tend to lead to heavy body and arm muscles. He was still a good athlete in his adult years: witness his swimming the Bosphorus when he was over forty. However, the years of good living with the rich foods and fine wines were taking their toll. He was overweight and under stress.

Nixon's first heart attack occurred in 1960 when he was in Bath for the weekend. He was taken to the Royal United Hospital from the Francis Hotel in Queen Square where he was staying. He had been under the care of Max Rosenheim (by this time Professor of Medicine at UCH) for hypertension. Max considered it his duty to go down to the West Country to see Nixon. Had the estimation of cholesterol levels and other more modern biochemical criteria been available, these might have strengthened Rosenheim's hand in advising his reluctant patient, but such tests were not yet developed.