What Ails the White House: An Introduction to the Medical History of the American Presidency

By Jay W. Murphy

Book Overview

The presidency has fascinated readers since George Washington. But less widely known is the medical history of these great men. This book is the result of years of research, with compelling stories of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158597398X
• ISBN13: 9781585973989
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Leathers Publishing
• Length: 125 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

An excellent and educational historic book

"What Ails the White House", written by a cardiologist, is a very readable and enjoyable look at how the health of the US Presidents have affected (or maybe "infected") the presidency and the political direction of the United States. If you want to delve more deeply into the medical aspects, you can easily read the footnotes...although this is not required to enjoy and appreciate the book. The book identifies numerous points of interest that you will not find in your high school and university text books. The book makes a great gift for the holidays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, etc.

A truly fascinating study

What Ails The White House: An Introduction to the Medical History of the American Presidency is a survey of the physical health of presidents of the United States, as assessed and written by cardiologist Jay W. Murphy. What Ails The White House is not excessively meticulous in its study presidents, focusing most especially on the hidden illnesses such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, re-elected in 1940 with severe hypertension and congestive heart failure, John F. Kennedy's Addison's disease, Woodrow Wilson's incapacitating stroke that effectively resulted in his wife assuming the responsibility of the office, and much more. The culmination of years of research, What Ails The White House is written to be accessible to medical laymen and experts alike. A truly fascinating study, especially given its final chapter predicting trends for the future in the health of individuals in the office of the American Presidency.