John F. Kennedy conquered Addison's disease--an adrenal disorder which caused weakness, lethargy, bouts of vomiting and prostration--by taking cortisone daily, starting around 1950. Geneticist-physician Marion ( The Boy Who Felt No Pain ) theorizes that JFK's recovery instilled feelings of invincibility that spurred his political rise. Marion's compulsively readable retrospective diagnoses throw an often startling light on figures and events in world history. He deduces that Abraham Lincoln had a congenital heart malformation which contributed to his awkward appearance; the taunts Lincoln endured because of his looks steeled his hatred of discrimination and slavery, in Marion's view. Other chapters cover Napoleon Bonaparte's gynecomastia (enlargement of male breasts), George Washington's sterility (perhaps due to a rare chromosomal disorder) and English King George III's probable porphyria, a hereditary metabolic disease that impaired his ability to reason, may have hardened the monarch's policies toward the 13 American colonies. Illustrated.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Marion, a clinical geneticist and lecturer, combines informative reading with a highly entertaining style. In his latest book, he analyzes historical documents and texts that pertain to the lives of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and several other historical leaders. He then attempts to ascertain whether these people may have suffered from a particular genetic disorder and, if so, how it may have affected their lives and careers. Photographs are included to illustrate some of the physical features associated with these disorders. The author is particularly adept at defining scientific concepts, making the text quite understandable to the informed lay reader. The major emphasis here is on the medical conditions; however, the historical associations in this book provide an interesting method for learning about basic genetics and genetic diseases. Recommended for large popular medicine collections.
- Tina Neville, Univ. of South Florida-St. Petersburg Lib.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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