Health and Medical History of President
John KennedyHealth and Medical History of President
John KennedyUNDER CONSTRUCTION |
cortisone | [injected] Cortisol has profound psychological effects. At one extreme, "steroid psychosis" can result. At the other, a profound sensation of well-being can occur. In between, the effects are more difficult to characterize. |
cortisone | [oral] |
lomotil | For diarrhea. Contains anti-cholinergic compounds, which, in toxic doses, can make someone "mad as a hatter." |
paregoric | For diarrhea. Contains opium. Mentation is probably unaffected if used in reasonable doses, but Kenndey was taking at least 3 medications for diarrhea, suggesting that doses were high. |
phenobarbital | A classic "downer" |
testosterone | Was Kennedy's "bull-like" libido a side effect of testosterone? Was his cholesterol level of 410? |
trasentine | An anti-diarrhea medication. There is very little published about this drug. Side effects include giddiness and euphoria. |
Tuinal | A mixture of secobarbital and amobarbital Kennedy used to help him sleep. Amobarbital is better known as Amytal, one of the more common "truth serum" drugs. |
amphetamines | Post and Robins, writing in 1993, thought it was "highly suggestive" that Kennedy took amphetamines while President, but considered it unproven 13a. The recent Atlantic article states definitively that Kennedy received injections of amphetamines and painkillers from "Dr. Feelgood," a.k.a. Max Jacobson 1b. Kennedy dismissed concerns about the injections, saying, "I don't care if it's horse piss. It works." Jacobson's medical license was revoked in 1975. Previously, in 1969, all controlled substances in his possession were confiscated by the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs 13a. It is thought that Kennedy was under the influence of amphetamines when he made his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech 13a. |
a p.61 b p.60
|
a pp.234-249 b p.234, 235 c pp.234, 235 d p.234 e p.235 f pp.240-241 g p.243
Comment: Devotes one chapter to each President, through Clinton. Written for the layperson, well-referenced, with areas of speculation clearly identified, Dr. Zebra depends heavily on this book. Dr. Bumgarner survived the Bataan Death March and has written an unforgettable book casting a physician's eye on that experience.
|
a citing Dallek and Kelleman
Comment: Available on the web at: http://annals.org/cgi/content/full/151/5/350
|
a p.174 b p.175 c pp.177-178
|
a p.5
Comment: Travell was one of Kennedy's physicians during his Presidency. Although all autobiographies are inherently narcissistic, the level in this one is tough to stomach -- almost as bad as Jerry Linenger's, in fact.
|
a p.198 b p.209
|
a p.300
|
Comment: Web site for the interview, including a picture: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june05/exhibit_01-21.html |
Comment: JFK is case 3 |
a (plate caption) b p.69
Comment: Much sensationalism and drivel has been written about JFK. Thus, it is very hard for anyone devoting less than full time to Kennedy studies to discern what is credible and what is not. This book strikes me as containing a mixture of credible, verifiable statements and statements best treated with skepticism.
|
a pp.69-70
Comment: At one time Post worked for the CIA, profiling foreign leaders.
|
Comment: Sarah Burgess wrote me about this on 2010-05-02, but when I checked on 2016-10-11, the video had been taken down. The disclosure was reportedly made at the 3 minute, 16 second mark in the video. |
a p.121 b p.120 c p.133
|
a p.74
Comment: This book has been roundly criticized by other physicians involved in the Kennedy case.
|