Word: dallek
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...When I read about the hospitalizations, my eyes widened," says Dallek. "We never knew about this." Another revelation was the sheer quantity of medications Kennedy took daily during his presidency. "Steroids for his Addison's disease," Dallek writes, "pain-killers for his back, antispasmodics for his colitis, antibiotics for urinary-tract infections, antihistamines for allergies and, on at least one occasion, an antipsychotic (though only for two days) for a severe mood change that Jackie Kennedy believed had been brought on by the antihistamines." Johnny, we hardly knew...
...Dallek believes that many of Kennedy's worst difficulties can be traced to the corticosteroids he took, perhaps starting as early as 1937, to relieve his colitis, an ulcerous inflammation of the upper bowel. Their heavy long-term use can promote osteoporosis--progressive bone disintegration. They also suppress the body's immune system, leading to the kind of serious infections Kennedy frequently suffered. But other common side effects are hair that stays thick and dark, plus skin that turns the yellow-gold of a permanent suntan. Another would be intensified sexual drive. All of which suggest that Kennedy's very...
...Sorensen, once one of Kennedy's closest advisers, is on the three-member committee that oversees Kennedy's papers at the library and that gave Dallek permission to open the medical records. But he strongly disputes the claim that Kennedy was virtually disabled by his health problems. "I often saw him take on and off his socks and shoes," he says. "I also saw him play touch football and carry on a campaign in 1960 that was absolutely exhausting for the rest...
...Dallek says that seeing Kennedy's medical records gave him greater respect for the President's courage in conducting his presidency in the face of daily pain. But he also writes that Kennedy should have let voters know in 1960 just how sick he was. If what he found was a profile in courage, it's a profile in bad faith...
...Robert Dallek's revelations suggest that J.F.K. and his handlers recklessly deceived the public. But there is a huge disconnect between what we now know about Kennedy's pills and injections and his ability to perform his duties as Senator and President...