Product Description

'In Sickness and in Power' is a unique study of illness in heads of government between 1901 and 2007. It considers how illness and therapy - both physical and mental - affect the process of government and decision-making, leading to acts of folly, in the sense of stupidity or rashness. The author is particularly interested in leaders who were not ill in the conventional sense, and whose cognitive faculties functioned well, but who developed what he calls a `hubris syndrome', which powerfully affected their performance and their actions. Such leaders suffer a loss of capacity and become excessively self-confident and contemptuous of advice that runs counter to what they believe, or even of any advice at all.

Long fascinated with the inter-relationship between politics and medicine, David Owen uses his deep knowledge of both to look at sickness in a wide variety of world political leaders. Within this, he devotes particular attention to four examples:
* Sir Anthony Eden at the time of Suez in 1956
* John F. Kennedy during the Bay of Pigs crisis in 1961 and his meeting with Nikita Khrushchev
* The last Shah of Iran and President François Mitterrand, and the extent to which they covered up their state of health
* The relationship between George W. Bush and Tony Blair, and their shared hubris syndrome, which also affected David Lloyd George and Margaret Thatcher.

The book ends by outlining some of the safeguards that society needs to address as a consequence of illness in heads of government.

'In Sickness and in Power' sheds new light on familiar faces and events. It is a fascinating read for anyone with an interest in history or medicine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61316 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 476 pages

Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
Owen has produced a compelling book.

Stefan Stern, Financial Times
A fascinating book.

Thomas H. Kirschbaum, MD
A must-read for physicians, politicians and behavioral scientists. It reads like a novel and yet puts forth fresh insights and timely perspectives.

Customer Reviews

A ground-breaking book
A ground-breaking book that opens the door to a new area of political economy. David Owen's background as a medical doctor and a leading political figure of our times gives a unique voice to this subject. It deserves to become a standard text in its field.

The extent to which illness can affect our leaders should be a concern to us all. Worse, the tendency of some leaders to become prone to behavioural inconsistencies the longer they hold office is developed by the author into a fascinating 'hubris syndrome' with its attendant personality symptoms and modern examples.

This book should resonate with electors and provide cause for reflection by those who seek or hold high office.

Fascinating if a trifle undecided
A fascinating if bitty summary of the health problems which beset a selection of the C20th world leaders. Given that the writer is both a distinguished political figure and a neurological specialist, his comments are particularly interesting,although I did wonder at times whether it was the doctor or the politician who was speaking. I suspect that this may have occured to Dr Owens which might explain the lengthy introduction establishing his credentials as a neurologist. Some of the revelations are fascinating and downright alarming - I agree with the earlier reviewer who picks out the health of JFK and its effect on his handling of both the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban missile crises as one of the best examples. Quite why he goes on to decry the ideas put forward in the final chapter as "liberal" puzzzles me - would he prefer them to be "illiberal"? I would use impractical or utopian.

Immensely thought provoking
Immensely insightful, and with thought provoking ideas about the way in which a person's medical condition affects their 'day job' as a political figure. Sounds like a heavy, worthy topic but is actually very readable. All backed up with lots of research and appealing 'insider' knowledge - obtained via the author's medical or political careers.