In Sickness and in Power - Hardcover

"In Sickness and in Power contains ... substantial case histories showing that bodily disorders affecting leaders have had major political consequences. ... There is certainly added value in David Owen having known many of the recent figures personally. ... The one scoop in this material is the author's access to Eden's hitherto closed medical records. ... In the author's view, greater honesty and openness about the leader's health -- as shown by Eisenhower -- is the best safeguard against the adverse consequences of illness, whether mental or physical.' " - Times Literary Supplement

"This is an interesting work. It is not primarily a medical treatise, but instead a provocative observation of the world of politics. It is an important commentary on the relationship between personality and behavior and the character and consequences of leadership." - The New England Journal of Medicine

"David Owen's fascinating In Sickness and in Power is a study of the medical conditions of rulers ranging from Anthony Eden to JFK and from the Shah of Persia to Francois Mitterrand. Which is more alarming: the fact that they all suffered from illnesses that would have debarred them from top-level positions in almost any other walk of life, or the systematic deception that concealed their true condition from the people they led? A book to give you sleepless nights" - The New Statesman

"In Sickness and in Power examines how both specific diseases and intoxication with power have shaped major decisions by world leaders in the twentieth century....For many heads of state, the experience of being in power brings about psychological changes that can lead to grandiosity, narcissism, and irresponsible behavior. Leaders suffering from this political hubris syndrome believe that they are capable of great deeds, that great deeds are expected of them, that they know what is best under all circumstances, and that they operate beyond the bounds of ordinary morality....Owen is not the first to observe that hubris sometimes overtakes leaders, but he is the first to argue that it is a pathological condition that requires serious study, especially of the ways in which is affects decision-making....Owen's book should be read by all practicing physicians responsible for the health of political leaders--and by the leaders themselves." - Foreign Affairs

"Former British foreign secretary and physician Lord David Owen (Univ. of Liverpool) presents a wealth of material in this study of illness in political leaders from 1900-2007...Overall, this is a timely intervention in an overlooked field of inquiry...Highly recommended. All levels/libraries." - Choice