In Sickness and in Power
Illness in Heads of Government during the Last 100 Years
David Owen
·A fascinating insight into why political leaders made the decisions they did
In Sickness and in Power, David Owen's important new book, looks at 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 the decision-making of heads of government, engendering folly, in the sense of foolishness, 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 a 'hubristic syndrome' which powerfully affected their performance and their actions. They suffer a loss of capacity and become excessively self-confident and contemptuous of advice that runs counter to what they believe, or sometimes 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 political leaders in general and particularly at: Sir Anthony Eden at the time of Suez in 1956; John F. Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961; the illness of the last Shah of Iran and of President Mitterrand of France, who suffered from prostate cancer; and the hubristic behaviour and relationship between President Bush and Prime Minister Blair. The book ends by outlining some of the safeguards that society needs to address as a consequence of illness in heads of government. 'Owen has produced a compelling book' Daniel Finkelstein, The Times 'A fascinating book' Stefan Stern, Financial Times
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