ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

When Leaders Ail: Health Problems of Past Presidents and What They Tell Us

by Mary Beth Nierengarten • December 1, 2008

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

As the personal physician to FDR, Ross T. McIntire, MD, an otolaryngologist, treated FDR’s upper respiratory problems with nasal and laryngeal sprays. However, the exact nature of the treatments Dr. McIntire used to treat FDR were not known and raised some concern.

You Might Also Like

  • Thinking of Adding Hearing Aids to Your Practice? Experts Dispense Advice
  • Rise of Subspecialties in Pediatric Otolaryngology Has Changed Practice
  • Multispecialty Collaboration: Learning from Our Past to Shape Our Future
  • Neuroscience, Biotechnology Combination Used to Tackle Inner Ear Problems
Explore This Issue
December 2008

Further concern over the manner in which Dr. McIntire treated FDR came toward the end of FDR’s presidency-and life-when FDR was admitted to Bethesda Naval Hospital in March 1944 and diagnosed with hypertensive heart disease. Although Dr. McIntire convened a panel of military and civilian experts to weigh in on the best care for FDR, his decision not to share FDR’s cardiac problems with FDR’s family or with the media was highly criticized after Roosevelt’s death.

Robert J. Ruben, MDWith a candidate, the public has a right to be informed about whether the person has a medical condition that might cause death or incapacity before the end of the term.
-Robert J. Ruben, MD

According to Dr. Ruben, this decision was based on Dr. McIntire’s adherence to the traditional medical ethic regarding physician-patient confidentiality. The decision not to give out the information appears to be Roosevelt’s, and is consistent with FDR’s long-standing determination to appear strong in health, all the more important in the middle of World War II. Furthermore, Dr. McIntire, as a naval officer, was subordinate to his superior, the Commander in Chief.

For Dr. Ruben, seen in the context of the period, and of his relationship with his patient, Dr. McIntire made the right decision. I’m going against the stream of history of what I’ve read, but many commentaries have not, in my view, taken full account of the time and the men, he said.

If FDR had not been the sitting president but a candidate running for office with a condition that turned out to be fatal (FDR died of a cerebrovascular accident in April 1944), would that alter how we view the right of the public to be informed as well as the responsibility of a leader or candidate to inform?

For Dr. Ruben, the role of confidant remains primary for the physician. He does believe, however, that there is a critical difference in what the electorate has the right to know regarding a candidate in contrast to a sitting president.

With a candidate, the public has a right to be informed about whether the person has a medical condition that might cause death or incapacity before the end of the term, he said. Yes, the electorate has a right to this knowledge-to know what might happen. However it is incumbent upon the candidate, not his physician(s), to provide full disclosure.

Grover Cleveland

Further away from our times, but president during another national crisis-the late 19th century’s financial crisis-President Cleveland is another leader who, when confronted with a potentially serious illness, kept it in private from the populace.

John W. House, MD[Reagan] was not concerned about people’s reactions. Once the press saw it [his hearing aid] two weeks later, hearing aid sales zoomed. This was a great positive benefit.
-John W. House, MD

What historians seem to be saying about him [Cleveland], said Lanny Close, MD, an otolaryngologist at Columbia University, is that his secrecy was related to the silver and gold crisis of the time. His leadership as president and his address to Congress in August of that year [1893] was critical for solving the financial crises.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Departments, Laryngology, Medical Education, Otology/Neurotology, Practice Focus, Rhinology Tagged With: AAO-HNS, diagnosis, hearing loss, history, laryngitis, politics, presidents, SinusitisIssue: December 2008

You Might Also Like:

  • Thinking of Adding Hearing Aids to Your Practice? Experts Dispense Advice
  • Rise of Subspecialties in Pediatric Otolaryngology Has Changed Practice
  • Multispecialty Collaboration: Learning from Our Past to Shape Our Future
  • Neuroscience, Biotechnology Combination Used to Tackle Inner Ear Problems

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Weaning Patients Off of PPIs
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Podcasts Becoming More Popular Method of Education for Otolaryngologists
    • How to Embrace Optimism in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Tips on How to Approach Conversations with Patients about the COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Voice and Hearing During Telemedicine Sessions
    • Routine Postoperative Adjunct Treatments Unnecessary for Idiopathic Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Polls

Have you spoken with your patients about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.