Trade in Yours
For a £0.25 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Share your own customer images
Search inside another edition of this book
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

In Sickness and in Power: Illness in Heads of Government During the Last 100 Years [Hardcover]

David Owen (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover £29.03   -- --
Hardcover, 10 April 2008 --   -- --
Paperback £9.59   -- --
Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Trade in In Sickness and in Power: Illness in Heads of Government During the Last 100 Years for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more

Book Description

Publication Date: 10 April 2008
'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

  • Hardcover: 476 pages
  • Publisher: Methuen Publishing Ltd; 1st Edition edition (10 April 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 041377662X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0413776624
  • Product Dimensions: 16.4 x 23.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 412,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's David Owen Page
David Owen
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Review

A fascinating book. -- Stefan Stern, Financial Times

A major contribution to historical and political understanding that no one else could have written.
-- David Marquand, New Statesman, 2 June 2008

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

A perfectly delectable book. -- Edward Pearce, Tribune, 16 May 2008

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

Owen treads where few have dared and the lessons he draws could not be more timely.
-- Zbigniew Brzezinski, former US National Security Advisor

Review

"major contribution to historical and political understanding that no one else could have written - utterly absorbing" David Marquand --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Search inside this book:

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
9 reviews
3.9 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating if a trifle undecided 15 Jan 2009
By James L. Munro
Format:Hardcover
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.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Immensely thought provoking 4 Oct 2008
By Lucy B
Format:Hardcover
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.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointing Hotchpotch of Different Themes 26 May 2008
By Dr. R. Brandon TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
Although an attractively presented book on a potentially interesting subject the content and style are disappointing. Dr Owen starts with a section devoted to the illness of various world leaders over the last 100 years. These vary greatly in interest and relevance to Owen's emerging theme of the need for greater clarity over the health of leaders or potential leaders. There follows four 'case histories' reviewing the health of Eden, Kennedy, the Shah of Iran and Mitterrand and whether or not it had an adverse effect upon important decisions each leader made. By far the most interesting section, and that part of the book that really springs to life, is the question of the health of President Kennedy and how this may have influenced his disastrous escapade over the 'Bay of Pigs'. Owen suggests that at the time of Kennedy's successful handling of the 'Cuban Missile Crisis' his serious illnesses were under good medical control hence the assured responses.
There then follows a passage on Owen's hypothesis of a 'hubris syndrome' with particular relevance to Bush, Blair and the Iraq War. In many respects this is a completely different topic to the physical and mental health of leaders and gives the book a distinct 'cobbled together' feel whereas two shorter works may have been more appropriate. This feeling is reinforced by the 'hotchpotch' of items in the initial section referred to above.
The book concludes with a number of foolish pseudo-liberal suggestions regarding medical screening of leaders, the right of UN intervention in the internal affairs of countries and Owen's continuing support for regime change despite the Iraq fiasco.
1 Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars That's one big crate of sour grapes
Overall, the book seems to imply that for every excursion of human effort made by every pursuer of Public office there is or will be a diagnosable disease of the mind identified,... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr D
3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing very new here
The subject of illness and its impact upon decision making is a fascinating one and David Owen's book manages to make it less than fascinating owing to his turgid style and where... Read more
Published 20 months ago by N. G. Booker
4.0 out of 5 stars In Sickness and In Power; Ilness in Heads of Government
Being a medical man (psychiatrist) I find this book to be extremely interesting not only to a specialist but also to the layman. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Goran
3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite as ground-breaking as the reviewer above might think...
This book is very reminiscent of Hugh L'Etang's The Pathology of Leadership, published in 1969 and covering very much the same ground and using, in many cases, the same case... Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2010 by Chris Saunders
5.0 out of 5 stars Exploring deficiencies in leadership
David Owen (Lord Owen) has been in a unique position of being medically trained and having had close access to some of the subjects of his book. Read more
Published on 6 Dec 2009 by J. M. D. Fisher
4.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published on 28 April 2008 by John Maguire
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

There's a problem loading this menu at the moment.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.

    Your Shopping Basket is empty.

    Give it purpose -- fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    There's a problem previewing your shopping basket at the moment.

    Check your Internet connection and go to your cart, or try again.

    View Shopping Basket (0 items)

      Customer Discussions

      This product's forum
      Discussion Replies Latest Post
      No discussions yet

      Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
      Start a new discussion
      Topic:
      First post:
      Prompts for sign-in
       


      Active discussions in related forums
      Search Customer Discussions
      Search all Amazon discussions
         
      Related forums

      Listmania!

      Create a Listmania! list

      Look for similar items by category

      Feedback