The White House physician : a history from George Washington to Joe Biden / Ludwig M. Deppisch, M.D. ; foreword by Connie Mariano, M.D.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Deppisch, Ludwig M., 1938- Author.

Contributor:

Mariano, Connie, 1955- writer of foreword.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Physicians--United States--Biography.

Physicians.

Presidents--United States--History.

Presidents.

Physician and patient--United States--History.

Physician and patient.

Medicine--United States--History.

Medicine.

White House Medical Unit (U.S.)--Biography.

White House Medical Unit (U.S.).

White House (Washington, D.C.)--Officials and employees--History.

White House (Washington, D.C.).

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

x, 245 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 26 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2025]

Summary:

"Since the early days of George Washington's presidency, physicians have played a significant role in the health and well-being of American presidents. This text delves into the history of American medicine as it intersects with the specialized treatment and care provided to presidents. It also focuses on the changes that have occurred over time to the doctor-patient relationship. This new edition updates the original 2007 publication through the presidency of Joe Biden. The book covers presidential physicians' education, background, accomplishments, successes and failures of their professional care, as well as social relationships with their president-patients. Also highlighted are the new developments in the White House Medical Unit (WHMU), the 25th Amendment of the United States Constitution, and post White House careers of featured physicians. The book is enhanced by interviews with every presidential physician from Ronald Reagan's last to Joe Biden's, illuminating the contrasts and similarities between American medical and political history. By reviewing the progression of presidential medical care, this book shows the interplay between medicine, politics, and the well-being of our nation's leaders."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Samuel Bard: The First Presidential Physician

The Pillars of the Profession: Presidential Physicians, 1812-1865

The Military Steps In, Part I: The Early Days, 1823-1865

The Military Steps In, Part II: Conflicts and Cooperation, 1865-1898

Admiral Presley Rixey: The First Authentic White House Physician

Captain Joel Boone and the Institutionalization of the Office

of the White House Physician

The Military Keepers of the Stethoscope: Doctors Cary Grayson,

Ross McIntire and Howard Snyder

Physician Anecdotes: The Returnee, the Academic, the Consultant

and the Defendant, 1953-1981

Civilian Interlude, Part I: Medical Chaos in Camelot

Civilian Interlude, Part II: The Specialist Physicians of Presidents

Reagan and George H. Bush

Twenty First Century Physicians: The Doctors Who Treated

George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden

The White House Medical Unit Continues to Evolve

The Twenty-

Fifth Amendment and Its Impact on the White House

Medical Unit

Psychiatry and the Presidency

The Medical Care of Vice Presidents

Presidential Physicians After Their Tenures

Final Thoughts.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781476687001

1476687005

OCLC:

1443719579

Publisher Number:

90101904856