Many U.S. leaders have battled hidden health struggles that were often kept from the public eye. From chronic illnesses and war wounds to mental health challenges and unexpected medical conditions, these are 9 U.S. president’s medical secrets revealed.
1. George Washington
George Washington was famous for his problematic oral health, but he actually suffered from many different illnesses throughout his lifetime. When he was 17 years old, he contracted malaria and continued to suffer bouts of it until his death. He also suffered from diphtheria, pneumonia, dysentery, tonsillitis, smallpox, carbuncles, far-sightedness, hearing loss, throat infection, depression, and the loss of some of his teeth.
2. John Adams
John Adams was a healthy young boy. However, he began to suffer from a severe respiratory infection in his first year at Harvard. After receiving the smallpox vaccine in 1764, he came down with symptoms of the disease. Throughout his life, he suffered from respiratory infections, smallpox, indigestion, dyspepsia, depression, somatization, substance abuse, and rheumatism.
3. Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson struggled with dysentery, depression, and a serious back injury during his pre-presidential days. He also sustained a terrible wrist injury that never really healed. Throughout his life, he suffered from dysentery, depression, back injury, broken wrists, enlarged prostate, rheumatism, skin sores, hearing loss, indigestion, and a psychological condition.
4. James Madison
James Madison tried to avoid serious illnesses by avoiding locations where these diseases were common. Madison had a speech impediment, which prevented him from delivering public addresses. He also developed frostbite on his nose during the 1790s. Throughout his life, he struggled with a speech impediment, arthritis, inflamed gallbladder, epilepsy, and frostbite.
5. James Monroe
James Monroe was shot in the shoulder in 1776 at the Battle of Trenton, and the bullet stayed inside his body for the rest of his life. He also contracted malaria in 1785 and suffered from recurrent attacks. Through the years, he struggled with a bullet wound, malaria, fever, seizure, exhaustion, wrist injury, and lung disease.
6. John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was a healthy man for the majority of his life despite the fact that his mother and father were third cousins. Adams was bald, just like his father. Unfortunately, he suffered from his first stroke in 1846 but made a full recovery. He had his second stroke in 1848 and died two days later.
7. Andrew Jackson
During the Revolutionary War, Andrew Jackson sustained multiple injuries, including gashes and wounds on his head, hands, and fingers. He also suffered from depression after his brothers’ and mother’s deaths. In 1806, he was shot in the chest during a duel, and the wound bothered him for the rest of his life. He suffered from flesh wounds, bullet wounds, malaria, dysentery, headaches, and dropsy.
8. Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren struggled with obesity, which he kept hidden by wearing a corset. Apparently, he could drink a lot of whiskey without showing any signs of being drunk. His drinking habits, along with his diet and predilection to excess, may have contributed to his serious gout and dyspepsia. He suffered from obesity, gout, dyspepsia, respiratory infections, asthma, and circulatory disease.
9. William Henry Harrison
William Henry suffered from some kind of stomach ailment, which could have been an ulcer. He limited his diet to only certain foods to reduce his discomfort. This might have led to malnutrition, given his gaunt appearance. During his life, he struggled with ulcers, malnutrition, respiratory infections, and pneumonia.
Sources:
Every U.S. President & Every Medical Problem They’ve Ever Had
Secretly sick: US presidents who battled illness
The long history of hiding US presidential illnesses
