When you think of John F. Kennedy, you probably picture a dashing young president with a winning smile, windswept hair, and a seemingly bottomless reserve of charm. The guy practically invented the concept of political swagger. He was the face of a generation, the prince of Camelot, the man who stared down Khrushchev and inspired a nation to shoot for the moon. He also happened to be, quite literally, falling apart at the seams.

Welcome to the hidden medical history of JFK — well-kept secrets throughout his life that helped preserve an image that was more fiction than reality.

Jack Be Ill, Jack Be Sick, Jack Be Medic’d Up Real Quick

Long before he was charming the press and turning the White House into a Kennedy family reunion center, Jack Kennedy was a very sick little boy. At age three, he nearly died from scarlet fever. It was “the most-dreaded of all the diseases of children,” according to a leading pediatric text of the day. As it turns out, that was just the opening act.

From childhood onward, JFK was plagued by a digestive system that read every meal as a personal insult. Ulcers, colitis, chronic diarrhea, and gastrointestinal misery were his constant companions. Throw in recurrent urinary tract infections and a duodenal ulcer for fun, and you start to see that his insides were a war zone before he ever got near a battlefield.

And yet a battlefield was exactly where he was headed.

Fit for Duty (Sort of)

When World War II rolled around, Kennedy wanted to serve, just like any good future president. The problem? His medical file looked like a the final exam for a third-year medical student. Both the U.S. Army and Navy initially rejected him due to his health. Most people would have taken that as a cue to contribute to the war effort by writing strongly worded editorials. Not Jack. He pulled strings, called in family favors, and eventually got himself commissioned into the Navy.

Learn about Abraham Lincoln’s lifelong struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts

This would be a good time to mention that he had also developed chronic lower back problems from a football injury at Harvard. This is the state of the man who was declared to be fit to serve in command of a patrol torpedo boat.

The PT-109 Hero Who Should Have Been in Bed

JFK’s most famous wartime moment came when his boat, PT-109, was rammed by a Japanese destroyer. Kennedy not only survived, but dragged an injured crewman through shark-infested waters, holding the guy’s lifejacket strap in his teeth. This would have been an impressive accomplishment for a person in tip-top physical condition. Given everything that was ailing Kennedy, it was nothing short of remarkable.

Unfortunately, that heroism did his spine no favors. The already-dodgy vertebrae were now basically stacked kindling.

The Surgeries That Almost Killed Him

Back on U.S. soil, the injuries from PT-109 and his pre-existing back problems demanded surgical attention. In 1944, JFK underwent the first of four back surgeries, each less successful than its predecessor.

The procedures, which included lumbar vertebrae fusion and insertion of metal plates, were followed by poor healing, abscesses, and osteomyelitis — a bone infection that is as painful as it gross-sounding. After one particularly risky surgery in 1954, a Catholic priest was called in to administer last rites. Things were that bleak.

Even Richard Nixon, the man destined to become his political nemesis, was moved. After learning of Kennedy’s post-op condition, the then-Vice President reportedly wept and said, “That poor boy is going to die.” He even prayed, begging, “Oh, God, don’t let him die.”

Did we mention that there used to be a time when two people could be political opponents yet still act decently toward one another? Perhaps we’ll deal with that in another “Too Incredible To Believe” article.

Diagnosed with What Now?

In September 1947, Kennedy, then a Congressman from Massachusetts, collapsed during a visit to England. Sir Daniel Davis, the admitting physician, diagnosed adrenal crisis and told Kennedy’s friend, Pamela Churchill, “That young American friend of yours, he hasn’t got a year to live.” The cover story provided to his constituents stated that he had a severe recurrence of the malaria he had contracted in the Pacific during World War II.

“[Kennedy] had the most complex health history of anyone to occupy the White House.”

— from “Endocrine and Autoimmune Aspects of the Health History of John F. Kennedy”

indeed, there were a lot of symptoms to deal with, leading doctors down a number of rabbit trails. At one point, some doctors considered a range of diagnoses—including blood disorders—before settling on the more lasting diagnosis: Addison’s disease, a disorder of the adrenal glands. Back then, it was a death sentence printed in Latin. The body stops producing cortisol, which is kind of important if you enjoy things like living.

Kennedy was one of the first patients to receive a brand-new treatment involving cortisone, which kept him alive and semi-functional, though it came with fun side effects like weight gain, mood swings, and more immune problems. He also developed hypothyroidism, because apparently, one malfunctioning endocrine system wasn’t enough.

Keeping it Under Wraps

In his 1965 book “A Thousand Days,” the historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. described an interview with Kennedy in July of 1959, in which he asked the U.S. senator about the rumors of his having Addison’s disease. Kennedy, who was about to run for president, confidently told Schlesinger, “No one who has the real Addison’s disease should run for the presidency, but I do not have it.”

The Presidential Pharmacy

By the time he was elected president, JFK had assembled a personal medical team that read like the credits of a very long hospital drama:

• An allergist
• An endocrinologist
• A gastroenterologist
• An orthopedist
• A urologist

…and possibly a guy named Steve who just handed out mints and morphine.

For two days while in the White House, Kennedy was prescribed anti-psychotics, likely for mood instability or a reaction to the ever-growing list of meds. His daily medication routine looked like the inventory of a CVS pharmacy.

Enter Dr. Feelgood

Of course, no presidential pharmacy is complete without a celebrity drug-pusher. Enter Max Jacobson, aka “Dr. Feelgood.” Jacobson treated a who’s-who of the 1960s: Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Truman Capote, and, of course, JFK.

Jacobson injected Kennedy with a cocktail of amphetamines, vitamins, enzymes, and whatever else he had lying around. The goal? Combat fatigue and depression. The result? A president who was peppy, alert, and possibly able to hear colors.

Kennedy referred to Jacobson as “my little doctor.” Historians later referred to him as “a walking DEA violation.” Jacobson was eventually discredited and had his medical license revoked.

A Contributing Factor

Some physicians have argued that the rigid back brace he wore while sitting in the presidential limousine on Nov. 22, 1963, contributed to his death. After the first, non-fatal gunshot struck him, Kennedy was unable to bend down. Instead of crumpling to the bottom of the car, the stiff brace held him upright and he remained in Oswald’s gun sight so that the killer was able to shoot the president in the head.

Camelot, with a Limp

Despite being in near-constant pain, relying on an elaborate pharmacological support system, and literally falling apart from the inside out, JFK managed to:

• Win a war medal
• Serve in Congress and the Senate
• Get elected President
• Navigate the Cuban Missile Crisis
• Launch the space race
• Redecorate the White House
• Have an extremely (ahem) robust social life

All while looking like he just stepped out of a Brooks Brothers catalog.

Keeping the Medical History of JFK a Secret: The Myth of the Superhuman Shell

It’s easy to believe the myth of JFK as the youthful, energetic ideal of American leadership. The truth? He was a walking medical chart held together by sheer willpower, designer suits, and cortisone.

His greatest legacy might not be his speeches, his policies, or even the moon landing. It might be that he accomplished all of it while juggling more medical conditions than most hospital wings.

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Sources available upon request, or you can just call your local pharmacist and ask what happens when you mix amphetamines, steroids, and ambition.

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