The epilepsy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

In the 4 years since beginning research for a book on the health¹ of our 32nd president, the diagnosis of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's seizures evolved from a suspicion to a virtual certainty. Even more importantly, it is clear that they had a major impact upon his mental acuity and decision-making during one of the most critical periods in American history.

There are dozens of independent reports of behavior consistent with complex partial seizures that occurred with considerable frequency for over a year prior to his death from a cerebral hemorrhage at Warm Springs, GA, on April 12, 1945, none of which were recognized as such by the observers. The true nature of Roosevelt's neurologic illness has been one of the most closely held secrets of the 20th century, abetted by the active participation in a cover-up by his 2 most well-recognized physicians, ENT specialist Ross T. McIntire and cardiologist Howard G. Bruenn. It is ludicrous to assume that symptomatology so gross and so frequent went unrecognized by those entrusted with the health of the most important and powerful man in the world. The pieces of the puzzle are scattered in dozens of books, articles, oral histories, and a limited amount of surviving medical records.

In the last year of Roosevelt's life, the long list of observers who were aghast at his appearance, demeanor, and loss of mental acuity include Winston Churchill, Churchill's physician, Lord …