January 17, 2009

Aside from Lord Moran’s book, there is not much published medical evidence, but certainly room for a book on the subject, if more details can be unearthed.

By John H. Mather, M.D.
Finest Hour 82

Over the past three years, I have been researching material for a book which will document and explore the status of Sir Winston Churchill’s health throughout his life. The final title for the book is yet to be determined. It will attempt to place in perspective and historical context, the maintenance of his health notwithstanding some of his habits which, by today’s medical knowledge, would have been inimical to a predicted life span of ninety years. The various serious medical problems he experienced, such as a bad automobile accident in New York in 1931; his “heart” attacks; a serious bout with pneumonia in North Africa; and his “strokes” will be discussed as they might have or did affect the pace of historical events.

I have read many books and papers, and there are not very many which focus predominantly on Sir Winston’s health and medical infirmities. Of course, Lord Moran’s Churchill: The Struggle for Survival, (London: Constable, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1966, Redburn A237) is a good source; but as the late Sir John Colville, Churchill’s private secretary for many years after 1940, said, “Lord Moran was never present when history was made, but he was sometimes invited to lunch afterwards.”

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Even so, Lord Moran’s account gives an intriguing insight into a dedicated physician’s recognition of Sir Winston’s taciturn nature when ill. Although when first published the book was considered a breach of physician-patient confidentiality, it shows Moran’s willingness to do whatever he could to restore Sir Winston’s health, thus returning his patient to his crucial role in world affairs.

Another book, Simply Churchill, (London: Hale; US title Churchill’s Last Years, N.Y.: McKay, Redburn A207) is by WSC’s personal nurse-attendant, Roy Howells. Mr. Howells writes with care and, while feeling “abused” by Sir Winston on certain occasions, does evince in the reader a sense of the highest admiration for Sir Winston’s tenacity of spirit during his later years. Apart from psychiatrist Dr. Anthony Storr’s essay, “Churchill: The Man” which appeared in Churchill: Four Faces and the Man (London: Allen Lane; US title Churchill Revised, N.Y.: Dial Press, 1969, Redburn 265; later reprinted in Storr’s Churchill’s Black Dog, Kafka’s Mice, N.Y.: Grove Press) I can find no other books that seem to have a predominant interest in the status of Sir Winston’s health during his lifetime.

There are many individual articles that have inconclusively approached various issues such as Churchill’s “speech defect,” his reckless spirit that apparently made him prone to physical injury, the effects of using tobacco products, his possible over-indulgence in alcoholic beverages and the continued (dubious) speculations about his father’s terminal dementia. Otherwise, I have found only scattered references in other books.

An illustration of one issue I will explore in my book is the oft-debated question whether each of us is more a product of “nature” or “nurture.” Robert Lewis Taylor, in his 1952 book, Winston Churchill: An Informal Study of Greatness, (N.Y.: Doubleday; reissued as The Amazing Mr. Churchill, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, 1962, Red-burn AIIO) makes the point very well:

Eminent physicians have decreed that energy is born and not made, that humans, through the secret formulas of heredity, receive an impetus at birth which sets the pace for their bumpy journey across the moral span. In a general way, then, the life-force is influenced more by ancestors than by vitamins. Churchill has been fortunate in both departments: his ancestors could hardly have been selected with greater profit, and his successes with nourishment have been a source of international amity.

During his lifetime, Sir Winston had several hospitalizations including an extended stay for a broken hip when in his eighties at the Middlesex Hospital and Medical School, London, which is where I completed my medical training in 1967. When he was much younger, WSC had an appendectomy at the London Clinic on Harley Street, London. In his book, Great Contemporaries, Sir Winston writes, “I had undergone a few days before a severe operation for appendicitis, but I could not let this pass. So I wrote at large to say …” The matter of dispute related to Churchill’s consternation with an individual reneging on a “cordial promise to us all” to support his colleagues in some political maneuverings. (Do you know of whom he was writing?*)

My preliminary conclusion concerning Sir Winston’s health and medical problems is that, while he was often “unwell” throughout his life, he was unwilling to accept the “sick” role and was able to overcome. He demonstrates on occasion an impatience with, almost a disdain for, physicians who purvey “pills and potions.” He always seems willing to return to the regular activities of his life as soon as possible and not to be sidelined from major events because of illness. He devised, whether consciously or unconsciously (I do not know) “therapies” for himself, such as his longstanding engagement with painting. This absorbing activity may have done much for the maintenance of sanity, and helped ward off his “black dog.” Except for the few instances when he was seriously ill during times when he had heavy ministerial responsibilities, his zest for life and indomitable spirit were paramount.

As the reader may discern, I am well into my research and I am now beginning the more difficult task of crafting the words, integrating the collected material and seriously putting “pen to paper”; rather, fingers to the keyboard. I believe I have accumulated some very useful information which, when completely organized, will tell an enriching story. Even so, I am not convinced that I have covered all bases of inquiry. I would be most interested to hear from any reader of Finest Hour who could give me information on sources, personal reflections, or observations he or she would like to share. Some information may duplicate material I have accumulated, but please do not let that deter you. I will be pleased to acknowledge your contribution in my book, which will probably take a couple more years to complete.

Please direct your contribution to me do “Churchill’s Health,” 12144 Long Ridge Lane, Bowie, Maryland 20715 USA.

*The answer is George Nathaniel Curzon.