Over the next six years though, John Kennedy compiled an undistinguished record as a carefree bachelor-playboy congressman. His health was a greater concern. He was sometimes mistaken for a skinny young Senate page or elevator operator. In 1947 he was diagnosed with Addison’s disease, a collapse of the adrenal glands that could trigger fevers, weight loss, weakness, and death if not correctly treated. From 1950 on Kennedy relied on cortisone treatments for relief, and he hid the diagnosis from the public for the rest of his life. His congenitally malformed back, aggravated by PT boat life and
...more
